POSITIVE POSTERS

Speaking with Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern at the show, he admitted the car is ‘more of a design approach. The vehicle still has the overall integrity and the capabilities, but it is capability that is relevant today,’ he said.

‘People say you’re glamorising the brand and that is probably true but so what,’ he continued. ‘I wouldn’t call it overt bling though. We’re making a transition from selling four-by-four vehicles to luxury products.’ Incidentally, the Evoque was selected as the best production car of the year by the people’s vote at the Car Design of the year that evening.

Not surprisingly, sustainable driving featured high on the list with almost all manufacturers showing both zero-emission production cars and advanced design thinking in this area. Peugeot showed the EX1 electric racecar and Nissan the Esflow – both designed to convey how the electric powertrain can open up so much scope for designers to make sexy cars and supercars.

Head of Nissan Design Europe Victor Nacif told W* that ‘the mentality of a sports car is the same as the electric car. The sports car is also about pure efficiency, to get there as quickly as you can and as efficiently as you can. Having an electric engine in there makes sense.’