Detroit car show dazzles with design

From the humble Smart to supercars, carmakers are offering more visually interesting products than ever in recent years, raising their game against increasingly tough competition and cutting the boring quotient.
It was evident in Chrysler’s revival of the clunky 1970s Dodge Dart in a small slingback entry-level car that will please young people hoping for a little sporty pizzazz from the company’s Italian owner Fiat.
And it was evident in the remakes in the luxury class, like Mercedes-Benz’s six-decade-old SL, where formidable curves and brawn come together in a hefty all-aluminum convertible.
“The big theme for the show is styling,” Jeremy Anwyl, head of auto industry experts Edmunds.com, told AFP.
Styling is a way to differentiate a product “when cars can no longer set themselves apart by safety features or performance or fuel efficiency.
“You’re seeing styling in segments where it wouldn’t have been a big deal before. You go back a few years ago, compact cars were pretty boring because the idea was people bought it as an appliance – it’s cheap.”
Now, he said, car makers want their products to stand out in a crowded field. – AFP.