Automobiles have undergone dozens of changes since their first appearance in 1886 and took the form we know today. Automobiles, which were used for transportation purposes and designed accordingly, are now seen as a prestige indicator and a design choice.
However, the biggest common point of cars, especially in ten or 20 years, is that almost every model looks more and more angry. When we look at the headlights and front bumper of the cars as if they are swimming, we can notice that the eyes of the vehicles are squinted and they stop like predators ready to attack other cars on the road. So why do automakers prefer this design?
Actually, this is all about our perception.
Today, many people involuntarily compare the objects or patterns they see around them to human faces or other living things. This condition is called Pareidolia. Although pareidolia is not a disease, people who experience this condition can no longer ignore this analogy when they compare an object to something different. Of course, there are also cars among the simulated objects.
Since many of the cars produced between the 1960s and 1990s have more rounded lines, when we look at these cars, we do not find them angry, on the contrary, we find them cute. However, nowadays it is very difficult to find a car that looks cute. So why?
People love aggressive cars
According to automobile design expert Paolo Tumminelli, people prefer cars that look aggressive over cute cars. There are several reasons for this choice. The first reason is that many car drivers are unintentionally aggressive in traffic and therefore think that the car they drive reflects their ‘style’. Another reason is that other drivers in traffic give way to cars that look extremely aggressive and angry and do not taunt them in traffic. However, the reason why female drivers choose aggressive cars is a little different.
According to the surveys, the reason why female car drivers choose aggressive vehicles is that the vehicles make them feel safe in traffic. According to a popular belief, drivers who see women driving aggressively are afraid of yelling at them or squeezing them in traffic. That’s why today women prefer angry cars instead of cute looking cars.
Automakers want to take advantage of this perception
Automakers, who are aware of this perception of drivers, want to take advantage of this situation and work to make their models more and more aggressive every year. In addition, automakers often produce cars that are similar to each other, as they constantly have to follow rules on certain issues such as aerodynamics, driver and pedestrian safety, collision safety. When this is the case, we come across angry and aggressive looking cars that look like copies of each other in traffic every year.
What about autonomous vehicles?
But there is only one point on which all automakers agree: happy autonomous vehicles. Since aggressive vehicles represent their drivers at one point, autonomous vehicles appear aggressive, meaning that they represent artificial intelligence. The aggressive appearance of a self-driving car also scares drivers and customers, which is why all automakers are designing their electric vehicles and autonomous vehicle concepts to look happier, curvier, and cute. According to automobile designers, cars with rounded lines and more cute looks are seen as more environmentally friendly, user-friendly, and easy to use compared to cars with aggressive and sharp edges.
This design choice may cause traffic to be divided into happy and aggressive vehicles in the near future. However, vehicles that look more masculine, muscular and aggressive at the moment are seen as the favorite of car owners. We will see together whether this situation will change in the near future.
Sources: MotorBiscuit, LiveScience, EarthSky
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