That VAG look

[SDNR]

After seeing a drawing of the rumoured mini Bugatti, I decided to make a thread about the cars from Volkswagen AG.

VAG has become like one of those small American towns you see in the movies ....you know the ones where the whole population looks vaguely related. Even Lamborghini is part of this cleanly geometric gene pool.

Do they look like they were conceived by the same design team to you?

If so, is that a good thing in your opinion?

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[LaArtist]

ROFLMAO.. hahah damn roberto..i loved the small american town comment..haha.. priceless

well back on topic.. i get what you meant.. to me VW and Audi cars are like brothers.. ohh and skoda to.. they are very similar..
Bugatti is like their cousin..
Bentley and Lambo seem to have their own thing going i dont see much resemblence with rest of vAG.. maybe in vag bentleys but not in lambo..

 

[Deutsch]

It makes sense, just another form of globalization. I'm sure a lot of the body panels and what not are from the same steel/aluminum suppliers, many of the same paint application processes are the same, sharing of designers, etc They're operating at a lower costs by sharing resources, so this discovery you have made doesn't in the least bit suprisse me. The same can be said for any other automotive conglomerate, look at BMW, Mini, and RR, they seem to have the same quality in appearence about them.

 

[Merc1]

This only highlights what I don't like about these new Bentleys, they share the same front fender/headlight treatment as that VW Bug. That I cannot forgive. Who styled these new Bentleys anyway? In this case I think its an awful thing for Bentley.

The Bugattis and Audis are hot, and the Lambos are too in convertible form. I still think Piech should have let an Italian style the new Lambos while Audi concentrated on the under the skin stuff. He reportedly rejected the original design for the Murcielago and had a German style the car. It still came out outrageous but I think it would have been moreso if a honest to goodness Italian had done the styling.

M

 

[donau]

....Do they look like they were conceived by the same design team to you? If so, is that a good thing in your opinion....

Very interesting observation. In fact they do look like they all share the same DNA. If not by the same design team, then by teams sharing the same basic design styles. So far they all have enough individual characteristics so it does not bother me. Especially since I like those lines myself at this time.

 

[Mr. M]

Now that you mentioned it Roberto, indeed VAG cars do have a "look" to them.

My dad pointed it out to me one day while stopping at a traffic light junction with an A8 in front. He said VAG cars all looked bulbous and bulky!

 

[Yperion]

Sorry Roberto but from the pics you posted i can only see a distant resemblance and it couldn't be otherwise since there is no way a mid-engined 1,000 hp supercar like Veyron could have anything in common (from an engineering and thus a design aspect) with a VW Beetle.

 

[LaArtist]

doesent the veyron use a very similar shaped headlight as audi sedans.. ??

 

[SDNR]

Sorry Roberto but from the pics you posted i can only see a distant resemblance and it couldn't be otherwise since there is no way a mid-engined 1,000 hp supercar like Veyron could have anything in common (from an engineering and thus a design aspect) with a VW Beetle.

Well it's very abstract really - as Mirage77 said, the designs are often quite bulbous and bulky. There is a clarity about the designs, the surfaces are unfussy and rounded (with the exception of the Lambo's).

 

[Yperion]

doesent the veyron use a very similar shaped headlight as audi sedans.. ??

Now that you mention it , they kind of remind me of Skoda Octavia lights.

As for the side profiles of cabrios, I think that Mercedes CLK is more similar to Bentley than Audi A4 because it's also "rounded".

 

[Alx]

LOL <HEHEHE> Never noticed it till you put all those profile pics together... It certainly shares a look. Funny!

 

[SDNR]

Now that you mention it , they kind of remind me of Skoda Octavia lights.

As for the side profiles of cabrios, I think that Mercedes CLK is more similar to Bentley than Audi A4 because it's also "rounded".

Hmmm, Maybe I should give some more explicit references here.

Take for example the crease-line that follows from just above the rear wheel arch of the Audi TT. It bears a remarkable resemblance to the crease-line that follows the Flying Spur's front wheel arch.

You might argue that the Mercedes CLS has a similar detail ...but the CLS's is more dynamic and actually makes an entirely different impression.

I guess I just feel that the VAG vehicles share a similar "character" - I find this very difficult to explain - it's a very abstract perception more than anything I can be very specific about.

I think there are also undeniable similarities here: Audi Le Mans Quattro / Bentley Flying Spur .

 

[phaeton]

I agree Roberto there is a VAG DNA present.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

This only highlights what I don't like about these new Bentleys, they share the same front fender/headlight treatment as that VW Bug. That I cannot forgive. Who styled these new Bentleys anyway? In this case I think its an awful thing for Bentley.

M

I agree completely. In some cases (Bentley and Bugatti) theres just wayyy too much of the same design DNA.

 

[Merc1]

Hmmm, Maybe I should give some more explicit references here.

Take for example the crease-line that follows from just above the rear wheel arch of the Audi TT. It bears a remarkable resemblance to the crease-line that follows the Flying Spur's front wheel arch.



You might argue that the Mercedes CLS has a similar detail ...but the CLS's is more dynamic and actually makes an entirely different impression.

I guess I just feel that the VAG vehicles share a similar "character" - I find this very difficult to explain - it's a very abstract perception more than anything I can be very specific about.

I think there are also undeniable similarities here: Audi Le Mans Quattro / Bentley Flying Spur .

Yes it is very clear in these pics. I remember the Piech ordered the Murcielago re-designed after he saw the final proposal. He of course turned it over to someone from withing VW/Audi to draw it instead of the proper Italian design house that did the original.

M