[InTheNightKitchen]

Before Mercedes or BMW changed their design language to F chassis, I noticed other makes with the same/similar design language. Not to say BMW or Mercedes copied, but I do remember seeing a Mazda driving around with the same style front end before any BMW or MB cars were released as concepts or on the market.
It may seem stupid or silly but is there an automotive panel or possibly one individual at the top who makes industry wide decisions or guides/sets the tone of design? As we all have seen before, it seems that one auto manufacturer has an idea and then a majority of them follow. Now it seems for obvious reasons not to get left behind by the competition, but there are some brands like Porsche that manages to keep that same front end without compromise and still sell cars. I would think you would want to differentiate your company rather then blend in and have the possibility of losing customers.

What I'm referring to is the side profile of the vehicles, I do like the styling but I must admit they remind me of a snub-nosed cat. I hope I'm explaining this properly.

[BMW269]

A lot has to do with regulations. Then, head of design follow a trend, just like any design industry. Everything is just a natural flow influenced by external factors, no body sets rules or regulations for design, except in the case of security standards, which have an influence on conception.

[InTheNightKitchen]

Ok that makes ore sense, thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

Originally Posted by Levi

A lot has to do with regulations. Then, head of design follow a trend, just like any design industry. Everything is just a natural flow influenced by external factors, no body sets rules or regulations for design, except in the case of security standards, which have an influence on conception.

[NEFARIOUS]

Then there's something I call "diminishing originality"... Where after exhausting every single option, there's hardly anything that can truly be called "original" without sticking too far out of the crowd. Could be car design or even music. To the untrained, they can take it at face value, but then with a skilled eye you can see design cues and influences, even if it's unintentionally so. You'd think you'd hear a totally original new rock song, but then even the artist himself will say that "this song is largely influenced by ____" on a TV interview, and many more examples. At least that's the way I see it, maybe there might be genuine plagiarism, who knows?

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by NEFARIOUS

Then there's something I call "diminishing originality"... Where after exhausting every single option, there's hardly anything that can truly be called "original" without sticking too far out of the crowd.

This is why rock music is dead and will never come back.

A lot of the snub nose design has to do with pedestrian impact regulations in Europe, IIRC.

[InTheNightKitchen]

Well, due to these regulations I really look forward to upcoming generations designs. Want to see how they work around this, and how each generation is going to differ from its predecessor