In April, the retail share of domestic brands increased by 4% year-on-year, reaching 69.6%. This means that for every ten new cars sold, nearly seven come from domestic brands. Behind consumer recognition is the gradual surpassing of the joint venture camp in terms of technology and product strength by domestic brands. However, in a certain dimension, Chinese cars still have obvious shortcomings, and even Chinese consumers have accepted and become accustomed to self deprecation in the style of "Baoshi Tai" and "XX Cullinan". This shortcoming is precisely the exterior design of the car. At the Beijing Auto Show in April, multiple new cars were showcased, but only a few left a lasting impression. Due to the highly similar styling, some foreign media have commented: "This place is filled with similar wheels and appearances, lacking true originality." Does the automotive industry have aesthetics? The answer is undoubtedly yes, just like appearance has always been the first introduction segment of a new car launch event. But as designs become more and more similar, aesthetics are no longer just a memory point, but have become a fatigue.

01Chinese cars, which have reached the top of global sales, are struggling with aesthetic shortcomings

According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, passenger car exports reached 769000 units in April, a year-on-year increase of 80.7%, accounting for 36% of passenger car manufacturers' sales. The sustained explosive growth in overseas markets confirms that the comprehensive strength of Chinese automobiles has matured. Nowadays, independent brands have formed a complete systematic competitiveness in core technology, product polishing, marketing layout, and overseas channel construction, and have been able to make a strong breakthrough in the global market. But as pointed out by foreign media, as long as Chinese cars fall into the "falsehood" of mass manufacturing and traditional giants adhere to "authenticity", Chinese cars cannot end them. The flaws in original design and aesthetics of Chinese cars are difficult to avoid. More worrisome is that when some new cars are launched in China, the brand even skips users' roast and directly calls itself "XX Range Rover" and "XX Cullinan", which makes people wonder whether this is a compromise to the market or an abandonment of the original? A good car, or a car that can be sold at a price, must have an appearance that can withstand scrutiny.

In recent months, under the dual influence of advances in battery and energy replenishment technology and fluctuations in fuel prices, new energy vehicles, especially pure electric models, have continued to rise. The pure electric car, which was previously locked in the entry-level price range, has finally loosened its price band and begun to explore. The i6, a popular product in the 250000 yuan market, has emerged, and the sales of the Tengshi Z9GT have also increased significantly; At higher prices, NIO E8 continues to make efforts. Earlier, several models from Xiaomi also sold well. And the above models all have a high level of aesthetic proficiency. Ideal and NIO have always adhered to the language of independent original design. Industry veterans have stated that the two brands' firm foothold in the high-end market is highly bound to their unique design aesthetics: "(Consumers' perception of NIO's independent and native design with Ideal products has already been established, while other brands are still imitating, they have already established it.) The ability of aesthetic design to promote products is fully reflected in a single vehicle model. According to user research data on Xiaomi YU7, appearance aesthetics have surpassed brand influence, driving comfort, and intelligent cabin configuration, becoming the primary decision-making factor for users when buying a car. Not just a single car model, the exterior design that meets the public's aesthetic can even drive the explosion of a category. Square box SUVs, hunting vehicles, and coupes are typical representatives. In 2015, the sales volume of domestic square box SUVs was only 168400 units, accounting for 2.6% of the SUV market; By 2025, this number will soar to 1.02 million units, accounting for over 8.5% of the total. Box shaped car models can be seen everywhere above the Beijing Auto Show, almost becoming standard equipment for brands.

There are studies dividing this market into three categories: hardcore square boxes, beauty square boxes, and fun square boxes. On short video platforms such as Tiktok, the mental communication of users in the three major market segments focuses on power, appearance and accessibility. The strong appeal of appearance to consumers is evident. More closely related to daily life, three friends around me have recently expressed a strong desire to purchase a square box car. One of them was strongly attracted by the appearance of a certain brand's square box just because he encountered it while driving; The other two are in the selection and completed purchase stages respectively. When it comes to the reasons, the highly attractive exterior design of cars is the primary answer they both gave. Hunting cars and sports cars, which were originally niche markets, are also attracting more and more consumers' attention due to their excellent appearance and gradually decreasing prices. Xiaomi has firmly established its foothold in the fiercely competitive automotive industry with the SU7 as a starting model.

Why are there so few good-looking cars?

Since aesthetics are so important, why are the exterior designs of domestic cars still unable to escape the trap of "imitation", "tribute", and "replication"? In the past few years, Porsche's design has indeed inspired a highly unified aesthetic in the Chinese automotive industry. Of course, in this process, for Porsche, besides being honored, there is also a bit of helplessness. It is easy to pay tribute to and imitate the design language, but the soul behind the design will not be easily replaced. "The recent remarks by Porsche executives have caused ripples in the industry. Although Porsche's own history is not without controversy, this cannot be used as a fig leaf to cover up the scarcity of original designs and aesthetic deficiencies in Chinese automobiles. Upon closer examination, the reasons are complex and intertwined. The first and foremost is the global trend of aesthetic degradation, which has affected the automotive industry. Not only in the automotive industry, but also in various fields such as fashion, film and television, entertainment, etc., there is a problem of aesthetic degradation. Even in game and film creation, in order to cater to a certain "correctness", various stereotyped and homogeneous images emerge one after another, completely deviating from the mainstream aesthetic of the masses. In such a big environment, the automotive industry is also unable to stand alone. Many traditional car companies' new models are frequently criticized by consumers for their mediocre appearance and sloppy design, and classic aesthetic designs are becoming increasingly scarce. However, aesthetic degradation is not irreversible, and companies such as NIO, Mazda, Porsche, etc. have always maintained stable aesthetic output. The quality of car design is also directly related to the aesthetic judgment of decision-makers, just like the viewpoint previously proposed by the commune that "car owners determine the upper limit of aesthetics". A management team that lacks understanding and respect for design is difficult to produce truly outstanding works.

Secondly, intense industry competition has reduced original design to an unnecessary cost. Under the industry prophecy that "there will only be a few top players left in the future car companies", market competition has entered a white hot stage. In order to stand firm on the track and avoid trial and error risks, major car companies have tilted their core funds and research and development resources towards hard core technology fields such as batteries, intelligent driving, and chips. Compared to hard technology that can be directly converted into product parameters and market selling points, original design has a longer investment cycle, higher trial and error costs, and slower returns. For car companies that pursue stable mass production and rapid volume growth, the mature design of popular models in the market can not only compress research and development costs and reduce the probability of errors, but also conform to the mainstream aesthetic of the public and ensure basic sales. This kind of "seeking stability rather than novelty" business choice is also the reason for the aesthetic deadlock of "one size fits all". In addition, the rapid pace of industry iteration has compressed the polishing space for original designs. The true car design is not simply the stacking of lines and appearance splicing, but the deep integration of aerodynamics, body proportions, curved craftsmanship, practical functions, and brand tone. A high-quality original car design requires designers to go through months or even years of careful consideration and polishing. However, in the current automotive industry, the iteration speed is extremely fast, and the launch cycle of new products is greatly shortened. Many car companies simply do not have enough time to deeply cultivate design and polish details, and can only copy mature templates and quickly redesign and mass produce. The chaos of the automotive market level system further undermines the differentiated value of design. In the traditional automobile market, size, level, and price correspond one-to-one, and different levels of models have their own exclusive design language and aura. Nowadays, car companies generally pursue large sizes, and the size of models in the same class continues to increase, with extra space becoming standard. The visual impact brought by size is no longer scarce, and the level boundaries are completely blurred. Chaotic Zhihong makes it difficult for car companies to form their own exclusive design system.

Fortunately, more and more domestic brands such as NIO, Ideal, Avita, Xiaopeng, Geely, etc. have begun to focus on original design. Not long ago, Yu Chengdong stated in a live broadcast that he did not attach importance to the appearance of cars when making cars, and the team's design was not advanced. The core problem lies in aesthetics. At the Beijing Auto Show, the gathering of 71 concept cars also marked a new chapter in the transformation and rejuvenation of China's automotive industry, as well as the return of design. Chinese cars have proven that they can make good cars. Now, it's time to create beautiful cars that embody Eastern aesthetics.