Tags
Accura ZDX, aesthetics, automobile design, automobile industry, automotive design, BMW, boy’s club, Cadillac XTS Platinum, car acquisition, Christine Park, compact cars, dynamics, economics, engineering, family cars, Ford Motors, functionality, GM, Juliane Blasi, Michelle Christensen, Middle East, mixed gender, Nadya Amout, reliability, staples, Tariq Ziad Khan, technology, testosterone, toys for boys, Volvo, Y chromosome, YCC Concept Car, Z4
Long seen as a boy’s club making ‘toys for boys’, the automobile industry’s decisions have been, more often than not, influenced by the dynamics of the Y chromosome. That looks set to change, with women now stepping into many key roles in that bastion of testosterone. Automotive design is a key area where women have made their presence felt in recent years. Over 25% of the global design workforce of leading automakers such as BMW and GM, is now female. Volvo recently unveiled its YCC Concept Car, which was made by an all-female design team.
While YCC may be an extreme example, more and more women are taking ownership of mainstream automobile designs. The new Cadillac XTS Platinum (Christine Park) and the Accura ZDX (Michelle Christensen) have been designed by the companies’ first respective lead female designers. BMW in 2008, launched their iconic Z4 roadster, designed by the duo of Nadya Amout and Juliane Blasi.
