Drive around, go to a store, or pass a parking lot and you have to agree that most cars look the same. In the 20th-century, it wasn’t hard to spot your favorite car down the block, but nowadays you have to squint to really figure one car from another. But there are reasons why car designs have become so benign.
One reason is that today car companies don’t dictate design, instead, car designs have to fit into the framework of government regulations. In this global world, cars are rarely just sold in one country, but rather rebadged and sold in other markets like Europe and Asia. A car design has to pass most if not all of the other countries’ regulations, and it simply comes down to a profit. It is not enough for a car to be a national hit, rather it has to sell and be profitable in multiple countries. Making designs for an international market simplifies initial designs but ultimately manufactures a more basic appearance. As car designers lament in interviews, it’s a classic back and forth tennis match, designers want one thing, engineers want another. Much of the artistic styling is removed to fit the market regulations and ultimately have more profitability in sales.
Passenger safety has also dramatically altered car design. Through the 1990s, most cars had a wide windshield view not blocked by pillars. To protect passengers from being crushed in a rollover, A-frame pillars became thicker, ultimately giving cars a thicker, more rounded appearance.
Despite the dangers of blind spots in cars, pedestrian safety takes precedent in car design. Fins on any of those 50s cars wouldn’t pass regulatory approval today — in fact, any sharp protruding car piece would violate safety standards. Today a car’s curves have to be smoothed out to soften the impact in the event of a pedestrian hitting them. Curves, if there are any, are actually an optical illusion with a radius that are only decimals of an inch. To prevent impaling, badges and hood ornaments have to be blunt as well.
Since the establishment of the EPA in the 1970s cars have had more and more environmental regulations to combat. In the past, a design was not inhibited by fuel efficiency, but today, it has to fit with the EPA’s standards for its classification (SUV, sedan, truck, etc). To meet proper MPG fuel economy, car companies have to make cars as aerodynamic as possible, further smoothing out lines and artistic accents.
Ultimately, selling a car means making it as neutral as possible. Yes, there are niche markets, but most cars are trying to appeal to many audiences. Even colors have been limited, resulting in fleets of gray and silver cars. As one car dealer mentioned, “though bright colors are fun, they don’t sell.” As restrictions tighten the yearning for nostalgic cars only grows further and only shows that old cars — despite their dangerous parts, — still have value for many enthusiasts. Like a game of telephone, a car goes through a series of steps that ultimately reshape and redesign its appearance.