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Modern Cars ‘Molest’ People With Their ‘Arrogant’ Styling: Polestar CEO
Modern Cars ‘Molest’ People With Their ‘Arrogant’ Styling: Polestar CEO-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:05

A photo of Polestar CEOThomas Ingenlath sat next to one of his company's electric cars.

People love to bash on the here and now, while reminiscing about a simpler time. Nowhere is that more relevant than in the world of car design, where we always hear arguments about when the “golden age” of automotive styling really was. Well, when that was, he sure as hell won’t say right now.

, the Polestar boss gave a scathing assessment of the current automotive landscape. He described most modern cars as “loud” objects that “shout” at passers-by and innocent onlookers.

He said: “You walk through a street where lots of cars are parked, and all of them are shouting at you. It’s a very arrogant attitude, to actually molest the people with these expressions. You feel like, ‘Come on, have a certain decency’. Some class would be appropriate.”

A photo of the Polestar Precept concept car.

He’s far too diplomatic to name and shame the companies churning out “arrogant” cars. But as soon as I read that sentence and its ridiculous grille, right now and, of course, all immediately jumped into my mind.

All these marques and their current “overemphasis of expressiveness,” he says, are at odds with the Scandinavian styling his firm has become known for. The are what Ingenlath believes have helped his firm stand out from the crowd.

Additionally, he believes this design philosophy has been and successes in Europe, the U.S. and South Korea.

“Design is a big thing that works worldwide, that’s for sure,” Ingenlath said. “The quality about how the car drives, that, of course, is a more European and US thing. In Asia, it’s not necessarily that much of a topic that makes you a star there.”

A photo of the Polestar 1 coupe parked at a salt mine.

But , popular designs and trends are always changing. Meaning that while Polestar’s simplistic styling might stand out today from the oversized grilles and angular accents that are commonplace in other companies today, this could soon change.

“It’s definitely something that is changing,” he says.

Does this mean we’ll one day see streets filled with sleek Scandi-style cars? We can all dream.

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