TREND: Big grilles
With this trend apparent in Europe, the big and bold front ends have
skipped the pond and is picking up steam as it becomes the latest fashion statement in the US.
The catalyst to this movement was the EU’s safety regulations designed to reduce pedestrian deaths, which has led stylists to develop bigger and more vertical-faced front ends.
Some examples (left to right):
Big grilles are a Bentley
trademark. Design Director Dirk van Braeckel’s styling team drew
inspiration from the 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental for the 2006
Continental Flying Spur, which arrives in the United States in
September. The grille is designed to break apart if the car hits a
pedestrian, lessening injuries.
The Lincoln Zephyr, which goes on
sale in the fall. Says Chief Designer Phil Simmons: "We set out to
incorporate luxury and the sense of space in the Lincoln Zephyr. For
example, wrapping the grille and headlamps around the front corners and
repeating that theme at the rear evoke a sense of imposing space
The dominant feature of the
2006 Audi A3 is its single-frame grille, which the automaker says has
design roots in Audi’s racing history.
When the 2006 Pontiac Solstice
fills your rear-view mirror, you’ll fully appreciate the prominence of
the car’s big honeycomb grille. Production of the low-slung roadster,
designed by GM designers Franz von Holzhausen and Vicki Vlachakis, is
scheduled to begin this summer.
With its distinctive cross-hair
grille, the 2006 Dodge Charger is meant to trigger memories of the
muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s. "You just have to look at the front
end - that sneering, that attitude, that confidence. That is what the
Charger is all about," says the Chrysler group’s Ralph Gilles, whose
team led the production design. The Charger is arriving at dealerships
now.
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