Blitz Thailand
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Future Of Car Design Innovation Industry
The automotive industry in has been in operation for nearly 100 years. However, things are changing. The Shifting gear exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria marks the end of an era. General Motors, Toyota and Ford Motor Company have all announced that they will close  manufacturing plants. The exhibition is a celebration of the inventive genius of past eras but the future of the automobile industry is uncertain.

Despite the imminent end to car production, it is worth acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of the  car industry. It’s a remarkable feat to make cars. They are one of our most complex and nuanced products, and have shaped our urban environment as well as our socio-cultural psyche.

Locally-grown, highly skilled workers who create creative content, choreograph complex production systems, manage large infrastructures, direct information flows, and attempt to understand a multifaceted financial system have demonstrated innovation at the highest levels. It is unclear if this innovation is still being directed in the right direction.
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Making Industry Do
Our innovation is rooted in the need to do what’s necessary. The market is smaller than the global market. Our manufacturers are part-owners of larger companies. However, domestic vehicle production has had to survive. Our products have been able to sit comfortably alongside international vehicles, which have greater market reach, production volumes, and more resources. Despite our limitations, we have managed to compete on price, quality, and vehicle attributes.

Car designers have had the opportunity to compete on the international stage from their first hand experience as automotive designers. However, they did so with less resources, time and money. This has led to iconic cars like the 1934 Ford Coupe Utility, FJ Holden, and Chrysler R/T E49 Charger as shown in Shifting Gear. Local automotive design studios have a large number of highly-trained designers to their credit.