Liu Nenghua, Executive Deputy Director of the Design Department of SAIC-GM Pan-Asia Automotive Technology Center
Mr. Liu: Our car adopts It has a four-seat layout, which was first launched on the Buick GL8 Avenir concept car in 2019. However, since it is a concept car after all, our layout this time still advocates a relatively open communication space. At the same time, what this car mainly pursues is a humanistic feeling. In addition to the landscape window lines used in the exterior decoration, some concepts similar to Chinese humanities are also designed inside.
The concept of environmental protection is very prominent now. Under these interior decorative strips, some straw materials are used. This is the kind of straw that is directly pressed into a piece. At the same time, we use a lot of origami techniques here, and we use traditional extended surfaces, which have more details for everyone to play with.
The interior also uses a perforated design. We developed this perforated design in 2019. On such a surface, after adding another layer inside, the relationship is relatively richer. The inner part is embroidered, which seems to show the shape of the entire landscape. In the future, we will also use some of these concepts on a large scale in our production vehicles.
This is a special-shaped screen that allows everyone to get an excellent experience during use. It is also a curved screen that makes use more convenient and direct.
Seats have always been a top priority. We placed the surround sound on the headrest to bring a more enveloping and honorable feeling to the seats.
So, the car as a whole creates a sense of transparency. Because this is a concept car, we set up a single-side sliding door for display. The passenger seat can be electrically rotated backwards to create different scenes. Moreover, the rear seats can also be extended forward, and then moved to the back after everyone enters. At the same time, the center console also uses the more avant-garde suspension concept to compress the mechanical parts to the minimum as much as possible. A relatively smaller screen is arranged here, so that the care for the co-pilot is relatively more direct.
Currently, the GL8 production car has four-seat, six-seat, and seven-seat modes. Each mode actually creates a different scene. When we are in mass production, we have different models for everyone to choose from.
China is developing very fast, including technology and digitalization. We feel that the core of our design is the collision, the collision of culture, the collision of technology, and the collision of various feelings. Therefore, in this car, we have constructed a lot of collision relationships between lines and surfaces, which also illustrates our thinking about some new things.
In the experience area on the booth, we imitated the seat layout of the GL8 concept car to create an experience area, integrating the concept of "living and riding" in the entire car, the concept of living and playing, here presented. Because the car itself pursues a space, the car is related to people, and the car is related to life.
I just talked about the feeling of material, you can see it here (the color of the exhibition areaColor and material display counter). This is the feeling of natural straw just mentioned. Under different light and shadow environments, different pattern combinations form this folding effect. It is very natural, very environmentally friendly, and very original, and the texture presented through light and shadow, Sometimes it gives everyone an unexpected surprise.
At the same time, we use a lot of traditional handicraft origami, which is why we used a lot of "colliding" lines and surfaces in the Buick booth this year, including the outside settings when everyone comes in. We learned a lot about origami craftsmanship, which was also the source of our inspiration at that time.
Moreover, the concept car has put a lot of effort into its color. GL8 itself is very particular about colors. At first, GL8 Aivia used purple, which is more regal in Chinese culture. Later, it went to blue, blue and white. Now I am also thinking about what kind of color really comes from culture. To pass on the lineage? Therefore, we chose indigo color for the concept car. Anyone who paints Chinese paintings knows that it is the most common color in Chinese paintings. This color is actually blended with traditional mineral colors, and its color is different from Western colors. The longer it is left, the more colorful it becomes.
Generally speaking, this concept car is not a direct iteration of the current GL8 car series, but a preview of our future expansion into higher-end and more luxurious market segments.
Now, please move to the conference room.
Interview in the conference room of Buick booth:
Q: The market going up is actually quite blank.
Mr. Liu: Yes. Because after we launched four seats in 2019, we found that there is still a considerable audience. I personally think that the feeling of GL8 is that of a friend who understands you better. It feels like we are friends.
Q: Will the GL8 concept car be parallel to the current Aivia?
Mr. Liu: Aivia is a high-end sub-brand of Buick. The current GL8 Aivia has achieved a breakthrough in the luxury MPV segment and is constantly consolidating this market. If the concept car is mass-produced in the future, it will also achieve a breakthrough to a higher end and more luxury through Aivia.
Q: Could you please introduce the sand gold color?
Mr. Liu: Sand gold color is already in use. In 2019, there is a blue and white gold color in the four-seater version. Our golden color actually has this heritage, and it has been there since 2019. The original gold was inspired by many aspects including the Forbidden City. We may expand the combination of the current placer gold and the original gold.
It turns out that our four-seater version of Aivia only has a blue, white and gold feel, but in fact we know that black, white, gold, silver and gray are a comprehensive color, and the feeling inside it is more... A kind of embellishment and extravagance. Therefore, the combination of Aivia’s gold and other colors will be discussed next.
This time, a combination of indigo, gold, and silver is used for both the interior and exterior. After this combination, the elegance is the same as the original blue, white, and gold color.The two tones are actually complementary to each other and do not conflict with each other. Therefore, we will continue to expand the original blue and white gold and the current sand gold on the Aivia model through other combinations.
Q: What is the main color of the car body? Everyone is very focused on choosing colors when buying a car. What new choices will there be in the future?
Mr. Liu: I personally feel that the color selection in the future will be relatively focused. The choices provided by GL8 should be relatively stable. First, our Aviya has its own color. This year, the regular version of the interior also uses Aviya’s white color. We feel that we should have more interactions with customers when it comes to color and respect their own ideas. Therefore, we will try more in colors in the future, including some new colors for the four-seater version in the future.
Q: Buick has been making large MPVs for many years. Can you tell us about having been making MPVs for so many years? Do you have any unique insights into making MPVs from a design perspective? In addition, do you think that when the MPV is updated in the future, from a design perspective, what can it be made to surpass all other brands and remain invincible?
Mr. Liu: This question is quite difficult to answer, but it is also a very good question. This is how I see it. I have been with SAIC-GM for eighteen years and was also the designer of the GL8 at that time. Therefore, I think GL8 has gone through several different stages.
Twenty-two years ago, objectively speaking, there was not that much recognition of this body style in the Chinese market. Many of them were based on sedans. SUVs were not yet popular at that time, so Buick introduced the GL8 to China. At the earliest, in addition to the seven-seater GL8, there was also an eight-seater version. There was no competing product in the entire Chinese car market.
At this time, we have experienced two generations of cars, the earliest GL8 and Lu Zun. Objectively speaking, the first generation GL8 was taken from the United States and evolved on this car. There are also some interludes. In the United States, they believed that the MPV market segment was slowly declining, so they later went down the path of the Enclave, slowly becoming more like an SUV. At that time, Lu Zun even had two different versions in China and the United States, with sliding doors on both sides. The front end of our car is different. Our Lu Zun's car has a downward-slung MPV, while the American car has a raised front end, a bit like an SUV. Later, it gradually turned into a large SUV with three rows of seats.
The GL8 after Lu Zun was developed by the Chinese team. At that time we did several more meaningful explorations. First, mechanical shifting was used at that time. After some people shifted gears, many people were willing to put their hands here and felt very comfortable. At that time, we made a thought and put the shifting in a more useful area, so we After changing the design of the center console, the iconic front part that has been used in the GL8 for so many years now has a gear shifting mechanism. After we finished it, we were also studying how to make the car more grand and luxurious. This was also the first time we tried it.I tried color-blocking the interior.
When we were working on GL8, we did not make any different plans for all aspects of the entire large space. We were more focused on solving some problems. For example, how to make it more suitable for the aesthetics of our consumers, and try some different feelings in terms of color matching. At that time, we also did a case study that is now called user experience. In the past, the most iconic feature of our GL8 was the sliding door. At that time, there was a large bulge in front of the sliding door, and it was an exposed bulge. We started to make the bulge smaller, and then completely flattened the top space, including the ambient light, through combination.
The consumers you just mentioned are constantly iterating, and what will impress consumers in the future is likely to be every detail. At that time, that car was launched in 2007 or 2008. Today, consumers are very different from the original consumers. Especially after the epidemic. Objectively speaking before the epidemic, including new energy and new forces building cars, relatively speaking, there were not so many iterations. At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, I felt that after the epidemic, consumers had a different understanding of cars.
Because the entire communication environment has also changed, everyone does not go directly to the 4S store to choose a car when choosing a car, because the media has given him too many choices, good and bad, what kind of things What is the standard. This puts more pressure on us and more spurs. Personally, I feel that the most important thing for how this car can run better and how it can continue to win the love of consumers is to understand the needs of users. Therefore, when we now launch the GL8, we not only launch six-seater, seven-seater, but also four-seater. It was only after we launched it that Lexus LM came out with this model.
We won a Red Star Gold Award at that time. The judges told us that although the exterior of the car had only been partially adjusted, the inside felt like it had expanded a completely different segment and expanded the understanding of the car. People's own understanding and response to user needs, I think this is also the core concept that we at GL8 must adhere to.
Twenty years ago, designers were not very good at designing, and everyone was looking outside. When doing design today, all foreign designers are looking to China. Now the basic problems have been solved, including making shapes and styling. China is leading. Before many people realized it, we already had dual screens and additional screens. , this iteration is very fast. How to respond to what consumers really need may be relatively more important.
Also, the temperament conveyed by the car itself and the understanding of users are also more important. When we buy a car now, gay men actually only have half the sky, and there are many girls. The wife in the family may have the final approval authority. I think this car, GL8, is stuck with old friends. We are in the same circle and can chat, so we feel like we are sitting together. It doesn’t mean that you are too high to reach, nor does it mean that I have nothing to talk to you about. Therefore, I think this is the core driving point for GL8 to go further.
Q: I also have two questions. Nowadays, the technology in the entire car including intelligent network connection, driverless driving, and various infotainment systems in the digital cockpit have more and more functions. Just now you mentioned that consumers are changing. The entire user research and redefinition of vehicles are completely different from the traditional styling development. So, have there been any changes in the design process of our Buick brand because of these?
Mr. Liu: It must change. This is very obvious. I think many years ago when people were making cars, they paid more attention to how big the size changes would be, such as wheelbase, wheelbase, body shape, etc. Now there are dedicated UX positions in the entire process system. When the functions of this car are first defined, they will be co-created with consumers.
Twenty years ago when we were making cars, we usually had a basic size at first, and then we started drawing pictures. The most important thing now is to define what the explosive point of this car is. What is the first thing that strikes you after you actually get into this car? When we at Buick were making these cars, we introduced them into the design process immediately. We think this is very, very important. Otherwise you have no way to respond to customers.
Q: That can be understood as the beginning of our design. Traditional design is designed from the outside in. Are we starting with HMI now?
Mr. Liu: I think it can’t just be HMI. HMI is a relatively segmented and focused market. Because of my personal understanding of HMI, the level may still remain at the human-machine-screen interaction. I personally think that the definition of the UX field is larger. First, define it from the perspective of scenarios and practicality, and then set up the operation, human-computer, and screen-computer interaction, and then define the UE system and UI. What is going on with the system?
Question: What young people want and like now are not particularly the same as what we did back then. Is it possible for us to launch multiple products corresponding to different user scenarios on GL8 in the future? For example, young people now like camping very much. Is there a camping version? Will there be such considerations?
Mr. Liu: We have set up two such spaces in this car. I personally think that the demands of consumers and the tone of the entire car may be better matched. For example, if you are purely camping, there is a series in GL8. The first camping has a certain passability and should match the tonality and temperament of the car. I personally think that camping, including the current route to Tibet and Yunnan, our GL8 land-based business class, basically when you rent a car there, it is this car. This may be related to the scene. For other GL8s, such as Ivia, their scene needs are definitely different from camping needs. This is determined by consumer habits to define the matching tonality of the model. It cannot be said that one car can carry everything.
Q: This car puts more emphasis on Chinese culture. Does our definition also have a lot of room abroad?
Mr. Liu: Just now the teachers also mentioned consumers, why do weMentioning a lot of Chinese context, we are answering the needs of consumers and their preferences. The most direct response is to respond to what consumers want and what the market wants; what consumers like and what the market likes. This is our first To do.
Second, as I just mentioned the relationship with the United States, other brands are also promoting Chinese culture, because which market is the most leading, and which market’s consumers or products can lead the others? It must represent the future, there is no doubt about it.
Q: How do we consider launching into overseas markets in the future?
Mr. Liu: Our entire GL8 family is currently focusing on the Chinese market.
Q: I just mentioned that some design concepts related to oriental charm have been integrated into new concept cars, including future designs. In addition to what was just mentioned, there are also some other details that have not been disclosed. ?
Mr. Liu: The display of our car is basically in place. It’s just that we need to figure out how to better implement the things about this car, because the concept car is still a little different from the production car. Now our concept car and the production car are relatively close. .
Q: What kind of meaning do we want to convey by the seats we saw just now? In addition to the feeling seen from the shape.
Mr. Liu: I personally think that the first is artistic conception, and the second is a way of life. Objectively speaking, including when we are working and drawing, there are sometimes a lot of sounds, very noisy, various information, and various feelings. We hope that this concept car can reflect more of what we yearn for. Realm, this is the core and most important, so this is why the previous area is specially set up for sharing from inside the car to outside the car.
Q: How will the Chinese elements expressed on concept cars, including landscapes and embroidery, be presented on mass-produced cars in the future?
Mr. Liu: We will.
Q: You just mentioned that Chinese design is on the rise. We have seen some Chinese elements displayed by Chinese designers on cars. Will these elements become more and more common in some models in the future? ?
Mr. Liu: I think it’s quite interesting. We review all aspects of design, including myself and my partners, including working with GM China. Although the things designers make are a bit Chinese-style from a cultural perspective, when foreigners look at them, they feel that they are very global. He didn’t feel that what we were designing at the time was local. The most national may be the most global.
All of us learn and grow in this environment. The point you see may be that you are looking at the flower here, you are on this side of the flower; from another angle, What he sees may be purely Graphic, and he feels that this pattern is very new, and he doesn’t have much understanding of where your thing comes from. He feels that this thing is very new, and even after combining it with digital things, there is a little distance. I don't feel anything at all, which I think is very strange. everyoneThere are thousands of ways to look at flowers. I personally think this is a kind of confidence that culture itself should convey.
In fact, when you look at some good classic art, including many Chinese enamel crafts, don’t attach any special sense of national style. In fact, these things use some new techniques to interpret, and they are contemporary in themselves. It means modern, because it has incorporated the thinking of this era, and it may not necessarily be entirely about national style or China. You find that the current boundaries are constantly being broken. When you reach a point where you are relatively considered to be stylish enough, or tonally consistent enough, many elements are intertwined, but you will feel that this thing gives me a very comfortable feeling. , and it is a feeling that I like and long for.
I think this is what a generation of people keeps doing, because there are too many collisions. Nowadays, there are many digital collisions. We talk about 3D printing, parametric design, and many traditional decorations that people used to draw. In fact, these things are not contradictory. When you string them together, they will show to everyone. The thing is of this tone, what you like, or what you can talk to, and that’s enough. There are some things that when we pass by them, they touch you at that moment.
This is also our visit to Guangzhou this time. After the teachers came, they saw that our Buick booth had many changes from the Shanghai Auto Show booth. When we came to Guangzhou, we specially set up a tea shop. When we came to this place, we had to respect the culture, including the sense of etiquette, which are all inspired by Lingnan culture. You don’t think there is any sense of violation, and The paper carvings placed here are also made by a very local artist. I think even in Europe, you will see such things in the windows of many big-name brands. In fact, it is not against the rules. This is a kind of aesthetics. Everyone Something that resonates, that's how I understand it.
Q: When we first saw the abstract picture of this car, there was a sea of tea behind the landscape in the back seat, which was very interesting. Because the first one to be announced is usually very important, so will this thing be used in future mass-produced cars or what kind of models?
Mr. Liu: Let me explain a little bit. Generally, when everyone announces this car, there is a preview picture in front of it. I have been making trailers for so many years, and they always have either a light, a side shape, or a silhouette. I personally think that if you publish it like this, there will be no surprises. More importantly, what kind of thing do you want to convey about this car? I will tell our public relations and marketing departments later that we will try it this time and publish it. An interior. And everyone is not very clear about it. In this case, the first is the shape of the landscape, and the second is the reflection of this kind of life.
This continuous mountain shape will be found in many places on mass-produced cars in the future. First, it is a mountain shape. Second, it is a rhythm. We understand it as a line rhythm. Furthermore, we have to define the feeling of tea according to the car model in many cars. In 2019 we define it as two wine glasses rising slowly, this timeThe definition of life will be a little different relatively speaking.
Q: Will the United States use our Chinese GL8 cars and international cars in the future?
Mr. Liu: Personally, I think it’s still what I just said. Which market’s consumers are at the forefront? I think everyone can see it. First of all, GL8 should have the fastest response to China. GL8 is our first in the MPV field to use dual 12-inch screens. Personally, I feel that there is no one good or bad. The key is that your response to customers and the market comes first.
Q: Which piece of embroidery is it from?
Mr. Liu: Embroidery will be used directly on the next mass-produced cars. Origami is also being explored on seats and rear door panels. We want to push some boundaries. Just now we also mentioned how to break boundaries. I personally feel that we are doing a lot of things with a relatively trend-oriented thinking. Because it is closer to us, sometimes we can play something different and let GL8 continue to be in a leadership position. In fact, in the MPV market, it should be said that GL8's leadership position is unquestionable in terms of sales volume and all aspects. As the car at the front, you always hope to do something different and let everyone see our different changes and thinking.
Q: When I look at your cars, and the Lexus cars, I have a particularly strong feeling of a mysterious Eastern force, very mysterious, and you tell a story that is different from the West.
Mr. Liu: I think for any product, for designers, we hope more of our own thinking, most of which is related to art, to be able to string these things together. Second, we still need to create a value that can affect business and set a benchmark in all aspects of aesthetics. This is what I think is the most important.
We do something different, that’s what we want most. If someone else has made something, I have to imitate it again. This is not very interesting for a designer.
Q: Is Buick smart a big trend now?
Mr. Liu: That is inevitable. We just talked about collision. Intelligence is the basic condition in the future. Because after all, it is a vehicle, a mobile tool, and it must be equipped with an intelligent system, otherwise you will not have the feeling of being with fellow travelers of this era. However, I think it is quite a test of skill to put smart things into your environment without violating the rules and make you feel very considerate and comfortable. We can't just copy it mechanically, because the scene in the car is different from the scene at home. The scene in the car is relatively closed. In this closed space, these things need to be combined, arranged, and designed to truly feel like communicating with you. It should be relatively smooth.
Q: We also have to consider safety.
Mr. Liu: Yes, we must first consider safety. Many of your colors need to be tested in various aspects of exposure to the sun, including large screens, and they must also be anti-collision, including head collisions.A matter of perspective after the past. We are now making a 30-inch surround-screen retina screen, which has exactly the same resolution as our mobile phones, but ours is a curved surface, and current mobile phones do not have this kind of curved surface. This curved surface also has car regulations. When we hold a mobile phone, objectively speaking, it is relatively gentle. But when a car is driving on the road, there will be hard connections. Its requirements are completely different from standards and traditional electronic equipment, and will be higher. . Our special-shaped curved retina has been put into mass production, which I think is very impressive.
Question: There are many new energy factories in China, because there are only a few people doing HMI in China, and most of the people doing interaction came from web page interaction. In the past two years, you can see some cars where you can sit in a very comfortable position, but your hands can't reach the screen.
Mr. Liu: We are at the entire grassroots level. You will see that in the middle area, we are cleaner. There are two reasons for the cleaner feeling: First, we will integrate many central controls and all driving functions into the steering wheel and surround screen, so that the transparency is better and some unnecessary things are released. We feel that it is still for serving people. I piled a lot of things, and it was full. It felt very crowded, but it lost the temperament that the car itself should have. This screen will be very stunning when it comes out on mass-produced cars, and this screen will be introduced to everyone soon.
Q: I just mentioned the partition design of the trunk. Is this the first time in an MPV?
Mr. Liu: Yes. We made two on the concept car, one is like a storage compartment and can be removed. After taking it down, also consider the camping needs you just mentioned. We are not here for camping, we want you to be in some specific scenarios. For example, you can take it down after you get there. There are local partitions, constant temperature and humidity inside, and the areas are separated. We specially made two partitions at that time, which can enlarge Xinjiang aircraft, which is related to lifestyle. You can also put some bottles of tea, wine, etc., whatever.
Q: Looking at the concept car from the rear, the rear position is particularly high. What are your thoughts on this setting? That piece of surface is very large, maybe it's an angle problem.
Mr. Liu: That noodle is our pure noodle. In fact, for future mass-produced cars, there will actually be some things on this surface, such as license plates, and there may not be a way to make it so pure. From the perspective of design language, we hope that the surface we will deliver to you in the future will be cleaner, more concise, and inlaid with the most exquisite details. From what I understand, this is a relatively big trend for Buick in the future, which is a very pure aspect, giving people the feeling that there are not so many things, and it is very direct. Because you were closer at that time, when you turned around, you found that besides being clean, that surface was also quite three-dimensional and pure.
Q: Is there a suspension behind the rear of the car?
Mr. Liu: Yes.
Q: I just said that having a large screen can create a more transparent feeling. I just wanted to ask, what impact will the trend of intelligence have on design concepts in the future? For example, some are more transparentThe feeling, or the feeling of loading some passenger experience?
Mr. Liu: I think intelligence is comprehensive. It first brings about changes in car usage scenarios. This is very obvious. Nowadays, the so-called intelligent things have several carriers: screen and control. Screens may include entertainment screens and control screens. When the intelligent system reaches a certain level, it can also be partitioned. It may be possible to divide the original independent space into various small regional spaces, and many things can be slowly opened. The so-called intelligence, I think the most reasonable thing is to care about people. Whether it is technology or smart equipment, all aspects are centered around how to do things better for people. How we can be more considerate between this journey and that journey is closely related.
Q: What expansion does the back row have in terms of intelligence or entertainment?
Mr. Liu: These are two kinds of thinking. We will have different answers based on different models. There are two types of this: First, how transparent is this car? This is a way of thinking. The second is how to make it relatively more private, more noble and zoned. Overall, we think permeability is more important.
Q: I asked about a detail and discovered a feature. GL8 is now designed according to different usage scenarios, and the difference between each design is quite large.
Mr. Liu: Yes, there are some small and thoughtful things that may impress people. The small table on our current GL8 Aivia/ES Lu Zun is actually the feeling we had through a chance chat with our chief engineer. You think it's pretty good to use, including our small manual buttons. You find that sometimes it feels very slow to move when using electric. When you use it manually, it goes faster after you push your foot. There are some experiences like this that you must use here every day to feel them. If we can quickly respond to these good functions to consumers, I think they will definitely resonate with us.
Q: I just talked about the feeling of transparency, because I have sat in the third row of all GL8s, and I have experienced the details. The shape and area of the windows in the third row at the back are different from those outside. The outside is whole, and the inside is a small hole. Therefore, the transparency of the third row or the second row will be better now, including the position of the C-pillar. The area behind the sliding door will be larger. Will production cars be better?
Mr. Liu: It’s necessary. Our third row, including the current six-seater GL8, is the only car on the market that has an adjustable third row position and is equipped with heating and ventilation. We will do better on this next.
Q: The sense of dignity in the third row and the second row of the six-seater is the same.
Mr. Liu: This is the user experience we just talked about. Why do we have such a design? Like many people, we often take the GL8 for short-distance business trips with many people. The boss must be sitting in that fixed position. No one will compete with him for the seat. So for the next few people, everyone with almost the same qualifications, they don’t know how to sit. Is it better to sit in the front, behind the second row, orHow about being squeezed into the third row? Being squeezed into the third row, the feeling is relatively different. Therefore, after you set up the entire setting and treat the first, second and third rows more equally, it feels like the scene of this car has changed. I see that when many families buy cars, they mainly buy seven-seater cars. Why is the six-seater version of Ivia sold in such large quantities? In fact, there are many companies that use six-seater cars for short-distance business trips. When the scene changes, the corresponding customer needs will undergo chain changes.