Fug: The Next Generation

Lately, it seems the Chinese automotive industry is full of auto design rip offs. These two are actually kind of refreshing, in that they don't imediately look like another car (although the red one has a kind of Miata/Aston Martin thing going on).

But now look at their logo. Why is God's name is it pretty much a clone of the Star Trek Federation of Planets Insignia? That was the last thing I was expecting to see adorning a car's grille.

Sadly, I can't read Chinese, so I can't find out much information about the company, brand or models. The only thing I've been able to uncover is a recurring word in the image and webpage filenames - Chuangan.

Please - if anyone has any info on who or what Chuangan is, let me know. This could very well be the start of a very clever Romulan or Klingon invasion.

2005 Peugeot Moovie Concept

Most people interested in automotive design are familiar with the fact that Peugeot has annual competitions for designing a show car, which they'll actually create and show the coming year. I thought this was very cool when I heard of it, and although I haven't submitted anything I know of people who have.

Sadly, I have no idea who picks the winner - but whoever they are, they have to lay off the drugs. In the 3 (I think?) years they've had this competition, I have to say I was not impressed with their choice of winner. The first year they choose a weird chrome plane/moon buggy called the Moonster (to be featured later), and this year their choice is this monstosity.

I'm not even sure how it works. They have no pictures of it in motion. It basically looks like a hampster ball, for humans. I also don't get the name - Moovie. I can see putting emphasis on the word "move", but why "movie"? And why ad the extra "o"? It baffles the mind...

2000 Peugeot City Toz E-Doll

At the 2000 Mondial de l’Automobile Paris motor show, Peugeot showed a whole range of concept cars, with the "City Toyz" providing one of the main highlights of the show. These 4 tiny cars were "designed with the future in mind". If the future looks like this I might as well take my life now. And don't get my started on the how they replaced the letter "s" with "z". They're tres cool.

The "City Toyz" are based on a study theme - urban mobility for the 21st century. For some reason, Peugeot wanted to show "that it was still possible to dream in the year 2000". Whether or not these dreams were had during acid trips is yet to be known.

The E-Doll is the most "unique" of the bunch. Basically an orange bubble, the concept actually contains two vehicles. The main piece is obvious - the central dome that seats 3 abroad with the driver in the centre. The second is a supermarket trolley with handles and castors, which can be disassembled (yet I'm not sure where in the tiny car this vehicle is located). It’s powered by 2 electric engines, by each rear wheel (in the grey housing).

However, it’s most fugly feature was it’s clear plastic trunk, inexplicably filled with multicoloured balls. Are future products stored in multicoloured balls? Also - why do you want your trunk see through? For ease of burglary? When I first laid eyes on this car, the first thing that came to mind was a childhood plaything - the Fisher Price pop-corn popper / lawn mower / push toy. Not exactly when I'm looking for in a car.

Fugly Rim Patrol

Might as well hit a few at once. Fugly rims are popping up everywhere - especially with the current bling trend of wheels that looks like people cut holes in bent tin pie plates. Basically all of those fit in this category, so there are too many to post. Therefore I’ll stick to the non-chromed wheels.

First up: the Daisy rim. I’m not sure who made it, but they should be shot. What other car out there could wear this rim other than the hippie reincarnate that is the New Beetle (the rims arrived shortly after the car appeared in showrooms)? Also - what company approved an aftermarket rim that was basically made for one car model?

Next is the Lexus SC430 rim, talked about breifly in another post of mine, and which has finally been replaced after years as serving as the only rim available on the SC. I think this rim has to be the worst car to rim pairing from a manufacturer in a long time.


Finally, the worst of the worst - the Ronal Teddy Bear rim. I have no idea what moron thought that up, or who would buy it. Plus - wouldn’t it have horrible balancing issues?

2005 Pontiac Grand Am

You might have heard some car companies exclaim that their "beauty is in the details". At Pontiac, the fugliness is in the details. A good example of this is the Pontiac Grand Am. It’s full of lame attempts to convey sportiness.

For example:

The "Ram-Air" hood scoops are blocked with honeycomb patterned black plastic. It’s so bad you can even see it in the press photos on their website (although possibly not in this shrunken down version).

Little aircraft-like wings and "speed swipes" are everywhere. Note the winglets on the rear spoiler.

"Speed Swipes" on the rims to convey motion. Chrome rims up the tacky factor.

Also, note the typical craptastic Pontiac interior. Large round vents, cheap plastics with bad textures, odd organic forms and eerie "Satan Orange" backlit gauges and buttons. But what makes the Grand Am interior unique is the gigantic pods housing the speedometer and tach. I think they’re supposed to look like jet engine afterburners or something. But it looks more like Dolly Parton’s bra.

Factory Rice

Dodge has now officially entered the realm of straight-from-the-factory "rice" enhancements, with non-other than the Status sedan. Yeah - I know. Weird.

It seems the 2005 R/T package on the Stratus sedan is now a lame attempt at making the car look like it belongs in the import scene, which is all that much more odd since it's basically an auto-only mid-size domestic family sedan.

It must stem from the SRT4, an extremely capable and impressive version of the Neon. Besides the Neon - which, because of it's compact size competes with those "ricer" imports - all other SRT badged Dodge vehicles are impressive and powerful cars (and trucks), but with an American feel. For example, "Got a Hemi?" It's all a throw back to the time when American cars were cheap and fast, and it's starting to happen all over again.

But the R/T Stratus is none of this. I suppose all the rest of Dodge's R/T products are relatively mildly enhanced versions of current products with more luxurious interiors, and stiffer suspension. But why the Stratus is decked out in a "ricer" wannabe spoiler and bodykit, I don't know.