Just as some cars have been remembered for decades thanks to their unique designs, the automobile industry has known other models that entered history through its back door, not for their beauty, but for the controversy they aroused.
In a market where there is intense competition between international companies to attract consumer attention, redesign has become a necessity, not a luxury. However, some of these attempts have failed miserably, and instead of turning into icons, they have found themselves on the list of the worst products this industry has produced.
The exterior design is the first thing that strikes the buyer’s eye, before he knows anything about the type of car, its specifications, capabilities, or even its price. Therefore, when you see a new model of a particular car for the first time, its design remains on your mind, whether positively or negatively. This impression is formed in one moment and is almost a final judgment on that car.
Cars lost the battle for acceptance
Although companies spend huge sums of money to contract with designers to provide cars that achieve success in the markets, these attempts sometimes do not bear fruit, after they fail to satisfy the taste of the public and experts as well.
Below are models that consistently top lists of the most controversial cars in the history of the industry.
Fiat (Multipla)
In 1998, the Italian company Fiat introduced its new model (Multipla), and as soon as the public saw it, it aroused its anger because of its strange and inconsistent exterior design.
The car is considered one of the most controversial cars in history. It was classified by many consumers, experts and international magazines as the worst design ever, topping the list of the ugliest cars in the history of the industry without dispute.
Its unique interior design did not help, as it accommodated 6 passengers, as well as amazing storage spaces and economical fuel consumption, but its external appearance was shocking by all standards.
When you see the car for the first time you think it is divided into two levels, with the headlights located below the windshield and just above the hood, above a bulging body that adds to its strange appearance.
Pontiac (Aztek)
The American company General Motors was not lucky in 2001, when it introduced the Aztek car. It wanted to provide a bold, multi-use car that was balanced between youth and family, but the result was completely the opposite of what was expected.
Although it was distinguished from a practical and technical standpoint, its contradictory exterior design was the wound that did not heal. Its sharp, exaggeratedly raised front looked like it belonged to a different car from its flat rear, which created visual chaos that alienated the public and made the car a commercial failure.
The Pontiac brand paid a heavy price for the accumulation of failures, as General Motors decided to stop its production permanently in 2010 as part of the restructuring plan that followed the global financial crisis in 2008.
Chrysler (PT Cruiser)
In 2000, Chrysler sought to introduce a design that combined the modernity of modern cars with the charm of the classics of the 1930s and 1940s. The PT Cruiser came out with a striking shape that sparked widespread controversy from day one.
The irony is that the car did not fail commercially when it first appeared on the market. Rather, it achieved large sales, to the point that its prices rose in some markets due to the increasing demand for it, but the situation did not last long and its popularity declined and it began to lose its luster year after year.
Several factors combined to do this, most notably the high rear section, which has been the subject of criticism, the absence of fundamental updates between models, as well as an interior cabin dominated by plastic and high fuel consumption.
When crossovers began to dominate the market, the PT Cruiser found itself out of competition and stopped production after only ten years.
Renault (Twingo)
In the early 1990s, French Renault wanted a simple and unconventional city car, so it launched the Twingo in 1992. The result was a source of controversy that no one expected.
The unusual exterior appearance of the first generation of the car caused great controversy and shocked the public and critics alike. Its small size and the design of the headlights that look like a smiling face, along with the hood that contains triple ventilation holes on one side only, increased the strangeness of its appearance and made it a subject of discussion on the list of “least attractive cars.”
However, the Twingo carries a remarkable paradox. Despite its strange appearance, it achieved great success in the market, as Europeans found it an ideal car for crowded cities, economical in fuel, reasonable in price, and low in maintenance.
SsangYong (Rodius)
In 2004, the South Korean company SsangYong hired the famous British designer Ken Greenlee, who was working in the automotive design department at the Royal College of Art in London, to participate in a project to develop a new car for it.
Greenlee wanted to give the car a unique design, and from here came an unusual idea: why not mix the designs of luxury yachts and cars?
Indeed, the car was put on the market with this strange design, but the car was not popular due to its disastrous exterior appearance. Imagine that you own a car whose back part looks like a yacht or a boat.
The South Korean company tried to salvage what could be salvaged and make modifications to the car’s design, but it did not succeed, affecting the company’s reputation. However, it completely changed its design philosophy and abandoned excessive strangeness, and then succeeded in implementing modern and elegant designs in line with the public’s taste.
Nissan (Cube)
The Japanese Nissan is one of the most famous car companies in the world, and has had a great role in developing this industry throughout history. In 1998, Nissan introduced one of its strangest models ever, the Cube, igniting a controversy that still exists today. While Western critics considered it one of the ugliest cars due to its boxy, asymmetrical appearance, many Japanese saw it as a piece of art worth owning.
The source of the greatest strangeness in its design is that the back right side is completely devoid of a metal column, as the side glass extends connected to the back as one piece, while the separating metal column appears on the left side only, which creates an intentional asymmetric design.
Although the cars have wonderful and distinctive specifications and resemble a “small living room” and achieved overwhelming success in the Japanese markets, Nissan failed to promote them globally.
After a journey that lasted more than two decades, Nissan permanently stopped production of the Cube in 2019, after failing to export it to global markets.
Why do some cars lose the acceptance battle?
It is true that beauty is a relative matter, and each person’s taste is different from the other, and the design standards are diverse and varying, but the cars that we saw were almost unanimous in public opinion, after they sparked a wide wave of criticism and gained counter-popularity, for several reasons, the most important of which are:
- The car’s parts were asymmetrical, giving it an unbalanced appearance.
- Unusual designs that depart from public taste and prevailing style.
- External appearance is one of the most important criteria for many buyers.
- Some designs lack modernity and do not keep up with the market.
- Exaggeration of innovation makes some designs visually uncomfortable.
- Comparison with other cars in the market that are more elegant and modern.
The most important lesson that companies have learned is that external design is not just aesthetics, but rather a strategic decision that may create an icon or bury an ancient brand. Neither the company name nor the quality of the engine is enough if the car loses the first battle, the battle of Al Ain.
The question remains: Can a truly bold design succeed globally, or does the market reward safety and punish boldness?
