Prior to the reveal of Tesla's outrageous Cybertruck, the company's head designer was known for elegance and restraint.
Franz von Holzhausen's calling card was that at Tesla he hadn't created wild, futuristic vehicles that evoked spaceships or impossible constructions of curves and contorted lines. The Model S in particular was a subdued masterpiece that's held up fantastically well since its introduction in 2012. It was a perfectly normal-looking all-electric sedan that nonetheless made you want to keep looking at at. It should have been boring, but it wasn't. It was captivating.
Very few car designers have achieved this: Alec Issigonis with the original Mini, Malcolm Sayer and the Jaguar E-Type, Henrik Fisker and the Aston Martin DB9.
Transform talent with learning that worksCapability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More When Tesla rolled out its new Roadster a few years ago, you could see von Holzhausen' extending himself but not going crazy.
Likewise the Model Y crossover, which very clearly represented von Holzhausen sticking to the core visual vocabulary that he had made into his own language.
But the Cybertruck - wow! No one expected anything even remotely like it from the dignified Franz. Although the design is controversial, I think it's a wonderful move for Tesla and for von Holzhausen. The brand was running the risk of falling into a rut. In the car business, there's a simple dictum that says it all: "Show them the car."
What that means is that the physical fact and impression of the vehicle is the fundamental. If people don't respond to your design, positively or negatively, then you've failed.
So the Cybertruck is a breakthrough for von Holzhausen. Here's why: