"The electric car has yet to find its own morphology and typology, which will be different from those of the thermal car," says Walter de Silva (Lecco, Italy, 1951), one of the key automobile designers of the late 20th and early 20th centuries. of the XXI.

He has created more than 130 between production models, prototypes, competition vehicles or show cars

for

Alfa Romeo

(156 or 147),

Seat

(León, Altea or Ibiza),

Audi

(A5, TT or Q5),

VW

(Polo or Golf ), in addition to

Bugatti, Lamborghini or Maserati.

In 2015, after more than 40 years linked to large companies, he retired, but he did not stop.

Two years later he launched a line of shoes with his name and in 2019 he created a design studio (Wds & Partners) with which

he made his debut in the aeronautical sector, for which he is currently working on a project that is still secret. .

De Silva (left) designed the VW Golf VII, together with Giugiaro, author of the first

copies of copies

EL MUNDO.es has been able to speak with him, although in the distance, between Madrid and his home/studio in Munich (Germany).

De Silva was very critical of the current situation.

“The car has become an absolute bore, all cars look alike.

As there are no clear leaders, the new models are copies of copies and this is noticed by professionals and clients».

Part of the blame lies in

the excessive influence of computers: «they can do everything and in the end

if you don't have the patience to observe, touch and love, your model

comes out a mathematical formula»

.

Added to this is an incomprehensible aggressiveness in the final lines and in marketing.

"We want a more balanced, more sustainable, simpler world... and we make aggressive cars that don't have brand identity."

The designer, in his home/studio in Munich (Germany)

The mistake of the SUVs

De Silva insists that these copies are a mistake, especially when the sector should be creating the identity of the new forms of propulsion.

The best example of this are the SUVs, which are the same whether they are battery-powered or with a combustion engine.

“We started out moving around with horses and

then the carriage was fitted with an engine, but its design quickly changed to that of automobiles.

Now an architecture and external and internal dimensions have to be found again for the new forms of propulsion.

De Silva points to three elements that will define what the cars of the future will be like.

The first is the components

(motors, batteries...), which will be smaller and smaller, as happened with mobile phones.

"That will give us more space inside and it shows on the outside."

The second is aerodynamics,

"which must be the first formal aspect of the vehicle, since it is essential for consumption

and then we have to work on the brand identity

, because design is one of its main strengths."

De Silva working on one of his projects

Fewer resources with electricity

"I imagine a future with large, medium or small cars with

more habitability and less exterior volume, which is almost natural in electric cars," he

predicts.

The designer clarifies that changes do not always help to innovate.

With electrification, differences such as the one provided by the placement of the motor

(longitudinal, transverse, rear or front) disappear.

In the electric ones there is a single platform with the batteries and then some motors that act on axles or wheels.

create desire

He trusts that those he defines as current "brave designers" will make the change he is also working on.

"It is time to make the leap and it will be the public who accepts or rejects it, but I think it is ready for something different, a new way that approaches the mobility of young people, connected, digital and attractive" The key is , as Steve Jobs did with Apple,

"create the desire, offer what the customer did not think he could need and generate novelties that derive from the change like the Citroën DS of 1955, which was like a spaceship."

Though cautious, he acknowledges that few brands maintain their identity in form.

He cites Porsche,

whose models are unmistakable, whether it's a 911 or an electric Taycan, or

Range Rover, which "is consistent."

He says Hyundai "is making a big effort with Genesis" and praises Flavio Manzoni's work at

Ferrari in opening the brand "to new markets and products".

mercedes-benz, leader in design

In Europe, he says that the best current design is that of Mercedes-Benz and saves some things from his beloved

VW - he continues betting on simple, uncomplicated cars - and Alfa Romeo that, "despite the problems, maintains its identity."

Porsche does maintain its identity, also with electric ones like the Taycan

His last job in the automotive sector was the

Silk-Faw S9 electrified supercar, created in 2020 for the joint venture between the American Silk EV and the Asian giant FAW,

which is expected to arrive in 2023 and will cost two million euros.

Despite this, De Silva is very critical of the Asian giant's design.

«The Chinese only give it importance as a strategy,

because you have to do something that surprises, but it is never a value of the brand or the product.

When they approach a development they copy something, they clearly tell you it must look like that car.

beat the chinese

He acknowledges that Chinese automotive companies "are arriving above all because of their very advanced industrial and economic policies and they are a strong competitor."

But he is optimistic that

"if we Europeans put aside our struggles, change our mindset,

stop making aggressive cars and look for new concepts,

we can put them out of the game."

He adds that European culture can be a fundamental asset

"to deal with those who only seek to copy, which is what Tesla did."

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