Hot or not? Here's what designer Frank Stephenson thinks of the Yangwang U9
Yangwang's thrown the book of design at the U9, but does the McLaren P1 designer think it's been a successful throw? Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading
Frank Stephenson is a car designer with more hits than the Beatles, including the Escort RS Cossie, first BMW Mini, Maser MC12, numerous Ferraris and the McLaren P1. These days he runs his own consultancy – Frank Stephenson Design. Here he shares his views on Yangwang's U9 with Top Gear
A new wave of Chinese car design is upon us. While traditional European and US marques play it safe, Yangwang has thrown the rulebook out of the window. The Chinese are not merely catching up, they're looking further ahead, charting a future in which they define the direction of aesthetics and performance.
Advertisement - Page continues below
The U9's design is unapologetically extrovert. Rather than conforming to European or US tastes, the U9 shows how the Chinese design language is evolving, without any heritage or baggage from the past holding them back.
But the U9 is far from visually harmonious. The convergence of edginess and the abundance of design elements are something closer to a Fast & Furious fantasy than an attempt at timelessness. There is energy, but aesthetic overload has been the route taken to achieve it. As a result, while the U9 will turn heads, it will struggle to earn the kind of enduring respect reserved for the supercar greats. You might like
Still, there's something thrilling about the audacity. Yangwang isn't playing it safe – whether you love or question the result, that in itself is a sign that the balance of power in automotive design is shifting.
Headlamp treatment screams of aesthetic overload! Thoughtfully placed aero and cooling elements.
Advertisement - Page continues below
Clean and minimal greenhouse design. Split 'T' graphic for rear lights.
Split 'T' graphic repeated for rear diffuser. Material break element seems unnecessarily complicated. Verdict: NOT
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox.
Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Hugh Grant allows excited passerby to start his £925k Ferrari in Mayfair... as fans laud the 'jolly old fella' for the sweet exchange
Hugh Grant delighted a fan earlier this week, when he let the passerby press a button to start his £925k ($1.2m) Ferrari F12tdf. The Notting Hill star, 64, looked suave as ever in a clip shared on TikTok, in which the fan leant into the car to press the button that starts the supercar, which is described as 'a high-performance, track-focused variant of the F12berlinetta'. Opting for a sleek silver colour in his choice of vehicle, Hugh, whose net worth sits at an estimated £111m ($150m), was more than happy to indulge the fan. The sweet exchange occured outside the Bluerider art gallery in Mayfair. In the video shared on the site, the user shared the caption: 'I started hugh grants f12 tdf . #hughgrant #ferrari #f12tdf #supercar #london'. TikTok users flooded the comments section of the video, writing: 'Never seen a single clip where I've not liked the guy... If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around... TikTok users flooded the comments section of the video, writing: 'Never seen a single clip where I've not liked the guy... If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around' 'He's normally a bit blunt with people so letting you start it is really nice of him!... Class act what a nice person... obsessed that Hugh Grant has become a somewhat jolly old fella in this elderly age'. The sighting comes shortly after Hugh condemned schools for indulging pupils' screen addictions - as the actor called for laptops and tablets to be barred from classrooms. The Hollywood star and father-of-five made the call at a campaigning event at a school in west London, as he also criticised education chiefs for restrictions on children playing outside. Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral star Hugh accused schools of making 'pathetic' calls on what their students were allowed to do. And he described himself as 'another angry parent fighting the eternal, exhausting and depressive battle with children who only want to be on a screen'. He took part in the move organised by group Close Screens, Open Minds - appearing alongside US psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt as well as actress Sophie Winkleman who is wed to King Charles's second cousin Lord Frederick Windsor. The event took place at Knightsbridge School in west London, a nearby district to Kensington where Grant has previously owned homes including a penthouse that was advertised for sale for almost £8million in 2021. Some 98 per cent of teachers now use technology in classrooms across primary and secondary schools Grant, who has been married since 2018 to Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, lambasted classroom Chromebooks for pupils as 'the last f***ing thing they need'.
Reuters
44 minutes ago
- Reuters
Goodyear India's first-quarter profit falls on weak auto demand
Aug 11 (Reuters) - Tyremaker Goodyear India ( opens new tab reported a 43.6% fall in first-quarter profit on Monday, hurt by dampened automobile demand. The net profit of U.S.-based Goodyear Tire's (GT.O), opens new tab Indian unit fell to 141.1 million rupees ($1.61 million) for the three months ended June 30, from 250.3 million rupees a year ago. Goodyear India, which sells tyres, tubes and flaps, depends on auto sales for a large part of its revenue. Total vehicle sales in the country fell 5.1% in the quarter ending June, compared to 16.4% growth in the same period last year, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers data. The tyremaker's revenue from operations fell 5.1% to 6.56 billion rupees. The company said that increasing adoption of larger rim sizes in vehicles is expected to drive robust sales in the replacement business this year in its latest annual report. Total expenses fell 3% to 6.42 billion rupees, but not enough to boost the bottom line. Rival CEAT ( opens new tab reported a fall in June-quarter profit, while MRF ( opens new tab is yet to report its quarterly results. Goodyear India's shares are flat on the day and rose 16.8% in the quarter ended June 30. ($1 = 87.6212 Indian rupees)
Reuters
44 minutes ago
- Reuters
Chinese Chery's Omoda, Jaecoo brands launch in Iraq with Jameel as distributor
Aug 11 (Reuters) - Jameel Motors has signed a deal to distribute automaker Chery's ( Omoda and Jaecoo brands in Iraq, the two companies said on Monday, joining other Chinese companies that have entered the country's small but growing car market. Facing a brutal price war at home in China and effectively shut out of the U.S. market by tariffs, Chinese automakers are rapidly expanding into emerging markets and Europe in pursuit of higher profits. Jameel will initially distribute the Omoda C5 and C7 and the Jaecoo J5, J7 and J8 in Iraq. All of those models will be petrol cars with the exception of the J7, which is a plug-in hybrid. Owned by the Saudi Jameel family, Jameel has in recent months agreed a number of distribution contracts with Chinese automakers, including with Changan in South Africa and GAC in the United Kingdom and Poland. Other Chinese brands including Changan ( opens new tab, SAIC's ( opens new tab MG, Geely ( Great Wall Motor ( opens new tab and Jetour, another Chery brand, have already launched sales in Iraq. According to industry estimates, new car sales in Iraq grew by more than 28% to around 161,000 vehicles.
