Good v Bad Design: Audi A4 and the De Lorean D.M.C 12

There can be little doubt in anyone’s mind that both the Audi A4 and the De Lorean D.M.C 12 are well known for entirely different reasons. The De Lorean had a leading role on the silver screen while the Audi A4 has been on our roads for nearly two decades (Autoevoluation.com 2013). The following topics are covered in this essay.

· Audi A4 an example of good design.

· De Lorean D.M.C 12 an example of bad design.

Evaluation of the main points of this essay will show that the Audi A4 is an example of good design and the De Lorean D.M.C 12 is an example of bad design. The example I have chosen for a bad s the De Lorean D.M.C 12. The De Lorean D.M.C 12 was built by the De Lorean Motor company for just over two years before going bankrupt (About.com 2013). If you are to look at the DeLorean as a whole you would quickly realise that it has many bad design qualities.   The fact operations were shifted to Northern Ireland where many of the workers never held automotive jobs before contributed greatly to the poor build quality. (Popular Mechanics 2012). When evaluating a design like the DeLorean you have to ask yourself the question “do people want it?”. The fact a little over 8,500 people purchased the car clearly showed that the car buying public did not want the DeLorean (About.com 2013). I believe once you have evaluated a design of any sort you have to ask yourself, “what does someone know now that they did not know before?”. In 1981 the world was a dreary place, and perhaps was not ready to accept the DeLorean as a template for future car design.

The example I have chosen for a good design is the 2013 Audi A4. I believe when you are evaluating the A4 you should ask yourself the question “what does it say?” If you drive through any town in Ireland in an Audi A4 it tells people you have been successful in life. I believe you could also make the argument that while the Audi A4 is modern in appearance it still blends in with its surroundings unlike the DeLorean. Since the Audi A4 first came out in 1994, they have improved the weight mass distribution which means better handling and corner stability (Autoevolution 2013). If you examine the Audi A4 from a design point of view, you would have to consider, will the car I buy today still look as well and modern in five or six years time. I would argue that the Audi A4 has the same lasting power as other major car brands such as Mercedes. It is also interesting to note how after 19 years a company can still find improvements to be made in what is otherwise considered a good design. In conclusion, while both cars were manufactured in different eras, the Audi A4 should   still be considered the better design.