Ford_News
11-07-2014, 02:15 PM
Filed under: Spy Photos (http://www.autoblog.com/category/spyphotos/), Etc. (http://www.autoblog.com/category/etc/), Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/ford/)
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Carmakers assign engineers to be in charge of developing bespoke camouflage for each new model.
We've all see those photos of hotly anticipated upcoming models wrapped in black padding and crazy checkerboard and swirl patterns, and maybe wondered if all that is really necessary.
It is no off-the-cuff exercise; carmakers assign engineers to be in charge of developing bespoke camouflage for each new model. They work in conjunction with the vehicle's designers to erase character lines almost as soon as they are drawn. It is important to keep future products secret, to avoid undercutting the sales of current products and to build anticipation of the new product.
"We like to save the big splash for when things come out looking beautiful and pretty," noted Chevrolet Volt (http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/volt/) chief engineer Andrew Farah, pictured above. Indeed, the hazard of premature release of not-quite-done prototypes was illustrated by the online backlash that erupted against the Jeep Cherokee (http://www.autoblog.com/jeep/cherokee/) when unflattering photos of unfinished prototypes leaked in advance of that vehicle's debut.
Stopping that is hard to do when your product is 15 feet long and needs to be extensively tested outdoors and in public during its development. That need, combined with carmakers' tendency to rely on the same testing venues time after time create the environment for automotive paparazzi photographers who rival celebrity shooters for their ingenuity and persistence.Continue reading How and why automakers work hard to camouflage their cars (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/)
How and why automakers work hard to camouflage their cars (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.mnfords.com/rss-term-of-use/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20990306/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/)
http://o.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/midas/3c4b00205e11e110f1cfa410279d99bb/201053680/NextGenVoltCamo01.jpg
Carmakers assign engineers to be in charge of developing bespoke camouflage for each new model.
We've all see those photos of hotly anticipated upcoming models wrapped in black padding and crazy checkerboard and swirl patterns, and maybe wondered if all that is really necessary.
It is no off-the-cuff exercise; carmakers assign engineers to be in charge of developing bespoke camouflage for each new model. They work in conjunction with the vehicle's designers to erase character lines almost as soon as they are drawn. It is important to keep future products secret, to avoid undercutting the sales of current products and to build anticipation of the new product.
"We like to save the big splash for when things come out looking beautiful and pretty," noted Chevrolet Volt (http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/volt/) chief engineer Andrew Farah, pictured above. Indeed, the hazard of premature release of not-quite-done prototypes was illustrated by the online backlash that erupted against the Jeep Cherokee (http://www.autoblog.com/jeep/cherokee/) when unflattering photos of unfinished prototypes leaked in advance of that vehicle's debut.
Stopping that is hard to do when your product is 15 feet long and needs to be extensively tested outdoors and in public during its development. That need, combined with carmakers' tendency to rely on the same testing venues time after time create the environment for automotive paparazzi photographers who rival celebrity shooters for their ingenuity and persistence.Continue reading How and why automakers work hard to camouflage their cars (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/)
How and why automakers work hard to camouflage their cars (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.mnfords.com/rss-term-of-use/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20990306/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2014/11/07/how-and-why-automakers-work-hard-to-camouflage-their-cars/)