5 Faux Design Trends That Need To Go Now

The fine art of perfectly balancing form and function is an innate ability for most car designers. The concept for your new design must take into account the mechanical underpinnings of the vehicle, along with any safety regulations the world's governments have mandated. Unfortunately, some designs end up being less flamboyant as a result of these compromises, which is why the industry has started to dress up their cars in design elements that look like they serve a functional purpose, but don't. Here are 5 fake design trends we think need to be phased out, and the sooner they do, the better it will be!

Fake exhaust tips used to just be finisher trim pieces attached to a car's actual exhaust pipes. In that regard, they really aren't fake at all, but just an aesthetic extension of a functioning component. Of late, car makers have begun integrating these tips into their diffuser or rear bumper valence setups, which, admittedly, makes for a sleeker rear end design. Sleeker they may be, but once you've realised that the exhaust tips on your ride don’t actually do anything, you’ll always see them for what they truly are - a tacky addon. In fact, the worst offenders don’t even have the actual exhausts pointed at these trim pieces, with exhaust fumes instead being expelled by the real, downward facing pipes.

We get it - you can furnish any plain economy car with exotic composites or with real wood. Those are the reserve of luxury and of supercars, as their larger price tag and differing functional requirements call for the use of such materials. Mass market cars have sported faux carbon fibre or wood trim in their interiors for ages now, but they almost always look like a cheap and tacky afterthought, and regardless of how advanced plastic moulding technology has gotten, these pieces still haven’t gotten any more convincing over time. In most cases, trim pieces in solid matte colours can look just as good as their stimulated counterparts, without the added "cheapness".

As with the point above, lower-priced cars will have lower-priced interiors. Stimulated materials are used in a vain attempt to class up the interior, though car makers can offer you one better. To ensure that the interior of a car with a complete, one-piece, plastic-moulded dashboard doesn't look too bulky and bland, some car makers opt to texture the plastic in a faux leather, going as far to using moulded stitching stimulate the luxury. Of all the fake design elements, this is the one that is the most obvious, and probably also which is the most bothersome, as you it is definitely in your line of sight once you’re seated in the cabin!

If you've followed any motorsport category for any length of time, you'd know that a diffuser is an integral part in the efficient operation of a race car. It is used in combination with a flat floor and other aerodynamic pieces, manipulating and accelerating air when needed to generate downforce. Unfortunately, most mainstream car makers have borrowed the form of a diffuser, and shamelessly repurposing it as a bit of eye-candy for the rear valence of a car in a bid to tidy up the rear end. Most faux diffusers look out of place in the car they are attached too, with some deviating from the original form so much, that we're sure it hinders the car's performance!

A vent is usually opened to allow for some fresh airflow for intake and cooling purposes, or for aerodynamics. You can usually find them feeding cool air into an engine's air intake, a radiator of some kind, or even the brakes. They are often finished with mesh, either of the plastic or metal variety, to keep stones and other road debris out. However, several newer cars are sporting vent apertures with a blocked-off plastic grille. This obviously, helps to keep out all of the road grime and junk, but crucially, also the airflow. These faux grilles, depending on how it's done, can cheapen the look of a car, and can also negatively impact its aerodynamic efficiency.

Credits: Jek Ray Low