Let’s be clear. I’ve always been into cars. Heck, I’ve been a car and driver subscriber for years now. I wouldn’t say that I’m some incredibly informed car enthusiast but I definitely have a lot to talk about when it comes to the topic.  One thing I’ve noticed recently has been how much better cars look now than in they did in the past. However, I’m not just talking about those dream cars that everyone has posters of in their dorms. I’m not talking about the Lambos and Ferraris. I am talking about the cars that anyone can afford to buy.

Lamborghini Reventon

2012 Ford Fusion

Take for example Ford. Ford in the past has mostly designed their cars to be modest and inconspicuous. Things have changed. Take for example the Ford Taurus, their 4 door sedan. The car has gone from being lanky and blah to being quite good looking. The Ford Fusion and Fiesta are probably the two best examples of cheap Fords that still look good. A huge reason why cheap Fords have looked better in recent years. First of all, consumers have actually become more concerned about appearance. With less to separate cars in competitive markets and less consumers in the market, car companies need to do everything to separate themselves from the pack. However, when it comes to Ford, the biggest reason in design improvements has come down to personal. After Ford sold Aston Martin to Tata, the company went on to hire several of the sports car companies designers to their own company. All of a sudden, this designers went from creating cars that easily cost more than $100,000 to cars that anyone can afford.

2008 Ford Taurus

2013 Ford Taurus

However, branding has also become increasingly more important in car sales. Hyundai, and their sister company Kia, are probably the most prominent examples of changing your brand through improving the design of your cars. Both companies as recent as five years ago were thought of as companies that produced cars that were cheap and ugly. They were all utilitarian and no style. Things have changed in recent years. Not only has sales for both companies improved significantly, but the cars have also gotten prettier. The perfect example of this branding change has been the release of the Hyundai Genesis, a car designed to compete in significantly higher markets than in the past. All in all, when it comes to cars, style does pay off.

2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan

2014 Hyundai Genesis Coupe