Roof box design is a whole other story
What goes into the design of a roof box?
If you look at current models, their designs are very similar. If they stand out, it’s because of exaggerated lines that don’t fit with the automotive industry’s modern design language.
The basic form:
For a long time, we asked ourselves the following question: Is a banana-like shape, which pulls the box downward toward the front, optimal in terms of design and aerodynamics?
Basically, that’s true. However, every car—and especially every base carrier—is different. So a roof box, photographed from the right angle, can look good on a car (provided the base carrier is “lowered”). But when viewed from a different angle or with an OEM base carrier, it can look different again. In addition, if the roof box is too low, the car’s aerodynamics are compromised. This means that if the box sits too low, no aerodynamic flow reaches the rear of the car, where a spoiler is often designed to function effectively.
We weren't satisfied with these compromises. So we started looking for a specialist in car design.
Our criteria: We want to look perfect on any car with a (slightly) sloping rear end. Because we’ve established that the straight roof lines from 1990 to 2010 no longer exist.
Hello Shooting Brake, hello SUV coupes and hello station cars with sloping rear ends! Hello, dear electric cars and sports cars, whose aerodynamics and design we consider unmatched!
Not easy. But doable!
We set to work with various designers. The process turned out to be very challenging. Some people lacked a feel for the perfect proportions and the car’s design itself. We had to go through countless rounds of revisions, and countless ideas were discarded. Only one designer ultimately managed to win us over.
So we teamed up with an experienced car designer whose designs are familiar to anyone who has ever picked up a car magazine.
Our basic shape: a drop of water. The most aerodynamic shape there is.
Our body lines: Designed to reflect the modern—and, above all, forward-looking—design language of our cars. Without ridges, edges, or channels, but with a sophisticated design that plays with light and shadow.
It took countless design drafts. An entire wall was covered with side views of the current and future model lines from the leading automakers. Two (automotive) designers failed.
But in the end, we did it.
Here is the first sketch:
Fun fact: Our internal pitch for the design was that the roof box is so beautiful that we would put it in the living room. We've pulled it off!
The first realistic drawings will be coming soon!