I was not a big fan of the ZDX....
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0111-hy-nsx-designer-20150111-story.html
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-0111-hy-nsx-designer-20150111-story.html
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Designer of the Second Gen NSX
- Thread starter GT-N
- Start date
hottie.
NSX Head Designer
Emotional surfaces, shoe industry cues and the designer of the scuttled ZDX, head designer for new NSX....oh and shes married to Hondas Advanced Design Studio.
Michelle Christensen wanted to get into the automotive design program at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. So admissions officers asked her for a portfolio of car sketches.She had none.
Christensen had designed prom dresses in high school. She didn't even know car design was a career until her second year of community college in Cupertino, Calif.
Apparently she's a quick study. Now 34, Christensen has designed the new Acura NSX, a Ferrari-fighting supercar making its world debut Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
"It looks fast even when it is parked," said Acura General Manager Mike Accavitti. "It is the ultimate expression of the Acura brand."
Cars weren't completely foreign to Christensen when she started a night school class in car design in 2002. As a teen, she hung out with her father in the garage of their San Jose home, watching him tinker with hot rods and muscle cars and eventually learning how to do the work herself.
"I developed a passion for mechanical things," said Christensen, who now lives in downtown Los Angeles. "I like the noise of an engine and the way cars smell."This second-generation NSX — Acura sold its predecessor from 1990 to 2005 — will produce an entirely different noise from the roar of a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, which has been Christensen's dream car for decades.
The new NSX will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid. A twin-turbocharged, mid-mounted V-6 engine sits behind the two-seat cockpit and powers the rear wheels. Two electric motors, one mounted near each of the front wheels, add additional power and control. A third electric motor is integrated with the engine to supply extra power.
The car is expected to produce 500 horsepower, though Acura hasn't given official figures. The price won't be announced until it goes on sale next year, but is likely to fall in the $120,000 to $180,000 range. It will serve as the "halo" vehicle for the upscale Honda division, Accavitti said, meant to imbue the entire brand with a performance image.
Christensen understands that great design takes more than a great image, said Tisha Johnson, a car designer at Volvo Car Group in Sweden who once taught at Art Center. Designers have to craft a compelling story to sell the design language to those with the power to greenlight ambitious projects, she said.
Although she may have started with no portfolio, Christensen's early car drawings earned her an internship at Volvo's Camarillo studio, Johnson said.
John Krsteski, an Art Center instructor and manager of Hyundai Design North America in Irvine, also saw Christensen's skills develop. He understands why Acura hired her in 2005, then gave Christensen the task of styling its sexiest, most sophisticated car three years ago.
He recalled a performance car concept for Chrysler that Christensen created as an Art Center project.
"She nailed it," Krsteski said. "Michelle showed a solid design sense of proportion and profile in the overall stance of the car."Krsteski would have liked to hire Christensen for Hyundai, but by then she already had a good relationship with Honda.
Honda recruited Christensen during her last year at Art Center. She also had interest from Chrysler, but that would have required a move to Detroit, not ideal for a California native.
There was another powerful reason to stay in California. Within days of entering the Art Center's car design program, Christensen met fellow student Jason Wilbur, now her husband. They started work at Honda on the same day. He heads Honda's Advanced Design Studio, not far from the couple's downtown apartment.
She is the first female exterior designer at Acura but doesn't believe that gender makes much difference in car design. "Even the guys here will talk about shoes," she said.
Christensen also was given the Women on Top Award by Marie Claire Magazine as an up-and-coming female professional.
Christensen says her life pretty much follows a set pattern. Workout at the CrossFit gym, work and sleep. On the weekends, she participates in CrossFit competitions, plays golf and hikes.
Before the NSX, Christensen worked on Acura's ZDX, a low-slung crossover the automaker scuttled last year. She also contributed to a refresh of the Acura RLX sedan.
The NSX was the first project she headed, and it proved an entirely different challenge.
Christensen had to make a pretty car, but also ensure that the exterior enhanced the NSX's performance. Every curve had to serve a purpose, such as producing aerodynamic down force to push the car toward the pavement to improve traction and cornering. The vehicle needed large but graceful vents to feed the twin-turbo engine and cool the brakes.
"The design had to enhance the function of the car," Christensen. "It forced me to grow as a designer.
"The result had what Christensen terms "emotional surfaces" that demand attention and imply movement.
At the same time, she wanted an aggressive stance."That comes from my background as an American woman who grew up with hot rods," Christensen said.
There were practical considerations, too, such as leaving enough space in the trunk to fit two carry-on bags or one set of golf clubs."As a designer, I used to fight that," she said. "Now that I play golf, I understand.
"Christensen also took some cues from the previous NSX, including a black roof and tail lights that span the entire width of the rear deck.
Finding other automotive inspiration elsewhere was easy, said Christensen, who commutes to Acura's design center in Torrance in a Honda Pilot.
"Since we are in L.A., we have supercars crawling everywhere," she said, including Ferraris, Bentleys and even an occasional Lamborghini in her building's parking garage.
Elsewhere, Christensen draws inspiration from a touch of fashion design — the shoe business — and architecture.
She's an admirer of Zaha Haddad, the Iraqi-British architect whose buildings employ honeycomb structures, curves and flowing lines to exude movement. Haddad's design for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resembles a cruise ship gliding over the sea.
Cars, it turns out, are not so unlike buildings."You have a skeleton," Christensen said, "that you have to wrap up with a beautiful form."
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-0111-hy-nsx-designer-20150111-story.html
Emotional surfaces, shoe industry cues and the designer of the scuttled ZDX, head designer for new NSX....oh and shes married to Hondas Advanced Design Studio.
Michelle Christensen wanted to get into the automotive design program at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. So admissions officers asked her for a portfolio of car sketches.She had none.
Christensen had designed prom dresses in high school. She didn't even know car design was a career until her second year of community college in Cupertino, Calif.
Apparently she's a quick study. Now 34, Christensen has designed the new Acura NSX, a Ferrari-fighting supercar making its world debut Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
"It looks fast even when it is parked," said Acura General Manager Mike Accavitti. "It is the ultimate expression of the Acura brand."
Cars weren't completely foreign to Christensen when she started a night school class in car design in 2002. As a teen, she hung out with her father in the garage of their San Jose home, watching him tinker with hot rods and muscle cars and eventually learning how to do the work herself.
"I developed a passion for mechanical things," said Christensen, who now lives in downtown Los Angeles. "I like the noise of an engine and the way cars smell."This second-generation NSX — Acura sold its predecessor from 1990 to 2005 — will produce an entirely different noise from the roar of a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, which has been Christensen's dream car for decades.
The new NSX will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid. A twin-turbocharged, mid-mounted V-6 engine sits behind the two-seat cockpit and powers the rear wheels. Two electric motors, one mounted near each of the front wheels, add additional power and control. A third electric motor is integrated with the engine to supply extra power.
The car is expected to produce 500 horsepower, though Acura hasn't given official figures. The price won't be announced until it goes on sale next year, but is likely to fall in the $120,000 to $180,000 range. It will serve as the "halo" vehicle for the upscale Honda division, Accavitti said, meant to imbue the entire brand with a performance image.
Christensen understands that great design takes more than a great image, said Tisha Johnson, a car designer at Volvo Car Group in Sweden who once taught at Art Center. Designers have to craft a compelling story to sell the design language to those with the power to greenlight ambitious projects, she said.
Although she may have started with no portfolio, Christensen's early car drawings earned her an internship at Volvo's Camarillo studio, Johnson said.
John Krsteski, an Art Center instructor and manager of Hyundai Design North America in Irvine, also saw Christensen's skills develop. He understands why Acura hired her in 2005, then gave Christensen the task of styling its sexiest, most sophisticated car three years ago.
He recalled a performance car concept for Chrysler that Christensen created as an Art Center project.
"She nailed it," Krsteski said. "Michelle showed a solid design sense of proportion and profile in the overall stance of the car."Krsteski would have liked to hire Christensen for Hyundai, but by then she already had a good relationship with Honda.
Honda recruited Christensen during her last year at Art Center. She also had interest from Chrysler, but that would have required a move to Detroit, not ideal for a California native.
There was another powerful reason to stay in California. Within days of entering the Art Center's car design program, Christensen met fellow student Jason Wilbur, now her husband. They started work at Honda on the same day. He heads Honda's Advanced Design Studio, not far from the couple's downtown apartment.
She is the first female exterior designer at Acura but doesn't believe that gender makes much difference in car design. "Even the guys here will talk about shoes," she said.
Christensen also was given the Women on Top Award by Marie Claire Magazine as an up-and-coming female professional.
Christensen says her life pretty much follows a set pattern. Workout at the CrossFit gym, work and sleep. On the weekends, she participates in CrossFit competitions, plays golf and hikes.
Before the NSX, Christensen worked on Acura's ZDX, a low-slung crossover the automaker scuttled last year. She also contributed to a refresh of the Acura RLX sedan.
The NSX was the first project she headed, and it proved an entirely different challenge.
Christensen had to make a pretty car, but also ensure that the exterior enhanced the NSX's performance. Every curve had to serve a purpose, such as producing aerodynamic down force to push the car toward the pavement to improve traction and cornering. The vehicle needed large but graceful vents to feed the twin-turbo engine and cool the brakes.
"The design had to enhance the function of the car," Christensen. "It forced me to grow as a designer.
"The result had what Christensen terms "emotional surfaces" that demand attention and imply movement.
At the same time, she wanted an aggressive stance."That comes from my background as an American woman who grew up with hot rods," Christensen said.
There were practical considerations, too, such as leaving enough space in the trunk to fit two carry-on bags or one set of golf clubs."As a designer, I used to fight that," she said. "Now that I play golf, I understand.
"Christensen also took some cues from the previous NSX, including a black roof and tail lights that span the entire width of the rear deck.
Finding other automotive inspiration elsewhere was easy, said Christensen, who commutes to Acura's design center in Torrance in a Honda Pilot.
"Since we are in L.A., we have supercars crawling everywhere," she said, including Ferraris, Bentleys and even an occasional Lamborghini in her building's parking garage.
Elsewhere, Christensen draws inspiration from a touch of fashion design — the shoe business — and architecture.
She's an admirer of Zaha Haddad, the Iraqi-British architect whose buildings employ honeycomb structures, curves and flowing lines to exude movement. Haddad's design for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resembles a cruise ship gliding over the sea.
Cars, it turns out, are not so unlike buildings."You have a skeleton," Christensen said, "that you have to wrap up with a beautiful form."
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-0111-hy-nsx-designer-20150111-story.html
Last edited:
- Joined
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For Those Who Do Not Want to Click
Michelle Christensen wanted to get into the automotive design program at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. So admissions officers asked her for a portfolio of car sketches.
She had none.
Christensen had designed prom dresses in high school. She didn't even know car design was a career until her second year of community college in Cupertino, Calif.
Apparently she's a quick study. Now 34, Christensen has designed the new Acura NSX, a Ferrari-fighting supercar making its world debut Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
"The design had to enhance the function of the car," says Michelle Christensen, who designed Acura's second-generation NSX. "It forced me to grow as a designer." Above, a mock-up of the revamped supercar. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
"It looks fast even when it is parked," said Acura General Manager Mike Accavitti. "It is the ultimate expression of the Acura brand."
Cars weren't completely foreign to Christensen when she started a night school class in car design in 2002. As a teen, she hung out with her father in the garage of their San Jose home, watching him tinker with hot rods and muscle cars and eventually learning how to do the work herself.
"I developed a passion for mechanical things," said Christensen, who now lives in downtown Los Angeles. "I like the noise of an engine and the way cars smell."
This 2nd-generation NSX — Acura sold its predecessor from 1990 to 2005 — will produce an entirely different noise from the roar of a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, which has been Christensen's dream car for decades.
lRelated Top autos of 2014 stood out for their superb execution
The new NSX will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid. A twin-turbocharged, mid-mounted V-6 engine sits behind the 2-seat cockpit and powers the rear wheels. 2 electric motors, one mounted near each of the front wheels, add additional power and control. A 3rd electric motor is integrated with the engine to supply extra power.
The car is expected to produce 500 horsepower, though Acura hasn't given official figures. The price won't be announced until it goes on sale next year, but is likely to fall in the $120,000 to $180,000 range. It will serve as the "halo" vehicle for the upscale Honda division, Accavitti said, meant to imbue the entire brand with a performance image.
Christensen understands that great design takes more than a great image, said Tisha Johnson, a car designer at Volvo Car Group in Sweden who once taught at Art Center. Designers have to craft a compelling story to sell the design language to those with the power to greenlight ambitious projects, she said.
Although she may have started with no portfolio, Christensen's early car drawings earned her an internship at Volvo's Camarillo studio, Johnson said.
John Krsteski, an Art Center instructor and manager of Hyundai Design North America in Irvine, also saw Christensen's skills develop. He understands why Acura hired her in 2005, then gave Christensen the task of styling its sexiest, most sophisticated car 3 years ago.
He recalled a performance car concept for Chrysler that Christensen created as an Art Center project.
"She nailed it," Krsteski said. "Michelle showed a solid design sense of proportion and profile in the overall stance of the car."
Krsteski would have liked to hire Christensen for Hyundai, but by then she already had a good relationship with Honda.
Honda recruited Christensen during her last year at Art Center. She also had interest from Chrysler, but that would have required a move to Detroit, not ideal for a California native.
There was another powerful reason to stay in California. Within days of entering the Art Center's car design program, Christensen met fellow student Jason Wilbur, now her husband. They started work at Honda on the same day. He heads Honda's Advanced Design Studio, not far from the couple's downtown apartment.
She is the first female exterior designer at Acura but doesn't believe that gender makes much difference in car design. "Even the guys here will talk about shoes," she said.
Christensen also was given the Women on Top Award by Marie Claire Magazine as an up-and-coming female professional.
Christensen says her life pretty much follows a set pattern. Workout at the CrossFit gym, work and sleep. On the weekends, she participates in CrossFit competitions, plays golf and hikes.
Before the NSX, Christensen worked on Acura's ZDX, a low-slung crossover the automaker scuttled last year. She also contributed to a refresh of the Acura RLX sedan.
The NSX was the 1st project she headed, and it proved an entirely different challenge.
Christensen had to make a pretty car, but also ensure that the exterior enhanced the NSX's performance. Every curve had to serve a purpose, such as producing aerodynamic down force to push the car toward the pavement to improve traction and cornering. The vehicle needed large but graceful vents to feed the twin-turbo engine and cool the brakes.
"The design had to enhance the function of the car," Christensen. "It forced me to grow as a designer."
The result had what Christensen terms "emotional surfaces" that demand attention and imply movement. At the same time, she wanted an aggressive stance.
"That comes from my background as an American woman who grew up with hot rods," Christensen said.
There were practical considerations, too, such as leaving enough space in the trunk to fit 2 carry-on bags or 1 set of golf clubs.
"As a designer, I used to fight that," she said. "Now that I play golf, I understand."
Christensen also took some cues from the previous NSX, including a black roof and tail lights that span the entire width of the rear deck.
Finding other automotive inspiration elsewhere was easy, said Christensen, who commutes to Acura's design center in Torrance in a Honda Pilot.
"Since we are in L.A., we have supercars crawling everywhere," she said, including Ferraris, Bentleys and even an occasional Lamborghini in her building's parking garage.
Elsewhere, Christensen draws inspiration from a touch of fashion design — the shoe business — and architecture.
She's an admirer of Zaha Haddad, the Iraqi-British architect whose buildings employ honeycomb structures, curves and flowing lines to exude movement. Haddad's design for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resembles a cruise ship gliding over the sea.
Cars, it turns out, are not so unlike buildings.
"You have a skeleton," Christensen said, "that you have to wrap up with a beautiful form."
Michelle Christensen wanted to get into the automotive design program at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. So admissions officers asked her for a portfolio of car sketches.
She had none.
Christensen had designed prom dresses in high school. She didn't even know car design was a career until her second year of community college in Cupertino, Calif.
------------
FOR THE RECORD:
Acura designer: An article in the Jan. 11 Business section about automobile designer Michelle Christensen misspelled the last name of architect Zaha Hadid as Haddad. —
------------
FOR THE RECORD:
Acura designer: An article in the Jan. 11 Business section about automobile designer Michelle Christensen misspelled the last name of architect Zaha Hadid as Haddad. —
------------
Apparently she's a quick study. Now 34, Christensen has designed the new Acura NSX, a Ferrari-fighting supercar making its world debut Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
"The design had to enhance the function of the car," says Michelle Christensen, who designed Acura's second-generation NSX. "It forced me to grow as a designer." Above, a mock-up of the revamped supercar. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
"It looks fast even when it is parked," said Acura General Manager Mike Accavitti. "It is the ultimate expression of the Acura brand."
Cars weren't completely foreign to Christensen when she started a night school class in car design in 2002. As a teen, she hung out with her father in the garage of their San Jose home, watching him tinker with hot rods and muscle cars and eventually learning how to do the work herself.
"I developed a passion for mechanical things," said Christensen, who now lives in downtown Los Angeles. "I like the noise of an engine and the way cars smell."
This 2nd-generation NSX — Acura sold its predecessor from 1990 to 2005 — will produce an entirely different noise from the roar of a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle, which has been Christensen's dream car for decades.
lRelated Top autos of 2014 stood out for their superb execution
The new NSX will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid. A twin-turbocharged, mid-mounted V-6 engine sits behind the 2-seat cockpit and powers the rear wheels. 2 electric motors, one mounted near each of the front wheels, add additional power and control. A 3rd electric motor is integrated with the engine to supply extra power.
The car is expected to produce 500 horsepower, though Acura hasn't given official figures. The price won't be announced until it goes on sale next year, but is likely to fall in the $120,000 to $180,000 range. It will serve as the "halo" vehicle for the upscale Honda division, Accavitti said, meant to imbue the entire brand with a performance image.
Christensen understands that great design takes more than a great image, said Tisha Johnson, a car designer at Volvo Car Group in Sweden who once taught at Art Center. Designers have to craft a compelling story to sell the design language to those with the power to greenlight ambitious projects, she said.
Although she may have started with no portfolio, Christensen's early car drawings earned her an internship at Volvo's Camarillo studio, Johnson said.
John Krsteski, an Art Center instructor and manager of Hyundai Design North America in Irvine, also saw Christensen's skills develop. He understands why Acura hired her in 2005, then gave Christensen the task of styling its sexiest, most sophisticated car 3 years ago.
He recalled a performance car concept for Chrysler that Christensen created as an Art Center project.
"She nailed it," Krsteski said. "Michelle showed a solid design sense of proportion and profile in the overall stance of the car."
Krsteski would have liked to hire Christensen for Hyundai, but by then she already had a good relationship with Honda.
Honda recruited Christensen during her last year at Art Center. She also had interest from Chrysler, but that would have required a move to Detroit, not ideal for a California native.
There was another powerful reason to stay in California. Within days of entering the Art Center's car design program, Christensen met fellow student Jason Wilbur, now her husband. They started work at Honda on the same day. He heads Honda's Advanced Design Studio, not far from the couple's downtown apartment.
She is the first female exterior designer at Acura but doesn't believe that gender makes much difference in car design. "Even the guys here will talk about shoes," she said.
Christensen also was given the Women on Top Award by Marie Claire Magazine as an up-and-coming female professional.
Christensen says her life pretty much follows a set pattern. Workout at the CrossFit gym, work and sleep. On the weekends, she participates in CrossFit competitions, plays golf and hikes.
Before the NSX, Christensen worked on Acura's ZDX, a low-slung crossover the automaker scuttled last year. She also contributed to a refresh of the Acura RLX sedan.
The NSX was the 1st project she headed, and it proved an entirely different challenge.
Christensen had to make a pretty car, but also ensure that the exterior enhanced the NSX's performance. Every curve had to serve a purpose, such as producing aerodynamic down force to push the car toward the pavement to improve traction and cornering. The vehicle needed large but graceful vents to feed the twin-turbo engine and cool the brakes.
"The design had to enhance the function of the car," Christensen. "It forced me to grow as a designer."
The result had what Christensen terms "emotional surfaces" that demand attention and imply movement. At the same time, she wanted an aggressive stance.
"That comes from my background as an American woman who grew up with hot rods," Christensen said.
There were practical considerations, too, such as leaving enough space in the trunk to fit 2 carry-on bags or 1 set of golf clubs.
"As a designer, I used to fight that," she said. "Now that I play golf, I understand."
Christensen also took some cues from the previous NSX, including a black roof and tail lights that span the entire width of the rear deck.
Finding other automotive inspiration elsewhere was easy, said Christensen, who commutes to Acura's design center in Torrance in a Honda Pilot.
"Since we are in L.A., we have supercars crawling everywhere," she said, including Ferraris, Bentleys and even an occasional Lamborghini in her building's parking garage.
Elsewhere, Christensen draws inspiration from a touch of fashion design — the shoe business — and architecture.
She's an admirer of Zaha Haddad, the Iraqi-British architect whose buildings employ honeycomb structures, curves and flowing lines to exude movement. Haddad's design for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resembles a cruise ship gliding over the sea.
Cars, it turns out, are not so unlike buildings.
"You have a skeleton," Christensen said, "that you have to wrap up with a beautiful form."
and what recommended her for such a responsible job? ZDX? Hardly...
Her husband, married to head of Hondas Advanced Design Studio
I think for the most part she did a nice job. My only real complaint is the front end. There is simply too much going on for my tastes. However, it wouldn't stand in my way of buying one.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150117/OEM02/301199916/the-woman-behind-the-bold-nsx
Yinzer, read this article or quote:
"Michelle Christensen, exterior design project leader for the NSX, is the first woman to lead a design team working on a supercar. She joined the team for the production car shortly after Acura unveiled its NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show.
Staying true to that concept was a key mandate for Christensen and her eight-person team. "They wanted an emotional, 3-D kind of feeling," Christensen told Automotive News at Acura's Torrance, Calif., design studio last month. "My priority was to keep that."
She joined after the design was pretty much cemented after 2012. Her team contributed to the updates that are actually favorable and resonate what was popular suggested by spectators actually such as large side intake and longer/pronounced rear spoiler/tail. So aside from the ploy to perhaps earn women's favor, she did not directly pen the NSX's direction at all really.
Yinzer, read this article or quote:
"Michelle Christensen, exterior design project leader for the NSX, is the first woman to lead a design team working on a supercar. She joined the team for the production car shortly after Acura unveiled its NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show.
Staying true to that concept was a key mandate for Christensen and her eight-person team. "They wanted an emotional, 3-D kind of feeling," Christensen told Automotive News at Acura's Torrance, Calif., design studio last month. "My priority was to keep that."
She joined after the design was pretty much cemented after 2012. Her team contributed to the updates that are actually favorable and resonate what was popular suggested by spectators actually such as large side intake and longer/pronounced rear spoiler/tail. So aside from the ploy to perhaps earn women's favor, she did not directly pen the NSX's direction at all really.
that begets the question, who sculpted the original 2012 concept as they got it 90% right....
- Joined
- 14 September 2012
- Messages
- 200
Twas so hopeful when I read that she was in LA
Much sads when I read that she is married...
Much sads when I read that she is married...
- Joined
- 16 November 2009
- Messages
- 145
AutoNews
The NSX supercar Acura unveiled at the Detroit auto show this week is drawing attention not only for its design, but also for its designer.
Michelle Christensen, exterior design project leader for the NSX, is the 1st woman to lead a design team working on a supercar. She joined the team for the production car shortly after Acura unveiled its NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show.
Staying true to that concept was a key mandate for Christensen and her eight-person team. "They wanted an emotional, 3-D kind of feeling," Christensen told Automotive News at Acura's Torrance, Calif., design studio last month. "My priority was to keep that."
But the NSX's unusual powertrain -- a twin-turbocharged V-6 with an all-wheel-drive, 3-motor gas-electric hybrid system -- and a midstream switch to a midmounted engine opened new possibilities for the design team to give the car a more muscular profile, Christensen said.
The midengine layout was "1 of the most fun proportions to work on" as the team adjusted the design to keep the cabin low and within the wheelbase, Christensen said.
"It gave us the opportunity to punch more holes in it and make it more exotic," she said. "From a styling standpoint, we were really excited to take it to the gym and beef it up."
Christensen's earlier projects were hardly the kinds of vehicles immortalized on boys' bedroom walls. Before joining the supercar team, she worked on the now-discontinued ZDX crossover and a refresh of the RLX, Acura's staid large sedan.
The NSX, a long-awaited successor to the Acura halo car that was sold from 1990 to 2005, could change that. Although it has a smaller engine, it's a "badass little car" that will compete with the V-10-powered Audi R8, Ferrari 458 and Porsche 911 Turbo S, Christensen said. Acura said the NSX's sport hybrid powertrain will generate over 550 hp and herald the brand's return to its performance roots.
Christensen, a 34-year-old graduate of the famed Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., said that growing up working on muscle cars with her father in their San Jose, Calif., garage influenced her design ethos.
"The '32 Ford? There's nothing on that that's fluff," she said. For the NSX, "we wanted to take off any extra garnishes" in order to "simplify it and cut weight."
She said her interest in fashion also shaped the NSX's look, comparing the process of designing the car's exterior skin to draping couture over a mannequin. Like fashionable shoes, she said, cars are structures that are designed to appear to be moving, even when standing still.
"Shoes and cars are both these really complex shapes that need to wrap around a human element," she said.
Designing the heir to Acura's halo car was a lofty responsibility, Christensen said. "With a supercar, the potential is so much greater that everything is magnified," she said. "It needed to stand out."
"We really tried to treat it more like a sculpture," she said, with jewel headlights showcasing a "mean, aggressive, front-end personality" and a floating C-pillar. The decklid is a nod to the original NSX's heritage, with graphic taillights spanning the car's width.
In between designs, the team took 40% scale models of the car to Honda's wind tunnel in Raymond, Ohio. The prototypes were adjusted to reduce turbulence and drag and increase downforce. Christensen and her team refined the exterior, creating a bigger signature side intake, as well as vents for the hood and front fender, to direct airflow across the rear.
"The side intake became a really important part of the car's profile," Christensen said. "Visually, we want it to stand up and kick ass."
You can reach Jaclyn Trop at [email protected]
The NSX supercar Acura unveiled at the Detroit auto show this week is drawing attention not only for its design, but also for its designer.
Michelle Christensen, exterior design project leader for the NSX, is the 1st woman to lead a design team working on a supercar. She joined the team for the production car shortly after Acura unveiled its NSX concept at the 2012 Detroit show.
Staying true to that concept was a key mandate for Christensen and her eight-person team. "They wanted an emotional, 3-D kind of feeling," Christensen told Automotive News at Acura's Torrance, Calif., design studio last month. "My priority was to keep that."
But the NSX's unusual powertrain -- a twin-turbocharged V-6 with an all-wheel-drive, 3-motor gas-electric hybrid system -- and a midstream switch to a midmounted engine opened new possibilities for the design team to give the car a more muscular profile, Christensen said.
The midengine layout was "1 of the most fun proportions to work on" as the team adjusted the design to keep the cabin low and within the wheelbase, Christensen said.
"It gave us the opportunity to punch more holes in it and make it more exotic," she said. "From a styling standpoint, we were really excited to take it to the gym and beef it up."
Christensen's earlier projects were hardly the kinds of vehicles immortalized on boys' bedroom walls. Before joining the supercar team, she worked on the now-discontinued ZDX crossover and a refresh of the RLX, Acura's staid large sedan.
The NSX, a long-awaited successor to the Acura halo car that was sold from 1990 to 2005, could change that. Although it has a smaller engine, it's a "badass little car" that will compete with the V-10-powered Audi R8, Ferrari 458 and Porsche 911 Turbo S, Christensen said. Acura said the NSX's sport hybrid powertrain will generate over 550 hp and herald the brand's return to its performance roots.
Christensen, a 34-year-old graduate of the famed Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., said that growing up working on muscle cars with her father in their San Jose, Calif., garage influenced her design ethos.
"The '32 Ford? There's nothing on that that's fluff," she said. For the NSX, "we wanted to take off any extra garnishes" in order to "simplify it and cut weight."
She said her interest in fashion also shaped the NSX's look, comparing the process of designing the car's exterior skin to draping couture over a mannequin. Like fashionable shoes, she said, cars are structures that are designed to appear to be moving, even when standing still.
"Shoes and cars are both these really complex shapes that need to wrap around a human element," she said.
Designing the heir to Acura's halo car was a lofty responsibility, Christensen said. "With a supercar, the potential is so much greater that everything is magnified," she said. "It needed to stand out."
"We really tried to treat it more like a sculpture," she said, with jewel headlights showcasing a "mean, aggressive, front-end personality" and a floating C-pillar. The decklid is a nod to the original NSX's heritage, with graphic taillights spanning the car's width.
In between designs, the team took 40% scale models of the car to Honda's wind tunnel in Raymond, Ohio. The prototypes were adjusted to reduce turbulence and drag and increase downforce. Christensen and her team refined the exterior, creating a bigger signature side intake, as well as vents for the hood and front fender, to direct airflow across the rear.
"The side intake became a really important part of the car's profile," Christensen said. "Visually, we want it to stand up and kick ass."
You can reach Jaclyn Trop at [email protected]
It's worth clarifying that while Michelle Christensen is a 'designer for the 2nd Gen NSX' as the thread title implies, she is not responsible for the original form nor the overall body style you see today. That would be another young and upcoming designer named Toshinobu Minami...from what I have read he penned the original shape and form (he's the guy on the right, the guy on left is Yoshinori Asahi - Head of Interiors).
Minami's name is also listed as one of the designers for the filing of the new NSX at the European Patent Office. He is referenced in various articles in the Japan Times and other magazines with the following titles: Global Creative Director at Honda, Honda's Executive Designer, Global Exterior Design Leader to name a few. I don't understand how all these titles work out because you also have Jon Ikeda - Chief Designer Honda R&D along with his team (which includes Christensen as I understand it) from the Torrance, CA based design center certainly had their influence and input. But it appears that the original form did not originate from the CA studio but rather came out of Honda's Global Design Center located in Wako, Japan. (see more --> June 2012 Automotive News)
It's very interesting now to look back at some of the thoughts from Wako from a few years back...
Excerpt from Oct 2013 Automotive News: ...The automaker's top exterior designer says he wants a midlevel sporty car added to the lineup between the two sports cars under development. A revived Acura NSX will debut atop the automaker's lineup in 2015. And at the bottom, Honda is targeting Japan with a sporty minicar inspired by the Small Sports EV Concept shown at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. "We are making the NSX and the small sporty minicar," Toshinobu Minami said in a recent interview at Honda's global design center. "Naturally, I personally want something in between." Although his comments represented his own ambitions, such an entry was under study, he said. He declined to give details. To properly nurture sports-car nameplates, a company must keep making them, Minami said, criticizing Honda's decision to drop sports cars when the global financial crisis hit. "Don't quit," said Minami, who oversees global exterior design for the Acura and Honda brands. "Quitting the NSX and the S2000 is the thing I regret most."
Another excerpt from EVO magazine #166 JAN 2012 issue: ...There we spoke with the man responsible for the new NSX's styling, Honda's creative director Toshinobu Minami. Minami was one of the team that previously worked on the stillborn V10-engined Honda ASCC first shown in 2007. That car was expected to go on sale in 2010 and - although it was never confirmed - was likely to have worn NSX badging. It did however spawn the HSV-010 GT racer. Minami is passionate about this latest NSX concept, and determined that it will actually make production. "Everybody who had worked on the ASCC was gutted when the project was suddenly stopped," he told EVO. "We were very close to production with that car and it was very quick around the Nordschleife. We couldn't believe it when it got cancelled at the last minute. Now we're working on this new car and we want it to be the best of the best. By that I mean it will be built using the best-quality materials available. We want this car to be number one for quality." Minami was keen to stress that Honda is not trying to produce the fastest car in the segment, but wants the new NSX to be the most durable and useable car in its class, with the best drivability - the qualities the original NSX was known for when it arrived back in 1990.
Minami's name is also listed as one of the designers for the filing of the new NSX at the European Patent Office. He is referenced in various articles in the Japan Times and other magazines with the following titles: Global Creative Director at Honda, Honda's Executive Designer, Global Exterior Design Leader to name a few. I don't understand how all these titles work out because you also have Jon Ikeda - Chief Designer Honda R&D along with his team (which includes Christensen as I understand it) from the Torrance, CA based design center certainly had their influence and input. But it appears that the original form did not originate from the CA studio but rather came out of Honda's Global Design Center located in Wako, Japan. (see more --> June 2012 Automotive News)
It's very interesting now to look back at some of the thoughts from Wako from a few years back...
Excerpt from Oct 2013 Automotive News: ...The automaker's top exterior designer says he wants a midlevel sporty car added to the lineup between the two sports cars under development. A revived Acura NSX will debut atop the automaker's lineup in 2015. And at the bottom, Honda is targeting Japan with a sporty minicar inspired by the Small Sports EV Concept shown at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. "We are making the NSX and the small sporty minicar," Toshinobu Minami said in a recent interview at Honda's global design center. "Naturally, I personally want something in between." Although his comments represented his own ambitions, such an entry was under study, he said. He declined to give details. To properly nurture sports-car nameplates, a company must keep making them, Minami said, criticizing Honda's decision to drop sports cars when the global financial crisis hit. "Don't quit," said Minami, who oversees global exterior design for the Acura and Honda brands. "Quitting the NSX and the S2000 is the thing I regret most."
Another excerpt from EVO magazine #166 JAN 2012 issue: ...There we spoke with the man responsible for the new NSX's styling, Honda's creative director Toshinobu Minami. Minami was one of the team that previously worked on the stillborn V10-engined Honda ASCC first shown in 2007. That car was expected to go on sale in 2010 and - although it was never confirmed - was likely to have worn NSX badging. It did however spawn the HSV-010 GT racer. Minami is passionate about this latest NSX concept, and determined that it will actually make production. "Everybody who had worked on the ASCC was gutted when the project was suddenly stopped," he told EVO. "We were very close to production with that car and it was very quick around the Nordschleife. We couldn't believe it when it got cancelled at the last minute. Now we're working on this new car and we want it to be the best of the best. By that I mean it will be built using the best-quality materials available. We want this car to be number one for quality." Minami was keen to stress that Honda is not trying to produce the fastest car in the segment, but wants the new NSX to be the most durable and useable car in its class, with the best drivability - the qualities the original NSX was known for when it arrived back in 1990.
^^Interesting read...
I think she did one hell of a job - for as much as she was responsible for. The NSX 2.0 looks exponentially better than the HSC and/or the Advanced Sport Car Concept and even looks better than the concept vehicle - and that almost NEVER happens.
People's issue with her designing the ZDX may want to realize that there are specific design parameters and goals that design teams are bound by. Given those parameters (chassis and target market, etc.), I'm sure she can be given a proper mulligan.
People's issue with her designing the ZDX may want to realize that there are specific design parameters and goals that design teams are bound by. Given those parameters (chassis and target market, etc.), I'm sure she can be given a proper mulligan.
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