BAIC Global

The Balance of Wisdom in Exterior Design

The wisdom of balance, a continuous thread in Chinese culture,

is also visible in the design of the BJ60.

How do we balance aesthetic appeal with functionality?

And how does a classic stand out?

We invited Zhang Wen,

the designer of the exterior for BJ60, for an interview.

Just a myriad of stars surround the moon,

in the artistic architecture of the BAIC Group,

surrounded by adoring stars,

stands the central barrel at the heart of the Design Division.

A car often carries a part of its designer’s personality.

Designer Zhang Wen, taking a brief break from

his recent work on exterior accessories

for a new car that is about to be launched,

chose “reliability” as a common trait between

a designer and the BJ60, when he was asked about the topic.

“People unfamiliar with our work might think it’s like a castle in the air ,

but in reality, we deal extensively with engineering.

The design process is divided into early and late stages.

The early stage is about conveying the feel of the form,

while the latter involves grounding it.

All the structures, interference points,

and costs should be taken into account.

Rather than starting with wild imagination,

I prefer to describe a designer’s work as ‘grounded’ and ‘reliable.’”

The Exterior is the Result of Multiple Negotiations

The reliability of the BJ60 is conveyed through its exterior,

which is the result of multiple negotiations and comprehensive consideration.

As Zhang Wen explains, from a design perspective,

reliability means sacrificing a bit of the sense of speed.

For example, a larger interior space requires

a smaller windshield angle, and the chassis height and

suspension are crucial for passing ability.

The BJ60’s spacious interior and high passing

ability dictate its shape: a large frontal area with a straight angle.

Zhang Wen’s experience in Italy, particularly a course on

“Architecture and Product Design,” profoundly influenced him.

The course emphasized the concept that

“the essence of design concerns the relationship between people and objects.”

How do the arrangement of tables and chairs in a space,

the size of the lighting area, etc., affect people’s moods?

What kind of environmental conditions are suitable for different activities?

Places like subway stations, hospitals, and reading rooms all have different requirements, and different spatial dimensions. For instance, a particularly large space is needed for a high-speed train station, and hospitals need to be clean and tidy, calm people’s emotions, and also be spacious enough for people to pass through. Thus, design must serve the needs.”

Regarding the balance between functionality and aesthetics, he shared, “In my own experience, functionality and aesthetics each account for half. We can never overlook functionality when discussing visual design. Even with concept cars, we consider how the doors open, how spacious it feels to people, and then, based on that, we perfect the curves.”

Zhang Wen believes that aesthetics serve as“the icing on the cake”, obviously, the “cake” is the reliability. For instance, the BJ40, known for its off-roadcapability and playfulness, has a broad fan base worldwide. BAIC upgraded the BJ40’s design, being a worldwide hit. “Acknowledging its external beauty on top of its functionality makes it more meaningful and sustainable. It’s a matter of sequence; functionality must come first, aesthetics the second.”

“This isn’t a very good era for ‘classic.’”

Speaking of off-road vehicles, the BJ212, China’s first military off-road vehicle

carrying memories for many servicemen,

definitely has its place as a classic and legend of an era.

However, when it comes to defining classics

in today’s auto market, Zhang Wen shakes his head,

“It’s harder to define what is classic today.

To achieve good sales in the market,

you can’t have any weaknesses.

There are too many cars now with

balanced performance but they are too similar.”

“In the past, like the 90s or 2000s, people reminisce about that era.

Some focused on design, some on space,

and others on unique features...

Without the Internet, people’s pursuits could be different,

and closely related to their daily lives.

But now, the overwhelming amount of information

makes everyone’s thoughts quite similar,

and their evaluations of a car very much alike,

making it hard to find a new classic.

So, it feels like this isn’t a very good era for ‘classic.’”

The Only Car in the World Named after a Capital City

BAIC has always been continuing the legacy.

The development path of BAIC off-road vehicle

exterior design has always been very clear.

The initial 212 military vehicles produced by

Beijing Automobile Works featured a clear

match of lights and grille in its design.

Its side trapezoidal wheel eyebrows and

canvas roof contour lines have continued onto

BAIC’s current off-road vehicles.

Then, BAIC modernized this basis, for example,

the first generation BJ40 had square lights,

retaining the round elements of the BJ212,

which then evolved into a 5-hole grille.

“The 5-hole feature is our most radical expression of BAIC design,

showing its stability and solidity.”

The latest generation of off-road vehicles uses the third generation 5-hole,

which has been widened to cover the entire front face of the car,

incorporating the lights into the 5 holes.

Utilizing current lighting technology,

it clearly allows people to see its 5-hole feature at night,

as well as the dignity and solidity BAIC aims to express.

Such illuminated strips are also essentially applied across all product lines.

“BAIC’s originality is very high.

We have adhered to our design language for over a decade,

especially the off-road vehicle’s 5-hole design,

square wheel eyebrows, and the emotional

hardcore expression of side-rounded rectangles.

We are the only car in the world named

after a capital city, and we cannot discard

this essence of such inheritance,” he said.