He created a look in 2012 for the Model S that’s still in use with only minor variations across the company’s range. The best-selling Model Y is instantly recognizable as a cousin of the original S.
The design doesn’t look like most American cars from the same era. It eliminated grilles and other aggressively masculine elements. It has a sophisticated softness that would pass for European, yet it also has an edge that communicates the hidden power of the full-electric system. It’s pretty unique that one design manages to hold desirability for a decade.
Other car makers would have revamped a design several times already. So Tesla is clearly taking a risk that their signature look grows tired and commonplace.
The Cybertruck seems like overcorrection in the other direction. It also smells of the CEO’s influence overriding the car industry experience of von Holzhausen. Musk’s companies seem to do best when he’s focusing on fundraising and hiring, leaving product and operations to others.