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The sudden shift to what many perceive as ugly, disjointed car designs could, in some views, be linked to the Frankfurt School’s cultural theories, which some critics argue promote a nihilistic, almost Satanist ideology that rejects beauty, intelligence, and perfection in art and design.

This school of thought, associated with thinkers like Theodor Adorno and Herbert Marcuse, is said by some to deconstruct traditional aesthetics in favor of chaotic, subversive forms, potentially influencing modern corporate design to prioritize shock value or anti-traditionalism over timeless elegance.

While no direct evidence ties the Frankfurt School to automotive design, some fans on X speculate that such cultural ideologies could indirectly shape trends, leading brands to abandon intelligent, perfected designs for polarizing, less coherent ones, as seen in cases like BMW’s massive grilles.

Car Brands That Lost Buyers Due to Redesign Disasters

Below is a list of car brands that faced significant buyer backlash or sales drops due to drastic, poorly received design changes, with specific models and reasons for the loss:

BMW:

Redesign Disaster: Shift to oversized kidney grilles, split headlights, and complex designs (e.g., 4 Series 2020, 7 Series 2022, XM SUV 2022), replacing the sleek E46 3 Series/E39 5 Series (1990s–2000s).

Impact: Alienated enthusiasts who loved BMW’s elegant, driver-focused look. X posts call the 4 Series grille “beaver teeth” and the M2 “a Roblox character.” No major global sales drop (~2.5M units in 2024), but purists in North America/Europe switched to Audi or Porsche.

Why It Sucked: Chased trends (e.g., bold grilles for China, Neue Klasse EV aesthetics) over loyalist preferences, seen as a betrayal of BMW’s “Ultimate Driving Machine” identity.

Jaguar:

Redesign Disaster: 2024 rebrand with a minimalist logo, no “growler” badge, and the Type 00 EV concept, ditching Jaguar’s classic feline styling (e.g., XJ, XF).

Impact: Sales crashed 98% in some markets (e.g., 49 cars in Q3 2024 vs. ~125,000 in 2020). X posts, including Elon Musk’s, slammed the “soulless” design. Buyers fled to Mercedes or Tesla.

Why It Sucked: Erased Jaguar’s luxury heritage for a generic EV look, alienating its core audience.

Ford (Edsel):

Redesign Disaster: Launched in 1957 with a “horse-collar” grille and odd styling, meant to be bold but seen as tacky.

Impact: Sold only 118,000 units over three years, costing $2.9B (2017 dollars). Discontinued in 1959 as buyers rejected the ugly design.

Why It Sucked: The grille and bloated look didn’t match mid-price car expectations, turning off Ford/Chevy buyers.

Pontiac:

Redesign Disaster: Shifted from sporty designs (e.g., GTO, Firebird) to generic models like the Aztek (2001), with clunky, mismatched proportions.

Impact: Aztek sold ~120,000 units over five years; Pontiac’s image tanked. GM axed it in 2009 as buyers chose Honda or Toyota.

Why It Sucked: The “hideous” Aztek (per X/reviews) killed Pontiac’s performance legacy.

Chrysler (Plymouth):

Redesign Disaster: 1990s–2000s shift to rebadged Dodge/Chrysler models (e.g., Neon), with bland styling vs. earlier retro designs.

Impact: Sales collapsed; Chrysler killed Plymouth in 2001. Buyers picked Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.

Why It Sucked: Generic designs erased Plymouth’s affordable, distinctive identity.

Oldsmobile:

Redesign Disaster: Moved from “Rocket V8” designs to rebadged, soft-styled GM models (e.g., Alero, Aurora, 1990s–2000s).

Impact: Sales fell to ~150,000 units by 2003; GM ended Oldsmobile in 2004. Buyers chose Lexus or Acura.

Why It Sucked: Generic designs lost Oldsmobile’s sporty edge.

Mercury:

Redesign Disaster: 2000s models (e.g., Grand Marquis, Cougar) were rebadged Fords with minimal styling changes, losing mid-luxury appeal.

Impact: Sales dropped to 93,000 units in 2010 (1% market share); Ford axed Mercury in 2011. Buyers chose Ford or Lincoln.

Why It Sucked: Lack of unique design made Mercury irrelevant.

Toyota (Scion):

Redesign Disaster: Quirky designs (e.g., xB, tC, 2003–2010) became mainstream Toyota-like (e.g., second-gen xB, 2011; FR-S, 2012).

Impact: Sales fell to ~45,000 units by 2015; Toyota killed Scion in 2016. Buyers went to Subaru or Mazda.

Why It Sucked: Generic redesigns killed Scion’s youthful vibe.

Mitsubishi:

Redesign Disaster: Eclipse Cross (2017) turned the sporty Eclipse coupe into a generic, bulbous crossover.

Impact: Sales lagged (~20,000 units/year in the US vs. 70,000 for the old Eclipse). X posts called it “a disgrace.” Fans chose Honda or Subaru.

Why It Sucked: Betrayed the Eclipse’s sporty legacy for a dull SUV.

Citroën:

Redesign Disaster: 2000s shift from quirky designs (e.g., DS, 2CV) to conventional PSA models (e.g., C4, C5).

Impact: Market share dropped below 5% in Europe by 2010. Buyers chose VW or Renault.

Why It Sucked: Lost eccentric design DNA, becoming generic.

Lexus:

Redesign Disaster: The “spindle grille” introduced in 2012 (e.g., ES, RX) was polarizing, with aggressive, oversized lines replacing smoother designs.

Impact: While Lexus sales grew overall, specific models like the ES saw slower growth in some markets; X posts called the grille “overdone.” Some buyers opted for Mercedes or Audi.

Why It Sucked: The bold grille alienated fans of Lexus’s refined, understated look.

Audi:

Redesign Disaster: Early 2000s models like the A6 (C5, 2004) adopted softer, less distinctive styling compared to the sharp B5 era, and later models (e.g., Q5 2020) felt overly generic.

Impact: Limited sales dips in Europe; fans on X criticized Audi for “losing its edge.” Some switched to BMW or Mercedes.

Why It Sucked: Safe, homogenized designs diluted Audi’s sleek, progressive image.

Why These Redesigns Were Disastrous

Lost Identity: BMW, Jaguar, and Mitsubishi abandoned iconic aesthetics (e.g., BMW’s shark-nose, Jaguar’s feline grace) for trend-chasing or generic looks.

Misread Market: Edsel, Pontiac Aztek, and Scion delivered tacky or bland designs that missed consumer desires.

Badge Engineering: Plymouth, Oldsmobile, and Mercury used rebadged, uninspired designs, losing distinctiveness.

Trend Over Heritage: BMW, Jaguar, and Lexus chased global/EV trends, ignoring loyalists who loved classic designs.