Rendering Comparison: 2014 Volkswagen GTI MCE

Rendering Comparison: So I'm watching last week all of the wonderful images bubbling out of the New York Autoshow and I see that VW is giving the Golf and GTI a nice makeover. I'm impressed it is getting a fresh so quickly.

I was never thrilled with the 2010 GTI refresh as I didn't think the completely blacked out lower grille insert was a great look. I posted that while I loved the car, it would have looked less "heavy" with a color matched lower grille insert.

Now looking at this new GTI refresh in more detail, it slaps me in the face - the color-matched lower grille. Maybe they read my mind - j/k :) It was a quick little chop, but one I was pleasantly surprised to see was actually spot on! :)

Confirmed Edits:

Chop	Description
Grille Change	Re-colored the grille insert to match body color

All source photos copyright original owners

Rendering Comparison: 2013 Chevrolet Traverse MCE

Rendering Comparison: Welcome to my new segment on AR where I'll be comparing my renderings against the new production vehicles. This will mostly apply to MCEs that I speculate on from time to time.

So let's get down to business with the original vehicle and my rendering. Then we'll see how close I got to the real deal.

I did the MCE (show above in blue) early after the release of the original Traverse (shown above in silver). I found the rear end lacking details so I redesigned it to align more visually with the Equinox.

When I saw Chevrolet actual MCE for 2013 (see below) I was blown away buy how close many of the alterations I did were actually made!

Confirmed Edits:

Chop	Description
Tailgate	Moved tailgate handle to bottom and grafted the license place area from that of the Equinox
Tail Lights	Added clear lens to outer light housing.
Rear Bumper	After moving license plate up into tail gate I smoothed over the bumper cover for a unified look

What do you think - pretty close huh? :)

All source photos copyright original owners

Rumored: 2014 Malibu MCE

Personal File: There has been a lot of talk about the sudden about-face - literally - on Chevrolet brand vehicles. With the new Impala and updated Traverse, Chevrolet has set about to remake their now established split face grille.

Not surprisingly, the 2013 Malibu was unveiled and later released without the new corporate face established with the vehicles above. Development had long since been done. Rumors flew and were confirmed by January of this year that an unplanned 18-month MCE would be done to "adjust" the look as well as address rear seating concerns and other issues.

Wondering how the new "beak" would look I decided to try a rendering similar to the Cruze I did last year. I've seen online where many artists have simply copied the entire Impala over the front of the car but I doubt it will be a literal Xerox copy. My theory is GM will spend as little money as possible on hard points and focus instead on the hood, front fascia, grilles, and lighting assemblies.

Using my newly integrated Before-and-After plugin, here is my take on what the MCE might look like. What do you think? Click around the image or move the slider to view different areas of the chop. Or click the before and the after buttons below the rendering. Comments on the rendering or the new plugin are appreciated!

I just read on Jalopnik the new face might be making a special appearance at New York NAIAS - that would be a great way to end a great showing for Chevrolet! It has been a great show for GM.

All source photos copyright original owners

New Interactive Feature Coming to AR

Personal File: You may not have noticed but I've widened the main content area of the site. This wasn't done just to present larger thumbnails. Utilizing and customizing a really slick plugin by Catch My Fire, I'm about to roll out a process that presents my work in a new and interactive way. You will be able to to look at different areas of the chop against the original image in real time. I think this will be a great addition to the site and I hope you will enjoy it.

Please stop back here and comment below if you like the new format - thanks!

Thoughts on 2014 Impala

Personal File: Where to start... I'm a little bit excited and a little bit saddened by the 2014 Impala. I think overall it will be a hit out of the park and a vehicle GM desperately needed (triggering the death of the w-body)! Visually speaking, the front 3/4 is a bold American style with great proportions. As you make your way to the rear end though, things take a decisively bad turn. In what I can only describe as look-a-like syndrome, the rear end looks more like a Hyundai Sonata than an iconic American sedan.

Since I felt that was missing, I wanted to try my hand at bringing in some of that classic/retro American DNA to the rear and and this chop is the result:

• new trunk and decklid - lowered and reshaped along with trunk lines to give it more of a muscle car look
  
• revised tail lights that are longer and revised trunk back - both done to enhance the classic over the Korean look
  
• reworked the "quarter panel" crease to flow into the top of the trunk line for a more unified look. Helps give a hint of late 60s Impala as well.
  
• revised c-pillar glass trim which now echos slightly the new Camaro
  
• angled belt line with door handles down slightly towards the back door which allows it to meet up with the quarter panel crease for better visual flow. Again, his helps hint at the late 60s Impala.
  
• Zl-1 Camaro wheels
  

For grins and giggles I went full-on retro and came up with this version that has the iconic 3-lens tail lights from the early 60s Impalas. A little over the top, yes, but it was fun to play around with the design elements.

What do you think? Are you as disappointed with the rear end of the Impala as I was - especially after how well thought out the front end was designed? Oh - and one last thing - what is up with that steering wheel?

All source photos copyright original owners