Aside from a few brands, I don't much care for the way that automotive design, as a whole is going nowadays. I think it all started with the Bangle BMW's, but now that look has transcended into most brands. Take for example the current generation Toyota Camry.....a cheap, unoriginal knockoff of the BMW look, especially in the trunk/tail light treatment. In one smooth move, the Camry went from annoyingly bland to shockingly ugly. And it's not just those either that went after the "Bangle Butt" look. Some of the new Benzes have it, most of the new Lexus's have it, some of the new Hondas have it, etc etc.
When comparing cars built 10 years ago to cars built now, I have compiled a list of cars that as a whole have IMO improved in design since then, and cars that have as a whole IMO declined in design since then..
Improved:
- Ford (especially the Mustang and F-150)
- Dodge
- Chevrolet (especially the Camaro, Silverado and Corvette)
- Pontiac (the newest Pontiacs are some of the best looking American cars out there)
- Saturn
- Acura (it may be ugly, but atleast it's not bland)
- Aston Martin
- Audi
- Nissan (they used to be bland, but now they look exciting, fresh and European)
- Lamborghini
- Honda (See below)
- Hyundai (!!!!!!!!)
- Infiniti (for the same reasons as Nissan, but I lament the Q45)
- Mazda
- GMC
- Kia
- Porsche
- Saab
- Volvo
- Toyota (hey, to me, ugly IS better than bland)
- Volkswagen
Declined:- BMW
- Mercedes Benz (new ones are nice, but I adore late '80s, '90s Benzes)
- Cadillac (say what you will, but I love late '90s Cadillacs.)
- Honda (some, like the Civic are an improvement, but others, Accord and CR-V are a disappointment)
- Ferrari (both styles are gorgeous, but that '90s style just does it for me)
- Jaguar
- Rolls Royce
So, in all actuality, many brand's designs have improved over the last ten years IMO, but the vast majority of my favorite brands have produced designs that I don't find as pleasing as the ones they made ten years ago, but IMO, many of these brands best designs were made in the '90s. Take for example the W140 S Class, or the 1998+ Seville, E38 7 Series, F355 Ferrari, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS400 or even the Audi A8....actually that's equally gorgeous, if not more so, nowadays. But as an interesting note, many of the brands that never interested me as much are making better looking cars now, such as Pontiac, Nissan or VW.
So I guess to sum it up, I don't like the way many of the luxury car manufacturers are going, but I am liking the way many of the more mainstream car manufacturers are going.