Design between the lines

The car industry and the way in which cars are created have changed beyond all recognition over the last half-century. Automotive styling was once the grudging afterthought when the engineers had finished their work. Now, following a short flirtation with exotic Italian design houses, it has evolved into sophisticated design carried out by multitalented in-house teams honing carefully crafted brand identities.0One of the visionary designers at the forefront of that revolution has been Patrick le Quement. Most widely acclaimed for his 22 years in charge of Renault Design, resulting in such standout models as the Twingo, Scenic and Avantime, le Quement has enjoyed a 50-year career that has also taken in Simca, Ford and Volkswagen-Audi. In his foreword to the book, Stephen Bayley calls le Quement `perhaps the very most original designer working in the conservative car business at the turn of the millennium'. Some 60 million cars across the world now bear the unmistakable stamp of le Quement.