Model 5

17/06/2026

10/06/2026

I've recently heard and read authoritative figures in the industry arguing that we're living in a Dark Ages of car design.

An era often ruled by confusion, where paradoxically, the almost unlimited availability of technological tools translates into a proliferation of cars overloaded with unnecessary, complex, and often incomprehensible signs, functions, and devices.

This is partly attributable to a number of contingent factors: the ongoing technological revolution with the advent of the EVs; the rise of new dominant markets (such as China) with a different aesthetic sensibility; new generations of digital-native users who view the car more as an extension of their digital world, rather than an emotional simulacrum linked to the mechanical and performance dimension.

However, we want to focus here on the topic closest to our hearts—good design: in the current context, with the increasing importance of the car's digital component and a global market that must satisfy users with very different needs and sensibilities, is it still possible to produce cars with truly innovative design, comparable to the masterpieces of the past?

A few years ago, Jony Ive said, " The better way is to go deeper with the simplicity... You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.... To be truly simple, you have to go really deep."
Words that still seem completely agreeable today, yet at the same time sound like a contradiction in light of the latest work by Ive and his team in the automotive field…

Cars like the Fiat Panda, Renault Espace, and Mini Minor were revolutionary because of their concept: a complex synthesis where the study of packaging and interior space, mechanical layout, usage scenarios, general formal conception, proportions, and detail design all appeared in wonderful harmony. This is what is properly meant by a "design project," and in this light, even the much-debated Fiat Multipla appears today as a highly innovative car when its overall concept is carefully observed.

Today, however, what are actually entirely insignificant gadgets are marketed as innovations: illuminated grilles or logos, dozens of little lights turning the cabin into a nightclub, cameras for taking selfies while driving, amplifiers that reproduce artificial sounds to mimic an engine that is no longer there… these are just a few examples, but there are dozens more. As a result, cars increase in weight and cost, with no real functional benefit or improvement to the overall concept.

Let us also add the issue of driving aids—drowsiness alerts, speed limit warnings, etc.—imposed by regulatory authorities (the EU above all) and in many cases totally useless, given that 99% of drivers turn them off every time they start the car… Here too, we see an increase in weight and complexity, with no real utility.

The impression is that cars are being filled with baroque superstructures and ornaments to hide, in most cases, the poverty of the underlying concept. But as Coco Chanel used to say, "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

The silhouette of the Mercedes 190, with its perfect proportions, was not only a remarkable aesthetic concept, but also immediately expressed the sober elegance, solidity and rigor of the Mercedes brand, bringing those very values into a market segment that had been unexplored until then. Form, construction, emotion and consistency with the brand's history—all aspects were fully and organically encapsulated in the car's design. Looking at some of the latest Mercedes models, it is difficult to see the same coherence, amidst gigantic screens and a riot of multicolored lights that seem to betray the brand's tradition of refined elegance.

Similarly, the BMW 1602, with its sporty and dynamic lines, perfectly translated the brand's values and history—sporty soul, superbe mechanics, refined details—bringing them into a segment within reach of the middle class, while maintaining coherence and clarity of concept. Here too, it's difficult to discern the same coherence in some current BMW models, amidst overdesigned details and gigantic grilles that appear out of proportion.

Yet the hope is that from this phase of experimentation, at times confusing and overly baroque, a new generation of designers will emerge, who will refocus on the value of design as simplicity, clarity of content and meaning, and formal balance. Often visiting design schools, I encounter everywhere immense talent ready to express itself, and I trust that this drive for innovation, if properly guided, can soon lead to a new Renaissance in car design.

Similarly, even in today industry there are excellent examples of a potential reversal of the trend: consider the work of M. Frascella, first at JLR and now at Audi, where with the Concept C and then even more with the recent Nuvolari, he embodied a new aesthetic based on simplicity, proportions, clean design and precision of detail. Exactly what we imagine when we think of an Audi.
Or consider the Dacia Hipster, a city car concept centered on radical rationality and functionality, which are also coherently translated into an essential aesthetic language, reminding, in my opinion, of Giugiaro's first Panda.

Ultimately, just as the Middle Ages, despite its obscurantism, already contained the early seeds that would later develop until the Renaissance, so today we are confident in a Renaissance in car design too.

A movement that shuns the superfluous, unnecessary frills and the sensationalist gadget to focus on essence and coherence. A cultural shift that produces cars that are both rational and emotional, with clear design concept and able of translating the enormous technological capabilities available today into simple-to-use and truly useful features.

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Written and edited by M. Tonin

04/06/2026

MULTISCREEN UI SYSTEM FOR MOTORCYCLE

Proud to share our latest UX/UI design challenge — creating a cross-segment interface system that adapts seamlessly across a brand’s full range of motorcycles: Sport, Touring, and Scrambler.

Our goal was to design a cohesive user experience that preserves the brand’s identity while adapting to different display shapes, aspect ratios, and riding contexts. This required extensive work on modular UI components, scalable layouts, and adaptive interaction patterns that feel natural on every bike.

Our multidisciplinary workflow brought together design and visualization at every step:

- Wireframing & UI Design: Figma
- 3D Rendering & Animation: Blender
- Interface Animations & Microinteractions: After Effects
- Final Visualization & Video Editing: VRED

The result is a unified design language that enhances usability, strengthens the brand experience, and ensures consistency across all models — from the racetrack to the open road.

The project was created to showcase the expertise of Model 5 UX/UI design team in the motorcycle field, and it’s not related to any specific client or brand. Model 5 was not involved in any way in the design of the motorcycle shown in the videos, which is intended only as an example model.

27/05/2026

20/05/2026

Lamborghini Miura 1966: The First Modern Supercar, Dressed Like a Goddess

In 1966, the automotive world suddenly changed. At the Geneva Motor Show, a low, sensual, almost unreal car made appeared: the Lamborghini Miura. It wasn't simply a new Italian sports car: it was the birth of the modern supercar concept.
Its story began almost as an internal act of rebellion.

Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted to build elegant and fast grand tourers, but a group of young engineers — Gian Paolo Dallara, Paolo Stanzani and Bob Wallace — secretly started developing a radical car, inspired by racing prototypes: mid-engine layout, compact chassis and extreme performance. When Ferruccio saw the P400 project, he immediately understood that this madness could become an icon.

The first public appearance actually came at the 1965 Turin Motor Show, where Lamborghini exhibited only the bare chassis of the future Miura. Even without a body, it stunned the audience: the transversely mounted mid-engine V12 was an almost revolutionary solution for a road car at the time. That chassis, presented almost like an engineering sculpture, made it clear that something completely different from any grand tourer of the time was being born.

The technical innovation was astonishing. With around 350 HP and a top speed exceeding 280 km/h, the Miura became one of the fastest production cars in the world.

But it was the design that made it immortal.

Marcello Gandini, the young genius then working at Bertone, gave the Miura a body that seemed sculpted by the wind: it was incredibly low, wide and fluid, with unprecedented proportions for a road car. The famous “eyelashes” around the headlights, the sculpted side air intakes and the sensual lines transformed engineering into pure emotion.

The interior also played a key role in creating its futuristic atmosphere: the high center tunnel, the driver-oriented dashboard, the aircraft-inspired gauges and the bucket seats made the driver feel inside something truly special — almost like a racing car transformed into an elegant masterpiece.

There is even a legendary detail: the Geneva prototype was presented with the hood closed, because the engine had not yet been perfectly fitted into the chassis. Yet one glance was enough for everyone to understand that the future had arrived.

The Miura was not just an extraordinary automobile. It was a turning point.
After it, every supercar would have to be low, dramatic, extreme and capable of creating emotion even before the engine started.

13/05/2026

When I was in University, my interior design professor explained to us that touchscreens would never be optimal for car interiors, because car controls needed to be operated without even looking at them, held firmly, and provide solid tactile feedback. Hence the use of k***s, buttons and sliders, with the reassuring, solid click of the controls in premium German cars setting standards for decades.

Since then, everything has changed: today, the car is no longer just a means of transportation, but a complex digital environment in which infotainment, driver assistance systems, connectivity and entertainment coexist.

Several factors have contributed to this paradigm shift: on the one hand, the entry of IT giants (first Google and Apple, then Huawei, Xiaomi, and other Chinese brands) into the car has brought new in-car services based on fully digital interfaces. On the other hand, the arrival of new generations of digital natives, as well as the raising of new markets determining new global trends: first and foremost the Chinese market, where multimedia is an absolute priority, over vehicle performance itself.

Therefore, in recent years, many manufacturers have focused on increasingly technologically advanced interiors, often dominated by large displays: initially just a large screen in the center console, then additional screens dedicated to driving information, to the front passenger and even to rear passengers, all accompanied by the almost total elimination of physical controls.

This evolution has radically transformed interior design, but at the same time has introduced a new and increasingly debated issue: cognitive overload.

The term identifies a condition in which the brain receives an excessive amount of stimuli, information, and decisions to process simultaneously. In the automotive context, the problem stems primarily from the proliferation of screens, notifications, touch menus, and multifunction interfaces that constantly demand the driver's attention.

While this approach creates a modern and futuristic image, it can also increase cognitive load and potential distractions while driving. Simple actions like adjusting the climate control or selecting driving modes can require multiple digital steps, forcing the driver to divert their attention from the road.

It's not just a question of safety, but also of psychological comfort. A cockpit saturated with visual information, animations, dynamic lighting, and secondary functions can generate mental fatigue, reducing the feeling of control and tranquillity.

For this reason, an emerging trend in some concept cars is rediscovering the value of simplicity, embracing the concept of "human-centered design" based on the real cognitive capabilities of human beings. Ergonomics, careful interface design based on visual hierarchy, the reduction of superfluous elements, and the selective return to physical controls are marking a partial reversal of an increase in complexity that seemed irreversible.

After so many years, I think back to my university professor's words and find them still absolutely relevant: the context has changed completely in the meantime, but at the heart of everything remains the interaction between humans and machines and how the user can control that interaction.

The future of automotive interiors will therefore depend not only on the amount of integrated

technology, but on the ability to make that technology usable, intuitive, and natural. In this context, disciplines such as UX/UI Design are destined to become increasingly central, integrating multidisciplinary skills such as ergonomics, psychology, programming, and design.

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Written and edited by M. Tonin - A. Aru

06/05/2026

MODEL 5 | From concept to product.

29/04/2026

Genesi GT | Track Day

22/04/2026

Conceived under the direction of Pierre-Jules Boulanger, the Citroën 2CV was officially unveiled in 1948, but its origins trace back to 1936 with the TPV (Toute Petite Voiture) project, developed before World War II., the idea was radically simple: to create a minimal and affordable car for rural France, capable of transporting two farmers and goods across rough roads without breaking anything—not even a basket of eggs.

The early prototypes were extremely basic, featuring ultra-lightweight construction, simplified mechanics and experimental solutions such as the use of a single headlight to reduce costs. The outbreak of war in 1939, however, halted development: many prototypes were hidden or destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands, preserving the project for the future.

After World War II, in a country engaged in economic and infrastructural reconstruction, Citroën resumed the project, evolving it into the final 1948 production model. The philosophy was radical: eliminate everything unnecessary and focus entirely on functionality. The result was a car defined by intelligent simplicity.

From a mechanical standpoint, the 2CV featured an air-cooled twin-cylinder engine, chosen for its reliability, ease of maintenance and low fuel consumption. Its most significant innovation, however, was the suspension system: long-travel, interconnected, and extremely soft, designed to absorb uneven terrain and allow the car to “float” over rural roads.

Other elements reinforced this rational design approach: removable seats, a roll-back canvas roof, minimalist interiors, and easily serviceable components. Every detail served a clear purpose, with nothing superfluous.

Often described as “indestructible,” the 2CV truly lived up to the name: robust, tolerant of abuse, and capable of operating in harsh conditions, it was a concrete response to the needs of a country in reconstruction. At the same time, it was extremely economical—not only in purchase price but also in everyday running costs—becoming a truly democratic vehicle.

More than just a car, the 2CV represents a philosophy of design driven by functionality. Born from pre-war intuition and shaped by post-war constraints, it transformed the limitations of its time into strengths, becoming one of the most iconic and revolutionary vehicles in automotive history.

09/04/2026

MODEL 5 ACADEMY | THE POWER OF TRAINING

At Model 5, we have always considered training an essential factor in maintaining excellent quality standards. For this reason, since the company foundation, we have always dedicated the utmost attention to staff training, especially young talents.

Since 2020 this attitude has evolved, giving life to the MODEL 5 TRAINING ACADEMY, a company department under the direction of Daniele Cremona.

In the Academy, we welcome young designers and modelers from the best universities in the sector, thanks to specific agreements with academic institutions.
They are guided in an intense training course, learning to master the most recent tools: the "classic" Alias/ICEM modeling is joined by the use of new powerful tools such as Alias Sub-D/Blender, Catia ISD, up to Grasshopper/Dynamo; for the Visualization area, VRED and Unreal Engine, and for the sketching area, the use of Photoshop and various representation techniques.

This intense and various training course is applied to internal research projects, lead under the supervision of the most experienced professionals of the company, representing in all respects the projects that young professionals will have to face at the end of the training.
What we provide to trainees is a solid methodology and a wide range of tools, which will help them to best express their talent and creative potential.

The last training cycle in the Academy ended at the beginning of 2024... Young professionals full of talent, enthusiasm and desire to grow, who after a few months have already become fully part of the Model 5 Dream Team!