The Female Touch – Five Cars Designed by Women

The automotive industry has historically been dominated by men and sadly continues to be. That is by no means a misogynistic comment, it’s merely the fact of the matter and while society as a whole and the role of women within it has come a long way since the inception of the modern motor car way back in 1886 when Carl Benz applied for a patent for his vehicle powered by a gas engine there is still a long, long way to go to address the disparity between the sexes as far as the number of men and women involved in vehicle production is concerned.

Today, with the advent of social media and YouTube, more and more women are finding their voice in this male-oriented world and an increasing amount of female-led content is being produced, which we are all for, but as far as actual vehicle design and production goes, men still reign. However, there have been a number of stand out tracks to grace the grand automotive landscape – cars that have been designed by women and successfully gone into production, selling millions and cementing their creators’ legacies in the process. Today, in honour of International Women’s Day, we thought we would celebrate some of those intrepid female designers and showcase the fact that the girls are just as good as the boys when it comes to car design.

Nissan 350Z – Diane Allen

Born in Detroit – known colloquially as The Motor City – Diane Allen was arguably destined to be involved in the automotive industry. Specializing in automotive design at Detroit’s respected College for Creative Studies her first job out of school in 1984 was with Nissan Design in San Diego. Beginning her career working on small tweaks to already established vehicles she quickly rose through the ranks, culminating in her role as senior design manager.

It was in this role, in 2002, that Diane led the design of the Nissan 350Z. An incredibly important car for Nissan, the 350Z was a continuation of its popular Z-Car family of sportsters and remains a popular rear-wheel drive coupé amongst enthusiasts. So revered was it that it spawned a sequel six years later – the 370Z – also overseen by Diane.

Having worked on numerous projects for Nissan, from the 350Z to pick up trucks, Diane was continually striving for her designs to “look uniquely Nissan”, claiming that “working on a whole range of products in different segments brings power to the product because you have the perspective of seeing other programs and working on the form language”.

BMW Z4 – Juliane Blasi and Nadya Arnaout

Responsible for the second generation BMW Z4 (E89) Juliane Blasi was just 32 at the time. Beginning her career with BMW in 2003 Juliane would subsequently relocate to California to work at the company’s DesignworksUSA studio. Three years later, Juliane, along with auto interior designer Nadya Arnaout, would win BMW’s internal competition to find the designers for its latest roadster after submitting sketches and full-size clay models, all anonymously to circumvent any potential bias.

Juliane Blasi’s original design sketch for the BMW Z4

With a more streamlined exterior, Blasi gave the new incarnation a sleeker aesthetic with a rear end more in keeping with the then current crop of BMW models. Remaining in production for seven years the dynamic duo really did hit the nail on the head and the E89 Z4 won myriad design awards. In the words of Juliane herself: “If you look at the car you should not be able to see whether it was designed by a woman or a man.” Hear, hear.

Ford Probe – Mimi Vandermolen

Born in the Netherlands and raised and educated in Toronto, Vandermolen was hired by Ford in 1970, a year after graduating with a degree in industrial design. Joining a small minority of female designers at the US auto giant she would immediately begin making waves working on the Mustang II.

Other high profile projects followed, including the groundbreaking Taurus saloon, but it wasn’t until the early ’90s that Vandermolen was given the responsibility of an entire project from start to finish. That project was the the second generation Probe, Ford’s front-wheel drive coupé based on Mazda underpinnings.

Vandermolen’s design ethos included a focus on women drivers, creating a lasting legacy in the process, and she famously said: “If I can solve all the problems inherent in operating a vehicle for a woman, that’ll make it that much easier for a man to use.”

Volvo S90 – Tisha Johnson

Volvo has always stood out for its design. Cars like the 240 and 850 R are now iconic – easily identifiable in any crowd, and despite the S90 being a lot more conventional in looks it’s still quintessentially Volvo, taking over as the company’s flagship saloon upon release, going on to win the Production Car Design of the Year award.

Tisha Johnson, Senior Director of Design at Volvo at the time, relocated to Volvo HQ in Gothenburg, Sweden, to work on the S90. Blending a flair for design with an inherent practicality Tisha brought a simplicity and purpose of design to the S90, priding herself on consolidating the interior controls down to just nine for a clean and handsome look.

Honda NSX – Michelle Christensen

Michelle Christensen was interested in cars and design from an early age, toying with the idea of becoming either a fashion designer or working as part of a pit crew, but it wasn’t until her father gave her the idea of pursuing a job in automotive design that she seriously considered a career in the industry.

Following an education in the subject and an internship at Volvo’s Camarillo studio in California, Christensen was hired by Acura, Honda’s luxury and performance division based in the US, in 2005. Making history as the company’s first female exterior car designer Christensen would be handed the keys, so to speak, to the exterior design of the second generation NSX, a car that looks fast even when it’s parked.

Wanting to preserve the purity and functionality of the original NSX, Christensen knew how important this re-imagining was, claiming that the new model “has the same soul” as its predecessor having been “distilled down only to what it needs to be”. We think it’s safe to say she understood the assignment perfectly, proving, along with everyone else in this list, that women are a force to be reckoned with in the industry.