Looking Out - The Podcast

Drew Smith & Joe Simpson

Connecting the dots across mobility, design, and culture. The partner show to Looking Out - The Newsletter. read less
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Episodes

EP20 - Making Sense of The Software-defined Vehicle
Jun 5 2024
EP20 - Making Sense of The Software-defined Vehicle
In this episode, we dive in to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and what they mean for the customer experience. We cover why car makers are developing them, including their need to diversify revenue streams in saturated markets, and the ability to deliver over-the-air updates. We also talk about some of the pitfalls, like accelerated obsolescence and good ol' enshitification. And we talk about the character we loose when everything becomes software-defined.📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner to the podcast.https://automobility.substack.com🤝 Connect with us on LinkedInDrew -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/Joe -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/🔗 LinksSam Saha's superb deep-dive on the software defined vehicle: https://sambuddha.com/share/vehiclesoftware/Saha_DefiningVehicleSoftware_002_SDV.pdf📸 Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/⏰ Time stamps00:00 Pre-roll03:42 The impending obsolescence of the software-defined vehicle05:31 Background for the show11:54 The car as part of a much larger ecosystem17:18 The questionable wisdom of trying to do it all19:33 Data as the new oil and the enshitification of the car23:00 The pros of Ford Pro46:11 Post-roll🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcastApple -  https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5?si=59bde6c819844fc8Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.ioThat's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP18 - Revisiting The EV Inferno: how has the EV market changed, five months on?
Apr 24 2024
EP18 - Revisiting The EV Inferno: how has the EV market changed, five months on?
Five months ago, we recorded our most incendiary episode yet. In The EV Inferno, we wondered whether EV sales were about to fall off a cliff, or whether we’d just hit a bump in the road.With the benefit of time, the picture’s becoming a little clearer, if no cleaner.In this episode, we look at how the EV market might be fracturing between the EU, the US, and China, and what that means for legacy OEMs and startups, particularly when it comes to plug-in hybrids.Of course, we can’t escape the travails at Tesla, and we look at the strengths that old-school car makers are bringing to the EV market as companies like Fisker stumble and fall.📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner newsletter to this podcast.https://automobility.substack.com🤝 Connect with us on LinkedInDrew -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-simpson-92863a2/📸 Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/⏰ Time stamps00:00 Pre-roll00:55 Intro04:11 The U.S. Market View08:10 Tesla cancels the $25k czar19:03 The return of the hybridc24:17 OEMs are failing to effectively educate consumers32:14 Is China running a different race?33:30 The risk to consumers of EV startups failing39:49 We were wrong about BMW's EV strategy 52:01 Outro52:13 Post-roll🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcastApple - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5?si=a65818eba9de47c1Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.ioThat's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP17 - Gandini's Top Trumps, BMW's Neue Klasse X, knobs, and our favourite gas station meals
Mar 25 2024
EP17 - Gandini's Top Trumps, BMW's Neue Klasse X, knobs, and our favourite gas station meals
Sibilio. Bravo. Stratos. Magnum. And Shamal. Joe and Drew celebrate Gandini’s life and his greatest hits.We also cover the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X, Euro NCAP’s physical button mandate, and a conversation about great gas station meals leads to us pondering the future of the road stop.📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner to the podcast.https://automobility.substack.com🤝 Connect with us on LinkedInDrew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/📸 Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/⏰ Time stamps00:00 Pre-roll  00:30 Intro01:39 Joe's apology02:59 The death of Marcello Gandini, and Gandini's Top Trumps19:53 BMW's Neue Klasse X29:28 Euro NCAP's knob incentive41:59 Our favourite gas station meals (and the future of the gas station)_52:08 Outro🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcastApple -  https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5?si=b1fb76f852244649Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.ioThat's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP16 - The hatchback renaissance - the Rivian R3 and Renault R5. Plus the death of the Apple Car, and the state of design leadership.
Mar 13 2024
EP16 - The hatchback renaissance - the Rivian R3 and Renault R5. Plus the death of the Apple Car, and the state of design leadership.
The death of the desirable hatchback has been exaggerated. In the space of two weeks, we've been gifted the new Renault R5 and the Rivian R3 and R3X. We discuss their design, and what they mean for their respective manufacturers.Meanwhile, the death of the Apple Car is now (almost definitely) certain and we explore why Apple finally caved. And we also discuss what's happening to design in the C-Suite, and whether maybe our time at the big table is up, and whether that's actually a bad thing.📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter, the partner to the podcast.https://automobility.substack.com🤝 Connect with us on LinkedInDrew - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewpasmith/Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-s-92863a2/🔗 Links @apolaine interviews Peter Merholz about the state of the design nation: https://www.youtube.com/live/XLQ3hnbdKcM?si=G-SsdVC4fv7XqAPkRobert Fabricant - The big design freak-out: A generation of design leaders grapple with their future: https://www.fastcompany.com/91027996/the-big-design-freak-out-a-generation-of-design-leaders-grapple-with-their-future📸 Follow us on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lookingoutpodcast/⏰ Time stamps00:00 Pre-roll01:58 How do we stay positive?09:20 The Death of Project Titan27:53 Rivian's new products!40:13 The Reanult R549:48 The big design freak-out01:01:52 The need for a new Baccara01:04:45 Outro🎧 Listen and subscribe to the podcastApple -  https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/looking-out-the-podcast/id1636199763Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0YschSrj672jQOGt3R5eE5Other platforms and streaming - https://podcast.lookingout.ioThat's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP09 - The Criticism of The Century: why Toyota's new SUV is a bit of a lump, and why it's important to be able to say that out loud.
Oct 17 2023
EP09 - The Criticism of The Century: why Toyota's new SUV is a bit of a lump, and why it's important to be able to say that out loud.
This episode is *really* visual. To see our line-by-line review of the Toyota Century SUV in real time, watch along at https://youtu.be/BtDJNCnuVlY?si=WAzJXEJ55_KeWa8cCriticism and the automotive industry make for uncomfortable bed fellows.We put so much heart and soul in to creating a car that when someone points out its flaws, it can be like being told that someone doesn't like our child.Except the cars we design are not our children. They're manufactured products that have an enormous impact on the world around us. They influence the way we think and behave. They shape our understanding of public space and how we share it. And they consume vast quantities of natural resources in their manufacture and use.So, as car designers and design strategists, alongside the engineers, product planners, and leadership we work with, we reckon we have a responsibility to question intently the impact that our work has, and to think deeply about what we have to do better.That the Toyota Century SUV is the object of our critique in this episode is almost neither here nor there. There are any number of new cars that fail to meet the needs of the moment in which we find ourselves. But as way to understand how design and product planning decisions can have such a remarkable impact on the perception of a brand, the big SUV, and the way it toys with the ethos and mythos of Century, is hard to miss.We’re not here to denigrate or mindlessly criticise. We are here to get people to look up from their day-to-day, look out for the shifts and signals that are going to impact their work, and connect the dots that lead to a more sustainable, more equitable future.With this episode, we’re making our first, messy, and very public attempt to create a template for having critical conversations about the future of the automotive industry, and the role of design within it. We're not going to get it right first time, but we'll keep trying.So whether you yelp in agreement with us, or shake your fist with rage that we dared question the status quo, take this as an invitation to speak up and share your views, not just with us, but with the Looking Out community.Over the coming months, we’ll be developing a series of Looking Out interviews. Our aim is to present a diverse set of perspectives on where we should be headed. And if you’re reading this newsletter, or listening to or watching the podcast, chances are you’re someone we’d love to hear from, or you know someone we should speak to.So drop us a line at theautomobilitygroup gmail.com and let’s start a conversation.That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP08 - The Tesla Model 3 "Highland" and the Lormauto Renault Twingo
Oct 4 2023
EP08 - The Tesla Model 3 "Highland" and the Lormauto Renault Twingo
📺 Watch this episode on YouTube!Take a peak at the design secrets behind the new Tesla Model 3, also known as Highland, and how they give Tesla an incredible pricing advantage against legacy OEMs.Joe and Drew also discuss a small French company called Lormauto, which is reinventing the origianl Renault Twingo as a EV designed for life.And they take a looks at the interiors of the new Mercedes EQS SUV and E-Class, and the new Mini, to see what they say about the future of German car makers.⏰ Time stamps00:00 Pre-roll00:40 Intro01:49 The Tesla Model 3 "Highland"02:49 The challenges of simple-looking design05:07 Joe's real-world impressions of the new Model 3 - and design as mathematics08:50 The new new hallmarks of premium09:34 The Highland redesign gives Tesla even more pricing flexibility11:16 Drew's impressions of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV interior15:17 Joe's impressions of the new Mercedes E-Class interior16:38 The New Mini: the saving grace of Europe18:41 Lormauto and circular design19:42 EV retrofits as a fringe idea22:09 Lormauto and the reimagined Renault Twingo24:17 Renault's own initiatives in the circular design space25:44 Circular design: a radical change for an old industry27:40 Giving loved cars a new lease of life29:38 Changing the incentives to enourage sustainability31:12 Can circular design make the EV transition more affordable?33:29 Shifting from units sold to vehicle miles travelled35:09 Shifting from product to service to system design36:53 Wrapping up🔗 LinksLormautoRenault Refactory📨 Subscribe to Looking Out - The Newsletter📸 Follow us on Instagram🤝 Connect with usJoe Simpson Drew Smith That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP07 - The Munich Motor Show Review
Sep 16 2023
EP07 - The Munich Motor Show Review
In this special episode, Joe and Drew take a look - both macro and micro - at the recent IAA, also known as the Munich motor show.  The motor show itself:This is the second coming of the biennial motor show in Munich. We talked about how it's evolved and what it means for brands who are compelled to show at the Messe, or exhibition grounds, and in the centre of the city.  The Mercedes CLA and the state of Mercedes design:Although sporting enough Mercedes badges to make a Louis Vuitton trunk blush, Joe's quite complimentary of the CLA concept. And the EQXX blows his mind with its intelligence and execution.  The new BMW 5 Series:  Sadly, the same can't be said for the new, €98,000 5er. A dog's dinner outside and evidence inside of just how hard BMW has had to work to make this new, electrified platform pay, all at the cost of customer experience.  The BMW Neue Klasse: It's not all bad news at BMW as the Neue Klasse shows a brand returning to form. From its delightful glasshouse to serene interior, it shows a promising future for the 3 Series. The €45,000 Renault Scénic:What was once a compact, family MPV has turned in to another crossover for the upwardly mobile. While beautifully designed (and better finished than the BMW 5 Series) it's up against the Tesla Model Y. Old world values versus new world tech: FIGHT!  The geopolitical backdrop: The Chinese brought it home to the Germans, and the Germans don't like it. The EU is investigating China's subsidies but it better be careful: don't bit the hand that feeds you, as the saying goes. The death of European automotive design has been exaggerated: But it is struggling. Automakers desperately need to find a renewed sense of focus, a greater sense of connection to a rapidly evolving younger market and, perhaps, consider a pivot to America in order to thrive. Any other business:Joe discusses the emerging AV clustercuss in San Francisco and how Volkswagen's desultory efforts to build an American charging network have driven their competitors to adopt Tesla's charging standard.  Drew, on the other hand, is delighted by a company that's electrifying original Renault Twingos and announces our new Instagram account.That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP06 - Reimagining GM's culture for a post-CarPlay world, the Paris Scooter ban, and generative AI in design studios
Jul 19 2023
EP06 - Reimagining GM's culture for a post-CarPlay world, the Paris Scooter ban, and generative AI in design studios
In this episode:GM's post-CarPlay Culture So GM's gone out on a limb and said they're ditching Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for their next generation of cars. To help them on their way, they've hired Mike Abbot, formerly head of Apple's (notoriously) flakey iCloud services.But we reckon that hiring a big name from another sector won't be enough to fulfil GM's connected car ambitions. The company will need to fundamentally rethink their culture, and we offer a few ideas for how they might get started.The Paris Scooter BanDespite a voter turnout of only 7%, 89% of those voters decided to ban eScooters from the streets of Paris.In one of the cities we've previously noted as on of the most progressive when it comes to adopting micromobility solutions, one which has invested heroically in reducing the dominance of the car, it was a sad day.Joe references some research that shows why Parisians might have felt so strongly about the arrival of the scooters (hint: it has to do with parking), and we talk about the long arc of change in our city environments, and how we might work with it, rather than against it.Generative AI and Auto Industry BiasesAs the world debates whether AI is going to kill us or save us, some automotive designers have taken to generative AI tools like DALL.E and MidJourney with unsurpassed glee.But as Drew reveals, the tools are currently perpetuating the worst of the automotive industry's biases when it comes to gender diversity, representation, and inclusion.It's a rapidly evolving space and a split is already emerging between designers who love the tools, and those who are against the creative theft that underlies the models on which they're based.We talk about the need for car companies to consciously and intentionally engage with these topics to make sure they're not caught up in another Volkswagen/Xinjinang situation.That's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com
EP05 - Horace Dediu on micromobility, and what it means for car makers
Apr 12 2023
EP05 - Horace Dediu on micromobility, and what it means for car makers
In this very special episode, Joe and Drew revisit Drew's interview with the father of micromobility, Horace Dediu.This isn't the first time this interview's gone to air. You may have heard it first time around on Drew's other podcast, The Next Billion Seconds, or on Horace's own Micromobility podcast. It is, however, the first time we've sat down to discuss the many implications of what Horace shares for automotive design and strategy.If you want to cut to our analysis, fast forward to these points:what does it mean for the industry to make a worse car, and where might we start? (starting at 24m 57s)how does looking down versus looking out change how we think about designing for automobility? (starting at 50m)and just how screwed are the economics of automobiles in a heavily urbanised future? (starting at 1h 14m 57s)But of course, we'd love you to listen to the whole thing!Show Links:Citroen Ami One - a worse but better carThe Entrant’s Guide to Automotive Industry - Horace's perspective on how the auto industry works and the update.Confessions of a Capital Junkie - Sergio Marchione's pivotal white paper on the automotive industryLooking Out:Subscribe to: Looking Out - The NewsletterSubscribe to:  Looking Out - The PodcastJoe Simpson & Drew SmithJoe on LinkedInDrew on LinkedInDrew on TwitterStudioPhro.comShow produced by: Chris FrithThat's it for this episode! Thanks for listening.If you like what you hear, please leave a review for us on your favourite podcasting platform. It helps other folk like you find us!And you can sign up for Looking Out - The Newsletter, the sidekick to our podcast, here: automobility.substack.com