so i was just taking a walk around the parking lot and notice a lot of the cars have similar, if not identical styling cues to them

some that i noticed were most cars are coming with a lip spoiler on the trunk, no actual spoiler on blocks

another one was a lot of the cars have either two/three projector headlights or similar styling to that

and mentioned here a while ago was the flat arch around the fenders that we see on our own Gs, LS, IS vehicles

 

There are always trends that stick from time to time. When it fades, something else will take its place, and everyone will copy that too. I see quad pipes popping up everywhere, even with 4-cylinder Nissans.

As much as auto designers want to be different, something too different may not sell.

 

Waiting until the day frameless windows will comeback

 

lol, this thread has "Hyundai" written all over it

Ugh I HATE my frameless windows on my ES300... everybody fingers up the windows closing the door, and plus in the winter I already broke a window motor trying to get the rear door open when it was frozen shut

 

Notice when a vehicle that is very different comes around, many often see it as ugly? Most people aren't comfortable with something very, very different or especially fundamentally different. Automakers typically have to play it safe or else risk failure. Look at all the best selling vehicles, Camry, Accord, F-150, ect. Notice they never change too dramatically or try something too radical. This is just one of the reasons.

Design as a whole always follows trends in all industries. That's how we can tell what's outdated and what's new. In the 50's, cars all shared the same themes, so didn't the 60's, 70, 80's,... and now today.

It's extremely difficult to design in a fundamentally different way. Which means in a totally different design language.

To me, no 2 cars look remotely the same (probably because I'm a designer).
But it seems that most others have a hard time disguishing differences.

 

I'll admit..frameless windows aren't practical...they come out of alignment and generate windnoise, have worse seals but...
They look cool (to me at least) You can have your window down all the way and ... no frame. It just sucks..since most of the concept cars out there have frameless windows while the production designs don't
I wonder if anyone has done a frameless window conversion on an sc before

 

Yep of course.

The big mouth grills (Audi, VW, and Caddy quickly come to mind)
The bangle butt
Cars with small side windows and tall metal doors (300C, CLS-series, the new Lexus models are like this as well)
Sharkfins
huge fender flairs

 

Convertible SC I think had it (not SC430, the one off).
I remember some discussion a long time ago about someone wanting a targa SC. ( ) In that case you'd need the top to be frameless. You would also have to cut and weld the top of the frame into the targa.