Cars in search of their soul

We have always looked to the skies for the cars of the future. Science fiction films promised us flying vehicles, unconventional bodies, and mind-boggling technologies; innovation meant a complete break from the past. Yet today, the automotive world is taking an unexpected turn: while technology advances rapidly, designs are returning to familiar lines.

Today, the dream of the flying car, brought back to the agenda by Tesla's new Roadster, shows that this expectation is still alive. However, a completely opposite trend is drawing attention in another corner of the automotive world. Manufacturers like Renault, Fiat, and Hyundai are blending the electric technology of the future with the familiar design lines of the past.

On one side, a dream of the future reaching for the skies; on the other, new models inspired by automotive history... Why are designs returning to their roots while technology is rapidly moving us forward?

Brand Heritage in the Electric Age

The name for this trend in the design world is retro-futurism: combining the aesthetic memory of the past with the technology of the future. However, turning to one's roots is not just a design preference; it is a strategic move at the intersection of psychology, sociology, and marketing. As new-generation Chinese tech brands rapidly gain strength in the market, established manufacturers are highlighting an advantage their competitors do not yet possess: lived experience. In other words, they are trying to protect their place in the electric age not only with technology but also with their brand heritage.

Renault brought the Renault 5, one of the icons of the 1970s, back to the roads as a fully electric vehicle. Then, the Renault 4 returned with a similar approach. In both models, the characteristic lines of the past were preserved, while the technical infrastructure was built according to today's understanding of electric cars.

With the 500e, Fiat carried the identity of the small city car we have known since the 1950s into the electric age. It revived the Topolino name in a new electric urban mobility vehicle. Hyundai's Ioniq 5 model also bears traces of the geometric design language of the Pony from the 1970s. With sharp lines, simple surfaces, and pixel-look lighting, the lines of the past are transformed into a look that belongs to the future.

Ford, on the other hand, is following a different path. While giving the name of the legendary sporty model of an era, the Capri, to an electric crossover, it is also using the Explorer name for its new electric SUV in Europe. Here, the bond established with the past progresses more through names that have left a mark on the brand's memory than through direct design similarity.

The Psychology of Nostalgia: Escaping Digital Alienation

Some manufacturers are reinterpreting old designs, while others are reviving model names etched into brand memory. What drives them to look at their roots while designing the future? Part of the answer lies in human psychology.

The research titled What's New Is Old Again: Nostalgia and Retro-Styling in Response to Authenticity Threats, published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research in 2019, draws attention to the relationship between nostalgia and retro designs. According to the study by Jannine D. Lasaleta and Katherine E. Loveland, products that remind us of the past can help a person establish a sense of continuity between their past self and their current identity. Especially in situations where a person does not feel authentic enough, the tendency to turn to retro designs that have a personal connection to their past can strengthen.

In fact, this finding also explains why nostalgia is not just about longing for the old. When a person remembers the past, they remember not only a period but also themselves during that period. When the car their family used in their childhood, a model they looked at with admiration in their youth, or the first vehicle they sat behind the wheel of appears years later, it is not perceived merely as a design. It brings with it memories, emotions, and personal stories. Therefore, the appeal of retro designs does not stem solely from them looking beautiful. Sometimes they remind us of who we are, where we come from, and which periods of our lives we have passed through.

The Uniformity of the Wind Tunnel and the Lost Soul

The social meaning of the automobile also comes into play here. Because the automobile has never been just a four-wheeled means of transportation. It has been a symbol of freedom, economic power, modernization, individuality, and sometimes social status. A model that adorned the dreams of one generation settled into the memory of another as a family car. Some cars continued to live not only on the roads but also in films, songs, and the shared memories of daily life.

What brands are trying to revive today is, in a way, this shared memory. Moreover, the automotive world is undergoing a major transformation. The sound of internal combustion engines is giving way to the silence of electric motors. Mechanical gauges are turning into screens, and some physical controls are turning into digital interfaces. Cars are increasingly defined by software. While this change offers significant opportunities from a technological perspective, it also leads to a change in the emotional relationship we establish with the car. Because we do not love a car only because of its power, range, or technological equipment. We can see its sound, steering feel, design, and even some of its flaws as part of its character.

However, the common technical infrastructures, aerodynamic requirements, and increasingly similar digital cabins of electric cars make the question of how brands will differentiate themselves more important. The search for aerodynamic efficiency, common platforms, and similar digital cabins create the feeling that cars are increasingly trapped in the same design molds. In the midst of this uniformity, the past turns into a powerful source of differentiation for brands.

However, there is a fine line here. Reinterpreting the character of the past with contemporary design is one thing; merely exploiting the emotional value of an old name is another. Having a familiar model name on a car does not mean it carries the soul of that model.

It is possible to see in the examples of the Renault 5 and Ford Capri that carrying the heritage of the past to the present does not always find the same response. The Renault 5 E-Tech, by reinterpreting the design character of the original model in the electric age, both received acclaim and was chosen as the 2025 Car of the Year in Europe, along with the Alpine A290. Carwow's research on revived models in the UK also points to the strong position of the Renault 5.

The Ford Capri, on the other hand, made a more controversial return. The low, sporty coupe of an era is now an electric crossover. The new model, introduced with a campaign featuring Eric Cantona, received criticism, especially from classic Capri enthusiasts. Ford's problems regarding the demand for electric cars in Europe also coincided with this period. However, what is more thought-provoking here is not the sales figures, but the different meanings consumers attach to the same name.

It turns out that carrying the name of the past into the future is not always enough. It is easy to reuse a car's name; recreating the soul that name represents is much harder. Because a car's character is born not only from its design or technology but also from the bond it establishes with people.

Perhaps the real test for the cars of the future will not be to look like the past, but to be able to create a past that will one day be missed themselves.