The conversation that usually doesn’t happen.
In an industry racing toward sameness, we explore how design can become a true differentiator again.
For automotive leaders trying to
create products people actually
care about.
"How can brands maintain a unique expression when technology and AI push products toward sameness?"
In an era of shared platforms,
software-defined vehicles and AI- supported workflows, design risks becoming increasingly commoditized.
"How do brands stay coherent when every decision is optimized in isolation?"
Teams optimize for benchmarks, segments, aerodynamics, UX, efficiency and consensus —
but what creates a coherent product vision across all of it?
"What would it take for design to become a true strategic sparrings partner?"
In many organizations, design is still expected to elevate decisions rather than shape them.
Design may become one of the most powerful tools for differentiation.
“Make it pretty, please” is rarely the actual problem.
It is usually the symptom of something deeper:
unclear intent, fragmented decision-making, and products that no longer know what they are trying to stand for.
By the time these questions surface, the direction is often already locked.
What remains adjustable are surfaces, details and execution.
Design is then expected to create meaning retroactively.
The questions
shaping the next era of automotive design
Each episode explores one fundamental tension inside modern automotive development:
- Why are we building this vehicle in the first place?
- How can brands stay distinctive in an industry converging toward sameness?
- When does design shape strategy — and when does it merely decorate it?
- What makes products feel meaningful instead of optimized?
- How do strong ideas survive alignment culture?
- What happens when metrics replace judgment?
By combining a design perspective with a strategic perspective, the podcast uncovers the root causes behind many of the industry’s recurring problems — and explores new ways forward.
The people behind the
conversation
Felix Kilbertus
DESIGN DIRECTOR
A career shaped by some of the world’s most storied automotive brands: BMW, Rolls-Royce and Pininfarina.
Felix explores how products translate brand identity into physical form — and why truly distinctive design begins long before surfaces and styling.
Felix is the founder of The IKARI INSTITUTE.
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Wolfgang Philipp
BRAND STRATEGIST
An independent strategist focused on why certain brands become part of people’s identities — while others fade into commoditization.
Wolfgang examines how products, design and narratives shape emotional relevance across cultures and global markets in the new era of mobility.
Wolfgang is the founder of PHANTASIA CONSULTING.
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