Editorial: Back to the future every work day

Holden NZ is bringing in the Opel Cascada convertible (left) and the Astra VXR next year.

With the design process for new vehicles three to five years in advance, Malcolm deals with future technology every day.

Imagine your workplace is the "future" and every day when you leave the building and head to your car you have to adjust to being in 2014?

Nope, this isn't my attempt at scifi, it's what Malcolm Ward, director of exterior design for Opel/Vauxhall, faces every work day.

Affable Malcolm hosted a dinner for us motoring writers during the Paris motor show, and while he wouldn't reveal any design secrets, he gave an insight into his world.

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The Brit has lived in Germany for 20 years, after studying industrial design at the University of Coventry, and has held the position of chief designer advanced concepts.

His design claim to fame is chief exterior designer of the Insignia (see page 6) that was Car of the Year 2009 and winner of the red dot design award.

With the design process for new vehicles three to five years in advance, Malcolm deals with future technology every day.

With touchscreens, infotainment units, blindspot monitoring, and semi-autonomous cars already on our roads, not to mention the ability to reply to text messages while you're driving, it's amazing to think what wizardry Malcolm is working on this week.

And even he finds it amazing, telling me over dinner that when he leaves the Opel design centre every work day, he has to decompress and adjust to being in the present. He said he's often startled when he enters the "real world" and it can take him a while to contend with driving a current car.

Despite topping up his wine glass, Malcolm wouldn't tell me what those design advances were. Flying car maybe?

But what technology would you like to see in future cars?
Tell us at facebook.com/DrivenNZ