Thoughts from the Curb

Sep 16, 2008 - 2011 Chevy Volt: Enough With the Gold Bowtie

Why does the Chevy bowtie have to gold? Up until very recently Chevy used a whole heap of different logo variations: it was silver, or blue with a silver outline, or a red outline of a bowtie. Or, it was a more subtle, silvery, metallic gold (which I greatly prefer to the yellow gold).

There's two main issues I have with today's yellow bowtie. First, don't they know that yellow gold is a fashion faux pas? At least my girlfriend says so and her friend said she'd return her engagement ring if it showed up in yellow gold. Ouch. I say gold trim packages went out of automotive fashion in 1998 (don't tell grandpa in Palm Springs). In other words, it's tacky.

Second, that big Goldfinger bowtie draws attention away from Chevy's new, attractive designs like the Malibu, Traverse and the 2011 Chevy Volt. It particularly hurts the Malibu's clean rear end, but it's awful on the Volt. This is GM's reach for the future, a potentially revolutionary product that could boldly bring the General back to the automotive forefront of bold technological advancement and move this country forward in the battle against foreign oil and global warming. The car says tomorrow, the badge says carpet salesman from 1984.

I say all Chevy badges should be silver or chrome (and if gold is a must, the old subtle gold). At the moment, silver is both classic and modern. Sure, everyone else does it, but there's a reason for that -- it looks good. If they really wanted to do something futuristic, they could have done the badge in LEDs or fiberoptics or dilithium crystals or anything. Just not stupid yellow gold.

-James Riswick

8:33 am | Categories: car news commentary Permalink | Alert Administrator

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