We have been lucky enough to gain incredible in depth insight into establishing a car brand when drive were invited to be design partners. When the founders of Zenos Cars, Mark Edwards and Ansar Ali started, they went through a process of deciding what their approach was to be establishing and naming their a new car brand. They considered several options including buying an established company, registering / purchasing a recognised but now dissolved marque or starting afresh with a totally new brand. Looking at the pros and cons they decided that on balance it would be ..read more

We believe that building trust, with the people we are going to work with, is vital to ensure a long term relationship. Trust has to be earned, so in order to build mutual trust with the person we are talking to, and by extension our companies, we have to start with what we believe in at drive; respect, honesty and security. But this is not enough. Our clients are approaching drive, for us to deliver them quality design work, and if we can’t meet their needs why should they trust us? It is therefore important that we understand, and are aligned with, their project goals. Which means ..read more

My favourite place to have presented for drive, has to be the Rubery Owen boardroom. I have been fortunate to be shown round many design studios in my time, from super yacht consultancies to major car manufacturers. As well as being served a coffee in many of their meeting rooms, but none come close to the feeling of history expressed by this boardroom. For those who don’t know what the connection Rubery Owen have to the car industry, Sir Alfred Owen was responsible for rescuing the BRM F1 racing team.  Saved from almost certain extinction his support saw BRM rise to take the Formula 1 W ..read more

When a prospective client approaches drive, we insist on having a client discovery meeting. This is because most are needing help to solve a problem, and as soon as we have an initial discussion, we are invested in trying to solve their problems. The important issue from the start is making sure we understand exactly what their problems are. This is where our discovery meeting, whether it be in person or online, is always a structured meeting. We frame the meeting to get a true insight of the required project outcome, by asking questions and really listening to the answers. And by li ..read more

Drive have a lot of experience in designing a car body kit and/or accessories. The UK’s automotive aftermarket category is thriving with a large number of companies selling products. More often than not they are conversion companies designing the parts inhouse. Some turn to studios like drive who are experienced in designing and engineering aftermarket parts. Unique designs providing tuning houses and independent conversion companies successful product lines. Thus enabling them to become market leaders in the UK’s lucrative aftermarket sector, worth over £21 billion per year. While there are a ..read more

A common question we are asked is who designs aftermarket body kits and accessories? The UK’s automotive aftermarket category is thriving with a large number of companies selling products. More often than not they are conversion companies designing the parts inhouse. Some turn to studios like drive who are experienced in designing and engineering aftermarket parts. Unique designs providing tuning houses and independent conversion companies successful product lines. Thus enabling them to become market leaders in the UK’s lucrative aftermarket sector, worth over £21 billion per year. While there ..read more

Drive invited recent design graduates to get an insight into the workings of a future mobility design studio, whilst gaining an understanding of what potential employers will be looking for. Securing your first role is one of the most difficult obstacles graduates face in their careers; it can be daunting and there is no fixed approach to getting that design position.  After the highs of graduation, some individuals start questioning their capabilities, unsure of how to put a professional portfolio together, whilst others rise to the challenge – gaining exposure on social media, networkin ..read more

Drive is often asked to provide car company startups design advice.  Many low volume vehicle manufacturers have benefited from our understanding of the challenges that businesses face in developing and establishing a successful vehicle in the market. Niche vehicles have always provided opportunities for entrepreneurs to build successful businesses but now more than ever they are providing a solution to specific transportation problems. This is leading to opportunities for OEMs to use niche vehicles to expand their brand into new mobility markets, become leaders by redefining a market or e ..read more

Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. A sign that the summer is definitely here.  This year we were treated to a full selection of weather: hot and cold, light drizzle and torrential downpours, overcast skies and blazing sun, skipped on the ‘surprise hail’ but had storm winds instead that cancelled Saturday.  It was entirely ‘on brand’ for Goodwood this year, in the sense that almost every box was being ticked – EV’s, Hydrogen based concepts and ‘traditional’ ICEs. There was a superstar talking about sustainable fuels, classic cars that were very futuristic in their time and concept c ..read more

Drive is often asked to provide design advice for future mobility company startups.  Many low volume vehicle manufacturers have benefited from our understanding of the challenges that businesses face in developing and establishing a successful vehicle in the market. Niche vehicles have always provided opportunities for entrepreneurs to build successful businesses but now more than ever they are providing a solution to specific transportation problems. This is leading to opportunities for OEMs to use niche vehicles to expand their brand into new mobility markets, become leaders by redefini ..read more