Luxury cars always lead car design trends in aesthetics and technology. But luxury designers don’t work in a vacuum; they collaborate with parts suppliers, consultants, design schools and others to develop their ideas and fabricate the parts and materials. Often, non-luxury brands may get wind of these ideas and employ them in their newest models, too. So, buyers with an eye for design, or who pay attention to trends, can get these cutting-edge details in non-luxury cars.
And it’s a smart move. Making sure that your car features leading design gives it a timeless look and will feel fresh and modern beyond its age. Here are the design trends we’re seeing right now, the luxury cars that sport them and the popular brands that are early to the trend.
Wide, Flat Panel Screens, as in the Genesis GV80
Carmakers such as Genesis, and here in the Genesis GV80, have been on this trend for a while, adding wide, flat screens that incorporate both the driver display and the multimedia touchscreen (or, non-touchscreen). And we’re seeing even larger and more expansive screens in concept cars and prototypes as the technology evolves.
Is this a good thing? We think it is. That’s because these screens can be updated over the air with new functions, they can host simpler but more vibrant graphics that are easier to see and they can actually reduce distraction.
Non-Luxury Car Design Option: Hyundai Santa Fe
And actually, most Hyundai and Kia models have, or are moving to, flat multimedia screens like the one here in the Hyundai Santa Fe. You’ll find versions of flat screens in many cars, from Buick and Chevrolet to VW and more. Look for this trend to grow.
Lighted Front Grilles Enhance Car Design
We love this idea: add lighting to the grille with a surround bar, a bar across the hood or enhanced accent lighting. It adds to the cache of the car and gives it character at night. Here, the BMW i5 shows off its illuminated front grille.
Popular Choice: Chevrolet Blazer EV
The Chevy Blazer EV looks so sharp on the road. I saw one the other day and had to do a double take. The light bar sets it apart from its lower priced sibling, the Equinox EV, making it somewhat of a luxury feature, and that’s just fine. We’ll take it.
Related: 2025 Infiniti QX80 First Drive Makes Driving a Big 3-Row SUV Easy
Rear Tailgate Light Bars, as Seen in the Lucid Gravity
This trend is one of the quickest-growing design details. Why not alight the full rear of the car rather than just the corners? The Lucid Gravity looks modern and sporty with an illuminated taillight bar, which in this case, frames the Lucid name.
Related: Art and Diffused Fragrance Tell the Story of Lincoln’s Evolution
Popular Alternative: Dodge Hornet
The rear taillight bar is just one of the car design trends tapped by the Dodge Hornet. This is still an under-the-radar car known by design fans—maybe taking a few cues from its doppelganger the Alfa Romeo Tonale?—and sports a lot of other great details for its very affordable price.
Related: 2025 Ioniq 9 Electric 3-Row SUV — Everything Hyundai Does Well, Elevated
Luxury Seating for All Passengers, as Seen in the Mercedes-Benz S 580
Quilted leather, heated seats, plush headrests, even massagers and elaborate center consoles are becoming more and more common in luxury cars. Mercedes-Benz, in particular, is known for sumptuous leather upholstery with layers of texture, fine materials and details like piping and contrast stitching, all with the mission of enveloping you in a feeling of specialness.
Related: Why We’re So Excited About the 2025 Kia Carnival — With a New Hybrid Option
Popular Choice: GMC Acadia Denali
Two trends you’ll see here are quilted leather, contrast cross-stitching along the bolsters and contrast piping. None of this is new, of course, but it’s notable for how the presentation has advanced, and that all seats, even 3rd row seats, are equally treated. What you can’t see here are in the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali are the rear heated and cooled seats, a special treat for passengers.
Squircle Steering Wheel, as Seen in the Lincoln Nautilus
We can’t get behind this one enough. Flat on top and bottom, the “squircle” eliminates the top of the steering wheel from your field of vision, opening up your view of the road. It’s a small detail with a huge impact. Once you drive a car with a squircle steering wheel, such as the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus, your view will be forever changed. And when you drive a car with a large, round steering wheel, you’ll feel as if you’ve gone backwards in time and experience.
Popular Brand Choice: Subaru Solterra
Yes, you have to go electric to get a squircle in the Subaru Solterra, but it’s worth it, especially if you’re in the market for an electric car. The Solterra has its fans for other reasons—all wheel drive, Eyesight safety system, 228 miles of range—but we’re just glad the company went with a squircle steering wheel. It feels so advanced.
Block-Style Headlights, as Seen in the 2025 Infiniti QX80
Note the two styles of block headlights on the Infiniti QX80: The block chain daytime running lights and the stacked blocks on the headlights. These work together to both catch your eye and light your path. And, the look is so elegant. Carmakers are doing amazing things with lighting these days and this is just one of them.
Value Option: Kia Sorento
Kia took the opportunity in the design of the Kia Sorento to stack the headlight blocks inside the amber frames of the daytime running lights and the result is a very cool modern look. These lights don’t just light up the road at night, they also light up the face of this car.
Ambient Lighting, As Seen in the Mercedes-Benz GLS 450
Ambient lighting gives the interior of a car architectural qualities, not just defining shapes and adding dimension, but directing your eye and sparking emotion. It’s quite powerful so it’s easy to see why car designers have added it to their tool kits. Here in the Mercedes-Benz GLS, ambient lighting turns an elegant brown interior into an exciting modern salon bathed in purple.
Popular Car Choice: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe
Not one to let a great trend get away, Jeep has added ambient lighting to its models, including the Grand Cherokee 4xe. Jeep can be a bit more elaborate in the use of interior lighting than other popular carmakers, but most have some sort of ambient light option available.
A Voice Assistant At Your Service, as in the Lexus TX
Voice assistance is a modern marvel; just utter the wake word and ask for what you want. “Hey Alexa, play the Beach Boys,” or “Hey Lexus, I’m cold.” It’s especially wonderful behind the wheel when you’re preoccupied with driving, something that luxury car makers from Lexus to Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Range Rover have incorporated.
Popular Choice: Ford
Thankfully, you don’t have to spend luxe bucks to get a good voice assistant. Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet and others are quickly adding voice assistance to their cars. Often, this great feature can be hidden and not activated, which is why I’m showing you this screen: to know if you have voice assistance, tap the vehicle setting icon on the screen, look for voice assistance and then, look for the wake word setting. In some cars you can also select your wake word, which is a nice thing, too.
Design is where luxury leads the market, but great design eventually settles in as the standard in the industry. By getting in early on a car design trend you’ll not only be able to have these features longer, but enjoy the advantages of being an early adopter.
