Small cars, massive sales: Hot Wheels design team
Hot Wheels is a useful case study in designing for two audiences at once. The brand's Donut Drifter, a deliberately outlandish creation, is one of its most popular designs with children, while its expanding range of realistic collectable models is aimed at adult enthusiasts.
The result is a toy line that, by volume, is the best-selling in the world. According to the story, it took around £1.3 billion in sales last year and is the biggest brand of toy giant Mattel.
For anyone working in product design, the lesson is clear: detail and fun can coexist. Designers like Charlie Angulo, who has worked on motor show concepts and hypercars, bring serious automotive craft to small-scale products.
Where do you see the strongest overlap between play and professional design?
Key points
- What happened Hot Wheels' design studio in America creates the 1:64 scale cars fans know. Autocar visited the team behind them.
- The key detail Hot Wheels took around £1.3 billion in sales last year. By volume, it is the best-selling toy line in the world.
- Why it matters The brand now makes realistic collectables for adults as well as wild designs like the Donut Drifter for kids.