In the 1950s, Willem van den Brink was the DAF designer who came up with the blueprint for the company’s first passenger car, which was revealed to an expectant public at the RAI exhibition in 1958. He also designed the legendary 2600 and 2800 trucks in the 1960s. DAF had previously enlisted the help of the renowned Italian design studio Michelotti for the design of its passenger cars. The company waited until 1981 before doing the same for their trucks, when it asked another equally famous Italian designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, to help with the design of a truck that DAF wanted to develop for long haulage. Giugiaro is known for iconic passenger cars such as the Fiat Panda, the Volkswagen Golf, and the Lotus Esprit.
A new standard in interior space
As DAF Trucks grew, it began to realise the importance of setting up its own design studio. John de Vries, who recently passed away, was the first chief designer. In the new DAF Design Centre, he and his team of talented designers continued to work on Giugiaro’s initial sketches. The result was the DAF 95, which was launched in 1987 and was acclaimed for its unparalleled interior space. The truck was crowned International Truck of the Year in 1988 and was given a new design in 1994, with an even bigger cab and a higher roof – the Super Space Cab. The foundations were laid for the stellar reputation that DAF enjoys today when it comes to driver comfort.
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In 1992, John de Vries was succeeded as chief designer by Bertrand Janssen, whose designs lent a superbly coherent style to the different truck models in the company’s range; from the light and middle segment distribution vehicles to the trucks built for long haulage. He was responsible for the impressive design of the new CF series for domestic distribution and specific applications, while simultaneously making major adjustments to the vehicles’ interior design, with which DAF won the hearts of a growing number of drivers.
In 2002, Bart van Lotringen took over the running of the DAF Design Centre. DAF’s premium image is further enhanced, with the development of the current New Generation DAF models as the crowning achievement. They were the first trucks on the market to meet the new European standards for truck masses and dimensions and introduced numerous innovations in aerodynamics and efficiency, safety and driver comfort.
It was during this most recent design phase that artificial intelligence announced its arrival. ‘Computers and software are now performing tasks that were previously the domain of human intelligence,’ says Bart van Lotringen, who is also curator of the exhibition. ‘Computers use the images and descriptions we enter to make suggestions that help us, the designers. By entering the information in as much detail as possible, they produce results that are coming increasingly closer to what the designer has in mind.’
Translating the past to the present
Artificial Intelligence offers studios like the DAF Design Centre the opportunity to develop, compare and evaluate many different design options in a very short space of time. ‘It also allows us to literally breathe new life into both still and moving images from the past,’ says Bart van Lotringen. ‘For this unique exhibition, we have made moving images from illustrations by the highly skilled Dutch illustrator Charles Burki, who sketched promotional material for DAF back in the 1950s and ’60s. We are also displaying examples of how outstanding designs from the past can be converted into a present-day equivalent. For example, the first DAF passenger cars and the DAF Kini Beach Car designed and built for the Royal Family in 1967. What would they look like if we were to redesign them today?’
Bringing the past, present and future together
The Design with Artificial Intelligence – Heritage & Horizons exhibition also offers a glimpse of the future. ‘It includes a talk by Eric Stoddard, founder of the Car Design Academy, in which he explains how artificial intelligence can be used in the many different phases of the design process,’ says Bart van Lotringen. ‘The exhibition also displays works by Dan Darancou from Peterbilt Trucks, including sketches of what trucks and transport applications may look like in the distant future. Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly and is having a huge impact on how we as automotive designers work. This exhibition in the DAF Museum paints a fascinating picture of how this story is unfolding by bringing the past, present and future together.’
The Design with Artificial Intelligence – Heritage & Horizons exhibition will run from 1 November 2025 until 30 April 2026 and is open daily (except on Mondays and public holidays) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit the website of the DAF Musuem.
