Automotive design really peaked between 1995 and 2010. Timeless "regular car" designs like the Panther body, the 4th gen VW's, the E46 BMW's, Astro vans, Ford Rangers, etc. I'm sure my late-millennial nostalgia is making me see the past with rose coloured glasses, but things really are dull today [1]. It was really the confluence of the right regulations, slowly increasing fuel prices making innovation necessary but not highly urgent, and value engineering still being primitive enough that nobody was quite ready to stomach stuff like CVTs.

Nowadays, manufacturers and dealers are taking advantage of emissions regulations to turn everything into a "light truck" or SUV, leading to the most bland and uninspired designs. A body used to be designed by one small team, now every panel has its own focus groups and the cohesive whole is completely lost. And of course, value engineering and simulation is so sophisticated that Nissan and Chrysler can make your engine blow up exactly 1,000 KM past the warranty interval.

[1] https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/whit...