Following our hugely successful deep dive in to AI generated cars from across the world, as part of our celebrations of the Chinese New Year, we thought we would explore the ancient symbolism of the Chinese zodiacs while combining it with innovative AI technology to create 12 unique car designs.
Firstly, let's take a moment to understand the Chinese zodiac. Comprising twelve animal signs, each associated with a specific year, the Chinese zodiac has a rich history and cultural significance. The twelve animals in the order are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal is believed to influence the personality traits and destiny of individuals born in its corresponding year.
So we've harnessed the power of AI to create unique car designs, each intricately inspired by the characteristics of the Chinese zodiac animals.
Dragon - Powerful and Charismatic:
1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
Of all the images generated by AI, the Dragon is our favourite. With the trail of flames and the dragons menacing face you definitely see the characterisitic “powerful” coming through.
Snake - Wise and Intuitive:
1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
The characteristics of people born in the year of the snake are wise and intuitive. While we’re not really seeing those here what we can see is what we can only describe as a “wheeler dealer’s” sort of car.
Horse - Free-spirited and Energetic:
1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
The characteristics of Free-spirited and Energetic are definitely alluded to here with the muscle car style which gives us that free spirited sort of feeling.
Goat - Calm and Compassionate:
1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
The characteristics of calm and compassionate are not too striking here but compared to the other images previously generated, the background does look much calmer and more peaceful.
Monkey - Playful and Intelligent:
1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
For the inspiration of the Monkey there is no mistaking it understood the prompt and put the some rather large moneys climbing over the back of the car. In terms of the zodiacs characteristics, playful definitely shines through as you can see the monkey on the right grabbing a piece of the car which no doubt induces flashbacks to anyone who has been to a drive through safari park!
Rooster - Confident and Resourceful:
1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
Another one of our favourites. This AI generated image incorporates part of the rooster into the car by placing it confidently on the front of the car in pride of place.
Dog - Loyal and Protective:
1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
For this image, you can see a dog by the side of the car looking like a perfect driving partner and also showing its key characteristics of being loyal and protective.
Pig - Gentle and Generous:
1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
This AI generated mage shows a cute smiling pig riding in the car with a very disarming smile which definitely fits the bill of gentle.
Rat - Agile and Resourceful:
1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
It’s impossible to miss the rat in this car and the AI definitely took a literal approach! It certainly would have to be agile to cling on to this car while moving,
Ox - Strong and Dependable:
1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
AI generated this incredible image of what looks like an ornate statue of an Ox that seems to be part of the car. The car itself also looks quite sporty with big alloys and certainly showcasing its strength in holding the Ox.
Tiger - Courageous and Adventurous:
1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
The zodiac of the Tiger prompted AI to generate an image that was quite different to the others. While the others featured a lot of gold and lanterns, the Tiger is more intrinsic in the design of the car and certainly creates a car that looks ready for adventure.
Rabbit - Gentle and Caring:
1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
In terms of the Rabbit zodiac, much like the pig, there are two definitely disarming and cute rabbits which show the gentle characteristic. However, the car does not scream gentle or caring as it looks rather sporty with a bit spoiler poking out of the back.
The fusion of AI-generated imagery with the rich symbolism of the Chinese zodiacs results in a an interesting insight into the combination of characteristics, symbolism and manufacturing.
If this has set your imagination off, why not check out what Chinese manufacturers are currently producing for our roads here.
