I guess it's all personal choice after all.
I react the same way to an Asstek as the Element. The Asstek has SOME style to it, but very very ugly. The Element I guess I would say is so totally lacking in any "style". I agree it's a functional design. With either the Asstek or Element, I constantly find myself looking to see the driver for some reason, kinda like "what kind of idiot BOUGHT one of those things?"
The Trabant, there again, some "style" to it, but pretty bad looking car. I would put both the Element and Asstek as both being worse looking than the Trabant.
Can anyone think of other vehicles in this scale of ugliness? The only thing that comes to mind right away is the Volkwagen "Thing", here's a link to a picture for those too young to remember "it":
http://www.getty.net/thing/

I don't consider the Gremlin or Pacer quite on this awful a scale, but the Pacer was close. The 58 & 59 Edsel was pretty close to, the '60 I thought looked OK, too much like a Pontiac of that era though.

Gilly