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Friday, 16 September, 2011 6:39 PM
Automotive
Design Studios Go Hollywood
Design
Studios from the U.S., Germany and Japan Participate in the 2011
Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge: Make a Car the Star
Logo
courtesy of the Los Angeles Auto Show
The Los
Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge
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LOS ANGELES --
For decades, automobiles have played important roles in some of
Hollywood's most popular films. The big screen has seen a steady
parade of iconic autos that not only entertained as the emblematic
rides of their famous drivers, but also actually stole the show
and took leading roles themselves. Thanks to vehicles such as the
1968 Mustang GT that Steve McQueen raced through the streets of
San Francisco in Bullitt, to the DeLorean featured in Back To The
Future, automobiles are now firmly part of film lore.
In the quest to find the next A-list automobile, this year's LA
Auto Show Design Challenge will focus on designing Hollywood's hottest
new movie car. For the second year in a row, participating design
studios from not only the U.S., but also Germany and Japan, will
compete against one another to showcase their talents. Design studios
from General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz Germany (Smart),
Mercedes-Benz Japan (Maybach), and Mercedes-Benz U.S., will explore
new ideas in automotive design as they contend for this top annual
design honor.
"There is no more
perfect theme for this year's competition held in Los Angeles, home
to Hollywood and the film capital of the world," said Chuck
Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design
Academy, Inc. "We have some amazing talents participating and
can expect blockbuster design concepts that fuse design and technology
in innovative ways."
The winning design will
be announced Nov. 17 during the Design Los Angeles conference at
the LA Auto Show. Judging criteria will be based upon various factors
including: How the vehicle reflects its brand attributes relative
to the plot; how the vehicle relates to the targeted audience or
brand; level of imagination; character development of the vehicle;
and uniqueness of the combination of story, car and character.
Entries will be judged
by Tom Matano, director of Industrial Design at San Francisco's
Academy of Art University; Imre Molnar, dean of Detroit's College
for Creative Studies; and Stewart Reed, chairman, Transportation
Design at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design. There also will
be a special guest judge with an expertise in movie cars from Pixar
Animation Studios, famous for such animated films as "Cars,"
"Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and many others.
The Design Challenge
is sponsored by Faurecia, the world's sixth-largest automotive supplier
specializing in automotive seating, emissions control technologies,
interior systems and auto exteriors as well as Yokohama Tire, which
works closely with auto manufacturers in the U.S., Europe and Japan
to develop tires for the latest concept vehicles. Other sponsors
that make Design Los Angeles possible include, Dassault Systemes
and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA).
About the Design
Challenge
The Design Challenge
is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference
that is held annually during the LA Auto Show Press Days, November
16-17, 2011. Each year, for the past eight years, a new Design Challenge
theme is chosen and the major automotive design studios showcase
their talents, competing against each other to flex their creativity
and further explore new ideas in automotive design. The Design Los
Angeles conference also gives designers access to design industry
leaders and provides the opportunity to address common industry
issues.
The Design Challenge
has received rave reviews from journalists and extensive media exposure
throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. More information, including
images, is available at LAAutoShow.com/DesignChallenge.html.
Source: Los Angeles
Auto Show
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