|
Thursday, 22 July 2010 7:29 P.M.
Automotive
Design Studios Envision the 1,000 Pound Car
Design
Studios from the U.S., Germany and Japan Participate in the 2010
Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge
|
Logo
courtesy of the Los Angeles Auto Show
The
Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge |
LOS
ANGELES -- With consumers seeking to minimize consumption
of the earth's resources, auto manufacturers and designers are challenged
to meet these growing socio- and economic trends with style and
finesse, all while adhering to government and safety regulations.
This year's Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge asks design studios
to envision the 1,000 pound, 2+2 vehicle that is both comfortable
and secure, while delivering satisfactory driving performance without
sacrificing the emotional connection and beautiful styling consumers
demand.
For the
first time, participating design studios from not only the U.S.,
but also Germany and Japan, will compete against each other to showcase
their talents. Design studios from General Motors, Honda, Hyundai,
Mazda, Mercedes-Benz Germany (Smart), Mercedes-Benz Japan (Maybach),
Mercedes-Benz U.S., Nissan, Toyota and Volvo will explore new ideas
in automotive design as they contend for this top annual design
honor.
"More
than ever, automotive designers are able to experiment with hi-tech
materials and alloys and this year's Design Challenge has provided
them with the opportunity to use their creative talents to look
into the future, exploring the hottest technologies to fulfill the
needs of the consumer and the environment," said Chuck Pelly,
director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy,
Inc.
The winning
design will be announced Nov. 18 during the Design Los Angeles conference
at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Judging criteria will be based upon
not only meeting the weight constraint (1,500 pounds maximum with
occupants), but also for the artistic beauty, comfort, uniqueness
of design, roadworthiness, sustainability, performance and user-friendliness
of the vehicle.
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; Stewart Reed, chairman, Transportation
Design, Pasadena's Art Center College of Design and Clive Hawkins,
president, Aria Product Development.
The Design
Challenge is sponsored by Faurecia, one of the world's leading automotive
suppliers specializing in seats, interiors, front ends and exhaust
systems, 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.
About
the Design Challenge
The Design
Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers'
conference that is held every year during the Los Angeles Auto Show
Press Days, November 17-18, 2010. Each year, for the past seven
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 competition
has received rave reviews from journalists and extensive media exposure
throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Source:
Los Angeles Auto Show
|
