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Whos Where: Ford of Europe reshapes their design department

It was only to be expected that some of the brightest creative forces should follow Martin Smith who joined Ford of Europe from his position as GM Europe Design Director in August this year. Stefan Lamm was a studio chief designer at Opel - he was recently confirmed as Chief Designer Exteriors at Ford. At the same time two new appointments were announced alongside an interesting restructuring of Ford of Europe's design department.

College Exhibition: Elisava Design Degree Show 2004

Nov 26, 2004 - Graduating students from the Transportation Design Masters program at Spain's Elisava School of Design presented their work in the 2004 Degree Show entitled 'Mobility Techniques' held in July at the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, in Barcelona. Go to Photo Gallery 120 photos The projects shown are based on a wide vision of transportation design and take into consideration mobility, aerodynamics, environmental impact, ergonomics, legislation, materials, production, security, technology and aesthetic principles. They also aim to provide strategic solutions of design that can generate a new commercial and brand potential for industry.

Design Contest: Renault Design competition 'Imagine Espace in 2024'

The competition to 'Imagine Espace in 2024' has been won by Romain Gauvin, a fifth-year student at Strate Coll?ge in Paris. Renault Design organized the competition to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Espace, inviting entries from students at its partner design schools in France (Strate Coll?ge) and Germany (Pforzheim University). "My intention was to design a car that travels on the ground yet feels like it is soaring through the sky, like flying a hang-glider", explains Romain Gauvin.

Show Review: '100% Design' Product and Furniture Design exhibition

Now into its tenth year, '100% Design' is a showcase for emerging talent from Britain in the fields of product and furniture design. Held in Earl's Court, London, it also attracts European and Asian companies keen on marking their presence. Whilst the show has come to attract larger corporations too, these companies still often give individual credit to their designers, naming them with each piece displayed.

University of Huddersfield Degree Show 2004

Nov 13, 2004 - Final year undergraduate students from Britain's University of Huddersfield displayed their work at their annual degree show exhibition in Huddersfield, and also at the New Designers exhibition held in July at the Business Design Centre in London. With 19 graduating students from the BA(Hons) Transport Design course, the range of design projects reflects the broad nature of the discipline; with projects ranging from automotive exteriors and interiors, motorcycles, bridges and urban transportation interfaces. All final year projects have a strong design research element where a student's detailed knowledge and understanding of future market, social and environmental trends validates the project and the core design concept.

Los Angeles Auto Show 2005 Design Trends

How are changing consumer attitudes and preferences affecting automobile design? What are designers doing to create functional, stylish and fun vehicles in accordance with new regulations and technologies? These are some of the questions that five distinguished designers will discuss and debate during the panel discussion at the Los Angeles Auto Show on January 6.

Design Contest: 2004 Motor Trend International Design Contest winners announced

Nov 2, 2004 - The winners of the 2004 Motor Trend International Design Contest were announced during Media Day at the California International Auto Show (CIAS) held in Anaheim. Top honors were awarded to Guilherme Albuquerque Knop (26) from Parana, Brazil. Guilherme received the award for best of show and a cash prize of $2,500 for his design of an Armani/ Transport.

First Sight: BMW 3 Series

With the 7 Series of 2001, Z4 of 2002, X3, 5 and 6 Series of 2003, and 1 Series earlier this year, the current E46 3 Series is the last (X5 excepted) 'old school' BMW in production. These first official pictures show BMW's fifth generation E90 3 Series which replaces this car and completes the new design strategy for the main series BMW range under Design Director Chris Bangle. Now with a smaller sibling in the range, the 3 Series is no longer BMW's entry level car although it shares much of its platform with the 1 Series and it is expected to continue to account for about half of BMW's total sales.

Design Contest: Stile Italiano Giovani 2004

One of the sad things about being editor of a motoring magazine is turning down all the enthusiastic young job applicants who know exactly how to test Ferraris against Lamborghinis, using Porsches as benchmarks...exactly the kind of people I don't need. I imagine it might be the same with judging a design competition. There will be masses of young people who love drawing cars submitting their sketches - and there it all ends.

First Sight: Holden Torana concept

Holden has stolen the limelight at the opening of the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, unveiling a ground-up concept car dubbed the Torana TT36. The concept revives a famous Australian nameplate from the 1970s - appropriate since, like the original Torana, it features rear wheel drive and a six cylinder engine. That's where the similarities end, however, as the new Torana's engine is an experimental 280kW/490Nm twin turbocharged version of the new global V6 Holden has begun manufacturing for various parts of the GM world and which will eventually be used by Alfa Romeo.

Alias announces StudioTools 12, ImageStudio 2 and Portfolio Wall 2

 Alias has announced that it will release the latest versions of its leading industrial design software Alias StudioTools 12, Alias ImageStudio 2, and Alias PortfolioWall 2 in November. The new releases are aimed at accelerating the automotive design process and improve concept design, model evaluation, design review, and production modeling. The StudioTools family, which includes DesignStudio, Studio, AutoStudio and SurfaceStudio, delivers a full digital design workflow in a single package, from 2D concept sketching to production surface modeling.

Design Contest: Winners of the Interior Motives Design Awards 2004 announced

After the second press day of the Paris Motor Show, designers made their way to Le Cab nightclub for the announcement of InteriorMotives Student Design Awards 2004 winners. Over 500 atttendees included leading automotive designers, design managers and top executives from automakers, independent designers and design studio personnel, as well as Tier 1 and 2 suppliers. This annual competition gives the opportunity for students to submit their work for viewing by a prolific file of judges.

College Exhibition: Royal College of Art Show 2004

Oct 5, 2004 - Seventeen final year students at London's Royal College of Art postgraduate Vehicle Design course displayed their work in the second part of the internationally renowned annual summer show. Go to Photo Gallery 240 photos The Show: Two featured the work of students in Vehicle Design, Design Products, Industrial Design Engineering, Architecture and Interiors, Computer Related Design, Textiles, Animation, Communication Art and Design, Conservation and History of Design. Linda Andersson presented 'Punk', a Ford V8 sports car aimed at drivers aged 45-60, who can afford expensive products.

College Exhibition: CCS - American Iron and Steel Institute Challenge 2004

Transportation Design students at Detroit's College for Creative Studies recently presented the results of a project sponsored by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The unveiling of the students' concept vehicles is the finale of the 16th annual AISI/CCS Summer Internship Program that set the transportation design students the task of designing functional, innovative 'Hollywood-inspired' vehicles that integrate environmental responsibility, cost efficiency and innovative steel materials. "The AISI/CCS summer internship was created to inspire a new generation of automotive designers to develop alternative fuel vehicles, lightweight steel structures and a flexible platform base, all of which are real goals for today's automotive product developers," said Brian Aranha, vice president of commercial for Dofasco Inc.

What's New: October 2004

Volvo 3CC The Volvo 3CC concept vehicle has been unveiled at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai, taking the event's 'Best Design' award. The 3CC was designed at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center in California, with an aim to create a `future-proof concept? that would enhance sustainable mobility.

College Exhibition: Strate College Degree Show 2004

Sep 20, 2004 - Graduating Transportation Design students at France's Strate Coll?ge displayed their Diploma projects in the school's annual degree show, held at the central Paris school in June. Go to Photo Gallery 220 photos Strate Coll?ge is one of the leading European schools for transportation design, and has become a major source of recruitment for automotive design studios in France as well as internationally. Graduating diploma student Thibaut Doneux presented 'Skin Deep', an interior concept for Renault.

Design Contest: Automotive design community gathers for annual design awards party in Paris

More than 300 senior members of the automotive design community will be attending the Interior Motives Design Awards 2004 ceremony to be held at Le Cab, Paris on 24 September, during the Paris Motor Show. Among the special guests will be the Interior Motives Design Awards 2004 judges:- Olivier Boulay, Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Japan- Guy Burgoyne, Volvo Cars- Simon Cox, GM Advanced Design UK- Bill Fluharty, Johnson Controls, Inc- Ulrich Lammel, Volkswagen AG- Steve Lewis, SEAT Cars- Sarah Maynard, Aston Martin Lagonda- Justyn Norek, I.DE.A Institute- Roberto Piatti, Stile Bertone- Marek Reichman, Ford Motor Company- Rus Shafer, Intier Automotive- Andreas Wlasak, Faurecia The Interior Motives Design Awards 2004 received over 200 entries from more than 31 countries and 47 design colleges, further establishing itself as a global competition. Attendees will have the chance to meet finalists from the world's top transportation and industrial design courses, as well as the awards' judging panel.

College Exhibition: Coventry University students prepare for the MA Design Degree Show

MA students from the Coventry University Automotive Design course are preparing for their annual degree exhibition. This year's show, entitled 'Move' will present the work of 21 students in the new Coventry Transport Museum, Hales St, in the centre of the city. The projects on show cover the full spectrum of vehicle concepts, with the show zoned into four themes: 'Move-Art', 'Move-Identity', 'Move-Current' and 'Move-Extreme'.

First Sight: Peugeot 907 concept

Making its debut at the Paris Motor Show, the Peugeot 907 concept is a two-seater GT coupe, created "with reference to the past, the present and the future", and intended to transcend the Marque's values. The 907 is powered by a 6.0 litre V12 engine delivering 368 kW (500 bhp), positioned longitudinally behind the front axle. Connected by a short propshaft, it transmits its power to a six-speed sequentially controlled gearbox placed longitudinally in front of the rear axle.

College Exhibition: Coventry University Design Degree Show 2004

Sep 1, 2004 - Final year undergraduate students from the Coventry University Transport Design course showed their work in the annual degree exhibition in June. The 2004 show celebrates the conclusion of either 3 or 4 years of study, depending on whether the BA Hons or MDes study routes have been followed. With 35 graduating students on the MDes in Transport Design plus 15 graduates on either BA Automotive Design or Transport and Product Design, the show is the largest in Europe for transportation design graduates.

Design Contest: Peugeot

The theme for the 3rd Peugeot Design Competition has been announced. Following on from the earlier contest themes of '2020' and 'Retrofuturism', the 3rd instalment of the contest challenges participants to design "the Peugeot of your dreams for the near future". "We want to know what amateur designers dream about in cars.

Ford Shelby GR-1 concept shown at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

 Ford is taking the occasion of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to unveil the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept, calling the new sports car a salute to 'performance art'. The GR-1 is a uniquely emotional American sports car design that makes a bold statement about Ford's performance future. "The Ford Shelby Cobra concept was a small step in our plans for the Ford GT supercar architecture and our relationship with Carroll Shelby," says J Mays, Ford Motor Company group vice president of Global Design.

College Exhibition: Umea Institute of Design Degree Show 2004

Students at Sweden's Ume? University Institute of Design presented their work in the annual Degree Show in June, which included work from the Masters programmes in Transportation Design, Advanced Product Design, and Interaction Design along with the final thesis projects from the Bachelor level graduates. Go to Photo Gallery250 photos The degree students from the three year bachelor programme showed their 10 week final degree projects in Industrial Design, and the two year Masters Programmes presented their 20 week final degree works.

What's New: August 2004

Ferrari F430  The F430 is the first of a new generation of Ferrari 8-cylinder models. This new car takes Ferrari?s achievements with aluminium technology, begun with the 360 Modena, to a new level, and offers a series of innovations derived from the Ferrari Formula 1 single-seaters. Two of these are world firsts for production cars: the electronic differential (E-Diff) and the steering wheel-mounted switch, which manages the integrated systems governing vehicle dynamics.

Scuola Polytecnica di Design Milan announces new Masters in Transportation Design

Jul 30, 2004 - Milan's Scuola Politecnica di Design has announced the new edition of the Masters course in Transportation Design, which will be held in partnership with Lamborghini. The Masters Course, starting in October 2004, will be coordinated by Marco Bonetto with the support of Walter De' Silva, Design Director Audi-Seat-Lamborghini and Luc Donckerwolke, Chief Designer Lamborghini. As part of the 2004-2005 edition of the Masters course, students from all over the world will take part in the development of a new concept car for the prestigious Italian car maker, which is now part of the Audi Volkswagen Group.

Auto Show: Los Angeles Auto Show announces 'Design Los Angeles' as 2005 theme

Recognizing the global influence of Southern California as an automotive design center, the Los Angeles Auto Show has announced 'Design Los Angeles' as the theme for the January 2005 show. The theme is the beginning of an ongoing program to establish automobile design as an integral part of the LA Auto Show. The region, long hailed as a leader of creativity and consumer trends, is home to the world's largest concentration of manufacturer design studios representing automakers from North America, Europe and Asia.

First Sight: Citroën C4

 The Citroen C4 is a new car that shall be formally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September as the replacement for the Xsara that has been quietly competing in the European C-class for six years. The C4 was previewed in Geneva with the C4 Sport (a WRX themed concept car based very closely on the production 3-door C4) and less directly with the C6 Lignage Citroen concept car of Geneva 1999 which introduced many of the new car's exterior and interior design themes on a larger vehicle concept. Sitting between the C3 and C5 in Citroen's range, the C4 platform will also be shared by Citroen's partner Peugeot for the 307 replacement.

L'argus European Design Competition 2004 announced

French magazine L'argus de l'automobile has launched its 3rd European Design Competition , with the theme: "Imagine the convertible utility vehicle" The competition has been run since 2002, asking students at European design schools to design original utility vehicles. The 2003 competition recieved more than 350 submissions from students of Europe's best schools of art and design. This year there are two major new features: extension of the competition to design students in the new European Union countries, and greater freedom for entrants, with a theme allowing more room for creativity.

First Sight: Peugeot 1007

Peugeot has revealed first details of the 1007, which it hopes will change the way small cars are perceived and experienced - "as did the introduction of the hatchback in the early 60s". The 1007 was previewed in the form of the Sesame concept at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. The small car 'B' segment accounts for more than 35% of the European market and is expected to grow by 17% over the next ten years.

What's New: July 2004

Audi A3 Sportback With the A3 Sportback, Audi is seeking to define a new segment in the premium compact class, combining the sporting elegance of a coup? and the versatility of a five-door vehicle, with sophisticated technology and well-defined driving dynamics. The Sportback features four and six-cylinder engines developing up to 184 kW (250 bhp), front-wheel or quattro permanent four-wheel drive and optonal DSG transmission.