College Exhibition: CCS Spring Show 2009

This year's CCS Senior Show provided another year of outstanding graduates while the automotive industry continues to retract due to the global financial crisis. Given all the negative news about auto bankruptcies and closures, it was refreshing to see such youthful, creative and challenging designs in a modern and hopeful environment. The projects on display ranged from militaristic Jeep off-road vehicles to a microvan for the ‘future family of two = single parent + only child'.

Jeep Recon
Tyler Moffett

This military vehicle is very much like the original Jeep. The design uses matte gray/olive paint and military graphics but also feels very much like an object of industrial design. Modern forms of steel with machined slots for airlift attachments, and even the sketches accompanying the model, were bold and dramatic, further emphasizing the military theme of the design.

Chrysler Turbine and Ford Model T 2.0
Dave Owsen

Owsen's Chrysler Turbine is an air-themed vehicle with aero cooling intakes and an expanding instrument panel. The graduate also showed a Ford Model T 2.0 designed for the Indian market of 2020. The design examined the question: if Henry Ford were alive today - what would he design? Owsen's answer is a circuit-inspired adaptable hub-pod-on-chassis vehicle that can elevate, rotate and even expand using a flexible spider-like structure.

Dodge AK concept
Dong Tran

Tran's concept truck drew inspiration from an unexpected source: the AK-47 assault rifle. The design is also a Kei-class truck for the Western market and its lifestyle-obsessed youth. Despite the miniscule package, Tran managed to integrate a small boat that you extract from the rear bumper.

Dodge Link
John McDougall

McDougall's main project was the Dodge Link. This is more a cargo system than a vehicle, where standard-sized micro containers could be transported and transferred by the Link. These containers could be rentable, scalable, adaptable, deployable and profitable. The Link provides an interesting alternative for future shipping needs.

Honda Indycar, 2020 Hyundai, Dodge sports car concepts
Nicolas Stone

Stone showed a number of concepts, including a Honda Indycar for 2011 that maximizes sponsorship space on the body. He also showed a future 2020 Hyundai for the A/B segment that made generous use of green translucent materials. A third model, meanwhile, showcased a Dodge sports car for the year 2020 with a steel exoskeleton.

Jeep Pangea
William Whitaker

The Jeep Pangea takes the Jeep concept towards an open-air, open-wheel, off-road electric vehicle. The body features defined and muscular upper and lower frames with a contrasting layer between, highlighting and complementing the vehicle's mechanicals. 

Hyundai First Car and Dodge car/pickup crossover
James Tabujara

The ‘Hyundai First Car' caters to the new, young driver, who actually sits in front isolated from the rest of the interior. In this configuration, his or her friends could sit in the back playing video games, listening to music or texting friends, all without having to distract the driver. Tabujara also showed a Dodge car/pickup crossover that features an expandable load bed and in-wheel motors.

Hyundai commuter vehicle and Chrysler Provocateur
Ryan Abellera

Abellera's projects included a Hyundai designed as a commuter vehicle for the suburban professional and a film-themed car called Chrysler Provocateur. The target customer for the provocative four-door Provocateur coupe is a 32-year-old female living in New York City looking for timeless beauty.

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By Patrick Wong