LA Design Challenge 2009

The LA Auto Show has just announced the competitors in its 6th annual Design Challenge. The entries - coming from the Southern California design studios of Audi, General Motors, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota - all revolve around a set theme which asked designers to envision the ultimate ‘youthmobile' for the year 2030.

Automobiles have always played an important role in Southern California, enhancing the social lives of youth and acting as a means of self expression. But now that communication technology is changing how we connect, it is also affecting the role the car plays in young people's lives.

The studios have therefore been called upon to look 21 years into the future and design their interpretation of the vehicles that users who have been raised using mobile phones, online communities and webcams will aspire to own in the future. Designs range from vehicles that incorporate human DNA allowing changes in the shape, color and materials to vehicles that link into a mass transit system where drivers not only share the commute but trade music and compare class schedules.

"Automotive designers have always been fascinated with the next generation of drivers and this year's Design Challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talents to revisit the concept of 'the car' with new eyes, using the hottest technologies to both explore and fulfill the needs of young people," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc.

Entries in this year's 'Youthmobile 2030 Design Challenge' include:

Audi eOra and eSpira
Volkswagen/Audi of America Design Center California
The Audi eOra and eSpira are an accessible representation of freedom and coming of age. Like a downhill skier, the eOra carves the roadscape with precision by constantly adapting to the driver's movements and intentions. Using next generation vehicle control logic, the eSpira takes even the smallest body movements and gestures of the driver into consideration and synchronizes them with the vehicle to result in unmatched agility and responsiveness.

GM Car Hero
General Motors Advanced Design
The Car Hero turns driving into gaming and challenges the driver's skills against the car's autonomous system. Once you enter your destination into the navi app on your smart phone, you can play against the vehicle to ‘win' complete control over the system and gain access to increasingly outrageous driving scenarios.

Honda Helix
Honda Research and Development, North America
Using insight gained from the human genome, the Honda Helix redefines individuality and how a driver connects to his or her vehicle over time. The Helix incorporates human DNA with adaptive polymers that allow changes in the car's shape, color and materials. Tri-axis movement allows adaptation and reaction to specific environments and traffic patterns.

Mazda Souga
Mazda R & D of North America
The Mazda Souga is the epitome of personal branding. Young entrepreneurs can create their own vehicles on VMazda, a virtual reality Web site that y Web suiteacts as a design playground. With the help of a virtual design mentor, each car is guaranteed to be affordable, eco-friendly and purely driver-focused.

Nissan Y2G
Nissan Design America
The V2G is Nissan's eco-neutral commuter car for 2030. Its combination of dynamic styling and quality construction creates a top-of-the-line electric machine that can be modified to fit the needs and desires of its owner.

Toyota LINK
Calty Design Research
The Toyota LINK is a customizable, mass transit vehicle for students that seamlessly links onto a transportation social network. 'LINK SKINZ' can be downloaded to digitally transform the vehicle's shape into a personalized exterior design while 'LINK SPHERES', wheels made of an electro-conductive material, convert friction into energy that recharges the batteries.

Entries will be judged by Tom Matano, Director of Industrial Design at San Francisco's Academy of Art University; Imre Molner, Dean of Detroit's College for Creative Studies; Stewart Reed, Chair, Transportation Design, Pasadena's Art Center College of Design and Jason Hill, Principal of Eleven, LLC and Designer of the Aptera electric and plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle.

The winner will be announced December 3rd at the LA Auto Show.

By Eric Gallina