LTU students design SRG Global-branded vehicle

Lawrence Technological University's (LTU) Daniel Kangas has received a Coach Builder Design Award after winning a semester-long design competition.

The contest – sponsored by chrome-plated plastic parts manufacturer SRG Global – challenged LTU students to design a SRG Global-branded vehicle that incorporated the company's products, as well as future technologies and trends.

Kangas' design will be developed into SRG Global's virtual car to be used on the company's website and mobile apps to showcase its products and finishes.

He earned himself $1,500, while three runners-up were also announced. Jacob Lanyon took home $500 as first runner-up and Greg VanderVoord and Ahmed Ghahmloush received prizes of $250 each for second and third runners-up respectively.

The contest gave students the opportunity to try their hand at designing a car from scratch without it being linked to a particular brand, much like in a coachbuilder design studio.

"Professional automotive designers get an opportunity once in a lifetime, if they are lucky, to design a vehicle from a clean sheet of paper similar to the coachbuilders of the crafts era," LTU director of Transportation Design Keith Nagara says.

Patrick Ayoub, SRG Global creative director of design and marketing, explains, "We chose to work with LTU because Keith Nagara's program focuses on both the aesthetic and feasibility factors of design.

"This was an important consideration since we were asking the students to develop a car that is both future forward and able to realistically showcase all of the components SRG Global is producing today."

By Rufus Thompson