Show Review: Design LA

Design LA, the automotive design conference that incorporates the Design Challenge competition, has announced its winners, during this year's LA Motor Show.

Chuck Pelly, who set up Design LA last year, introduced the event and the judges for the Design Challenge: Tom Matano , Director, Academy of Art University; Imre Molner, Dean, College of Creative Studies; Steward Reed, Chair, Transportation Design, Art Centre College of Design; and Bill Van Amburg, Senior Vice President, Calsart.

This year's nine competition entries had a brief to deliver a 100 percent recyclable, five-year lifespan vehicle with 'accoutrements that add fun or function to represent California's unique green lifestyle.'

The Acura FCX 2020 Le Mans is a Le Mans-style race car concept notable for its enclosed wheels and motorbike style forward-inclined driving position between the front wheels (which can just be made out in the translucent illustration shown here). It was designed by Leon Paz, Joe De Natale and David Cheng.

Audi's Dynamic Space Frame is a minimalist speedster concept that features a frame which forms both the interior and exterior structure and contains all fluids and electrical channels (including fluid drive powertrain). The project's designers were Hans Chou, Toby Gillies, Tony Liu, Sabine Lapine, Jae Min, Heather Shaw, Mattijs van Tuijl.

The Honda Extreme is a minimalist roadster with two separate seat pods which connect with the theme at the front and rear of an inset centre section in plan. The design by Nicholas David, Daniel Talbert and David Cheng is underpinned by the idea that the upper body is detachable and that different bodies - for the owner's different life stages - can then be attached to the separate chassis.

Kia's competition entry, the Sandstorm, is the work of just one designer; Marc Mainville (who also designed the exterior of the Hyundai Hellion concept car which debuted in LA), and is based on the beach buggy style open two-seat vehicle concept. Although less 'far out' than some of the other entries, the Sandstorn had some innovative design details - such as the lights and logo application that might inform some of the studio's production work.

The Mercedes-Benz Recy is most striking for its use of a laminated wood shell. This sophisticated roadster design has a spine running through the centre of the car that connects the front grille with the rear exhausts. Note also the bi-colour wheel designs, distinctive front and rear lights and part exposed space-frame. The design team for Recy comprised: Andre Frey, Gordon Wagener, Nick Garfias, Jeffrey Aneiros and Christopher Rhoades.

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By Sam Livingstone