The Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge is on again, this time getting designers from the Southern California area to transform the future of driving into a communicative experience.
Automobiles have always played an important role in young people's social lives, have acted as a means of self expression and more importantly a necessary tool for interacting with friends. Today, communication technology is changing how we connect and perhaps even the role the car plays in people's lives.
Southern California design studios will envision what a new generation of drivers, raised with cell phones, online communities and webcams will demand from their vehicles in the year 2030.
The design studios for Audi, GM, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota have all taken part, hoping to replicate Mazda’s winning performance at last year’s competition.
Designs this year 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.
Below are some of the highlights from this year’s competition. A final winner will be picked at next month’s 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Audi eOra and eSpira:
General Motors Car Hero:
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge
Honda Helix: The concept 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.
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge Mazda Souga
Mazda Souga: The epitome of personal branding, the Souga allows owners to modify their vehicles on a virtual reality website.
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge Nissan V2G
Nissan V2G: A eco-neutral commuter car for 2030, the V2G is an electric machine that can be modified to fit the needs and desires of its owner.
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge Toyota Link
Toyota LINK: This is a customizable, mass transit vehicle for students that seamlessly links onto a transportation social network. Wheels made of an electro-conductive material, convert friction into energy that recharges the batteries.
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