With main focus on extreme design but keeping an eye on the environment, the graduates at the Royal College of Art have competed for the 2008 Pilkington Automotive Vehicle Design award, with several futuristic cool cars ideas.
Among these graduates were Ian Callum, the Jaguar design chief, Peter Schreyer, the original Audi TT designer and current head of Kia design, Marek Reichman, the design director at, and many other important .
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The winners of the RCA Vehicle Design 2008 were Pierre Sabbas for the best car concept and Jon Radbrink for best using of glazing.
First comes the Phoenix concept by Sergio Loureiro Da Silva, the Spanish designer who used this innovative car concept design to express the regeneration of lost energy through movement. He said: “It’s about improving sustainability by designing every element to aspire to less energy consumption.�
“The beauty of a vehicle comes from the contrast of a fluid shape with precise technical elements�, added the designer.
The winner for best concept, Pierre Sabas, created the Airflow glass car design, placing both the electrically driven engine and suspension in the wheel, this leading to a high degree of architectural freedom. Inside, the car is made of glass and has 4 capsules for the passengers.
“I’ve tried to wrap it around like fabric,� says Sabas. “It allows for a new driving sensation and it gives the occupants a new perception of the outside world.�
The winner for best use of glazing is a Swedish designer who wanted to increase sustainability of the whole car elements using aerodynamic principles to help reduce fuel consumption. He called his creation inspired by building facades, Lexus Nuareo.
Jon Radbrink declared: “There is no real differentiator between normal and hybrid cars.�
“I was inspired by architecture,� he added. “I used glass in conjunction with other materials to create a layered affect that gives the feeling of transparency for the occupants.�
Nereus concept by Ceri Yorath gives the driver the possibility to relive previous speed experiences with the 3-seat fuel cell-powered car, by capturing them on a a memory card, using transformable plates covering the car, which change during driving time to visually reflect the driving style and the route.
Ilaria Sacco’s Multibrand Car My Lounge concept allows the owner to personalize it a a high level: “I’m thinking about a new way of consuming cars, like how you would design your living room.�
Iomega concept by Joonas Vartola is described in a few words by the Finish designer himself: “The structure and layout of the car supports and fosters the idea of this being a passenger car rather than the usual driver's car architecture.�
The South Korean designer Jung Hoon Rhee focused on ergonomics and preferred to eliminate the rigid seating position in cars. Noah car would give the occupants the sensation they are light and carried by the water.
The wave seats “can cope with various body sizes from infants to obese people providing equal comfort everywhere� said he.
This green car design from Arturo Peralta Nogueras is based on the riding horses experience, and is fueled by with the exterior made of a solid holographic technology. The inside evolves and adapts to its environment, passengers and scenarios.
Soft Vehicle comes from Raquel Aparicio Lopez. It is a foam car with a zip in the rear for the boot, capable to resist during accidents. “I would like to extrapolate rubber, textile and other soft materials into vehicle design,� said the designer.
Here is another impressive car with a futuristic look. It was designed by Paul Howse who explained his creation: “'The idea is to create a local quality, something that is completely unique to you.� He refers at the fact that his car concept made of bronze will change its aspect over time giving the impression of an old collective car.
Korean Yunwoo Jeong’s concept transforms in to a commuter or SUV, when the driver pleases.