Working with the Aiways internal teams from his studio in Japan, Ken Okuyama has been working with the Chinese EV brand Aiways on the design of the company’s Shanghai show stand, a line of lifestyle products, and their newest concept car, the U7 Ion. He says that in the future, his design influence will likely extend to branding, stores, and even the website. After seeing the investment the company has made in their fully-automated production facility, he was convinced that Aiways had a big future, and he wanted to be part of it. In late 2018, he was named Chief Advisor of Design & Art, and his influence at the startup is already being felt. The immiment arrival of two Aiways U5 prototypes at the Frankfurt motor show on September 9, which left Xi’an in China on 17 July, seems a good time to take another look at this ambitious Chinese brand.
Although we saw the production crossover U5 and Gumpert joint-venture sportscar Nathalie in Geneva, the Aiways brand is still not a household name in China, much less Europe. But former GM, Porsche and Pininfarina Designer Ken Okuyama thinks that they are more than *just another* Chinese EV startup. After seeing the investment the company has made in their fully-automated production facility, he was convinced that Aiways had a big future, and he wanted to be part of it. In late 2018, he was named Chief Advisor of Design & Art, and his influence at the startup is already being felt.
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