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Best Eco Design (Retroconcept)
'London Garden' - David Seesing, Miika Heikkinen, Mårten Wallgren (RCA)
One of the more unusual entries to the competition, Seesing, Heikkinen and Wallgren's London Garden project presented an ingenious and elegantly resolved semi-electric bicycle as part of an integrated urban transportation solution.
When not in use, the bicycle folds up electronically and can be carried on to the bus and used as a portable seat, even feeding the energy generated during the ride (its wheels double as solar panels) back into the bus's power grid to offset the extra weight of the passenger. GM Europe's John Puskar summed it up best: "Beautiful presentation, good composition, and great use of colour with some nice thoughts on secondary transportation."
Best Production Interior (Semcon)
'Citrus' - Eduardo Javier Povarchik (9Zeros School of Animation)
Designed by a student of the 9Zeros School of Animation in Spain, the Citrus two-seat electric vehicle uses a number of tricks from the product design world to turn its major interior components into personal devices for use outside of the car. The seats, for example, provide a wheeled luggage solution and the entire center console can be removed and used as a portable multimedia center. Praised by Geely Automotive Vice President Mike Ma for its "interactive, inside-out" approach to interior design and fresh new take on zero-emissions motoring, the project fended off some excellent competition.
Best Lifestyle Interior (Stile Bertone)
'Mobile Maid' - Brian Peterson (Cleveland Institute of Art)
Another inventive take on personal mobility, Peterson's plug-in electric Mobile Maid concept presents a complete interior and exterior design package for the modern cleaner. Highlights include an axle-mounted washing machine that draws heat from the batteries, and a well-equipped workstation up front that can be accessed simply by swiveling the driver's seat. McLaren Design Director Frank Stephenson said it "shows excellent thinking into designing a vehicle that works as a functional extension of one's daily life".
Best Conceptual Exterior (Autodesk)
'Equilibrium' - Bob Romkes (RCA)
In a category that always attracts a lot of high-quality entries, it was superb execution and attention to detail that secured Bob Romkes' Equilibrium concept victory. The sleek exterior is made from a rubber-metal material with nanotechnology at its core - materials currently being explored in aviation for use on airplane wings. This artificial muscle enables the car's surfacing to stretch by 300 percent, while also being three times lighter and stronger than metal. It also expands and contracts to steer the wheels of the car via a drive-by-wire system.
For the full list of shortlisted entries and images of all the finalists' projects, visit www.interiormotivesawards.com
Related Articles:
Interior Motives Design Awards 2008
Interior Motives Design Awards 2007
Interior Motives Design Awards 2006
Interior Motives Design Awards 2005
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