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CDN and Opel/Vauxhall launch new Interactive Competition – design the Ampera of 2020

Thu, 05 Jan 2012

‘Design the 2020 Ampera': That's the challenge being thrown down to European design students by Opel/Vauxhall's design team in a new interactive competition launched today in conjunction with Car Design News.

The Car Design News - Opel/Vauxhall Interactive competition builds on last year's inaugural competition, which tasked students with designing a ‘Lounge in motion'.

To enter this year's competition click here: Design the 2020 Ampera

The prizes

- Six-month paid internship at their design studios in Russelsheim, Germany

- Finalists will have their work displayed on the Opel/Vauxhall stand at the 2012 Paris salon de l'auto and be invited to attend the show, where the winner will be announced

The brief

Most students will be well aware of Opel/Vauxhall's ground breaking Ampera - the range-extended electric vehicle that goes on sale across Europe in 2012. Your task in this competition is to imagine what it could be like in the year 2020 by pushing the boundaries of its design.

To guide you, Opel/Vauxhall's designers suggest that in 2020, the Ampera should be even more efficient, dynamic and technology driven. It should take Opel's design language of ‘Sculptural artistry meets German precision' to the next level, still seat four people in a five-door bodyshell and be a holistic solution, with interior and exterior design working in harmony.

The designers are expecting your designs to show visionary thinking and underline Opel/Vauxhall's role in creating a revolutionary form of electric mobility.
"We're really looking forward to seeing the designs and actively giving feedback to the ideas of the competitors," says Mark Adams, who as Vice President of Design for GM Europe is responsible for all Opel/Vauxhall models. "It's exciting to see what kinds of thoughts the designers of tomorrow have."

The competition

The competition, which launches today, is open to students studying any discipline at a design school within Europe. It runs in two phases, the first of which is the submission of both an exterior and an interior proposal. These will be assessed in May 2012, when finalists will be selected.

During the second phase, the finalist group will further develop their designs until August 2012, when the competition closes and winners are judged.

The use of social media techniques is a unique feature of the competition. Unlike a conventional contest where work is unveiled in a finished format at the end, students are encouraged to upload mood boards, initial sketches and ideas from day one and then progressively work up drafts as the competition progresses. Design development is based on direct feedback from Opel/Vauxhall's design mentors and the wider online community. Other entrants, mentors and the wider design community are encouraged to comment and suggest how the designs can be developed. Students who enter can then further progress their designs in an interactive process up to the competition close.

"The whole interactive process makes the competition very compelling," adds Liz Wetzel, who is the Design Director responsible for interiors at Opel/Vauxhall. "As a designer it can be a big help to have a fresh perspective from others to help see your own creations in a new light."

Both Opel/Vauxhall and the Car Design News team believe that digital tools and the online community will play an important part in the future of car design.

"The contact we have throughout the competition with the students is really beneficial," concludes Friedhelm Engler, Director of Advanced Design for GM Europe. "It's always exciting to see the energy and passion they have for their ideas."

See www.cardesigncontest.com/ov for detail of the competition and to register to enter. Read the story of the 2011 winners on Car Design News at this link.

Car Design News is the leading online resource for professional car designers, with coverage of new concept and production cars, design development features, interviews with leading design directors and news from across the global design community, all backed by a 50,000-strong library of high-res images.


By Joe Simpson