The 2009 LA Design Challenge, like its previous versions, gives us a peek into the future. The theme of this year’s design contest has automobiles for the youth of the future. These “youthmobile” cars/concepts have been designed for the youth of 2030, those ranging between 16 to 23 years age. Entries to this year’s contest are from Audi, Mazda, GM, Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Click ahead for a look at the participants, and some ideas that range from the downright impractical to the clumsy.
Mazda Souga
The Mazda Souga concept is meant for the young entrepreneurs of Los Angeles. The Souga lets users create a personalized expression of their own self, a car that can be built, shared and experimented with in the virtual world of VMazda, before the consumer decides to bring it into the physical realm. Once the order for a “physical” car is placed, it is manufactured rapidly to the consumer’s specifications, and delivered at a cost of just $2000. The only additional price the user will have to pay is the monthly electric expense this electric car will generate.
Mazda Souga Concept Picture Gallery
Audi eSpira/ eOra
Audi’s entry has two autonomous cars for the future generation. These autonomous cars will provide safety, efficiency and convenience for their drivers. The eSpira will function as an “extension” to the driver’s body. The car can be controlled by the slightest of movements and gestures from the driver, and the vehicle’s control logic will provide the driver with an uncompromised driving experience. The eOra concept is a “sport vehicle” that moves on the same principle as the eSpira, but has more agile and dynamic looks and handling.
Audi eOra Concept Picture Gallery
GM Car Hero
The name of this concept points towards an obvious connection with the popular Guitar Hero. The Car Hero, intends to be both a game, and a car. The autonomous vehicle has been designed to actually help people learn to drive. And it actually sounds far-fetched and impractical, even for a concept. Initially, the driver simply enters the destination, and tries to match the skill of the system as the car drives to its destination. As the driver gets better, controls “unlock” to ultimately give the driver a full overriding control. Once there, the vehicle decides to “challenge” the driver by using its “transmorphable” architecture to gradually reduce the number of wheels from four to one!
GM Car Hero Concept Picture Gallery
Nissan V2G
Nissan’s V2G [UNLMTD] concept runs on the high-speed, high-efficiency networks called GRID. The V2G (Vehicle to Grid) is a high-quality, low-cost electric vehicle that, to quote “is the best selling electric vehicle of its time.” I’m surprised they didn’t call it the bestselling vehicle of all time. The vehicle’s access to this high-speed grid is dictated by a number of affordable plans, much similar to our current mobile phone plans. Oh… and ultimately, “In the spirit of LA’s legendary automotive counter-culture” the youth hack the V2G to take it off-GRID and explore the endless opportunities the vehicle provides.
Nissan V2G [UNLMTD] Concept Picture Gallery
Honda Helix
The Honda Helix concentrates on individuality and unique traits. Like the Audi concepts up there, this one intends to be an extension of the user, though the Helix appears to be a lot more seriously and deeply into this issue. It uses Advanced Adaptive Polymers capable of shifting shape, color or even material properties. These polymers couple with the user’s DNA to create a truly unique bond, the longer the owner stays with the vehicle, the better it understands its users. Taking the DNA connection further, the Helix too has distinct shape-shifting conformations called A, B and Z, each corresponding to different traffic patterns.
Honda Helix Concept Picture Gallery
Toyota LINK
The LINK is a mass transit vehicle designed to meet networking demands and continuously evolving preferences of the youth. The affordable concept would be available to students at various HUBs throughout the city, and would provide them with facilities for social networking and sharing data. The exterior of the concept is made of “LINK SKINZ” and would allow users to personalize design. The concept moves on spheres that harness energy even from friction to charge the electric vehicle’s batteries.
Toyota Link Concept Picture Gallery
