Volkswagen Slipstream Wins LA Design Challenge

Today, Volkswagen Slipstream design sketch was announced as the winner of the Los Angeles Auto Show's 2007 Design Challenge. This year's theme, RoboCar of 2057, asked eight automotive design studios to form their vision of the future by depicting a vehicle that incorporates artificial intelligence engineered to make life easier and more attractive to consumers 50 years from now.

The Volkswagen Slipstream was chosen for how well it integrated into personal and work life, the level of innovation and technology as well as its unique styling. The Slipstream adapts for city and freeway driving. These two-wheeled, teardrop shaped pods travel in an upright orientation that occupies one-fifth the size of a traditional vehicle and when on the freeway, tilts horizontally to be more aerodynamic.

"Thinking 50 years in the future using autonomous driving and artificial intelligence was challenging for our design team," said Derek Jenkins, Chief of Volkswagen Design. "We truly enjoyed participating in the Design Challenge and winning is a definite plus."

Entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who selected the winner based on its originality of creative concept, integration of robotics and level of adaptation to a variety of environmental conditions and consumer needs.

"The scope of the entries was very impressive and in the end it came down to which team had the most innovative and fun design that could be best applied to a daily lifestyle," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc. "Volkswagen's designers showed passion and ultimately created a brighter vision of 2057."

Designers entered two-dimensional renderings and concept descriptions predicting how the rapidly advancing field of artificial intelligence will integrate into the automobile to make life safer, more practical and attractive. In the past, participating studios have received impressive amounts of worldwide exposure among peers and media.

The purpose of the Design Challenge is to pit the auto manufacturers' Los Angeles-based design studios against one another. Designers enjoy participating in the challenge because it is a strong venue to showcase their talents and further explore new ideas in automotive design.