Coventry University MA Automotive Design Show 2004

Coventry Transport Museum

16th September 2004

The winning design was selected from a line-up of twenty international students by a distinguished judging panel, which included Kevin Rice, Project Leader, BMW 1 Series.

Charles's 'God is in the details, but nobody saw Him coming' concept looked at modern disenchantment with the car and asked the important question, has the industry lost its magic and if so, how can it get it back?

Jon King, director of Corus Automotive and chair of the judging panel, said: "The judges were very impressed with the overall high standard of concepts on display this year making the decision to select our three prize winners very difficult. However, Charles’ complete portfolio of excellence demonstrated a deep level of thinking, which was technically well researched and executed"

Kevin Rice added: "The pressure to design reliable, competitive products that meet the ever increasing demands of legislation has led to a similarity of design in many new vehicle models. It was great to see an idea that challenges the industry to put excitement back into automotive design and Charles’ concept is a valuable reminder to us all not to forget that emotion plays an important role in the minds of consumers."

Second prize at the Design Show was awarded to Rajesh Kutty for his Formula One Amphibious Car which, in the opinion of the judges, was not only technically feasible but also well executed. Rajesh was looking for an exciting alternative to Formula One racing and decided upon the idea of an amphibious series.

The third prize went to Gabriel Crosa for his ‘Gigaspeed’ project which explored how to design a fast and exciting electric powered vehicle to make consumers want to own one.

Chris Johnson, Coventry University commented: "The projects do not focus on any one vision for the future of automotive design, but on a collection of possibilities. Some may come to pass within the next five years, while others may take longer to be realised. The student’s inspiration has been ‘take nothing for granted, just let ideas and concepts flow’"

Sponsorship of the Coventry University Automotive MA Design Show, now in its seventh consecutive year, forms part of Corus’ work in bridging the gap between advanced metal engineering and leading edge product design. This years design show was held at a brand new venue, the recently reburbished Coventry Transport Museum which displays the largest collection of British road transport in the world.

Jon King concluded: "By partnering an institute at the forefront of innovation in European automotive design, Corus can create a platform to better understand the needs and wants of young designers, which can impact the future material solutions being developed within the company."

Corus is committed to supporting new talent in automotive design and engineering, creating a platform to understand the needs and wants of young designers, which can impact the future material solutions being developed within Corus.

See also www.cardesignnews.com