Theme for Michelin Challenge Design 2014 announced

The Michelin Challenge Design is now in its twelfth year and once again it invites aspiring designers from around the world to focus on design relating to a theme or an emerging trend in the automotive industry. For the 2014 competition, Michelin has chosen the theme “Driven/Undriven: The Duality of Tomorrow’s Automobiles.” Under this topic, participants are asked to explore the human connection to a vehicle and address the potential of autonomous motoring, as it opens new possibilities in automotive design. Specifically, participants in the 2014 Michelin Challenge Design are encouraged to design a vehicle with features and capabilities to engage drivers both in an “Undriven” autonomous mode and a “Driven” driver-controlled mode.

“The strength of the Michelin Challenge Design competition is its ability to explore themes within the automotive industry that have the potential to affect vehicle and tyre design worldwide,” said John Moloney, vice-president of original equipment marketing, Michelin North and South America. “We continue to be surprised and delighted by the calibre or work that comes through this programme and excited about what the 2014 theme will bring.”

While introducing the new theme, Michelin notes that with expected increases in populations, vehicles and traffic demands, vehicle autonomy is emerging as an essential component of future mobility systems. City planners and automotive system designers expect the car of the future will require some method of autonomous control to keep city traffic flowing. In addition, the emotional connection with one’s vehicle has traditionally been as closely tied with driving as with the sense of freedom that vehicle ownership has delivered to generations. Now, Michelin challenges designers to explore how a vehicle can be designed to operate autonomously, while also creating an emotional connection through a “driven” mode.

The entry process and more information can be found at www.michelinchallengedesign.com. Final submissions are due 1 June 2013.