The theme for this year’s international design competition was to create a car that saves the earth’s resources to the maximum. One way is to keep the weight minimal, & the requirement of the contest was that the car was weighing one thous& pounds, ie 453 kg.

Competition Design Challenge is aimed at leading design studios in the world & the contributions are judged by a jury of leading Californian designers gather for the annual conference of Design Los Angeles, held in conjunction with the motor show in town.

This year’s competition attracted nine participants, most from California, but also one from Germany & Japan respectively.

Entries exist only in the virtual world as a computer project, but explained in detail with a number of illustrations & a presentation text from each contestant’s design.

When the jury came together to thrash out a winner, it proved more difficult than any of the six prior years time. The decision was so difficult that the reputable members of the jury chose to name two winners, who thus share first place. & the winners are … Cadillac & Smart!

Both proposals were selected “for their comfort, safety & their performance – without sacrificing the exterior design, as consumers in much too dem&ing”.

Cadillac Aera: Everything goes with compressed air
Design: General Motors Advanced Design, California.
A 2 2-seater with the lattice structure of the lightweight alloy, plated with a thin flexible shell that is ultra lightweight & optimizes aerodynamics. Aera is powered by compressed air (10,000 psi) & has a range of 1600 km. The air is also responsible for steering (by wire) & suspension. Weight: 450 kg max.

Smart 454 WWT: The knitted car
Design: Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design, Germany.
Future Smart knitted with carbon fibers of the knitting super-smart robots & shape of the various chassis components can be optimized for minimum weight with maximum strength. All the exterior body panels are made of recycled plastic. The roof is recycled very durable fabric. The wheels of carbon fiber with built in suspension can manage without air. It easily editable shape of the chassis makes it easy to adapt it to different powertrains.

Quote from the jury’s verdict:
“The winner in this year’s Design Challenge was extremely difficult, because the quality of entries has been increased significantly over the years. Winners 2010 – Cadillac Aera & Smart 454 WWT – offers two very different visions for a thous& pound car, but both are equally impressive. Both are very typical for their respective models: Cadillac’s art & technology while Smart is fun & games. “