Studios Explore 'Blue Sky' Adventures for Los Angeles Auto Show's Design Challenge

- Final January Show Before Moving to New November Dates -

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1 -- In Los Angeles, style reigns supreme. And for the automobile designers working in one of the world's automotive design centers, you can expect there will be plenty of imaginative vehicle designs emerging from the Los Angeles Auto Show's studio design competition. The Design Challenge returns for its second year after receiving rave reviews from journalists who gave the designs extensive worldwide news coverage. Dozens of magazines and newspapers throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas brought the innovative designs to millions of readers. Further still, some observers inquisitively questioned whether some of the designs may be precursors to actual concepts.

Given the widespread interest, a presentation booklet and CD-ROM containing all of the entries will be released in advance to journalists worldwide at a news conference and reception on Nov. 8. This will also provide ample opportunities for journalists to meet the participating design teams before the winner is announced at the auto show on Jan. 5.

This year's Design Challenge theme is "An LA Adventure," which is a reflection of the myriad of lifestyle, sporting and cultural activities that are inherent to the Southern California landscape. The competition has designers creating renderings of vehicles that best interpret their chosen adventure, whatever that activity might be.

"The Design Challenge is an exercise in free-thinking and allows designers the chance to explore ideas without the restriction of production disciplines," explains Chuck Pelly, Design Los Angeles conference director and partner in The Design Academy, Inc. "Design studios benefit from these types of assignments as they stretch the imaginations of their staffs, which may ultimately influence the way they approach future projects."

   The participating studios are:
               BMW Group DesignworksUSA
               California Advanced Product Creation (Ford)
               CALTY Design Research (Toyota)
               General Motors 5350 Industrial Concepts
               Honda Research & Development
               Hyundai Kia America Design Center
               Mazda Research & Development
               Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design
               Mitsubishi Research & Design
               Volkswagen/Audi Design Center California

"Our designers are having a lot of fun with this project and have come up with some very exciting ideas," says Franz Lecher, president of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design of North America. The studio's entry last year raised

eyebrows and smiles, as the Mercedes was equipped with jet thrusters to help it fly above congested traffic.

Last year's co-winners, however, took decidedly different approaches. Chrysler Group's Pacifica Design Center created the Dodge SuperBee, a two-seat efficient commuter with race-car like looks and performance. Volkswagen/Audi Design Center California went upscale with its Volkswagen Mobile Lounge that incorporates swivel-mounted seats and a limousine-esque experience for the Hollywood set. All entries from last year can be viewed at the auto show's Web site at LAautoshow.com.

This year's winner will be selected on how well the design interprets the theme, its appropriateness to Southern California and its unique design characteristics. Three esteemed transportation educators will judge the designs. They are: Imre Molnar, College for Creative Studies (Detroit); Tom Matano, Academy of Art University (San Francisco); and Stewart Reed, Art Center College of Design (Pasadena).

About Design Los Angeles

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference, which, in its second year, is evolving into an integral element of the LA Auto Show. This conference bridges designers' interests by providing them with workshops, speakers and the opportunity to address common issues. More than 400 designers attended last January's inaugural event.

The Los Angeles region, long hailed as a leader of creativity and consumer trends, is home to the world's largest concentration of manufacturer design studios representing automakers from North America, Europe and Asia. It is also the home of Art Center College of Design, one of the world's foremost transportation design institutions where many of today's leading designers began their careers.

The conference is unique in that automobile designers are playing an integral role in its ongoing development. Six prominent designers joined an advisory board to identify issues that are of interest to designers and to help establish the framework for the long-term development of the conference.

The Design Advisory Board is comprised of Chris Chapman, BMW Group DesignworksUSA; Kevin Hunter, Calty Design Research; Derek Jenkins, Volkswagen/Audi Design Center California; David Marek, Honda Research and Development; Joel Piaskowski, Hyundai Kia America Design Center; and Frank Saucedo, General Motors 5350 Industrial Concepts.

Final January LA Auto Show

The LA Auto Show is undertaking a strategic date change next year when it moves to November. The change in dates addresses a longstanding desire of the industry for the LA Auto Show to have its own time period away from the Detroit auto show and to avoid the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Automakers are planning to capitalize on the new show dates by introducing an expanded lineup of new models and concepts in Los Angeles. This shift makes the upcoming 2006 LA Auto Show the last one to be held in January.

   Upcoming show dates:
   2006 LA Auto Show: January 6 - 15, 2006 (Media Days - January 4 & 5)
   2007 LA Auto Show: December 1 - 10, 2006 (Media Days - November 29 & 30)
   2008 LA Auto Show: November 16 - 25, 2007 (Media Days - November 14 & 15)