Students were asked to come up with a design that would help make the automobile viable in mid-century.
Is there a place in tomorrow’s world for the automobile? Perhaps no place is the answer more uncertain than crowded, smog-choked Mexico City, which is precisely the challenge faced by student designers participating in the 2011 Michelin Challenge Design competition.
The project asked the students to come up with vehicular solutions that could make it possible for the automobile to be part of the solution, rather than the problem.
“Through this competition, we can explore the vision these future designers have of the industry and where mobility solutions are going. Today we join the CCS faculty and our panel of judges to celebrate the work, ideas and vision demonstrated by this talented group of designers,” John Moloney, vice president of original equipment marketing, Michelin North and South America, as the winners of the program were announced.
Winners received scholarship money - and something to put on their resumes.
Four students from Detroit’s Center for Creative Studies, one of the top automotive and transportation design schools in the country, took top honors in this year’s Michelin Challenge Design competition with four new vehicle designs intended to provide a look ahead to the year 2046.
Michelin, which has been sponsoring the CCS competition for 23 years, laid down the parameters for this year’s competition some months ago, giving the four four-member student teams 15 weeks to analyze the transportation problems of cities around the world in the year 2046, lay out a plan, and come up with four different vehicular solutions that included new types of tire designs for the future.
“The Michelin Challenge Design and College for Creative Studies competition captures the essence of Michelin’s mission to provide mobility solutions for the changing world,” said Moloney.
Judges included a number of senior industry designers.
The judges for this year’s competition, experienced professional designers all, included Peter Davis of Tata Technologies, Bob Boniface of General Motors Design, Joe Dehner of Chrysler Design, and Dave Hall of Michelin.
The 2011 MCD/CCS winners were Team High Density, composed of seniors Zack Stephanchick, 22, of Akron, Ohio, Jiyun Shin, 22, of Daejeon, Korea, Taylor Langhals, 22, of Sylvania, Ohio, and Tyler Linner, 22, of Stillwater, Minnesota, who were award cash prizes as a team.
In addition, Langhals was awarded the top prize of $1250 for his individual work, Stephanchick was award second prize of $1000, and student Jon Russell, 24, of Dallas, was award third prize, $750.
Michelin awarded a total of $22,400 to the school and the students at this year’s competition, and the winners, Team High Density, will be allowed to show their work next month during the North American International Auto Show. The show will be comprised of 27 of the 1864 entries from 88 countries submitted for the this year’s Michelin Challenge Design exhibition.