New mobility for China


China is a country that has been "reinventing itself" for the last 20 years. The car industry is booming and the country has become the number one car producer in the world.

The infrastructures that are required to accommodate all of these new vehicles are being developed much more slowly, however, and with an average of 2000 cars being registered every day in Beijing (for example) we can easily see the traffic, parking and pollution problems being faced.

Isn't the job of car designers to take these problems into account, and to think more about infrastructure and cars together? Isn't there a chance for China to come up with solutions that will not simply replicate those already existing in the EU, USA, and Japan?

For this brief, we are looking for the creative and practical ideas that young designers can come up with, in terms of mass and individual transportation and innovative infrastructures.

Designers are free to choose a class of car among the different brands of the Mercedes-Benz car group (smart, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach) to create their own futuristic interpretation(s) of exterior and interior design. The car(s) has to be environmentally-friendly and the designer must imagine an attractive infrastructure scenario in which their creation(s) can evolve.

For their reference, designers can draw inspiration from Syd Mead, one of the rare designers who could imagine both transportation and innovative infrastructure environments at the same time.


* Entries must contain both interior and exterior design to qualify to win.

Syd Mead's work (click to enlarge)