2007 Los Angeles Auto Show: Robocar 2057
November 16, 2007
Southern California, long hailed as the epicenter of automotive creativity and consumer trends, is home to the world’s largest concentration of automotive design studios, and there are 15 such operations for the major car manufacturers alone.
The Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public Nov. 17 and extends to Nov. 25, takes advantage of this regional talent by playing host to an annual conference of automobile design professionals called "Design Los Angeles."
In its fourth year and gaining popularity, the conference is expected to gather over 500 participants. The centerpiece of the conference is the Design Challenge, in which teams compete to create the most innovative concept within a given theme. This year’s theme, Robocar 2057, attracted entries from Audi, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen.
An Environmental Approach
Four studios made similar assumptions about the future – a scarcity of open land, major traffic congestion, and unmitigated pollution.
GM’s OnStar ANT takes cues from one of earth’s hardest working and efficient creatures, the ant.
Infinitely reconfigurable panels adapt the vehicle’s interior to suit the driver’s needs, while OnStar enables seamless communication with other vehicles to maximize traffic flow. 
Honda’s One to the Power of Four specifically addresses the issue of commuting from the suburbs to the city, where a car might break up into four separate modules and give a driver a choice between mass transit and personal transportation.
The VW Slipstream seamlessly adapts its footprint to suit its environment – upright and vertical in the city or long and low for high speeds on the freeways.
The Toyota Biomobile Mecha also adapts vertically and horizontally depending on the environment, but takes the theme one step further. The vehicle is propelled by pollutants in the air, thus restoring balance to the atmosphere.
Car As Object
Audi, Mazda, and Mercedes-Benz were less influenced by the environment and instead focused on the car as object.
The Audi Virtuea Quattro is the bouillon-cube expression of its brand – intelligence and beauty. Unflustered by traffic or pollution, the Virtuea transports its owner in a holographic cocoon with grace and style.
Not unlike the SilverSurfer of comic books, the Mercedes Benz SilverFlow ensures that its owner never has to worry about a single dent on his prized possession. The car’s shape can be reshaped at the click of a button, and if that’s not enough, it can completely liquefy and slide its way through traffic.
Mazda’s MotoNari RX pays tribute to an old Japanese warrior while taking cues from the gaming world. Worn like a suit of armor, the MotoNari RX is the ultimate in man-machine interface.
Nissan is the only company that created a concept that went beyond the idea of transportation. The OneOne leaps out of the garage into the home by becoming the ultimate butler/chauffeur/nanny/pet. Naming your car may become a routine right of passage for new car buyers!
Different Takes, Same Goal - Mobility
All these concepts are as futuristic as a piece of Syd Mead's set design for "BladeRunner," yet all have promising innovation opportunities for the industry. Even in a futuristic world, car designers recognize that people want to go places without the hassles of traffic. No one likes it that cars pollute. Everyone is attracted to beauty, loves to be exhilarated, and hates a door ding.
The future will change, but the way we value personal mobility will not.
A complete description of these projects can be found at Design Los Angeles.
Posted by Michelle Krebs at 4:29 AM under Companies , Featured | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Very interesting subject matter and great insight into the topic. I like seeing how the different brands treated the task in ways that seemed to fit their images. Looking forward to seeing more from Jane.
Posted by: J. Morgan | November 16, 2007 at 5:14 PM