LA Auto Show Affords Exclusive Sneak Peek at Design Competition Entry

LA Auto Show Affords Exclusive Sneak Peek at Design Competition Entry
Imagine what the Ultimate LA Machine would be. Then, ask automobile designers to come up with their interpretation and you'll get a broad array of creative ideas. That's precisely what the Los Angeles Auto Show asked Los Angeles area automobile design studios to do -- and the results are fascinating, entertaining and thought provoking.

Today, the LA Auto Show provides a sneak peek into the competition by releasing one of the 13 entries -- the Hyundai NTT, "Entity," submitted by the Hyundai Kia America Design Center. All other entries will be visible on media days, beginning Jan. 5, with the winner announced on Jan. 6.

The Hyundai design team describes the banana-colored NTT as part surfboard, skateboard and BOOMbox. It has tandem four-row seating to slice through traffic and a built-in surfboard forming the roofline. The studio suggests, "The Hyundai NTT is not only a vehicle, it's a way of life."

The design challenge is part of the auto show's theme -- Design Los Angeles -- as a way to showcase Los Angeles area design studios' imagination in a fun and creative manner. Over the past several months, studios have internally debated and some have even held competitions to determine which two-dimensional conceptual rendering will represent their individual studio.

According to David O'Connell, chief designer at Mitsubis