Dodge and Volkswagen Design Studios Win Top Honors in Design Challenge

Dodge and Volkswagen Design Studios Win Top Honors in Design Challenge
The judges of the Los Angeles Auto Show's Design Challenge have named the Dodge Superbee and Volkswagen Mobile Lounge as joint-winners of the first-ever automobile design studio competition.

As part of the auto show's Design Los Angeles theme and automobile designers' conference, studios were invited to create their vision of the "Ultimate LA Machine," and each rose to the challenge, presenting a dazzling variety of 2-D renderings. The Los Angeles area has the highest concentration of automobile manufacturer design studios in the world, according to Truman Pollard, chief designer at Mazda Research & Development.

The Dodge Superbee, from DaimlerChrysler's Pacifica Design Center, is intended to reflect the California lifestyle, allowing owners to commute efficiently during the week and providing the ultimate tool to explore the Pacific Coast Highway on weekends. According to Brian Nielander of the Pacifica Design Center, "It's open and lightweight -- almost a motorcycle on four wheels."

Designer Reto Brun of Volkswagen/Audi Design Center California said his studio considered two Los Angeles issues when designing the Volkswagen Mobile Lounge -- an antidote to traffic and a better option for the area's "limo-centric" entertainment culture. Whisper-quiet fuel cell technology whisks occupants towards their destination whi