Table of contents for 272 in AUTO & DESIGN

Feeling at home in your car. Using your vehicle as a space to live in and fitting it out with a level of convenience never seen before. This shift is transforming car interiors into extensions of our homes, an approach that is revolutionising design. While vehicle design once prioritised the exterior, today it is more and more usual to start from inside. There are many reasons for this change in mindset. The trend towards autonomous driving – which once seemed just around the corner but is now experiencing serious setbacks – has elevated the role of the passenger compartment, and advances in technology and materials have found a perfect testing ground in the interior. Additionally, the spread of electric cars is leading drivers to spend more time on board during…

Today's snapshot of European night rail transport reveals a complex landscape where Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) emerges as a key player. While other national operators have yielded to low-cost flights, abandoning a sector with significant losses, ÖBB has actually expanded its network of cross-border connections, deciding some time ago to invest €500 million in 33 new generation Nightjet trains, developed with Siemens Mobility. This long-term strategy aims to consolidate the revitalisation of night trains as an alternative to air transport, aligning with the EU's sustainability objectives. The new trains, which have been entering service since late 2023, serve international routes with a fixed composition of seven carriages capable of 230 km/h, accommodating approximately 250 people distributed among seats, sleeping cars with single or double compartments, private toilets and showers, as well…

A mix of boldness, design and innovation with the aim of redefining sportiness for Generation Z. The Vision Rapida is a concept car created by the young for the young. Built on architecture capable of accommodating a variety of powertrains – from internal combustion to hybrid and full electric – it is well positioned to meet the challenges of a constantly evolving market. With its focus trained on affordability, it aims to deliver performance and design that are within the reach of a new generation of enthusiasts. Designed by students from the Master’s in Transportation Design at IED Turin in close partnership with Italdesign, the car features a low, aggressive, racing set-up with taut exterior lines. “With the Rapida they have tried to fill the gap left on the market…

LOTUS A gathering to celebrate automobile design, a celebration for industry professionals and enthusiasts alike. Once again, Milan’s ADI Museum hosted the Car Design Award, the global automotive design Oscar established in 1984 by our magazine. The winners were the Lotus team for their Theory 1 concept car, Ferrari for the 12Cilindri, and Renault for its Brand Design Language, each in their respective categories: “Concept Cars”, “Production Cars”, and “Brand Design Language”. “It’s wonderful to see our work acknowledged for such an experimental and innovative project as the Theory 1”, stated Ben Payne, Vice President of Lotus Group Design. Flavio Manzoni, Ferrari’s Chief Design Officer, accepted the award with his team: “With the 12Cilindri, we wanted to dare with unexpected forms and new stylistic codes that take us into the…

For Dacia, the Bigster is a turning point. Never before had the Renault group manufacturer embarked on the endeavour of creating a large SUV (4.6 metres in length) with a muscular stance and the unmistakable outdoor spirit that has defined the character of all recent Dacia models. Its story began in 2021 when Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault group, presented the Bigster Concept as part of the revival plan for the French automotive giant. Four years later, here is the production version: “We managed to achieve all the intentions expressed in the prototype: it was meant to be the ultimate expression of Dacia values and the flagship vehicle of our brand,” explains David Durand, Vice President of Dacia Design. The Bigster’s forms were born from the pencil of…

Audi’s Drift Us installation was the centrepiece of the urban square at Portrait Milano during Design Week. Marking its twelfth year as co-producer of Interni exhibition events, Audi once again underscored its commitment to bridging design and innovation, this year through the concept of “flexability”, a blend of flexibility and ability. In this context, the new Audi A6 Avant and A6 e-tron, the newly marketed full-electric car, were unveiled for the first time. And it is here that we met up with DRIFT, namely Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta, who for years have been working with their studio in Amsterdam and New York to create unique experiences based on the wonder effect of technology. “It's an interactive choreography”, says Lonneke, “custom-made for Audi based on a concept we'd already explored…

The numerous projects he has worked on include bestsellers like the 2010 Kia Sportage and the iconic new Land Rover Defender and in June 2024 he was appointed head of Audi design. Born in 1971, Massimo Frascella has built up a distinguished career in car design starting from the Bertone body shop and modelling his stylistic approach around a “distinctly Italian” flair, blending classic taste and minimalism with a touch of provocation. When did you decide you wanted to be a car designer? “Fairly late on. It may seem strange but I’ve never been particularly interested in car technology, performance or driving. However, I've always had a deep love for aesthetics and art: when I was a boy I even tried my hand at oil painting. Then, as I was…

Design to astonish, define the language of the new, and clarify its belonging to modernity. Without compromise. If at times the intention emerges more explicitly than usual, it certainly happens with the latest Kia electric vehicles: “The key to understanding our work lies in a strong drive to move away from classic lines,” explains Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of the Kia Design Centre. In general terms, the approach underpinning the vehicle body promotes the brand’s design philosophy, “Opposites United,” seeking to combine a highly technological feel with care for human emotion. How? “The almost ‘sharp’ features of certain areas convey a sense of mechanical precision and future orientation, while for other large sections, much softer and fluid shapes have been preferred,” attracting and comforting the eye. The…

Who better than young students could imagine an unprecedented accessory for a new car? The Dacia designers asked themselves this question when they decided to launch a competition dedicated to design schools for the Bigster’s début. The aim: to design a new YouClip accessory, the range of products that can be attached to strategic points in the cabin. First seen on the Manifesto concept car, YouClip provides up to seven attachment points on the Dacia Bigster. The competition began last September at the Paris Motor Show, and by the end of January, sixty-five designers had pitched their projects to the Dacia design team. Four made it to the final. Garance Probsting from Ensaama in Paris created Dog Set, a device designed for those who need to travel with their pets.…

Riva is among the most celebrated brands in the world of yachting. Timeless, yet with an eye firmly set on the future. We met with Mauro Micheli of Officina Italiana Design, the studio that has been crafting its shapes and forms for more than twenty years. Yacht Design and Car Design: can they truly speak to each other? “We certainly follow the style of car design; it’s a sort of anticipation of what will later be seen in other worlds. Our Rivamare is a good example, a boat that recalls automotive design. In reality, it’s a two-way communication: there are lines, or signs in some of today’s automobiles that recall “our” boats, the Rivas, or perhaps even those of Francesco Paszkowski… I’m referring to a more “soft” type of vessel,…