When you visit the design studios of some vehicle manufacturers during the summer, you’ll notice that there are no fewer black-on-black outfits, but more faces that are decidedly...young.
When you visit the design studios of some vehicle manufacturers during the summer, you’ll notice that there are no fewer black-on-black outfits, but more faces that are decidedly...young. That’s because of the summer internship programs that are run. Recently, we had the opportunity to see the results of work done at both Chrysler and General Motors studios. And we would be surprised if we didn’t see some of these ideas incorporated into products in the not-too-distant future.
The brief at Chrysler was to design “Echo Boomer” midsized sedans for model year 2015, both Chrysler and Dodge vehicles. The results are surprisingly similar: both are hatchbacks with coupe-like rooflines and suicide-style rear doors.
At GM the challenge was a bit more focused but more near-term. The team of 18 students had to design an “iconic Chevrolet” for 2012—and they could not create a truck, Camaro or Corvette. In three months, they created six different concepts.
Here’s a look at the vehicles.—CAS & KMK
Chevrolet Exhilaration Concept The team headed up by Paul Kim from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University designed this to be a driver’s car. The Exhilaration Coupe has a single-seat cockpit in the front with space for three passengers in the back. Utilizing a center seating position allowed the design team to develop aggressive tapering exterior lines that flow into a V-shape through the front hood, while the rear end flows outward to accommodate the sofa-like setting for rear seat occupants.
Chevrolet Elusion Concept The lead designer on this vehicle is: Chris Robles from College for Creative Studies. Dubbed a coupe with a versatile hatchback, the Elusion was designed to adapt to three different modes—social, storage and independent. The social mode converts the back into a lounge area, while storage provides a flat load floor for transporting gear and the independent mode shifts the drivers seat to the center of the cockpit.
Chevrolet Adventure Concept The crossover Adventure takes Xtreme sports and molds it in sheet metal. Its high front brow is the defining feature of its exterior design, which takes on a modern, industrial theme. The high-mounted rear tail lamps accentuate the curvaceous rear liftgate, while the interior features removable backpacks to build on the adventuresome theme. Lead designer on the vehicle is Joshua Reed of the College for Creative Studies.
Chevrolet RH-2 Concept Think of this as a Can-Am Spyder on four wheels. Interns designed the interior with an eye toward minimalism as wiring will be exposed (covered in yellow casing) and used as piping. Paint on some of the exterior pieces near the exhaust change color at varying temperature, an idea which caught the attention of some of GM’s seasoned design staffers. Dong Tran of the College for Creative Studies was the lead designer on the car.
Chevrolet Emotion Concept Emotion, whose lead designer is Spencer Nugent of Brigham Young University, was designed to be the driver’s “best friend.” The interior conveys a simple and friendly demeanor, complete with a full glass roof to better connect the car with the environment. The exterior is accentuated by an exaggerated beltline and sculpted wheel arches in the rear quarters, while the overall appearance is meant to be warm and welcoming
Chevrolet Sync Concept This sedan/minivan/hatch combination allows the vehicle to transition between the various stages of its owner’s life. The rear sliding doors convey a sense of openness while providing for a pillar-less appearance across the greenhouse. On the inside, the design team focused on developing intimate lighting with reconfigurable seating to accommodate passengers and cargo. Taking cues from the Chevrolet Volt and Camaro concepts, the Sync caught the attention of GM design boss Ed Welburn, when members of the paint department brought him into the paint booth to view the clay model’s flowing lines and shapes. The Sync’s lead designer is Natalie Schraufnagel from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.
Chrysler Forte Art Center School of Design’s Calvin Luk led the exterior design for the hybrid front-engine, rear-drive Forte. It features full fiber optic lighting for the interior, taillights, and “lightstream” that illuminates the undercut in the roof at night. Brian Stoeckel of the Cleveland Institute of Art matched that with an interior highlighted by a sweeping white band that flows from the instrument panel brow, down the center console, and through the door panels. A touch screen display sits ahead of a “Flip and Clip” center console that can be turned over to reveal a socket where different accessories can plug in. Ahead of the front seat passenger sits an inductive charging pad/Wi-Fi dock integrated into the instrument panel’s upper surface for the projected buyers’ myriad electronic devices. Lindsay Klick of the University of Michigan and Ilyay Blay of Cornell University were responsible for the interior and mechanical packages, respectively.
