“Automobile Design for social utility”
The 7th L’argus de l’automobile design competition awards ceremony was held at the Eiffel Tower on the evening of Wednesday 21 January 2009. Damien Grossemy, Thibaut Dereymacker and Maxime Dimarcq were the winners with their “link” concept for a car pool system based on car-sharing in self-service access. Answering the question « Invent a vehicle that is useful for Society », they won 3 000 euros awarded by L’argus, and the opportunity to do an internship at the Technocentre Renault.
Theme of the 7th competition: Providing usefulness for society?
After 6 years devoted to the specific segment of the Commercial Vehicle, the 7th L’argus de l’automobile Design Competition was extended to the concept of mobility in a broader sense, on the topic: “Invent a vehicle that is useful for Society”.
In global terms, students in design, industrial creation and fine arts throughout the European Union have had the opportunity to reflect upon every aspect of mobility, as regarding to goods, services and people, while emphasizing concepts such as car-sharing, ecomobility or intermodal transport. According to the teachers of design assisting the students in their projects, “with the extension of the topic, even girls, who are habitually reluctant to take part in a car-based competition, have been able to demonstrate their creativity”.
2009, an exceptional vintage
A total of 307 students entered the competition, 173 of them proposed a project in conformity with the entry requirements. The involvement of the schools is an essential factor of success for the event: in France, ENSAAMA Olivier de Serres, Creapole, Creasud Bordeaux, IUP d’Evry, Ecole de Design Nantes-Atlantique and Ecole de Condé of Lyon appear among the principal contributors. Entries from abroad continue to grow, up from 37% in 2007 to 45% in 2008. Two British schools took a close interest in the competition: Coventry School of Arts and Design and University of Northumbria.
A professional springboard courtesy of Renault
Before a jury made up of professional car designers, design experts and national planning specialists (see the list in annex), ten finalists defended their projects merits on the morning of Wednesday 21 January. The three winners of the first prize of the 7th Competition were announced during the evening awards ceremony at the Eiffel Tower and received a cheque for 3 000 euros offered by Alexandrine Breton, President of the Group L’argus. One of them will also have the chance of work experience within the Design department of Renault, partner of the Competition (after Citroën last year). Having taken part in the definition of the theme and involved in the selection of the prize winners, Renault designers applauded the quality of the projects and the inventiveness of the students.
