Autostyle Design Competition 2013

(cover images: sketches from the 2012 edition of the contest)

Autostyle Design Competition is a two-day international event focused on automotive design which features conferences, workshops, an exhibition and its own design competition.

This year’s edition will take place in evocative setting of the nineteenth-century Villa di Bagno, in the outskirts of Mantua, Northern Italy, on October 3 and 4, 2013.

Below we report a summary of the planned activities. The event program is available in pdf format. For more information you can visit berman.it.

The Design Competition

The 2013 edition of the design contest asked participants to elaborate “Special Versions” starting from the following models: Citroën Revolte, Suzuki SX4, Audi Crosslane, Land Rover Defender DC100 and Maserati Ghibli.

Twelve selected finalist projects will be on display during the two-days event. The awarding ceremony is scheduled for October 4, at 11.30 am; finalists will be awarded by the Evaluation Committee members who assessed their proposals.

The panel is composed by president Fulvio Cinti (Auto&Design), Alessandro Maccolini (Alfa Romeo), Klemens Rossnagel (Audi), Flavio Manzoni (Ferrari), Claudio Messale (Ford), Roberto Giolito (Fiat), Anna Costamagna (Peugeot – Citroën), Massimo Grandi (Università degli Studi di Firenze), Robin Page (Volvo).

The available prizes include the Creativity awards from Auto&Design magazine and three additional awards from Berman: Best Proposal for Urban Cars / Suv and Best Proposal for Off-road vehicles.

The Virtual Wacom Award will be assigned by Autostyle participants who will vote for their favorite proposal.

Live Sessions and Workshops

The two-day event will be opened by the traditional workshops that will show how new models are created in the design centers today.

The first workshop will be the late afternoon session on October 3 with Marco Tencone (Maserati), who will be illustrating the re-birth of the Maserati Ghibli.

During the late evening session of October 3, young designers will be the leading actors of the LIVE DESIGN show.

They will elaborate virtual proposals for Fiat 500 L and Peugeot 2008 using tablets from Wacom – one among the event’s sponsors. Their sketches will be directly projected on the models exhibited in the gardens of the Villa.

For Volvo, Robin Page and Jonathan Disley, respectively Head of Interior & Exterior Design, will reveal  some insights on the design behind the Concept Coupé.

The first session of Friday, October 4 will be about the concept Coupétorino based on Mercedes-Benz SL; Studiotorino will explain how that concept has been conceived through the research of their studio, the Advance Design of Mercedes-Benz and the students of IAAD Istituto Superiore d’Arte Applicata e Design of Turin.

Alessandro Maccolini (Alfa Romeo) will present a workshop focused on the new 4C. assembled in the dedicated area of Maserati plant in Modena.

Flavio Manzoni (Ferrari) will conclude the morning session illustrating LaFerrari and its innovative details, such as the Hy-Kers system and the hand-laminatated carbon fiber chassis.

The Exhibition

The on-site exhibition will feature 20 among concepts and production models: Alfa Romeo 4C, Audi Crosslane, LaFerrari, Fiat 500L, Jaguar F-Type, Maserati Quattroporte e Ghibli, Nissan Micra e Note (restyling), Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Suzuki S-Cross, Toyota RAv 4 e Auris S.W., Volvo Concept Coupé.

About AutoStyle

AutoStyle is promoted by Berman S.p.A. – a manufacturer of car components and special versions since 1972 – with the support of bimonthly magazine Auto&Design, Iveco Suzzara, Politecnico di Milano Polo of Mantua, Wacom and the patronage of Town of San Benedetto Po, Chamber of Commerce of Mantua, Province of Mantua and the National Registers of Architects and Engineers.

(Image Courtesy: Berman/AutoStyle for Car Body Design)