GREENVILLE, S.C. — The theme of the 2019 Michelin Challenge Design competition will be "Inspiring Mobility," which examines questions of why joy, trust, security or freedom are important factors in designing mobility solutions for megacities of the future.
Discussions around the future of mobility often focus on what people will drive, the technologies they will use and the brands they will prefer, according to Michelin North America Inc., which sponsors the competition.
To meet the world's economic, environmental, emotional and social needs, hundreds of billions of dollars will be spent over the next 20 years to manufacture these technologies to support sustainable mobility, Michelin said.
"Across the globe, millions of people are migrating to urban centers every year, which has accelerated the emergence of megacities," Ben Ebel, chairman of Michelin Challenge Design, Michelin North America, said.
"What will transportation look like in these cities in 2035? We are encouraging designers to appeal to the emotional side of design by first asking why a user in a megacity would choose a particular mobility system — more than just a specific vehicle concept — and what emotional need can be met with that design."
Michelin invites entrants to design a mobility solution that will invoke one of several emotions — joy, trust, security or freedom — for users in Berlin, Mumbai, New York, São Paulo or Shanghai in the year 2035.
Created by Michelin in 2001 to encourage and recognize young designers, Michelin Challenge Design has become a prestigious global design competitions, thanks in part to its jury members, who often are the advanced design leaders for major auto makers.
Since its inception, the competition has drawn more than 13,000 entries from 130 countries. Recent winners and finalists have hailed from Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Kingdom and the U.S.
Entries opened Aug. 20 at michelinchallengedesign.com. Winners will be recognized at the 2019 Movin'On International Summit for Sustainable Mobility in Montreal.
Georgii Varodi, a transportation design student from St. Petersburg, Russia, won the 18th annual Michelin Design Challenge competition for innovative vehicle design, with his interpretation of a futuristic Citroen DS Bertoni,
The theme of last year's competition was "Michelin Concours d'Elegance 2050 — Future Classic." Entrants were asked to design the car that would be released to the public in 2025 that would be most likely to be considered a classic design in 2050.