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'Zero Impact Vehicle design' was the topic at the start of the second day of the conference, chaired by Interior Motives editor Euan Sey. Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design at GM Europe started the two part session by speaking about GM's E-Flex architectures and the Opel Flextreme, a vehicle which includes Segway scooters nestled in a compartment at the rear. "We are working on mobility concepts as a whole" Lo said. Former Lancia Design Director Michael Robinson, founder and CEO of Crossover Creative Consortium, discussed the alarming level of deaths on roadways in emerging markets, particularly China, while Prof. Paolo Tumminelli, Director of the Goodbrands Institute for Automotive Culture spoke of Mindset, a new 'alternative automobile concept' being created by ex-VW Design Director Murat Günak (with input from David Wilkie).
The second part of the session - this time chaired by Northumbria University's Senior Lecturer in Transportation Design, Matteo Conti - featured presentations by Lowie Vermeersch, Design Director at Pininfarina; David Wilkie and Hannah MacMurray, Director of Green Car Design and CDN contributor.
Vermeersch lead the discussion speaking about the Sintesi fuel cell-powered concept shown in Geneva earlier this year and was followed by Wilkie who spent time discussing the Mindset project in his usual animated manner. "Why should the next car be bigger than the last one" he said, citing generations of the VW Golf. "Concept cars are so easy," Wilkie said, "they're easier than production cars. That's why I took the Mindset project up. It's not a concept, it's trying to capture charm." This was the precursor to a film by MacMurray discussing the duty of Generation X to muster the "courage and imagination to design cars that will challenge users to change the way they move."
Concluding the conference was a session on 'Product design and the car interior'. Chair Peter Jansen led the discussion speaking about the influence of iconic modern day product designs - such as the iPod - on vehicle interiors. Dr. Manuel Simas from Microsoft Corporation and Magnus Dahlhjelm of Propeller spoke at length about product design and user interaction, while Andreas Wlasak, Industrial Design Vice President at Faurecia, brought the topic back to cars with his presentation on the Premium Attitude concept.
In all, the Interior Motives conference was a great place for designers working in all facets of the design sector to discuss ideas and innovations currently taking place in the automotive design world, and a wonderfully educational and inspiring event.
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Review: Faurecia Premium Attitude 
Interior Motives Design Conference 2006
Interior Motives Design Conference 2005
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