Italdesign talks pick-ups, materials and converging design worlds

Occupying a slightly different spot to last year, Italdesign’s exhibit at Milan Design Week 2025 once again underlined the crossover between car, fashion, product and industrial design.

Greeting visitors upon entry is an impressive scale model of a high-speed train, a series of bicycles, beautiful hanging pendant lights and a carefully-curated selection of activewear. Move on through, and things get even broader, from a single wheel mounted on a plinth, a selection of office chairs, coffee machines – ovens – and even a showcase of Seiko watches (our pick of the bunch was a Giugiaro-designed Chronograph, better known as the ‘Ripley’ for its role in the film Aliens.)

It is a celebration of how design considerations extend beyond the obvious, touching everyday items and transforming the mundane into the marvellous.

Now, the real draw occupied the rear of the exhibit and was difficult to miss. The Quintessenza concept was revealed in person at CES earlier this year and previewed an exciting take on the pick-up as an idea. Inspiration came in part from the Subaru Brat, a quirky pick-up that featured rear-facing seats mounted in the truck bed. In the Quintessenza, the execution is a little sleeker than bolting some bucket seats into the sheet metal.

On hand was design boss Joaquin Garcia for a demonstration. “The seats are symmetrical, so the footrest becomes the headrest and the headrest becomes the footrest,” Garcia explains. With the tap of a button or two, the tailgate folds down (to become a step) and the seats cascade backward. At the same time, the centre console also retreats backward to serve as a table. Voila – you are now stargazing.

Indeed, this was a key concept behind the vehicle’s design: in large cities it can be difficult to drown out the noise and stargazing is largely impossible due to the bright lights and skyscrapers. In this pick-up, drivers can head to the sticks and traverse rough terrain to find a quiet, untainted spot for some quiet astronomy. Or maybe reading a book with a cold drink if that is not your thing. “We studied all of this really carefully with our ergonomic engineers and the process actually works very well,” notes Garcia. “You’re able to just enjoy nature at the lake or wherever you are, to just take a moment to yourself.”

A nice touch is the Alcantara cladding which covers the top of the truck bed, softening a surface that passengers would grab on to when climbing up or stepping out. The attention to materials continues up front. This is a concept after all, and so exploratory materials have been employed to showcase some of the latest innovations in the market. One that stood out to us was a plush textile called Marm / More, which is created using waste marble dust close to where the car is made. As Garcia explains, it adds an element of locality to the material.

“There are several advantages. First of all, the haptics are fantastic but there is some storytelling because you take a little bit of your territory wherever you go.” For example, one could imagine picking up a car from Milan that uses Italian marble. “You can imagine the same thing if we were in Beijing or Pebble Beach. It has really strong storytelling.”

Elsewhere in the cabin, the floor sports a terrazzo-esque pattern (how fitting!) made from recycled Nike running shoes and garments, supplied by US firm Hero Flooring. The doorcards do bring an outdoor adventure feel with zipped storage and bungee cords bringing a ‘hiker’ aesthetic. “I am big fan of simplicity,” says Garcia, nodding to the idea of carrying only the bare essentials on a hike (or in the car).

“But simplicity doesn’t mean something has to be boring or to be meaningless. Quite the contrary, in fact.” This ties in nicely with the theme laid out in the introduction of this article; how different industries can dovetail excellently when given a little thought. A nice nod to the theme of Italdesign’s exhibit, too: “Connected Worlds.”

Directly opposite the Quintessenza is a vivid pink coupe which, for the briefest of moments, appeared to be the Jaguar Type 00 concept. Look closer, and this is in fact quite a different take on a futuristic electric coupe, designed through a collaboration with IED Torino and Italdesign.

The Rapida is a 2+2 fastback coupe that combines sharp, angular bodywork, sculptural five-spoke rims (from OZ no less!) and a slightly softer, more elegant treatment to the rear view. Garcia jokes that there are very few cars that run the risk of taking attention away from the frankly monstrous European pick-up concept with 24-inch wheels.

Speaking of which, those wheels on the Quintessenza are a talking point beyond design. Peeking through from behind the spokes are enormous brake calipers and a curious arrangement of nondescript hardware, but for anyone that is in the business, the name ‘Elaphe’ gives it away.

These are in-wheel motor hubs, which bring electric drive directly from the hub to the wheel. Garcia is excited for the opportunities not only on a technical level, but also in terms of styling and, in our words, visual engineering. “It’s really exciting and super cool,” Garcia says of the potential design opportunities.