SPD Transportation and Car Design MA degree show review 2026

SPD is Italy’s first school dedicated to design, founded in Milan in 1954 by Nino Di Salvatore – an artist known for his focus on the study of geometry and colour.

Like many other automotive design courses across the world, this programme is continually evolving in response to changes in the profession – like the ever-growing importance of HMI and sustainability.

What makes SPD stand out from the pack, as it were, is the school’s long-standing relationships with the industry. SPD has maintained strong connections with the likes of Lamborghini, Honda, Alfa Romeo, Audi, VW, Genesis, Geely and many more for over 20 years.

The Master’s programme follows a two-year structure, with the first year combining theoretical and practical teaching with industry-based projects. The second year brings the opportunity for an internship or students can combine professional experience with their academic work before moving onto their thesis project.

This thesis project encourages students to work as an independent design studio – defining their objectives, managing the development of the project, making design decisions and presenting and defending their choices. AI is allowed in order to explore and refine concepts but it is ultimately treated as a supporting tool rather than a decision-maker.

Below is a selection of the graduating 2026 cohort of Master’s students work. Enjoy.

Andrea Gabri – Solista

In a future dominated by autonomous mobility, Solista by Automobili Mignatta stands as a manifesto against standardisation, celebrating driving as an emotional luxury.

Inspired by Italy's coachbuilding heritage, this radical open speedster redefines mobility as a sensory, performative experience. Wind, sound and physical exposure become expressions of identity, while manual driving transforms into a ritual of freedom, individuality and cultural resistance.

"A Solista is a single force standing against the vastness, proving that one voice can conquer an entire horizon,” Gabri explains.

Fabio Coletta – Toyota Kurage

The Toyota Kurage project acts as an agent for citizens’ wellbeing, aiming to improve the city’s air quality while also enhancing social life.

Inspired by botanical biofiltration and the concept of the “third place”, the project proposes a shared autonomous hydrogen vehicle that purifies the air while also playing a social role by fostering interactions between people.

Francisco Javier Rico Quintero – Mitsubishi Evolution

This thesis examines how automotive brands respond to emerging market trends and the risks of adopting them without fully understanding customer preferences.

Focusing on the decline of sports sedans and using the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution as a case study, it explores how this iconic model could return as a sport wagon, offering an alternative to the dominance of SUVs in the automotive market.

Lalit Navnath Indapure – Rita

Rita is a performance concept car designed to align with the ethics and values of the 'New Age World, Europe 2035-47', an era post ICE powertrains.

The project aims to create a halo product for Mahindra's future expansion vision, which creates aspiration, enables the brand's future DNA, and fosters emotional desirability among users who are progressive, conscious, and future-oriented.

Rita will be a symbol of self-expression through powerful design. This 'POWER' is expressed through lifted motion, static tension, and loaded release, drawing inspiration from ballet and Bharatanatyam, which bridges both European and Indian cultures. 

Nishant – Luna

"The car is the closest thing we will ever create to something that is alive"- Sir William Lyons.

 Inspired by this quote, Luna aims to bring back the 1960s era of Italian elegance and nostalgia. Luna celebrates the raw machinery and analogue experience, combined with the timelessness of Italian designs and a focus on the pleasure of driving.

Shivanshu Yadav – Bugatti Reverie

This Bugatti concept is designed around a single idea: solitude.

The exterior is a geometry of shelter. The interior is inspired by a daydream – specifically the sky and the stillness of clouds. The idea is that when entering the interior, the passenger will feel as if it exists as a sanctuary above the noise of an over-digitalised world.

Yadav adopts the mantra - Shared. Autonomous. Entirely yours."

 Stefano Lorenzi – Gravity H2

The exterior form of this motorbike concept takes inspiration directly from the muscle structure of a human’s back.

Lorenzi follows the design idea that if one follows the function from the inside, the soul will come out of the vehicle.

The main body is formed around the ergonomic shape of a triangle, with the deep U-shape of the seat allowing the rider to stand up to enjoy the ride and be able to find their seat again easily.

Teodor Grecu - Astifino

Designed around a carbon-neutral hydrogen V12 paired with a hybrid powertrain, this concept honors the timeless silhouette of classic front-engined GTs while adapting to the demands of tomorrow.

Long, sculptural proportions meet aggressive, purposeful aerodynamics to deliver both raw mechanical emotion and zero-emission capability.