The inaugural Yanfeng Automotive Interiors Design Competition concluded with an awards ceremony held on 3rd March at Yanfeng’s global headquarters in Shanghai, China.
The competition and final event was a great success thanks to the outstanding design talents from Tongji University in China and the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in the US.
With a focus on “Better Life through Automotive Innovation,” the global event was committed to finding and developing outstanding design talent to understand and meet consumer expectations in both shared and owned future mobility models.
The design competition launched in September 2017 (as was reported here). A total of 19 students from two top design colleges – Tongji University in Shanghai, China and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, USA – participated and received valuable input throughout the process from senior Yanfeng designers and managers.
During this time, the students also had the opportunity to tour Yanfeng technical centres in the US and China to learn more about the company’s products as well as their design, development, and manufacturing processes.
For the competition’s final phase, a jury of OEM Design Directors narrowed down the group of 19 to a final eight proposals, which were then converted into scale models. The eight student designers travelled to Shanghai to present their work to an audience of over 60 designers and industry leaders from Yanfeng and Chinese as well as international OEM automotive companies.
From the eight models shown, four were recognised in the following categories: Best Seating Concept, Best Colour and Trim Concept, Best Innovation, and Best Overall Interior. The winning proposals are featured below.
For Yanfeng, sponsoring student events and competitions provide great interaction and engagement with talented students and designers from around the world. The competition also helps communicate Yanfeng’s capabilities and business breadth, while sparking a compelling dialogue within the industry with a focus on automotive innovation.
Other industry experts agree, including a leading designer who also served as a judge for the competition. Min Cao, Deputy Executive Design Director from GM’s PATAC, said, “This is a great platform for future automotive design and talent development. Innovation with passion is a key driver of the automotive industry. I’m already looking forward to next year’s competition.”
With the success of this year’s competition and the positive feedback from students, faculty, and industry participants, plans are already coming together for next year’s event. As the automotive industry faces significant shifts to its traditional businesses, these opportunities to take a fresh look through the eyes of students and young designers become increasingly valuable and influential.
In turn, students gain a greater understanding of how their inspirational ideas can be translated into new products and services for future consumers. Both sides benefit from this exchange and the design community also gains from the dialogue that occurs – not only between students and companies, but also among professionals.
Furthermore, having an event that focuses on the automotive interior is a unique and valuable starting point. “We know that the interior is where the mobility revolution will have the most significant impact, and also where consumer expectations are evolving most,” said Tim Shih, Vice President of Design and Research for Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI).
“As the global leader in automotive interiors, YFAI and Yanfeng are uniquely positioned to offer insight and lead the discussion into where the industry is headed. This is a conversation we enjoy having with students and professionals alike.”
Here's a look at the winners:
Best Colour & Trim Concept: Dong Do Hub (CCS) – ‘Jouer’
This award was presented by Tim Shih, Vice President of Design and Research.
Best Seating Concept: Ruien Hu (Tongji) – ‘The Giving Tree’
Award presented by Xijian Shi, Customer Engineering Executive Director.
Best Innovation: Hao Dong (Tongji) – 'Halcyon’
Award presented by Jun Xu, Vice President of Engineering.
Best Overall Interior: Junghoon Hong (CCS) – ‘Modularity’
Award presented by Wenguang Wu, Deputy CEO, Yangfeng Global Automotive Interior Systems.
Find out more information on Yangfeng Automotive Interiors through the Car Design News Directory.
Yanfeng Automotive Interiors
Established
2015
HQ
Shanghai, China
Global facilities
100, in 20 countries
Global employees
33,000