Michelin Challenge Design 2018: the winners

Titled Mobility/Utility/Flexibility – Designing for the Next Global Revolution, the 2017-2018 edition of the Michelin Challenge Design contest counted 1,200 registrants from 73 countries.

Participants were tasked to create an innovative pic-up targeted to a new group of customers and/or a new market geographic region.

The three winners of the competition are:

• First place: Josh Sandrock of San Diego, Calif., USA, with his entry “Volkswagen Type 10 Pick Up”
• Second place: Daniel Yee of Cleveland, Ohio; Marcus Hamilton of Columbus, Ohio; and Claire Keys Pytlik of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, for their “Michelin ToolBOX Pick Up”
• Third place: Vinod Pakalapati and Surya Konijeti of Pune, India for “X Pick”

Representatives from the first-, second- and third-place winners will be guests of Michelin at “Movin’On by Michelin,” the premier global sustainable mobility event that will be held in Montreal, May 30–June 1, 2018, where their winning designs will be displayed and they will participate in a private portfolio review with members of the jury and leading designers.

All finalists and members of each winning team are invited to join an exclusive online community restricted to Michelin Challenge Design winners and jurors.

Below we present the winning projects. The list of finalists, honorable mentions and comments from the jurors are reported below.

1st place – Volkswagen Type 10 PickUp by Josh Sandrock

The Volkswagen Type 10 PickUp is a concept that aims to increase functionality and possible uses through the adoption of a modular pod system that gives customers the opportunity to change the truck bed to meet their specific needs.

Pods can range from a standard truck bed, to an enclosed freight style cargo container.

This vehicle is intended for personal and commercial use in the North American market, where the highest selling vehicles in this region are all pickup trucks.

The Type 10 PickUp introduces a new segment that does not compete directly with any existing vehicle. It is bigger and more capable than any existing American pickup.

Customers searching for a more functional alternative to the standard pickup truck will find this concept desirable, and the after-sale customization is highly encouraged.

About the designer

The concept was designed by Josh Sandrock from San Diego, California, who is currently studying Transportation Design at Art Center College of Design, and who already received an exterior design internship at Volkswagen Design Center California during the summer of 2017.

2nd place – Michelin ToolBOX Pick Up Concept

Created by a team working at LPK – a global brand strategy and innovation consultancy – the ToolBOX Pick Up Concept envisions what a pick-up could look like in the year 2025 and targets the Midwestern region of the United States.

The team imagined a scenario where the average usage of a truck will be a fusion of work and play, and the Gen-Z customers will have equal affinity for city life and farm life, and an appreciation for luxury combined with a greater desire for utility.

The truck is made of two separate but fusible parts – a cab, essentially designed as a tall, cube-like car, and a skiff, approximately the size of a queen mattress, meant to hold a metric ton of weight.

A large, robotic arm equips the driver with a literal extra hand, easily operated to perform tasks like loading and unloading the truck bed.

Meanwhile, the spacious – which is about 40% taller than the average cab – meets the demands of more vertical farming and pays homage to Gen-Z’s love of the drive.

The open, light-filled environment has a soothing effect – like a breath of fresh air, or a long, open-road drive. Finished with sleek, minimalist finishes, it features elements like a small, convertible desk, pointing to the next iteration on tiny homes: tiny offices for on-the-road commutes.

Beneath the cab and skiff, the wheels integrate an actuator an a set of radial motors that allow them to change their shape to accommodate rougher terrain, deep divots and inclement weather.

For extra power, each spoke is outfitted with an individual motor, giving the driver torque when it’s needed.

About the designers:

• Daniel Yee is a Senior Industrial Designer at LPK and an alumnus of the Cleveland Institute of Art’s industrial-design program, where he studied automotive interior and product design.
• Paul Olvera is an adjunct professor at University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), where he teaches transportation-design communication,
• Claire Keys Pytlik is a copy director, overseeing content strategy, brand voice and global storytelling for LPK.
• Marcus Hamilton is an industrial designer at LPK and holds a degree in industrial design from the Columbus College of Art & Design
• T.J. Cianciolo is a senior designer at LPK who focuses on product design, VR applications, 3D renderings, animations and motion graphics.

3rd Place – X Pick Concept

The designers envisioned a background scenario set in the year 2025, where people living in major Indian cities, due to traffic and pollution, will start to look for more peaceful lifestyles and move to less populated areas.

The X-Pick concept vehicle was conceived as a mean to support the expansion of e-commerce systems into remote areas of India.

“This is not just a pickup truck that tender to logistics, It is an effective tool for those who settle in this area, aiming to sustain a peaceful life stating the fact that “no job is less or small”.”

“The serene design language of X pick will blend into nature and performs its tasks gently without disturbing them. It is Eco-friendly with an electric powered engine.”

About the designers:

• Vinod Pakalapati is currently working as a Transportation Designer at Advandes Design, India and achieved his Transportation design diploma from DYPDC, India.
• Surya Teja Konijeti is working as an Industrial DesignerÊat Advandes Design, India.

Finalists of the 2018 Michelin Challenge Design (in alphabetical order):

• Benoit Aubertin of Ciboure, France, and Antoine Alaurent of Saucats, France, for design entry “Woodcutter Climber”
• Hawon Jang of Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, for “Mini Square”
• Wojciech Jurkowski of Krakow, Poland, for “Renault Subtil”
• Yixing Liao, Wei Wang, Hangbin Xu, Kang Zeng, Daiqi Fan and Jiali Han of Hangzhou, China, for “UFORCE 16”
• Alfred Munkenbeck of London, United Kingdom, for “Sherpa”
• Li Pengliang and Sun Hongyang of Zhengzhou, China, for “Oasis”
• Thomas Weger of Edgerton, Wis., USA, for “MSW Pick Up”

Juror Comments

“As somebody who is heavily involved in truck design, seeing some of the fresh ideas coming from all around the world was really overwhelming. There’s a lot of stuff there that is fresh and exciting. It was eye-opening,” said Michael Gillam, FCA.

“I think the story of the pick-up is the freedom they promise. We’ve seen so many entries from different countries and different regions in the world, and you can see that people are looking for this type of flexibility. They’re coming from all over the world. They’re coming from Europe, they’re coming from Asia, from India, from China, everywhere you can see people have different needs,” said Thomas Sycha, BMW Group Design.

“There was a lot of diversity. I saw a lot of designs that show this diversity between product design and lifestyle. I was really impressed by seeing the variety of different ideas and looking at how they apply function to lifestyle as well,” said Freeman Thomas, Ford Motor Company.

“The basic premise of the pick-up is still pretty much the same. What has changed the most is they provide more creature comfort. Trucks were something that were used by farmers and they’ve become more of a vehicle for personal use and free time,” said Frank Saucedo, General Motors.

“There was so much variety. It’s not just the North American perspective or European perspective, but so many are emerging markets where you can see the different needs that the different cultures would require from these vehicles,” said Richard Plavetich, Nissan Design America.

“It never fails at the Michelin Challenge (Design), you’re basically reminded again that it has not all been done and that’s the most fascinating aspect of being a designer, there’s still much to be discovered,” said Chris Chapman, Hyundai Design North America.

“I think the biggest thing I saw was being able to do multiple things with the same vehicle. I was really amazed at the design work they put into it and the modular capabilities of being able to stretch and shorten and make trucks that you can park anywhere,” said Rob MacCachren, off-road motorsports racer and four-time Baja 1000 winner.

“Once again, we saw Michelin Challenge Design open the doors to human imagination and creativity. And seeing what people have in their hearts and how they are able to express their passion through computer design was pretty amazing,” said Damien Michelin, honorary juror for Michelin North America.

“I think there’s consensus with the jury team that uniquely, what we term ‘the pick up’, and it’s maybe viewed a little differently all over the world, is still an incredibly strong growth part of the marketplace in the future. So I think the consensus of our jury team is there’s a massive future for what we call the pick-up truck,” said Stewart Reed, jury chairman, of Art Center College of Design in California.

Honorable Mentions

Additionally, the jury chose to recognize the following eight entries as Honorable Mentions in the 2018 Michelin Challenge Design (in alphabetical order):

• Mattia Brunelli and Luigi Marrocu of Rome, Italy, for “Mini Sandman”
• Mo Mingqi of Guilin-Guangxi, China, and Xu Ying of Hengshui-Hebei Province, China, for “Gemini”
• Brian Hernan Isabella of Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina, for “ALEDAN”
• Mohammed Ismail of Mandya, Karnataka, India, for “SAM Self Assembling Module”
• Dr. Hussein Ali Al Jammazi of Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia, for “NAMLA”
• Fernando Machado of Curitiba, Brazil, for “Liger”
• Seunghee Seo of Daegu, South Korea, for “Moving Farm”
• Jiachen Zhu of Wuhan, China, for “FoldEx Urban Logistic Pick Up”

2018 Michelin Challenge Design Jury:

• Stewart Reed: Chair, Transportation Design Department, Art Center College of Design, Consultant and Jury
• Chairman, Michelin Challenge Design
• Chris Chapman: Chief Designer, Hyundai Design North America
• Michael Gillam: Exterior Design Manager, Ram Design, FCA
• Rob MacCachren: Off-Road Motorsports Racer, Four-time Baja 1000 Victor
• Damien Michelin: Honorary Juror, Michelin North America
• Richard Plavetich: General Manager, Design Business, Nissan Design America
• Frank Saucedo: Director, Advanced Design Studio, General Motors
• Thomas Sycha: Exterior Design Manger, BMW Group Design
• Freeman Thomas: Director, Strategic Design, Ford Motor Company

Official statements

“Once again, our jury of top automotive designers was impressed by the creativity, innovation and quality of the entries,” said Thom Roach, vice president of original-equipment marketing for Michelin North America. “The biggest surprise was the interest in pick-ups, or open-bedded vehicles, from so many unexpected places and how designers saw the opportunity for such vehicles to meet the needs in their respective countries or regions.

“Given the surprising growth in SUV and CUV categories around the world, it will be very interesting to see if pick-ups and open-bedded vehicles also grow well beyond the traditional markets. We have already seen early signs with new concepts and vehicles from Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, PSA and others recently introduced or announced,” Roach said.

(Source: Michelin Challenge Design)