An air-powered Caddy and a Smart knit by grandmotherly robots won top honors in the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge.
In this year’s challenge — to design a no-compromises 1,000 pound car — teams from Daimler Benz joined the So Cal-based GM, Honda, Toyota and Nissan for the first time. Their efforts weren’t in vain, as their Smart 454 tied for first place with the Cadillac Aera concept from three-time winner GM.
We already told you about the radical, robotically-knit Smart last week. It’s still absurd. By comparison, the Cadillac Aera seems relatively tame. It’s a reductionist approach to the automobile with a skeletal interpretation of Caddy’s well-known “art and science” design language.
“It’s designed as a small city urban vehicle, but we approached this 2+2 touring coupe very much from the brand’s luxury perspective,” said Jussi Timonen, the project’s lead lead designer. “Every detail of the Aera was conceived to minimize the vehicle’s environmental impact without sacrificing the style, comfort and attention to detail that are hallmarks of the Cadillac brand.”
Propulsion is provided by compressed air that designers claim is capable of a 1,000 mile range. The Aera’s exterior is made of a 3D lattice mono-formed frame that’s similar to designs found in nature. Freeform manufacturing (minus the Smart’s knitting grannies) allows for the frame to be strong and lightweight.
The exterior is covered with pressurized air cells similar to those used on the Mars Rover, while the interior is made of a polymer that’s infinitely adjustable.
Images: GM
