Futuristic Car Interiors to Be Revealed at the SAE World Congress

Safety, comfort, enhancing options and all related features can only get better as time passes by and technology evolves, and that’s exactly what the College for Creative Studies students will try to express later this month. Specifically, Ward's Student Design Competition will bring new interiors for the cars of tomorrow at the SAE 2011 World Congress on Wednesday, April 13 in Detroit, MI.

The competition encourages CCS students to envision a vehicle interior that will meet the needs of a young, green-minded professional in the year 2020.  The contest is sponsored by automotive suppliers International Automotive Components (IAC) and Lear Corporation, with support from SAE International.

All design entries will be on display at the SAE World Congress, where finalists will also be announced.The grand prize winner will be announced on April 17, along with recipients of special awards from IAC and Lear.

The Lear Innovation Award will be given the student whose work includes a specific design or technological innovation the judges deem particularly creative and forward-thinking. The IAC EcoBlend Award will go to the student whose design or concept best embraces green mobility, uses lightweight renewable/recyclable materials and other Earth-friendly innovations.

"These students offer a refreshing take on the interiors we'll see in the near future," said Drew Winter, Editor-in-Chief of Ward's AutoWorld. "Auto makers are always looking for perspectives that go well beyond traditional styles and designs. This is a rare opportunity to see ideas from young  people who have not yet run their concepts up a management chain and been told 'no' at several points along the way. This is unbridled creativity, but with very real, practical applications for production vehicles in the near future."