According to Barbot, the energy to move the lightweight vehicle is produced by three turbines, two at the front and one at the back. With wheels missing, the vehicle hovers 10cm above the ground by its electro-magnetic power or enters the sea like a submarine.
Barbot won the three month internship at General Motors' European Design Centre in Rüsselsheim. Furthermore, the automaker also decided to recognize the efforts of two other students, Hyunjoon Park (25) of South Korea and Miika Heikkinen (26) of Finland, who will both join Barbot to Russelsheim to meet and work with the GM design team.
"It's an evolution to another transportation system," Barbot told cardesignnews.com. The frame, made of aluminum and covered by a semi-flexible clear, waterproof resin, is an essential part of the atypical design, influenced by aerodynamic and organic shapes.
"The standard of overall work was excellent; everything we saw was very forward thinking and anticipated both practical and emotional needs of mobility. Augustin did a good job interpreting the brief from an Opel/Vauxhall perspective, building on our commitment to electric vehicles and anticipating tomorrow's mobility needs," said GME's advance design chief Lo.
"It's clear from the new Insignia that GM Europe is going through a design revolution and judging from the sales figures, good design is now on top of everyone's agenda," said RCA Vehicle design director Harrow.
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