Los Angeles Auto Show Names the Nissan V2G as the Youthmobile 2030 Design Challenge Winner

Winner Announced During 6th Annual Design Los Angeles Conference

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 3, 2009; Today, the Nissan V2G was announced as the winner of the Los Angeles Auto Show's 2009 Design Challenge. This year's theme, Youthmobile 2030, asked automotive design studios to envision what a new generation of drivers - raised with cell phones, online communities and webcams - will demand from their vehicles in the year 2030.

The Nissan V2G (Vehicle to Grid), was chosen for its holistic approach in answering the future's design questions. With the consensus that the future will be much more integrated, the V2G offered a great vehicle design that took environmental aspects into consideration.

"The scope of this year's concepts and designs - from the initial sketches to the final presentations - were very impressive," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc. "In the end, it came down to which team had the most inventive and solution-oriented design. Nissan's designers showed passion and were able to create the ultimate Youthmobile for 2030 with their V2G design."

Entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who selected the winner based on its originality of creative concept, integration of futuristic design elements and level of adaptation to the needs of the youth consumer in 2030. All of the Youthmobile 2030 entries delivered a great variety of answers to the question posed by this year's Design Challenge. However, the Nissan's V2G design was most distinguished with its combination of story and design.

The design studios for Audi, GM, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota reached 21 years into the future and designed their interpretation of the Youthmobile 2030. Designs ranged from vehicles that incorporate human DNA allowing changes in the shape, color and materials to vehicles that link into a mass transit system where drivers not only share the commute but trade music and compare class schedules.

The Design Challenge has become a highly anticipated competition where auto manufacturers' Southern California design studios battle against each other to flex their creativity. Designers enjoy participating in the challenge because it is a strong venue to showcase their talents and further explore new ideas in automotive design.

About the Design Challenge

The Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference that is held every year during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days, Dec. 2 and 3, 2009. For the last six years a new Design Challenge theme is chosen and the major Southern California Automotive Design Studios battle against each other to showcase their talents and further explore new ideas in automotive design. The Design Los Angeles Conference also gives designers access to design industry leaders and provides the opportunity to address common industry issues.