Where does the car go next? Designing the vehicles of the future
Young guns of the design world at Coventry University showcase their automotive stories
Want to know what the future of car design holds? So do we, and who better to ask than the next generation of car-design professionals, graduating on this 50th-anniversary year of Coventry University’s internationally renowned Automotive and Transport Design BA degree course?
The course was set up in the seventies to respond to a need for design talent ready to take up jobs in the car industry. It’s been working closely with industry partners ever since, focusing on traditional skills such as sketching and clay modelling, as well as pioneering modern computer-based design since the eighties and, more recently, tech such as virtual reality. A measure of its success is the number of overseas students attracted to the course, and a roster of past graduates who have ended up as design directors and chief designers at companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Peugeot, Citroen, Tata, Aston Martin and Lotus. Not to mention the myriad designers working at all levels across the wider auto industry where, in spite of the loss of much of our traditional car-manufacturing base, opportunities remain plentiful even in the UK, with overseas companies locating design studios here.
Before checking out some of the final-year projects from students graduating from Coventry this year, we catch up with course director Alan Barrett at the university’s School of Art and Design. “There are a lot of employment opportunities, and they’re growing exponentially because there are more new niches, especially in the digital side of things,” he tells us. “It’s actually a safe career route because it’s industrial design, not an art-based subject.”
Barrett, who graduated from Coventry himself then racked up 16 years in industry before returning to academia, says things have moved on a lot.
“There’s more of a demand now for storytelling from graduates. So a pleasing car is not necessarily what employers are most interested in,” he says. “Whereas before it would have worked well to produce a good-looking car with nice surfaces and good detailing, nowadays they want stories, they want ideas, they want visions, because most car companies are looking at what’s going to affect them in a future of electrification and autonomous vehicles. If you don’t drive them, what do you do inside? A normal car won’t hack it for that; it’s very much storytelling and narrative ideas they’re looking for.”
So if you’re a budding car designer, or think you might know someone who could be, what attributes do students need to bring to Coventry?
“The one thing I would recommend to someone who’s interested in this is to sketch a lot, and get your skills as good as they can be,” says Alan. “But we’re also interested in your thinking, and an ability to observe the world around you and come up with things that make it a better place.”
And while many of Coventry’s young designers have big dreams, there’s a gritty reality to working in automotive design, and each will have to start on the bottom rung of the ladder.
Fortunately, while some of this new generation dream of becoming the next industry superstars designing exotic machinery for luxury supercar brands, others are content to seek fulfilment in their love of clay or computer modelling.
One unifying factor comes across loud and clear, though: no matter which branch of the automotive or transport design business these talented and highly motivated individuals want to get into, they are all fired up at the prospect of working in an industry they’re passionate about.
Harry Williams, UK
- Dream job: Clay modeller
- Top influence: Too many to mention!
- Favourite car design: BMW E36
With a step-dad who designs software for Jaguar Land Rover, Harry has had a life-long passion for cars that inspired his drawing from an early age. Having been fortunate to join Aston Martin for two work placements from school doing digital modelling, since attending Coventry, Harry has “fallen in love with the clay modelling process” and hopes that’s where his forthcoming career in the design industry will take him.
Final-year project: DTM 2030
Inspired by the German DTM circuit racing scene, and his love for the BMW E36, Harry has conceived a retro-classic DTM racer capable of racing across the globe to enhance user enthusiasm and engagement with the sport. It’s drivable on the road to make DTM more accessible, and highly customisable by owners.
Simona Abaidoo, Italy/Ghana
- Dream job: JCB designer
- Top influence: Ian Callum
- Favourite car design: Parfinger Tower Crane
Growing up in Italy, Simona’s studies took her from graphic design, to industrial design and her current fascination with the design of construction vehicles. Compared to cars, they’re just much more interesting, says Simona, who likes the challenge of designing for practicality and utility. However, she also acknowledges she appreciates the aesthetic appeal of construction vehicles in ways other people may not.
Final-year project: Mafutha
Mafutha means ‘big, expansive and large’ in Swahili, and Simona’s project addresses the issue of endangered rhinos by providing an integrated solution for transport, first aid and tracking. It features advanced tyre concepts that enable the vehicle to take changing terrain in its stride.
Jaeun Park, South Korea
- Dream job: Exterior designer
- Top influence: Romain Gauvin, Dacia Design
- Favourite car design: Dacia Manifesto Concept
Jaeun first studied electronics (physics) at university in South Korea because his parents were worried he wouldn’t make any money in design. Fortunately, despite lacking any background in design or fine arts at school, he persuaded them his dream of becoming an automotive designer was worthwhile – and a prestigious Sir William Lyons award for his work this year suggests their confidence was justified.
- Final-year project: Dacia Midway Concept
“Usually we put the car in the garage, but I thought, ‘I’m going to put the garage in the car’,” says Jaeun, whose Midway concept is a minivan inspired by the multifunctionality of a garage that opens up to reveal a practical space that’s “half inside, half outside”.
Logan Greenway, UK
- Dream job: Visualisation and modelling
- Top influence: Frank Stephenson
- Favourite car design: Current McLaren's
Local boy Logan grew up 10 minutes from Coventry University “always wanting to do automotive design”, and arrived on the BA Automotive design course via a transport and architecture course at college. He’s keeping his options open, with a key interest in renders and animations but also being inspired by clay and 3D modelling. “We’ve tried it all over three years, and that’s where I’ve been most engaged,” he says.
- Final-year project: Track X - Race Training Vehicle
A single-seater track vehicle aimed at making racing cheaper and more accessible for a wider audience. It’s more like a video game where you can hire the vehicle, do a track day and an onboard AI system will help you to learn the track and teach you where you’re going wrong, Logan says.
Chungsuk Moon, South Korea
- Dream job: Exterior designer
- Top influence: Hang-Jun Cho (Skoda)
- Favourite car design: Toyota GR Supra
“I have loved cars since I was really young,” says Chungsuk, who dreamed of being a car racer, journalist or designer before finishing high school, then spent a year in the Korean air force, sketching or drawing every night to develop his skills. His passion gave him confidence to believe a design career would be possible, and he’s been working hard on a portfolio aimed at appealing to companies, especially in Japan.
- Final-year project: TOMO Multi-Position Vehicle
Does sitting in the car for extended periods give you back pain? Chungsuk’s interpretation of a small Japanese ‘kei’ car has two driving modes – seated and standing – so the driver can relax their back. The little TOMO’s design language is inspired by the safe feelings engendered by a helmet.
Louisa Atkinson, UK
- Dream job: Colour, Finishes and Materials
- Top influence: Too many to mention!
- Favourite car design: Original Mini
Louisa took A-levels at Leeds College of Art, which is where she fell in love with the automotive industry. Learning about how the different elements fit together brought her to interiors, and she loves researching new materials and finding out how they can be used or manipulated to bring added benefits in the quest for circular or waste-free production.
- Final-year project: Project Circular for 2040
This is a biophilic design project, focusing on restoring depleted environments by introducing living plants into a car’s ‘greenhouse’ interior. Grown plants can be swapped to reflect changing desires of an owner, and later reintroduced to their original environment.
Dillon Dove, UK
- Dream job: Exterior designer
- Top influence: Julian Nunn
- Favourite car design: Current Aston Martins
“I’ve wanted to do this forever,” says Dillon, who grew up drawing cars and had Coventry’s design course as his goal “no matter what” since learning about it at school. “It’s got to be exterior design for me,” he says. “I know it’s probably the most difficult but it’s what I’ve always wanted and I’m not going to stop pursuing it.” He wants future design to bring back the glamour and style of Art Deco, his favourite automotive era.
- Final-year project: Duesenberg 100
As a once-iconic brand returning as an autonomous car after 100 years, Dillon’s project is all about reinventing luxury at the highest level. If you’re not driving, it’s got to be more about the experience, he says. Hence features such as the angled back roof encouraging you to gaze at the trees and stars.
Laszlo Csizmadia, Hungary
- Dream job: Exterior designer
- Top influence: Frank Stephenson
- Favourite car design: Jaguar F-Type
Laszlo is proud to be the only Hungarian to make it onto Coventry’s Automotive design course, and more so to be named 2024 winner of the prestigious Sir William Lyons design award – jointly with fellow student Jeung Park. “I’ve loved to draw everything since I was four, but I find great passion in vehicles,” he says. “It started when I watched car programmes on the Discovery channel as a child – I got obsessed!”
- Final-year project: McLaren GA Racer_x
The world’s first jet-pack-powered racer, designed to attract younger generations to motorsport. It’s a new innovative type of racing with two drivers, one in the ground vehicle and another flying a detachable air pod to scout the track ahead. It’s based on emerging jet-pack technology being tested by the US military.
Kyler Marimootoo, UK
- Dream job: Exterior designer or clay modeller
- Top influence: Gordon Murray
- Favourite car design: McLaren P1
Kyler’s passion for automotive, and his determination to work somewhere in the industry meant he studied art at GCSE, then product and graphic design at college before joining Coventry. While his dream job is exterior creative design, the course led him to realise his forte may instead be clay modelling, which he says he really enjoys after picking up the skills quite quickly. He’d be very happy pursuing either option.
- Final-year project: K1
An exciting new E-racing project, Kyler’s K1 promotes gender inclusivity in the male-dominated world of motorsport through ease of use, quick learning and affordability, while also enhancing the spectator experience with augmented-reality projection.
Joseph Clarke, UK
- Dream job: Designing bodykit parts
- Top influence: Pininfarina and Niels van Roij
- Favourite car design: Lamborghini Revuelto
Joseph reckons he learned his alphabet while looking at cars, and has always been more focused on the design side rather than the engineering. Having studied art subjects to get into Coventry, he’s now hoping to focus on CAD modelling using programmes such as Autodesk Alias and Blender. “I like 3D visualisations and animations,” he says.
- Final-year project: Terratrak Neopod
A two-in-one car/camping pod designed for a future dystopian Singapore – a scenario devised by Joseph for a screenplay of his own making. It’s powered by biofuels, and travels from point to point autonomously to gather materials for making its own fuel, and comes complete with an airlock to screen deadly viruses.
Zhiran Fan, China
- Dream job: Farm machinery designer
- Top influence: Too many to mention!
- Favourite car design: Ferrari sports cars
Zhiran is one of a cadre of students finishing their degree in Coventry after completing two years of the Automotive and Transport Design course in Nanjing, China. Like many of her co-students, Zhiran grew up sketching for a hobby. “I love sketching because I can draw anything I like,” she says, but in the future the budding designer would like to work on the creation of agricultural and farming vehicles.
- Final-year project: AUTO-MCS
A driverless self-shopping cart for 2035 with virtual fitting-room technology, allowing you to order clothes from your favourite store to try on outside your home or workplace. It features a personalised holographic fitting system and – perhaps more vitally – glass that goes dark when you need to remove your clothes!
Evangeline Jose, UK/India
- Dream job: Exterior designer
- Top influence: Frank Stephenson
- Favourite car design: Mercedes SLR McLaren Stirling Moss
Growing up in a car-orientated family with a father who loves cars and motorbikes, Evangeline’s interest in design grew into a love of everything automotive during a gap-year placement with Aston Martin’s advanced manufacturing engineering team. “We touched base with every department within the company, and I was very fortunate to be able to work on some very prestigious projects,” she says.
- Final-year project: Lumi
Designed for indigenous communities in the north-western territories of Canada who face issues with transport and connectivity. Running on skis at the front and powered by tracks at the rear, Lumi offers performance, luxury and comfort in an area where such things are not necessarily commonly available.
