The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts is the second smallest school on Xiaoguwei island, but every year the graduation exhibition draws huge crowds from across the country, many of whom travel long distances to attend the show.
This year’s vehicle design graduates were asked to create vehicles that answered one of three themes for future transport, each revolving around a different demographic. The exhibition included projects designed for Honda, Geely-owned Volvo and GAC.
The most interesting of the three was the Honda-sponsored project, which asked students to create a vehicle for the aging Chinese population. It was the culmination of a yearlong collaboration with the company in which designers to created a vehicle that would appeal to their parents in the year 2030.
The GAC-sponsored project — dubbed ‘Youth Identity’ — asked students to design a car that catered to younger buyers in the year 2020, while Volvo asked for students to create a 2020-year sports car for the brand in a project entitled ‘People in Motion’.
Honda ‘My Parents 2030 Car’ Project
Honda PicNic concept by Li (Lee) Yang
Li (Lee) Yang’s PicNic concept caters to users who enjoy outdoor activities, offers the entire family an opportunity to reunite in the tranquil countryside away from the hustle and bustle of hectic city life. Much like a modern day Volkswagen Type 2 camper, the Honda-branded vehicle features all you’d ever need for a camping excursion, and even includes an outdoor kitchen. Unlike the VW however, the PicNic concept’s long wheelbase provides seating for up to eight people and space to carry a range of equipment for outdoor activities.
Honda Art Life by Zhang (Jason) Yusheng
Zhang (Jason) Yusheng chose to design a car that incorporated his father’s work as a calligrapher and his mother’s interest in fashion. Though pulled in two completely different directions, the final concept combined these interests to develop a design language that matched his parents’ lifestyle whilst remaining in tune with Honda’s design language. With sharp edges, elegant colors and textiles applied to the exterior form, the car is said to combine the fun to drive characteristics of Honda in a sporty package that is also able to cater to users who enjoy exploring the great outdoors.
Honda Voyager concept by Liang (Gary) Jiawei
The Voyager concept is, as the name implies, a vehicle that can be used by families on long journeys. The 5.6m long hydrogen-powered vehicle’s exterior was designed to optimize aerodynamic performance, while its six passenger interior is suitable for his father to carry on his work as a writer as the car transports him to his destination autonomously. Liang (Gary) Jiawei’s biggest challenge was to define the concept’s size and the interior design layout. He therefore created an extra long 4000mm wheelbase, which affords living room-like interior comfort in which passengers can relax and enjoy the passing landscape.
