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12/7/2007 Citroën partners the L'Argus Design Trophy

 

The sixth Design Trophy for light commercial vehicles organised by L'Argus (France's official used-vehicle price guide) recently came to an end. The winner of this year's contest, based on the subject "Optimising urban goods deliveries in major cities", will undertake a work placement at Citroën's Styling Centre in 2008. One prize winner out of more than 300 participants.

Faithful to its values of innovation and design, Citroën is taking part in this talent-spotting event for the second time.

Design competitions and partnerships are a way to identify and attract the most promising students. The winners may undertake work placements that bring stylists a new eye and new ideas. These events are also an opportunity to spot and encourage the designers of the future.

Philippe Holland, Head of Citroën Designers, took part in drafting the specifications and choosing this year's subject for the trophy. He wanted the contest to focus on a topical issue: solutions to smoothing out the flow of goods  traffic in our frequently congested cities.



This international competition attracted 312 participants of 33 nationalities. A total 184 projects were submitted and 12 were shortlisted for the final on 5 December, including one by a female student. A first since the L'Argus Design Trophy was set up.

The 12 finalists presented their projects to a panel of 16 judges on Wednesday 5 December. Members of the panel included journalists, design experts and qualified specialists (ministry of transport, etc.) as well as a number of professionals, including Philippe Holland.

At the end of the day, a prize-giving ceremony was organised at a prestigious venue: the Eiffel Tower. Prizes were awarded for three projects, including the VEOL project by a female participant. The prizewinner, Sergio Loureiro, impressed the panel with his Coeur (heart) concept. This innovative project uses existing infrastructure, such as the underground rail network, in the first instance, to carry goods into the heart of the city. Then, compact electric LCVs take over to dispatch the goods around the city centre. According to Philippe Holland, "the prizewinner demonstrated a perfect grasp of the three criteria that define a good designer: the ability to design, the ability to convince, and also the ability to see a project through to completion".

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