Cadillac Aera Concept, Smart 454 tied for Top Concepts at LA Auto Show Design Challenge *update

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Cadillac, GM, Design/Style
Cadillac Aera Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

The focus at the LA Auto Show is on new production vehicles as well as concepts that hint at an automaker's direction for the very near future. One aspect of the show however, looks further into the distance and pushes designers to create their vision of a supplied theme. The LA Auto Show Design Challenge has entered it's seventh year, and for 2010 the designers had to create a 1,000-pound car that was stylish and performance oriented yet also capable of carrying four passengers. The GM Advanced Design team stepped up to the plate and, with their Cadillac Aera Concept, took the top spot. The podium must have been crowded though because the Smart 454 also claimed a victory as the judges declared the competition a tie.

This marks the third time that the group from General Motors has won this challenge, giving them the most wins out of all automakers that enter. The Cadillac Aera Concept hit on all areas that the judges were looking for and, despite the futuristic styling, still carries some recognizable lines from Cadillacs of today.

The Smart 454 took a different approach to this contest, compared to the dark and dramatic Aera. The 454 refers to the weight of the vehicle in kilograms, and it is described as being constructed, or rather knitted out of carbon fiber, by "Smart Granny Robots." Those robots, or SGRs, can turn the carbon fiber into complex shapes, which allows for the varied forms created to be super strong. Even the wheels are carbon fiber, which would allow for less unsprung weight and a strong rolling platform for the 454 WWT to roll on.

You can read more about both the Cadillac Aera Conceptn and the Smart 454 by reading our preview of the design challenge, and you can see them for yourself in the galleries below.


Gallery: 2010 LA Auto Show Design Challenge Winner: Cadillac Aera Concept

Gallery: 2010 LA Auto Show Design Challenge Winner: Smart 454 WWT


[Source: General Motors, LA Auto Show]Continue reading Cadillac Aera Concept, Smart 454 tied for Top Concepts at LA Auto Show Design Challenge *updateCadillac Aera Concept, Smart 454 tied for Top Concepts at LA Auto Show Design Challenge *update originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments



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