Paris Motor Show
Car designers continue to surprise and delight me. One of the highlights of the Paris Motor Show was the innovative Townpod, a concept car that looks as if it is melting, like something designed by Gaudi.
Features include eight doors for access (including two in the roof so that your surfboard or skis can be accommodated) and rear seats that fold into the backs of the front seats to increase cargo space.
Nissan has filled the little show car with creative designs. My personal favourite is what it calls “pucks.” Despite the name they’re not discs but rubber balls that can be positioned around the interior in slots provided in the dashboard, doors, console and cargo area.
The balls have an opening designed to accept accessory tools such as cup-holders, iPod or phone brackets, as well as bag hooks. There is even a triangular desk fitted to pucks in the door and dash on the passenger side. The idea is that the user, not the car designer, can decide how to configure the space, giving you truly personalised transport.
According to Nissan’s product chief designer, Masato Inoue, “The system is completely open source – we encourage individuals or other organizations to come up with accessories (think apps?) to complement this platform. ”
I hope that means that Nissan are going to build this little car. The word is that it will be powered by an electric motor, though the motor was not revealed in Paris.
I’d love to see this design make it to the road.
Yours in design,
Richard
