The Porsche 918 RSR and the Audi A6 won the 2011 EyesOn Design Awards at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). To be eligible for the awards, the vehicles must make their debut during NAIAS.
The awards are judged by top design executives from automotive manufacturers and by academics from transportation design programs. Leading the judges were Willie G. Davidson -- Harley-Davidson, EVP & Chief Styling Officer; Tom Matano, Academy of Art University, Executive Director of Industrial Design; and Jack Telnack, Ford Motor Company, Global VP of Design (Retired). Speaking of NAIAS and the OEMs’ commitment to design, Telnack said of this year’s NAIAS and Awards, “The lights are brighter, the cars are brighter.”
The Porsche 918 RSR won the EyesOn Design Award for Best Concept Vehicle. Accepting the award for Porsche was Detlev von Platen, the president and CEO of Porsche Cars North America Inc. “Design is part of our vision. Design is in our DNA,” von Platen said. The other concept vehicle finalists were the Ford Vertrek and the Kia KV7. The award was supported by Dassault Systemes.
The 2011 Audi A6 won the EyesOn Design Award for Best Production Vehicle. Accepting the award for Audi was Achim Badstuebner, head of exterior design for Audi AG. Commenting on the award, he said, “It’s strong feedback that we have done our homework.” Audi has received four EyesOn Design Awards over the past three years. The other finalists were the Audi A6, Bentley Continential GT, BMW 6-Series Convertible, and Hyundai Veloster.
EyesOn Design at the North American International Auto Show is sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO) as part of the EyesOn Design series of events. The DIO is a not-for-profit that aids the visually impaired and facilitates research related to the eye. Each year, they host the EyesOn Design automotive exhibition at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe, Michigan that also focuses on design. The show is recognized by its peers as one of the best classic car shows in the country. The DIO enjoys a close relationship with automotive designers through the EyesOn Design events and by understanding the correlation between design and the eye.
The event was sponsored by Dassault Systemes and EyesOn Design in Grosse Pointe. More information is available from Audi (http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=2165&mid=1&allImage=1) and Porsche (http://press.porsche.com/). High resolution photography available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/58213579@N06/sets/.
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