Michelin

Registrations Open for 2013 Michelin Challenge Design

Michelin North America has opened registrations for the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design competition – titled ‘Half! Lightweight with a Passion!’

Participants in the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design have been set the task of designing a family vehicle, whilst addressing the subject of weight reduction through design – a subject the tyre market says is “becoming a new battleground in the struggle for increasing fuel efficiency.”

In the 2013 Challenge, Michelin says it is looking to “bring forward passionate designs that employ innovative vehicle architecture for weight reduction, without compromising safety or comfort.”

Submitted vehicle designs must meet consumer demands for safety and comfort, be usable on the current road infrastructure and be feasibly produced using materials, powertrain solution or manufacturing solutions that are in use today or in development for use in the foreseeable future.

Successful designs will be those that drive desire for vehicle ownership or usage while contributing to lightweight vehicle development through choices of materials and using the most effective manufacturing techniques.

Michelin notes that more than ever before, successful design requires closer cooperation with engineering, manufacturing and planning.

“As an industry, we’ve come to an interesting crossroad,” commented John Moloney, Michelin’s vice-president of original equipment marketing for North and South America.

“Consumers and governments are pushing for dramatic gains in fuel efficiency as the automotive industry is designing and development lightweight next-generation vehicles. We look forward to seeing how participants in the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design will respond to these concerns.”

Further information on the 2013 Michelin Challenge Design is available on www.michelinchallengedesign.com

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