Phoenix concept eco-car by Sergio Loureiro Da Silva

Vehicle design at the Royal College of Art has a global reputation for nurturing up-and-coming car designers, boasting an alumni that reads like the who’s who of the car design world.

It includes highly influential figures like Peter Horbury who turned Volvo around, and the maverick designer of Ford of Europe, Martin Smith, as well as Jaguar design chief, Ian Callum. Other graduates include the original Audi TT designer and current head of Kia design, Peter Schreyer and Aston Martin’s design director Marek Reichman.

Competing for the 2008 Pilkington Automotive Vehicle Design Award, the Phoenix concept eco-car is a fresh take on eco-design by the Spaniard Sergio Loureiro Da Silva.

Sergio Loureiro Da Silva wants to regenerate lost energy through movement. The Spanish designer explains: It’s about improving sustainability by designing every element to aspire to less energy consumption. His Pheonix concept car aims for a similar driving sensation as riding a motorbike with a sidecar. Da Silva has also incorporated the technical elements in the design. The beauty of a vehicle comes from the contrast of a fluid shape with precise technical elements, he says.

(Article source IPC wallpaper.com web site)