The Volkswagen Slipstream won the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, beating out concepts by General Motors, Mercedes, Mazda, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota at the L.A. Auto Show.
The concept comes from 50 years into the future; the year is 2057 and our Earth is filled with futuristic technologies like robots. The Slipstream is named after a traffic-free lane of the future.
"The VW SlipStream is a solar powered vehicle that stands upright in the city to reduce congestion and sleeps on the freeway to reduce drag. This latter design trait also allows it to reach speeds in excess of 250mph," MotorAuthority explained.
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2007 L.A. Design Challenge Winner
Volkswagen Slipstream Concept
Trend Themes
1. Solar Powered Vehicles - The VW Slipstream's use of solar power presents an opportunity for the automotive industry to explore environmentally sustainable energy sources.
2. Vertical Parking - The Slipstream's ability to stand upright to reduce congestion presents an opportunity for the construction industry to redesign parking structures to accommodate this feature.
3. Sleeping Vehicles - The Slipstream's ability to sleep on the freeway and reach high speeds presents an opportunity for the automotive industry to explore innovative designs for high-speed travel.
Industry Implications
1. Automotive - The Slipstream concept presents an opportunity for the auto industry to explore innovative design features for environmentally sustainable and high-speed travel.
2. Construction - The Slipstream's ability to stand upright for vertical parking presents an opportunity for the construction industry to innovate parking structures to accommodate this design feature.
3. Energy - The VW Slipstream's use of solar power presents an opportunity for the energy industry to explore environmentally sustainable energy sources for the automotive industry.