Opel has invited design students from the University of Pforzheim to envision the cars of the futur.

How do young designers from all over the world envision the future of Opel? Over a dozen students from the University of Pforzheim are currently doing just that for a competition held by the International Development Center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, led by Chief Designer Andrew Dyson. The students have been tasked with drawing the ‘four-seater model of 2030.’ “We kept the aim of the competition deliberately up to the participants so they can give their creativity free rein,” explains Andrew Dyson, Chief Designer Advanced Design. Dyson invited Mark Adams, Opel Vice President Design, and his team to a virtual reality preview of the competition results; they were impressed by the students’ ingenuity.

The students will have the opportunity to personally present their studies in Rüsselsheim after the summer break.

“We weren’t particularly surprised by the fact that nearly all of the studies featured self-driving models, but the seating concepts that can emerge out of the autonomous driving were very intriguing. For instance, the driver and the passengers don’t necessarily have to sit facing the same direction in which the vehicle is driving,” explains Friedhelm Engler, Director Advanced Design, who also attended the University of Pforzheim back in the day. This educational institution is considered a breeding ground for international design talent. The students taking part in the Opel competition come from Germany, Russia, China, Australia, Korea, Hungary, and India. They will have the opportunity to personally present their studies in Rüsselsheim after the summer break. Opel will award prizes to the best projects, and Opel Post will provide a full report.