Bentley and the Royal College of Art (RCA) announced details of a design collaboration aimed at exploring the future of British luxury in the automotive sector.
Stefan Sielaff, Bentley’s Design Director; images: bentley
Bentley has always been a leader in luxury. The British luxury manufacturer is looking for ideas and concepts that could potentially lead them in new and interesting directions. Bentley intends to use the perspective of today’s digital natives – from all over the world – to see things differently. With this new collaboration with RCA we are asking these millennial students for their vision of the future.
Bentley’s Design Director Stefan Sielaff – himself an alumnus of the Royal College of Art’s renowned Intelligent Mobility programme – is challenging second-year post-graduate students to develop concepts around ‘the meaning of future British luxury in the year 2050′.Students at the London university are being asked to use the design project as an opportunity to interrogate the future of areas such as craftsmanship, materials, technology and, of course, luxury.
Sielaff explained: “Bentley has always been a leader in luxury, and with our collaboration we are asking these millennial students for theirvision of the future. We are looking for ideas and concepts that could potentially lead us in new and interesting directions, using the perspective of these digital natives – from all over the world – to see things differently.
“I enjoyed a wonderful education at the RCA and these second-year students are the ones who will be designing the cars of the future – the taste makers in training, if you will. That’s why this challenge is so exciting and relevant. What will British luxury mean in 2050?”
Dr. Chris Thorpe, Senior Tutor in Intelligent Mobility at the RCA, added: “How can we create a truly emotional response to a personal journey over the next 30 years? In an increasingly virtual and digital world, how can the elements of physical materiality and our sensory response be orchestrated and composed to meet our deepest human needs and desires? These are the areas we are exploring with Bentley.”
The top concepts will be made public later in 2018, with the best designs being selected by a judging panel featuring Stefan Sielaff; Bentley’s Head of Exterior Design, JP Gregory; Romulus Rost, Head of Interior Design; the RCA’s Dr. Thorpe; tutor Guy Colborne andVisiting Professor, J. Mays.
The student with the winning design will receive an internship in the Bentley Design department in Crewe.
PIKES PEAK CHALLENGE FOR BENTLEY BENTAYGA
Bentley Motors announced the luxury automotive brand will compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the first time on 24th June 2018 with the award-winning Bentayga.
The 600 bhp, W12-powered Bentayga will tackle the famous 12.42-mile Colorado Springs hill climb with record-breaking ambitions, aiming to navigate the 156 corners of ascending asphalt quicker than any SUV before. A car is being prepared for the competition by Bentley’s motorsport department at the company’s headquarters in Crewe, England. Leading the project is Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, who commented:
“Since its launch, the Bentayga has set the luxury SUV benchmark with its unique combination of bespoke British craftsmanship, performance and grand touring ability. We hope to set another benchmark at the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by conqueringthe most demanding mountain road course in the world.”
