Studios

Streamed live on Jan 31, 2013 – Skip to 31 minutes for the show to start.

The Formula One team, Red Bull Racing, based in Milton Keynes UK, show how to build a Formula One car creating ‘The Rhythm of the Factory – RB9′

httpsvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t6cxIeCIjE

Infiniti Red Bull Racing launched the RB9, setting in motion the defense of its Formula One Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles.

In front of an audience of team members, partners, international media and competition winners, drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber drew back the sheet to reveal the car, the final instalment in a generation of designs that so far have delivered 34 grand prix victories and six World Championships.

Mark and Sebastian were joined on stage by team principal Christian Horner, chief technical officer Adrian Newey and Simon Sproule, corporate vice president, global marketing communications of new title partner Infiniti.

Despite the largely unchanged nature of the technical regulations for 2013, Adrian Newey explained the off-season has been far from relaxed. “It’s a tribute to all the hard work of the guys over the winter because we had a very tight championship battle last year,” he said. “It was difficult trying to continue development of last year’s car while also doing research into the RB9. Obviously it worked for us, but it gave us a very tight timeframe to design and manufacture this car.

“RB9 is an evolutionary car,” he added. “Probably the most significant change is not the regulations, but the new Pirelli tyres. We had a quick test with those in practice ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix but in truth we didn’t learn a lot because of the conditions. Pirelli have supplied us data about how the new tyres behave but past experience tells us it’s only when we go testing that we really find out.”

The continuity in Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s driver line-up for 2013 is much more straightforward. Sebastian is beginning his fifth year with the team, while this will be Mark’s seventh, they are the longest-established team-driver combination on the 2013 grid.

“The fact that this is my seventh season with the team is a massive advantage,” said Mark. “I couldn’t have envisaged it when I joined and it’s hard to believe that you could be with the same Formula One team for seven years, as continuity is not always easy to achieve in this sport.”

“I think the way we keep people excited and motivated here is important,” he added. “It’s quite a small operation, but obviously we’re big on ambition and desire and that makes us perform very well. I’ve really enjoyed the years I’ve had here so far and I can’t wait to get going this season.”

After a thrilling climax to the 2012 season which saw Sebastian claim his third title in as many years, the sport’s youngest ever triple world champion has had the opportunity to recharge his batteries over the last two months and professed himself more than ready to begin the task of trying to win a fourth straight title, something done only twice before in the history of the sport.

“We had a very strong finish last season, but it was hard as the season was so long – it was important for me to enjoy being home,” he said. “Pretty soon though I started training again, preparing for the new season and I’m very excited because this is the first time I’ve seen the car in one piece. I’ve seen little bits, but it looks very nice, so now we’ll get to see if it works as expected. I’m excited to get going again, to get back in the car, start testing and then go racing. Then, we’ll finally find out where we are.”

As the team heads into the new season, Christian Horner took the opportunity to emphasise the value of stability. “The 2012 season was tough and long, but our success was testimony to all the hard work and dedication in the factory,” he said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain continuity within our group. This is the fifth year that this driver pairing has been together. We’ve got continuity throughout all of the technical teams and all the key areas. I think that’s proof that there is a fierce determination to keep both of those trophies in the cabinet for another year.”

The team is currently in Jerez, in southern Spain, testing of the RB9 . Mark will give the car its track debut, driving on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th February, with Sebastian taking over for the final two days, on Thursday 7th and Friday 8th February.

Honda R&D Americas, Inc., on November 28 opened an Advanced Design Studio in downtown Los Angeles for the creation of future Honda and Acura automobile and mobility design concepts. The studio, one of three Honda maintains in the Los Angeles area, was previously located in Pasadena, Calif., and is expanding the scope of its responsibilities, taking on a lead role within Honda R&D’s global advanced automobile design activity.

“This new facility in the heart of Los Angeles’ very progressive and high-energy fashion, arts and cultural scene is a great place for designers to be able to think about the challenge of future design,” said David Marek, division director of auto design for Honda R&D Americas. “In addition to styling, we’ll be looking at changing consumer lifestyles and attitudes, and the multitude of other factors that will impact our designs of the future.”

Honda R&D Americas operates three distinct design studios as part of its Los Angeles Center – the new Advanced Design Studio in Los Angeles, and two Torrance-based studios, the Honda Design Studio and Acura Design Studio, which are responsible for the styling design of new Honda and Acura vehicles.

The new Advanced Design Studio is a 6,500-square-foot, futuristic and creative workspace focused on the theme of mobility. It includes a conference room fashioned from a shipping container, and a louvered projection wall showcasing both new and classic Honda product designs and technology. The studio is equipped with the latest computer-aided design tools allowing designers to realize their ideas rapidly in virtual and physical space. Full-size models and prototypes are created through collaboration with the company’s Torrance-based operations.

Honda R&D established Advanced Design Studio in 2006, in Pasadena, Calif. The studio developed numerous concept vehicles that were showcased at the Los Angeles Auto Show, including the REMIX small sport concept (2006), the three-seat FC Sport hydrogen sports car (2008), and the Honda Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) city coupe concept (2009).

Each year for the past nine years, the Design Challenge theme is chosen by the Design Los Angeles Board of Directors. The board is made up of a dozen design studio executives. Automotive design studios from around the world are invited to participate and this year, studios from Germany, Japan and the U.S. will compete to design “HIGHWAY PATROL VEHICLE 2025.”

This year’s Design Challenge asks automotive design studios to create a highway patrol vehicle that meets the challenges of a specific region’s transportation and societal conditions in 2025.

The vehicle should empower highway patrol officers to meet new demands and effectively both “protect and serve” the public while considering not just enforcement needs but emission concerns, population growth and transportation infrastructure, among other trends.
Entries are judged based on various factors including:

· Consideration of future needs for advanced technology, speed and agility on future freeway systems.
· Creativity of the solution.
· Meeting the defined region’s mandated emission standards if applicable.
· Environmental sensitivity: maintenance and recyclability.

2012 Design Challenge entries include:

BMW Group DesignworksUSA – The BMW Group DesignworksUSA team chose Los Angeles as the region to create a 2025 scenario for the E-Patrol (Human-Drone Pursuit Vehicle). Their research predicted that Los Angeles would have more traffic, faster vehicles, and vehicles with alternative fuel sources. The design centered on a modular structure and drone technology that enhanced both teamwork and accessibility. The main structure can deploy three drones. In the case of a pursuit during heavy traffic areas, the patrol officer sitting in the two passenger main structure can deploy either the flying drone or one of the single wheel drones to chase the suspect and report back data to the main structure.

General Motors Advanced Design California – General Motors has created a new electric vehicle system, the Volt Squad, to meet the challenge of a highway system now brimming with cutting edge technologies. The Volt Squad is a three vehicle fleet, designed around the concept of OBSERVE, PURSUE and ENGAGE. Each vehicle has a clearly defined situational role; delivering superior flexibility, presence and capability for the CHP. At the core of the vehicle’s architecture is the VOLT advanced, electronic, propulsion system.

Honda R&D Americas, Inc., Advanced Design Studio, California – Honda Advanced Design has created the CHP Drone Squad, a vehicle-based-system for 2025 designed to work efficiently and seamlessly in the harsh environment of California highways without the need for new infrastructure. The Drone Squad is comprised of a 2 vehicle system. The Auto-Drone operates as a manned or un-manned mission control vehicle which deploys Moto-Drones and can do so on the move. Moto-Drones are un-manned motorcycles capable of being rigged for multiple response or rescue missions.

Honda R&D Company, Ltd., Advanced Design Studio, Tokyo – Honda R&D Japan’s”CHiPs” 2025 Traffic Crawler offers key features that the central office of the California Highway Patrol needs as they adjust to changes in the traffic environment in 2025 where, in addition to conventional traffic problems, vehicles freed from environmental constraints are getting bigger. Despite the transition period to safe automatic driving, the traffic environment is again becoming confusing and challenging as California resumes its once flourishing car culture. In response to the need for strict traffic enforcement, Honda designed a new patrol vehicle that offers sporty mobility with the toughness to respond in severe traffic situations.

Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc.: Advanced Design Center California – By 2025, law enforcement officers will need to adapt to even more crowded roads with electronically monitored and controlled traffic, a much larger population, and changes in human behavior. As the most environmentally friendly SUV, the “Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force” meets these requirements and helps police and crews around the world. In terms of design, the Ener-G-Force is based on the G-Class; the off-road icon that has been in production since the 1970s, and continues to shape the future as a structurally and technologically advanced SUV.

Subaru Research and Development, Inc. – With the grand opening of Hawaii’s sparkling new inter-island Paradise Highway, Subaru debuts the cutting-edge SHARC (Subaru Highway Automated Response Concept). SHARC highway patrol vehicles will provide an innovative, affordable, and environmentally conscious solution for 24-hour highway monitoring, protection, and rapid emergency response. Meeting Hawaii’s strict UltraGreen carbon-neutral environmental regulations and reflecting a trend for reduced highway patrol budgets worldwide, zero-emission SHARC vehicles are powered by renewable energy and operate autonomously, eliminating the need for a large full-time highway patrol staff.

Entries will be judged by Tom Matano, executive director, School of Industrial Design at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University; Imre Molnar, provost and chief academic officer at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies; and Stewart Reed, chair of Transportation Design at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design. This year’s guest judge, Bruce Meyer, is a board member of the California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation, former racer and past chairman of the Petersen Automotive Museum.

The LA Auto Show Design Challenge is sponsored by Faurecia, the world’s sixth-largest automotive supplier specializing in automotive seating, emissions control technologies, interior systems and auto exteriors, as well as Yokohama Tire, which works closely with auto manufacturers in the U.S., Europe and Japan to develop tires for the latest concept vehicles.  Other sponsors that make Design Los Angeles possible include the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), Lacks Enterprises, Inc., Dassault Systèmes, Eastman, Autodesk and Bose.

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