The L.A. Auto Show Design Challenge is a creation competition organized each year before the Detroit Auto Show.

The stakes of this competition are huge, since the designers are usually hired by the design teams of the big car manufacturers. At this competition there can also take part the design teams that are already working for a car manufacturer.

Here is a list of the models that qualified for the L.A. Auto Show Design Challenge final:

Mini BioMoke

The Mini BioMoke is some sort of MiniBuggy with open cockpit, with the body beeing made from biodegradable panels with tree seeds integrated into them. At the end of the life cycle of the car (5 years), when the panels are degrading, the seeds will pop up and voila, a tree is born. Cool!

Acura FCX LeMans 2015

The Acura FCX LeMans 2015 is a hydrogen fueled prototype destined to be used at the LeMans race from 2015. True batmobile spirit!

Audi Dynamic Space Frame

This is a superfuturistic prototype. All the liquid and electrical components (fuel, oil, water) are found in circuits and reservoirs integrated into the chasis, who is also integrated with the body of the car. The suspension is comanded electromagnetically with a variable density fluid. Out of my league clearly:)

 GMC Hummer 02

Due to the many critiques received for the fuel guzzler that is the Hummer, GMC imagined a cool 4×4, of small dimensions, that uses huge solar panels to transform carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Honda Extreme

This one is somewhere in the middle between a normal car and a batmobile. You know whats the interesting part? The car can change its shape according to what the owner needs, from a sporty pick-up to a van. Nice!

Kia Sandstorm

Diesel hybrid buggy with rechargeable batteries by solar cells.

Mercedes-Benz Recy

100% recyclable roadster made with wood, carbon and aluminium and with an engine called “V6 high-tech bio-Diesel”.

Toyota RLV (Renewable Lifestyle Vehicle)

Very light electric vehicle with two ways to function. One is in manual mode, by using the pedals (Flintstone style :D) and the other is electric. The materials used are bioplastic, bambus and aluminium.

Volkswagen Nanospyder

Vehicle that can be assembled and dissasembled at a microscopic level. Sounds interesting, though a bit too much work if you do it by hand. Guess we really need that nanotechnology.