Polestar, the Swedish electric car brand, has launched its 2024 Design Contest in collaboration with Mattel’s Hot Wheels brand, known globally for its popular toys. This year’s contest challenges designers to infuse their submissions with the imaginative spirit of their youth, incorporating Polestar’s design DNA into their vision for the ultimate Hot Wheels collectible.
The winning design will join the Hot Wheels line-up, becoming the first Hot Wheels x Polestar vehicle as part of a broader partnership with Polestar production models. Entrants are encouraged to unleash their creativity and explore the limits of performance and design, with the only requirement being that Mattel can translate the final design into a 1:64 Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle.
Shortlisted entrants will receive one-on-one coaching from Polestar’s design team to refine their designs ahead of final selection. Since its inception in 2020, the Polestar Design Contest has showcased talent worldwide, with many participants going on to join the Polestar Design team or pursue careers in professional design.
The contest has seen a diverse range of entries, from vehicles addressing local pollution to electric-and-helium airships and innovative prosthetic designs. In 2023, Polestar unveiled the Synergy concept car, winner of the previous contest’s Performance theme, at the IAA in Munich and the Hot Wheels Legends Tour in California.
Ted Wu, VP and global head of vehicle design at Mattel, said, “The Hot Wheels design team has always challenged the conventional approach and the Polestar Design Contest allows the design community to showcase their skills and wow us with something we have never seen before, and we cannot wait to see the submissions.”
Juan Pablo Bernal, interior design manager at Polestar and founder of the contest, added, “I believe this year’s Hot Wheels collaboration will push the design community to work outside of their traditional comfort zones by balancing the minimalist Polestar brand essence with the extreme Hot Wheels aesthetic. But while we’re expecting some of the most extreme submissions yet, we don’t expect to be any less inspired by the quality, quantity and diversity of entries we receive.”
The competition opens for entries on March 5, 2024 and the submission deadline is April 16, 2024. Polestar expects to reveal the winner of the contest in Q4 2024.
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