Continental Wins iF Design Awards and Red Dot

Posted By: Tires & Parts Newson: Thursday, May 5, 2022In: Automotive, News

Continental has just won three prestigious design awards. With both the AMBIENC3 concept vehicle and the ContiHome small house, the technology company’s surface specialists impressed the 132-strong expert jury at the iF Design Awards 2022, picking up two awards from the design label. The iF jury evaluated more than 11,000 entries from 57 countries. But that’s not all: ContiHome also won the coveted Red Dot Product Design Award.

Our two concepts were extremely well received earlier at the launch events last year,” says Ralf Imbery, Head of Innovation Transformation and Design at Continental. “The fact that international design experts are now honoring us once again underscores that we are on the right track with our solutions for the future. We didn’t just evolve trends, we set them.” Imbery is particularly pleased that these awards recognize design above all else. “For us as an automotive supplier and industrial partner, the focus is often on functionality, robustness and sustainability, and this also applies to our two projects. But atmosphere and comfort play a decisive role, particularly with AMBIENC3 and the ContiHome. That’s where design is crucial, of course.”

AMBIENCE3 – retro meets the future

The AMBIENC3 concept vehicle was created on the basis of an old VW T2 microbus and combines the emotional retro charm of an automotive icon with answers to the mobility needs of the future. The interior follows the concept of the third space, where the areas of driving, working and relaxing merge. Design, functionality, sustainability and customer orientation support multiple uses. The idea behind it: “With AMBIENC3, we always had a holistic design concept in mind: With a clear layout, homogeneous styling, a feel-good color code, and complementary mood concepts of light and sound,” says Imbery.

ContiHome – less is more

Furniture, floors, walls, windows, facades and terrace – in the ContiHome, the technology group headquartered in Hanover, Germany, has covered and filled an entire house exclusively with its surface materials. Sustainable design in look and feel, functionality, aesthetics and comfort are the focus. The Tiny House is basically mobile and can be moved by truck. The idea behind it: Inspired by global trends such as micro housing and minimalism, Continental has addressed the future topic of “living in small spaces” and opted for a modern, dynamic, striking and straightforward approach for the exterior form. “‘Less is more’ is key in the design language, especially in the polygonal shapes inside and out,” Imbery explains. Industrial style and nature were other sources of inspiration. “As a supplier to the construction and furniture industry, we want to encourage our customers to think outside the box, because ‘small and multifunctional spaces’ are a future topic for the housing and living industries.”

Serial winner of the Red Dot Design Award

The 48 international members of the Red Dot jury took a similar view: The award for best product design went to the ContiHome. Rationale: “The ContiHome inspires with its exposed structure, and an open design that is very inviting in combination with the use of naturalistic materials.” The organizers counted around 22,000 submissions from designers, design studios and manufacturers from some 60 countries. According to the Red Dot jury, award winners must set new standards in the design industry – and Continental did just that. Continental surface specialists are already familiar faces at the Red Dot Design Award ceremony: The upholstery fabrics skai Toronto EN with staynu technology and skai Vyp Lana with laif technology won in 2021, the furniture surface skai colore classico ULTRA won in 2020, and the exterior surface skai Jet Black won in 2018.