Designing a vehicle for young adults living in Europe’s urban environment of 2025

Designing a vehicle for young adults living in Europe’s urban environment of 2025

De Jong, R.

Van Dijk, M.B. (mentor)
Visch, V.T. (mentor)

Industrial Design Engineering

Industrial Design

2013-05-17

This master thesis proposes a vehicle design based on insights of transportation needs of young adults, gained through research. Interest is directed towards young adults aged 20-30 living in European cities, who show active and mobile lifestyles, but whom interest for the car is fading. To understand how these people will construct their lives and how vehicular mobility can play in a meaningful role herein, a future vision is defined. The methodology used to create the vision is called Vision in Product. It asks the designer to collect factors, based on literature research, of whom he thinks will shape a preferable future. The research led to the selection of a mindset, describing how young adults will manifest themselves, traveling in the urban environment. The Renault brand identity aspect, joie de vivre, was taken into account to decide on the mindset. The mindset involves travel for recreative purposes, including exploration and enjoyment, as well as a need for social support, driven by the future outlook of cities. The urban environment is intensifying. The future context is finalized with a mission statement: I and Renault want people to explore and enjoy everyday life by spontaneously choosing together from all they encounter in the city. The vehicle design is the means to accomplish the mission. The vehicle is designed on three levels: usage possibilities, technology and aesthetics. The highlight of the vehicle is equality of user experience, embodied by a vis-à-vis seating lay-out and a central control display. The user experience is facilitated by means of a self-driving architecture and expressed through the leitmotiv: a symmetric greenhouse. Vehicles operate within a service system, this provides opportunistic use and connection to events and peers.

design
vehicle
young adults
urban mobility
future vision

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2e647ff1-7902-4a2d-8a17-85846901907c

Campus only

Student theses

master thesis

(c) 2013 De Jong, R.