The European Institute of Design returns to the Geneva Motor Show to present Tracy, the concept car created by the students of the Master in Transportation Design in Turin (complete design story on Auto&Design next issue no.242). Result of a thesis project focused on pure experimentation, free from any market constraints, Tracy is a vehicle that interprets the challenges of the contemporary world and expands the concept of shared sustainable mobility.
“With an aptitude for experimentation and innovation, this year we have focused on free research to overcome the constraints of the market, with the intention of intercepting new targets, anticipating courageous solutions for new intelligent transport systems of the future,” says Paola Zini, Director of IED Turin. “With Tracy we have expanded the field of investigation, with a design that has gone beyond the vehicle and that, as the name suggests, wants to chart a new direction in the scenario of shared mobility”.
Starting from the reflection on the future of transport and with the conviction that the concept of collective mobility is more and more central in our society and in the society of tomorrow, IED proposes an electric vehicle, all-terrain, six-seater, functional for public or private use, which addresses users sensitive to the issue of respect for human beings and the environment. Front and rear, two roll-bars wrap and protect the cockpit, functional elements that become elements of style thanks to materials and colours in contrast with the bodywork. With a system of hooks and ropes, designed for the front and rear of the car, the luggage racks allow the transport of backpacks and bags, in variable number and type according to needs, emphasizing the ductility of the vehicle.
The sense of robustness and habitability, conveyed by the proportions, and the bold and irreverent character of the exterior’s formal language, suggested by the mix of materials and colours, also flow into the interior design with a layout that defines two functional areas: the first is dedicated to the driver, in a more central position compared to the traditional layout of a car; the second, rear, reserved for 5 passengers, with a lounge-couch configuration. In total coherence with the interior concept, the asymmetry of the exteriors in the access to the cabin: on the left side the driver’s entrance; on the right side the passenger access. Attention to the environment is expressed in the colour and trim choices, with palettes inspired by city frames or even extreme off-road scenarios and in the selection of natural pigments and biodegradable fibres for the interior upholstery.
