Polestar, the Swedish electric car marque, has unveiled its 2024 Design Contest in partnership with Mattel's Hot Wheels, one of the world's top-selling toy brands.
This year's competition challenges designers to blend Polestar's sleek design DNA with the whimsical essence of their childhood imaginations, aiming to create the ultimate Hot Wheels collectable.
The collaboration marks a new chapter in the Polestar Design Contest, pushing the boundaries of creativity to produce what promises to be the most extreme edition yet. Designers are encouraged to let their imaginations run riot, crafting vehicle designs that not only push the limits of performance but also meet the criteria for a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels die-cast model. The submission must include detailed visuals of the vehicle's interior and surroundings.
Maximilian Missoni, Polestar's Head of Design, emphasised the transformative power of dreams in design, inviting participants to "push that Polestar envelope" and explore the limits of their creativity. Similarly, Ted Wu, VP and Global Head of Vehicle Design at Mattel, highlighted Hot Wheels' and Polestar's shared commitment to pioneering design. "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."
Open to professionals and students
The contest is open to aspiring designers, both professionals and students, and has a history of drawing remarkable talent worldwide. Since its launch in 2020, the Polestar Design Contest has showcased groundbreaking concepts, from pollution-fighting vehicles to electric-and-helium airships, highlighting the vast scope of participants' imaginations.
In 2023, the contest brought to life the Synergy concept car. The vehicle, a single-seat electric supercar, was the result of over 600 entries whittled down to three winning designs, which were then integrated into one cohesive concept by the Polestar Design team.
Winner's design to be available to buy
Juan Pablo Bernal, Interior Design Manager at Polestar and founder of the contest, sees the Hot Wheels collaboration as an opportunity for designers to explore new territories by merging Polestar's minimalist aesthetics with Hot Wheels' bold style. "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 contest opens for entries on 5 March 2024, with a submission deadline of 16 April 2024. The winner, expected to be announced toward the end of 2024, will have the unique opportunity to see their design produced as a Hot Wheels 1:64 die-cast model, the first of its kind in the Hot Wheels x Polestar collaboration, and will be made available for purchase across the world.
For more information on the 2024 Polestar Design Contest, including entry details and terms, interested designers can visit the official contest page on Polestar's website.