Car Design News has named the Porsche Mission E and Volvo S90 as the Car Designs of the Year at a special ceremony in Geneva. An 18-person judging panel, comprising some of the automotive industry’s top designers, selected the Porsche and Volvo as the best-designed concept and production models to be launched in 2015.
In the Concept category, the Porsche Mission E took the honours. Car Design Review editor Guy Bird said: “After the first batches of votes came in it became clear that the Porsche Mission E would be a front-runner for 2015 Concept Car Design of the Year. Judge after judge praised the four-seat EV concept’s clarity and simplicity of design, and by the end of voting, the Mission E was a clear winner.” Ivo van Hulten, head of interior design at Porsche collected the award. Bentley’s EXP 10 Speed 6 came in second, and the Peugeot Fractal third.
“The Production Car Design of the Year was a close-fought contest,” said Car Design News editor Owen Ready, “so close in fact that the result wasn’t decided until the final judging form came in. However the way that the design of the Volvo S90 blends classic proportions and very well resolved new technology makes it deserving of the win this year.” Volvo’s senior VP of design Thomas Ingenlath collected the award. Second place went to the Jaguar F-Pace, with the Alfa Romeo Giulia placed third.
Porsche has confirmed that the striking Mission E concept, first seen at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, has the green light for production at the end of the decade.
The brand’s first EV will herald a new era in battery-powered Porsches, and brings a massive investment into the new plant that will produce it.
With the VW Group looking to put ‘dieselgate’ behind it, the firm previously announced a cross-brand commitment to bringing a number of electric and hybrid models to market in the next few years. The group has confirmed the next Phaeton saloon will be electric, and now Porsche will build a more performance-oriented EV in the form of the 592bhp Mission E.