IED PassoCorso concept is a student-designed Hyundai we can get behind

Fri, 21 Feb 2014

Sometimes the best ideas come from fresh eyes, and a group of design students from Istituto Europeo di Design – better known as IED – are out to prove that sentiment with this striking Hyundai PassoCorto concept. This two-seat thesis project of the Master of Arts in Transportation Design program for the Turin, Italy school will be officially unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show beginning March 4.

The concept is said to be 161 inches long, 74 inches wide and 45.7 inches tall. It rides on a 96.5-inch wheelbase, which makes sense since passo corto means "short wheelbase" in Italian. The engine is tipped to be a mid-mounted, twin-turbo, 1.6-liter four-cylinder pumping out 266 horsepower. Judging by these images, we think the design looks fantastic, with all those sharp lines and creases drawing to a point in the rear. It shows a wonderful balance of being wild enough to draw attention, yet it almost looks realistic enough for the road.

The styling comes from 16 IED students coordinated by Luca Borgogno, lead designer for fabled Italian design house Pininfarina. The students were given a design brief by Hyundai to create a vehicle aimed at young, connected people like them. All of the students submitted a proposal, and two were selected to be merged together in a final look. The entire class contributed to bringing the design to full scale. Scroll down to get the full scoop on the little sports car concept.

PassoCorto: a two-seater sports car at Geneva Motor Show

The concept car realized by the Master in Transportation Design in collaboration with the Hyundai Design Center Europe will be revealed in world preview.

PassoCorto, the tenth full scale model created by Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin, is a sports car, extremely compact in size. Designed by the Master in Transportation Design – work experience IED Turin – a.y. 2012/13 in collaboration with Hyundai, it will be revealed in world preview at the 84th International Geneva Motor Show (press conference: 4th March 2014 at 4 p.m. – hall 5, stand 5041).

The Korean car manufacturer gave to the Institute a design brief with its target potential customers being young people, who are always connected, those of 2.0, known as generation Y. This very target market also includes the students on the Master's asked by Hyundai to draw and design the car that would be top of their list for buying and driving.

It is time of PassoCorto, created in a year – 2014 – that, in addition to the tenth full scale model, will also see the Institute celebrate 20 years of the Transportation Design course and 25 years of activity in the region.

PassoCorto is the work of sixteen students on the Master's course coordinated by Luca Borgogno, Lead Designer Pininfarina. The concept is the result of a process marked by various assessment stages, simulating a real working situation. All the students submitted their own proposal; the two that were best able to respond to the initial brief were selected and "merged" together into the final version which combines approximately 70% of one proposal and 30% of the other. The entire class in fact created a core working team in order to create a well-integrated model of the two final versions in line with the concepts expressed by the scale models, completing as a group the full scale concept.

The Istituto Europeo di Design would like to thank Hyundai Design Center Europe for the fruitful collaboration that is taken forward so passionately.

Special Thanks: Adobe

Technical Sponsor: Goodyear, Model Resine and NCS – New Cast Services

PassoCorto was constructed by: Cecomp

The Istituto Europeo di Design's stand was created thanks to the collaboration of: Abet Laminati and Interfiere

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PREVIEW >> IED Turin presents at Geneva the Hyundai PassoCorto

Istituto Europeo di Design presents the concept created by the Master in Transportation Design in collaboration with the Hyundai Design Center Europe

At the 84th Geneva International Motor Show (6th – 16th March 2014 – hall 5, stand 5041) will be unveiled as a world premiere the concept car PassoCorto, the tenth full-scale model realized by Istituto Europeo di Design of Turin in collaboration with the Hyundai Design Center Europe, the thesis project of the Master of Arts in Transportation Design – work experience a.y '12/13.

PassoCorto (length 4100mm – width 1880mm – height 1160mm – wheelbase 2450mm) is a 2 seater rear engine sports car, powered by the a 4 cylinder bi-turbo engine (1600 cc) with 270 CV. The concept car is targeted at young customers. The students of the Master course acted as real designers in the automotive field and potential buyers of their own project.

PassoCorto is the work of the sixteen students of the Master coordinated by car designer Luca Borgogno Lead Designer Pininfarina.

By Chris Bruce