Buick brand is 110 years old and rightfully proud of its rich history. But they are not looking at the past reminiscing about the good old days. Rather, they are looking into the future, trying to figure out which direction to go to stay in the game. So they teamed up with BASF and hosted a design competition to explore some ideas for Buicks of 2030.

They gave students at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies a blank canvas and asked them to come up with what they think the Buicks of 2030 will look like. It resulted in some pretty interesting creations, some of day way more futuristic than what we’d expect to see in 15 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF85plfYc_o

The “blank canvas” Buick gave the students was not that blank, after all. There were guidelines addressing future transportation needs – the dramatic rise in urban populations, developing countries, nanotechnology and the role advanced materials will play in vehicle efficiency. The designs were judged by professional jury of Buick designers from the exterior, interior, and color and trim studios, who gave the $7,000 award to the following:

• Namsuk Lee, 28, from Seoul, Korea with two awards – $3,000 for best overall concept and $1,500 for best interior
• Sam Kenny, 22 of Greensboro, N.C. – $1,500 for best exterior design
• Justin Salmon, 19 of Boca Raton, Fla. – $1,000 for most innovative use of materials.