Design Los Angeles asks how motor-racing will look in 2025

MAZDA KAAN - Mazda Research and Development

Mazda's take on the future of motorsport is an interesting combination of electric-powered Formula One and road-race cycling tactics. The California in which the MAZDA KAAN would race is equipped with electroconductive freeways that provide power to EVs as they drive (wouldn't that be nice). The KAAN would use an electronic tire system to tap into the same system and propel cars along at speeds reaching 250 mph with teams of up to thirty vehicles using a peleton-like formation to increase their aerodynamic advantage.

(Design Team: Jacques Flynn, Carlos Salaff, Minyong Lee, Greg Lee, Tim Brown, Jordan Meadows)

Mitsubishi Motors MMR25 - Mitsubishi Research & Design of North America

With each omnidirectional wheel consisting of eight independently-controlled motors giving it ultra-off road capabilities, its just as easy to imagine the Mitsubishi MMR25 traversing the surface of the moon as taking part in an earth-bound race. The design would enable the car to be driven forward while pointing in any direction - so it could be pointed out of a corner when its still on the way in - and adjustable "Memory Metal Alloy" would be used to optimize the aerodynamics of the central wing. Jon Hull (design, surfacing, rendering and animation)

Toyota Lemans Racer - Calty Design Research, Inc.

Described as "the ultimate race car that never needs to stop", the Toyota Lemans Racer is another shape-shifting design that integrates hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric motors fed by photovoltaic panels. In "High Speed Mode", the vehicle becomes narrower to reduce drag while in "Cornering Mode" its footprint is widened for stability and control. The concept also envisions a robot co-pilot and fully digitized cockpit that incorporates virtual reality, computer trajectory plotting, collision avoidance assistance and diagnostic systems that can repair the car during the race.

(Design Team: Kevin Hunter, Erwin Lui, Craig Kember)

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