MINI PACKMAN
Abstract |
Inspiration |
Method |
Result
| Presentation Video
Abstract
Today, family cars are made for big families, reflecting current family situations. Tomorrow, families will be smaller but greater in numbers, and this will require a new type of vehicle. Urbanization and the need for independence from fossil fuel was the starting point for this project. Inspired by compact living environments, this interior project shows a vehicle that can be changed for the needs of a future family regarding family, friends and everything in between.
Inspiration
This project’s main inspiration source is compact living environments. Just as a compact apartment has a limited amount of space and nonetheless has to work just as good as a normal apartment, this extremely small vehicle has to function just as good as any other car.
Method
“Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union". This quote from Frank Lloyd Wright sums up the way I have worked in this project. Functionality is the essence, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be beautiful as well. This project is more of industrial design rather than Automotive design, where the inside of the vehicle has been defined by people’s needs and wishes instead of exterior dimensions and requirements. You need a box to be able to think outside of it.
Result
The MINI Packman is a vehicle that answers all the questions asked by the families of tomorrow. It is designed around the users and their needs when it comes to family, friends and the ability to haul equipment. For family needs, the seats can be converted to fit children from 1 years old up to grownups. With the luggage compartment in front of the passengers, everything is always in easy reach.
When bringing along friends for a ride, the seats can be arranged so that the passengers can gather around the "fire place" - a centre entertainment icon that brings people together. There is no "back-seat" in this car - all the seats are exactly the same and the passengers can adjust the seats position when it comes to height, angle, direction and everything in between.
When loading the car with things, the seats can independently, or all together, move to the front storage compartment, which gives a huge amount of space in the cabin. With seats attached to the centre rail, they easily move away to the corners of the car, just like you move the furniture at home to create more space.
With its hub-engine layout and the batteries stored underneath the car, the interior space is reaching from the front to the rear emblems, giving a huge amount of space in a car not longer than 3380 mm. Designed from the inside out, this vehicle truly shows that cars can be shrunk significantly compared to cars today, still with comfort and space like any other normal car.