My conversation with William Thorogood, Head of Design, New Business at the Lego Group, is perhaps one of the most interesting chats I’ve had in recent years. Perhaps because of the passion I share with many for Lego (for those who don’t know, a portmanteau of the Danish Leg Godt, meaning ‘play well’); perhaps because it’s a company from the country where I live, and one of its most iconic. Or perhaps because it was a chat between two people who share a passion for Lego and cars. A symbiosis that he embodies, and which also looks towards a continuous synergy between design, marketing, engineering and, indeed, the ability to inspire a vast audience.

Lego Speed Champions
Among the most fruitful is the partnership with BMW, recently enhanced by a tribute to the BMW M3 E30 to mark the 40th anniversary of this model. Part of the Lego Speed Champions series, this new collaboration features an exclusive livery co-created by the design teams of both companies, inspired by BMW M Motorsport. The 358-piece kit faithfully reproduces the kidney grille, rear spoiler and four round headlights characteristic of the original. Furthermore, the two design studios have worked on a full-scale show car featuring the same livery, which will be unveiled and remain on display in Berlin on 1 August 2026.

Reinventing processes
The fundamental difference between Lego and many competitors lies in the very structure of the team. “We have a model where design is fully integrated into the marketing, project management, operations and engineering teams,” says Thorogood. “It’s a single group of people that brings the project to life. We don’t design first and then figure out how to sell and produce it.”

Emotional products
This approach rejects the traditional design-marketing-production cycle. Instead, all stakeholders work simultaneously, feeding each phase with insights from different disciplines. The result is a process that avoids the typical conflicts between creative vision and production feasibility, and allows Lego products to be, first and foremost, emotional.

The issue of sustainability
Recently, however, the issue of sustainability has also come to the fore, a challenge for those working primarily with plastic. Yet, explains Thorogood, green objectives are part of the company’s strategy to reduce its emissions. However, there is the challenge of not sacrificing what defines the brand’s DNA: the ‘Lego building experience’.

Recycling the know-how
One aspect that is often overlooked in the debate on sustainability and innovation is the ownership structure, which, in Lego’s case, gives it an advantage over other companies. “As designers, one of the great privileges is knowing that we can take long-term gambles,” reveals Thorogood, who has 21 years’ experience at the company. Furthermore, “If an innovation doesn’t work, we learn from it and recycle that know-how into the next project”.

(Full article in A&D no. 279)

When you first arrive in Frankfurt, you usually don’t like it. Partly because of the reputation it’s carried since the post-war period (and the nickname Mainhattan, due to its skyscrapers, doesn’t help), and partly because it really does have modern, boxy buildings, but without Berlin’s atmosphere. Yet this year it is the World Design Capital: Mazda, the event’s mobility partner, has given us the chance to see it through different eyes, showing us some design gems, from furniture to communication.

Creativity behind rationality
Frankfurt perhaps embodies the stereotype of German rationality more than any other city. But, like Milan, behind this apparent rationality lies a vibrant creativity. The e15 studio, which produces high-quality furniture, is a case in point: it is housed in old industrial warehouses and was founded just over thirty years ago by Philipp Mainzer, who brought what he had learnt in London to Frankfurt, creating a continuum between formal research and the tradition of furniture-making.

e15’s trademark, they explain, is its ability to engage with the imperfections of natural wood. Cracks, fissures and variations in colour are not flaws to be concealed, but become the brand’s signature and a stylistic element.
The studio’s first table came about in this way: Mainzer observed the remaining beams in a modest house and saw not waste, but the potential of a design element, in contrast to the trend of the time. In the 1990s, design favoured cold minimalism and smooth materials; e15 chose the opposite path, showcasing wood in its most authentic state. This is evident in all their products, particularly in the Backenzahn, the chair that has become an icon, shown to us in a new metal version unveiled during the 3Days of Design in Copenhagen.

Colours in the background
The same desire to explore and revolutionise can be found in Es ist Freitag, an example of communication design. The agency is right in the city centre, not far from the revitalised Römerberg, and was set up to help those who live here discover the city. “When we opened” – they explain – “we did so because Frankfurt never celebrates itself: its residents see it as a place where you simply go to work. We needed a platform to showcase all the interesting things happening in the city every day”.

Es ist Freitag has opted for vibrant colours and furnishings, so much so that from the outside it doesn’t look like an office at all. It organises events and DJ sets and, as well as looking after clients, produces a magazine and publications that link projects together, shaping a new identity for Frankfurt. From festival graphics to communications for museums and institutions, from design publishing to hospitality, the team of around ten people works across the entire creative chain, from the conceptual phase right through to social media posts.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is Yukio Mishima’s masterpiece and one of the cornerstones of Japanese culture. Among its themes, the almost spiritual quest for the perfect form stands out, beauty seen not as something static but as something alive, in constant motion, reacting to light. I mention this because it was constantly on my mind during my visit to the Mazda R&D Centre in Oberursel, near Frankfurt, the brand’s European design hub. It wasn’t my first visit, but it was one of the most memorable: the pursuit of movement in a stationary object is part of Mazda’s philosophy. Jo Stenuit, Design Director at Mazda Motor Europe, explains this. “Our aim is for a car to give the impression of moving even when stationary”.

©Photos by Nathalie Zimmerman

Mazda is one of the very few manufacturers not to have abandoned modelling (it had done so, but has reintroduced it), and above all to continue experimenting. Upon entering the centre, you are immediately met by sculptures that represent tension and movement. “We are independent, free from the constraints of large conglomerates and often ahead of the curve. That’s why my team of 21 people has the time and freedom to experiment”. The designers work on blocks of various materials, sketching out shapes that evoke the car’s key features.

This approach is embodied by Kodo (“soul of motion”), the philosophy that has guided the brand for 16 years. Previously, Mazdas had more taut and angular lines, inspired by the cheetah’s sprint; Kodo has given way to sensual, flowing surfaces, allowing “reflections to dance” as the car moves.

Stenuit himself came to the car industry as a digital modeller, yet the department has brought manual work back to the fore: milling, clay modelling, painting and four modellers working by hand. Making them by hand, he reflects, gives them a personal touch and offers something that digital methods cannot provide. Technology remains invaluable, but it is the human hand that sets the standard which the machine then refines.

Spectrum
Another hallmark of Mazda is its research into materials. The CMF (Colour, Materials and Finish) team was present at the studio; they investigate visual and tactile sensations and which colours and materials are in vogue or have already passed their prime – which is why they attend events such as Milan Design Week.

When it comes to colours too, the common thread remains the brand’s Japanese roots: indigo, ceramics, washi paper. Mazda is famous for Soul Red Crystal, a colour introduced not without some hesitation (red inevitably invites comparisons with Ferrari) but which is deeply loved. However, research has always continued: following discussions with Japan, a blue shade developed in-house gave rise to the Navy Blue Mica of the latest CX-5, a choice rooted in heritage rather than trends; the CX-6’s Nightfall Violet Mica, on the other hand, shifts from black to violet depending on the light. A colour, they say, must be viewed at an angle and in sunlight, because when viewed flat it conveys something entirely different.

Lego and BMW have unveiled the latest set in the Speed Championship collection: a BMW M3 E30 with an exclusive livery. The set pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of a model that launched the successful series of high-performance saloons still in production today, albeit with a completely new approach, as revealed by William Thorogood, Head of Design, New Business at the Lego Group (the full interview will appear in Auto&Design no. 279).

Rather than reproducing the original colours of the E30, the designers have created something entirely new, drawing on the iconography of BMW M Motorsport. The result will be applied simultaneously to two objects on radically different scales: the brick set and a full-size BMW M3 E30 converted into a show car. The kit comprises 358 pieces spread over a length of seventeen centimetres. To best capture the car’s visual essence, the designers identified its characteristic elements (the kidney grille, the rear spoiler, the four round headlights) and replicated them whilst maintaining recognisability within the constraints of the construction. The seven-centimetre width dictates how each element can be attached to the main body, but it also forces designers to make drastic choices regarding what to include, what can be omitted, and how to suggest volumes that cannot be literally constructed.

As Thorogood points out, the main difficulty in designing these kits lies in the balance between recognisability and constructional feasibility. An overly simplified replica would lose its identifying features; one that is too detailed would require completely different proportions. The solution adopted opts for a conscious middle ground: key elements, such as the profile of the side, the proportions of the surfaces and the main volumes, are preserved, whilst secondary details are simplified.

The co-created livery takes on new meaning in this context. Applied to the surface of the replica, it organises the colour to emphasise the constructed forms, tracing lines that guide the eye towards the most important volumes. The E30, the car that symbolised 1980s motorsport, thus continues to function aesthetically credibly even when reduced to bricks and a custom livery. Indeed, the livery developed in collaboration between the BMW M Sport design team and the Lego team serves precisely to emphasise this historic identity through an entirely new visual journey.

A tribute to the original Honda NSX, but also to the man who made it famous: Ayrton Senna. If it is true that every project is born from a convergence of reasons, those behind the Honda NSX by Italdesign are very clear-cut. According to Andrea Porta, Business Development Manager at Italdesign, it was “The need for a new project that would showcase our capabilities, finding a marque and a car that represented a certain prestige, and continuing along the Japanese thread”.

To celebrate as not to disappoint
The choice fell on the NSX as a homage to the first series, while integrating the hybrid technology of the second generation. But when working on a tribute, the important thing is not so much to celebrate as not to disappoint. The work of exterior designers Cristiano Fracchia and Gaspare Conticelli and interior designers Alessandro Trombin and Alessandro Rota originates precisely from this awareness. The starting point of the project was clear from the outset: “To try to unite Honda’s heritage from the earlier models with the stylistic evolution that has taken place over the years”, the designers explain.

The parameter car
The donor car was the parameter within which everything had to work. The pop-up headlamps of the original could not be replicated, and in their place came a moving eyelid that opens and closes to the same dramatic effect, able to “conceal the headlight and give it greater importance once opened”. The fins that rise from the flanks towards the roof derive from the need to integrate the large lateral air intakes of the 2016 NSX, yet they become one of the most recognisable elements of the silhouette.

The reference abounds
The front end reprises the H-shaped configuration of the first generation, just as the rear recovers the spoiler connected to the light cluster, reinterpreted through a luminous ring. The references abound: the Championship White paint; the red Type R badges; the roof scoop from the NSX-R GT. Rota explains, moreover, that the team worked to divide the bodywork into several layers: the aerodynamic elements low down, the body shell kept as clean as possible in the middle, and a pared-back cockpit on top on which the two fins rest.

The work inside
Inside, the scope for intervention was even narrower. Seats, steering wheel, airbag and ergonomic layout were untouchable, so the work concentrated on a few high-impact elements: the air vent that runs the full length of the dashboard and wraps around the door panel, the twin-cockpit architecture inspired by the first NSX, and the central H motif.

The key word was respect
The fixed elements were handled through colour to reduce their visibility: “We tried to show what we wanted to display and hide what we could not change”. On the materials front, the project calls for aluminium, carbon fibre and Alcantara in various finishes, with some versions reviving the red of the historic Type R cars. In Trombin’s words, “the key word in this project was respect”. Respect for the design and for the history of the model that dared to challenge Ferrari.

(Full article in A&D no. 278)

After an initial attempt to officially enter the market in 2021, Great Wall Motor has refined its strategy for Europe and is now ready to arrive in Italy as well—doing so with its most “chic” model: the GWM ORA 5. We visited its home in Baoding to drive it, and it indeed has many fashionista-friendly features. The cabin is the true focal point of the project, available in various color schemes and materials that appeal to style-conscious buyers—especially the version with houndstooth upholstery on the seats, dashboard, and door panels, in light tones to enhance brightness alongside the fixed panoramic roof.

The seats use low-VOC foam and breathable 3D mesh upholstery—odorless, antimicrobial materials that improve interior air quality. Beyond that, the entire car benefits from excellent sound insulation and suspension tuning, contributing to a very comfortable ride. GWM has used multi-layer glass and worked extensively on aerodynamics to reduce wind noise at higher speeds—something you notice almost immediately when driving the car.

The 14.6-inch display dominates the dashboard, but the Coffee OS interface avoids the typical issue of large screens: it doesn’t force you to search. It responds quickly, with logic similar to smartphones, and is complemented by physical buttons for more immediate controls like climate settings. The deliberately retro physical gear selector adds a tactile element to an otherwise highly digital interior. Finally, the picture is completed by no fewer than 33 storage compartments of various sizes, useful for holding bags, phones, as well as bottles and flasks. Particularly practical is the one in the center console, connected to the climate vents, which can be cooled or heated depending on the season.

GWM’s approach, together with the GWM One platform, means the ORA 5 can be offered with several powertrains. The test car is the electric version with a 58.3 kWh battery and up to 435 km of range. However, we also tested the 1.5 turbo petrol with dual-clutch transmission and the 223 hp full hybrid, without any substantial differences in the interior, ergonomics, or onboard space—confirming the extreme versatility of this project.

One of the greatest challenges in designing an electric city car is making sure the driver never feels the “compromise.” Limited space, restricted range, stripped-back technology: these are the accusations that have historically weighed on B-segment models, and that the Kia EV2 tested in Lisbon in the pouring rain manages to dismantle one by one.

The EV2 is one of those cars that looks big, even visually, but isn’t. Despite its boxy, muscular stance, it measures just 4.06 metres in length and 1.80 metres in width, with a tight turning radius that makes it genuinely easy to park. Where the real work shows, though, is inside, thanks above all to the sliding and reclining rear seat system. When travelling with four passengers, the seats slide back and legroom becomes generous enough to rival a C-segment saloon; when loading luggage, they slide forward and boot capacity grows to over 400 litres. Practicality is further enhanced by storage compartments, hooks, USB-C ports on the seatbacks, and, a rare touch for this segment, a Schuko socket in the rear for charging laptops and devices on the go. On the tech side, the ccNC system offers three screens: a 12.3″ digital instrument cluster, a 12.3″ central touchscreen, and a 5.3″ climate control display, the latter somewhat awkwardly positioned behind the steering wheel rim.

What impresses most is the noise insulation: the level achieved by the EV2 is not only unmatched in its segment, but surpasses that of larger Kia models such as the EV4. Dedicated carpeting, wheelarch absorbers, an acoustic windscreen, and tyres chosen specifically for low noise levels all contribute to a remarkably hushed cabin. Rounding things off, the Bold Motion Symphony system introduces 20 newly developed sounds, carefully tuned to remain noticeable without ever feeling intrusive. The one thing that slightly breaks the quiet is the ADAS suite excellent and genuinely upper-segment in scope, but with alert tones that still lean a touch too insistent. New to this model is the In-Cabin Monitoring Unit, integrated into the rear-view mirror, which analyses driver attentiveness and occupant positioning in real time, triggering a minimum-risk manoeuvre in an emergency — all without storing any personal data.

The EV2 as tested promises around 327 km of range, with a Long Range version offering 450 km on the way. A standout feature is the 22 kW AC charging (a first for Kia) which brings the battery to full in 2 hours 35 minutes, while DC fast charging covers 10–80% in just 30 minutes. It’s not built for long-haul road trips, but it’s versatile enough for daily life and the occasional weekend getaway.

That motorcycles are the symbol of the lightest and freest journey is certain, but today they also want to continue to be objects of desire, sophisticated in design and refined in aesthetics. At the Car Design Event there were two examples capable of embodying this aspect in a very different way: a reborn Norton, and Novus, on the contrary a very recent German startup.

Simon Skinner, Norton’s Head of Design, knows the brand like few others given his seventeen years with the company. “You could cut me in half and find Norton written on it,” he said with a hint of irony. When TVS Motors took over the company from receivership in 2020, it knew what had been acquired: “One brand and one hundred and twenty-eight years of history.” Innovating in 2026, however, means something different than in the past. The most significant change concerns the organizational structure: in the motorcycle industry, design traditionally goes back to engineering, but Norton has reversed this logic. “I report directly to the CEO,” explains Skinner. “We are to all intents and purposes a design-led company, a rather unusual governance in the sector.” This has also guided the definition of a new target: younger, more heterogeneous, more design-conscious customers, to be reached with a stylistic strategy centred on modernity and responsiveness, all concepts that are “rather unusual in the world of motorcycles”.

The result is visible in the two superbikes Manx and Manx R: full carbon fiber bodywork, no spoilers, no broken surfaces, no visible screws. “We weren’t bound by the racing regulations,” explains Skinner. An aesthetic radically different from the norm, which also reflects the unique nature of the vehicle: “The rider interacts with practically every surface of the bike while riding it. It is a true integration between design and engineering.”

If Norton reinvents a legacy, Novus starts from a blank sheet of paper. The project was born sixteen years ago as a degree thesis, developed in secret during the Volkswagen years of the founders, and only in 2019 was it shown for the first time. Presented at the CES in Las Vegas, the vehicle is described as revolutionary. Novus combines e-bikes, scooters and motorcycles in what it calls urban light pipe – lightness, stability, simplicity. The monocoque chassis integrates the battery, ECU and electronic management system, with ninety percent of the components produced in Europe. The first German premium OEM in the segment for thirty-two years, it has already delivered the first units from Germany to Spain. The vision goes beyond mobility: “My mission is not only to transform urban transport, but to create a way of life,” explains COO Hannes Krieger. Hence the collaboration with Hugo Boss, with the brand’s texture woven directly into the first carbon layer of the bodywork. A world record.

Korean motoring is experiencing something of a “golden age” in its history, and Hyundai Motor Group brands also stood out at the Car Design Event Classic. Created by journalists Des Sellmeyer and Jens Meiners, the Car Design Event is one of the “children of Covid.” At the time, they had created a sort of German “Car of the Year,” but during the pandemic, manufacturers brought cars to the judges for testing. The experience with a Genesis concept car, fascinating but out of context, inspired the idea of an event dedicated exclusively to design and concept cars.

Thanks to contacts with the Drivers and Business Club in Monaco, the idea for the Car Design Event took shape. As Des Sellmyer recounts, a chat with Luc Donckerwolke and Mark Lichte kicked off the project, with their full support. From the outset, the event combined exhibition and driving, also including classic cars. The success of the first edition gave rise to the idea of a second event, the CDE Classic, to showcase historic cars and restomods. This is where the Hyundai Grandeur Retrofit comes in, exhibited at the CDE Classic and described by Nicola Danza, Head of Exterior Design at Hyundai Motor Company Europe: “What we did in Korea was to take a car from 1986 and reimagine it with all the weight of the present,” a way to pay homage to its origins and at the same time show how much Hyundai has grown in terms of design and innovation.

It all began with the 1986 Grandeur, the first generation, reinterpreted with modern materials and cutting-edge technology. The idea was to create a dialogue between two languages, the historical and the contemporary, striking a balance between elegance and dynamism. One of the symbolic elements is the pixel lighting system: “Today we are used to seeing it on our Ioniq range, but back then it was just an experiment to create a strong lighting signature, integrated into the grille and rear lights.” The interior represents a true meeting between past and future. On the one hand, there are chrome surfaces and geometric lines typical of the 1980s, and on the other, large digital surfaces and meticulous attention to detail. A curious and poetic idea stands out: “in the center tunnel, there is a system that allows you to compose music while waiting for the car to recharge,” a way to make the car experience more human and creative.

The seventh generation of the Grandeur, the current model, also incorporates some features of the original, reinterpreting them in a modern key. One of these is the famous “opera window” on the C-pillar, which returns as a graphic reference. The proportions are now cleaner and more aerodynamic, thanks in part to the frameless windows, the horizontal light strip that connects the front and rear, and a minimalist design based on balance and proportion. This is a tribute to one of Hyundai’s most successful cars in non-European markets, so much so that in its home country it is a cultural and social symbol. “A sedan is a status symbol… it shows people that you have reached a certain level,” concludes Danza. The Genesis X Gran Coupé, a concept car that interprets the Genesis brand’s “Athletic elegance” philosophy, a balance between strength and refinement, in a more emotional direction, also makes its European debut at CDE Classic. While maintaining the wheelbase of the G90, the more compact interior makes the car more intimate and sporty. The inspiration comes from the Mediterranean and is reflected in the exterior and interior colors—olive green combined with champagne tones and cognac leather—and in a design that plays on elegant proportions, clean surfaces, and sporty details such as pronounced wheel arches and a wider clamshell hood than the standard G90. The interior, with lighting inspired by olive leaves, Swarovski crystals, and premium materials, completes a refined sensory experience, harmonizing luxury and sportiness.