PSA Peugeot Citroën has given its designers at its ADN (Automotive Network Design) studio in France the challenge of creating new innovative designs by dividing the designers into two competing teams, one for Peugeot and the other for Citroën. Each team will adopt the values and core styling themes of their respective brands, while working in four separate studios at the ADN.
The success of the competitive design method is evident in the 30 plus designs that have been previously completed. PSA commissioned architect Jacques Renault to develop a building that could provide its designers with the creative inspiration to develop exciting cars. Despite the promotion of its internal design studios, the French auto giant will still rely on external design houses for its universal appeal. Who could forget the gorgeous Pininfarina-penned 406 coupe?
There are currently more than 1,000 people from 21 countries working in the Paris-based studio. Seventeen projects were completed during the studio’s first year of operation and 25 in its second, with growth in the number of designs estimated at 50 percent for 2006.
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