New Porsche 911 Wins Red Dot Design Award

The new 991 chassis Porsche 911Porsche 911 Gen.6 [991 Series]Germany, 2011 > present110 versions
314 photos
3 videos
has won the red dot award: product design 2012 voted on by 30 international design experts. 

The current 911 was designed by Michael Mauer who used two concepts when penning the design: brand identity and product identity. That means that the car had to immediately appear to be a Porsche, and it had to be immediately clear which Porsche it was.

The design DNA of our products is our most important asset – which is precisely why we are constantly questioning and developing it,” said Mauer. 

Porsche and Mauer say that the important elements of the 911 design include a steeply sloping roofline, a front air intake instead of radiator grill, pronounced shoulders and an ignition on the left side of the steering wheel.

For the new design, Porsche added 100mm to the wheelbase but lowered the height and added 20in wheels. Inside, Porsche moved the shifter higher and closer to the driver. 

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, designer of the original Porsche 911Porsche 911 Gen.1Germany, 1963 > 198951 versions
150 photos
1 video
, will also receive a posthumous award for his achievements in design. Porsche died on April 5, 2012, in Salzburg, Austria. His motto was: "A coherently designed product needs no adornment; it should be enhanced by its form alone. Good design should be honest.”

The full list of automotive and transport best-of-the-best winners for 2012 are the Husqvarna Nuda 900 R motorcycle, SmartsmartGermany, 1994 > present13 models
897 photos
4 videos
Ebike, Trophy 20 electric scooter and Renault TwizyRenault TwizyFrance, 2010 > present24 versions
52 photos
. Over 4,500 products from 58 countries were submitted for voting this year. The awards will be presented on July 2, 2012, in Essen, Germany. 

Last year's best-of-the-best winners of the award in the Automobiles, Transport and Caravans category were the BMW 5-SeriesBMW 5 Series Gen.6 [F10]Germany, 2010 > 2016180 versions
475 photos
, Kia OptimaKia Optima Gen.3Republic of Korea, 2011 > present39 versions
57 photos
3 videos
and the RhB Zweispannungstriebzug train in the Swiss Alps.