Swedish designer Gustaf Westman has updated automotive brand Mercedes-Benz‘s CLA model, creating an all-pink concept car that has “all the features that you need for a day in nature”.
The car, which was unveiled at an event in London last night, features a pull-out picnic table at its back, while a dome-shaped tent is attached to the roof.
“Where I get my inspiration is when I’m going out into nature,” Westman said. “This car is all about that, and it has all the features that you need for a day in nature.”
As well as the picnic table, the car also features wine holders that protrude from the back. Its rearview mirrors are deliberately oversized, with the smooth, rounded corners that have become one of Westman’s design signatures.
The designer wanted the car to have practical features outside of just the driving, he said.
“I wanted a place where you can sleep and stay, so that was obviously the tent, and then a place where you can eat your dinner or breakfast, and I wanted that to kind of be integrated into the car design,” Westman told Dezeen.
The bubblegum-pink hue was chosen because it helped underline the shape of the conceptual car.
“For me, pink is a colour that you don’t have any strong feelings towards, and it kind of helps the shape look like that,” he explained.
“It also gives a warm, welcoming feeling, a kind feeling,” he added. “And I also love cuteness – I’m very obsessed with cute stuff, so that’s why I like pink.”
The shape of the tent was designed to be functional, with a central pole that can be set to different heights. The fabric stretches out when fully extended, allowing people inside to see out, and contracts when the tent pole is lowered to create a darker space.
Westman has also created a limited collection of picnic accessories to go along with the car, including the two plates, mirror and a picnic blanket.
The collaboration is part of an ongoing series called Class of Creators, for which a cohort of five creators including rapper Ice Spice and fashion designer KidSuper are given carte blanche to reimagine Mercedes-Benz’s newest CLA model through their own visual language.
Other recent collaborations have seen the carmaker work with design studio MSCHF on a furniture collection and with Moncler on a custom car informed by the fashion brand’s puffer jackets.
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