High School Visionaries Render the 2030 Jeep Wrangler

TopSpeed

By Jonathan Lopez

Published May 20, 2018

Raising ‘em right

It ain’t easy to break into the world of automotive design, but three talented high schoolers are well on their way to landing their dream jobs, as recognized by FCA in a recent contest to pen the 2030 model year Jeep Wrangler.

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The Full Story

This is the sixth year of the Drive for Design Contest, a nationwide competition among young artists ranging between grades 10 and 12 to pen a futuristic vision of the Jeep Wrangler. Out of the pool of submissions, just three high schoolers were selected this year.

The top three winners (listed from first place to third place) include Eduard Cret from Design and Architecture Senior High (Miami, Florida), Emily Bryson, also from Design and Architecture Senior High (Miami, Florida), and Jinho So of Canisius High School (Buffalo, New York).

The winning design (seen above) uses a tall body and big, knobby wheels, with the upper portion covered in a matte-black paint job and the lower bits in a metallic orange color. The windshield stretches back and above into the roof, a cool little detail that should provide loads of ambient lighting in the cabin. Meanwhile, the hood gets a pair of indented vents to keep things nice and chilly in the engine bay. The headlights use a low-cut LED strip, complemented by orange lower markers and side-view mirror turn signals. The grille is also particularly interesting, as it appears to get a digital screen that could be used to display various images and information.

You can view the other two winning submissions below, which includes a winter-ready wrangler and a more streamlined black-and-white design.

“Six years ago, we created the Drive for Design Contest to create awareness about the various career paths available in automotive design,” said FCA North America Head of Performance, Passenger Car and Utility Vehicle Design, Mark Trostle. “We wanted to connect with young artists early in their curriculum and help guide them in the right direction to begin a career in automotive design. The creative perspective on all this year’s submissions were inventive and exceptional as you could truly see the inspiration, objective, and emotion behind each concept.”

The winners will receive a prize package that includes career inspiration goodies like a behind-the-scenes tour of the FCA US Product Design studios, a one-on-one session with professional automotive designers, and a two-week summer course on automotive design at Lawrence Technological University.

Winners will also get an all-expenses-paid trip to the EyesOn Design Automotive Design Exhibition at Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, plus A Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 design computer built specifically for the standard array of designer activities (drawing, concept art, 3D sculpting, painting, motion graphics, and image editing). An Apple iPad and an Apple Pencil round it out.

It’s always nice to see major automakers inspiring youth to get involved in the industry. Congratulations to the winners!