For Concept Vehicle and Tiny House: Continental Wins iF Design Awards and Red Dot

• AMBIENC3 and ContiHome impress international jury at iF Design Awards
• ContiHome show house also given award by Red Dot jury
• Continental’s trailblazing surface designs create a special ambience and sense of wellbeing for tomorrow’s experience of driving and living.

Continental has just won three prestigious design awards. With
both the AMBIENC3 concept vehicle and the ContiHome small house, the technology company’s
surface specialists impressed the 132-strong expert jury at the iF Design Awards 2022, picking up
two awards from the design label. The iF jury evaluated more than 11,000 entries from 57
countries. But that’s not all: ContiHome also won the coveted Red Dot Product Design Award.
“Our two concepts were extremely well received earlier at the launch events last year,” says Ralf
Imbery, Head of Innovation Transformation and Design at Continental. “The fact that international
design experts are now honoring us once again underscores that we are on the right track with our
solutions for the future. We didn’t just evolve trends, we set them.” Imbery is particularly pleased
that these awards recognize design above all else. “For us as an automotive supplier and industrial
partner, the focus is often on functionality, robustness and sustainability, and this also applies to
our two projects. But atmosphere and comfort play a decisive role, particularly with AMBIENC3 and
the ContiHome. That’s where design is crucial, of course.”

AMBIENCE3 – retro meets the future
The AMBIENC3 concept vehicle was created on the basis of an old VW T2 microbus and
combines the emotional retro charm of an automotive icon with answers to the mobility needs of
the future. The interior follows the concept of the third space, where the areas of driving, working
and relaxing merge. Design, functionality, sustainability and customer orientation support multiple
uses. The idea behind it: “With AMBIENC3, we always had a holistic design concept in mind: With
a clear layout, homogeneous styling, a feel-good color code, and complementary mood concepts
of light and sound,” says Imbery.

ContiHome – less is more
Furniture, floors, walls, windows, facades and terrace – in the ContiHome, the technology group
headquartered in Hanover, Germany, has covered and filled an entire house exclusively with its
surface materials. Sustainable design in look and feel, functionality, aesthetics and comfort are the
focus. The Tiny House is basically mobile and can be moved by truck. The idea behind it: Inspired
by global trends such as micro housing and minimalism, Continental has addressed the future
topic of “living in small spaces” and opted for a modern, dynamic, striking and straightforward
approach for the exterior form. “‘Less is more’ is key in the design language, especially in the
polygonal shapes inside and out,” Imbery explains. Industrial style and nature were other sources
of inspiration. “As a supplier to the construction and furniture industry, we want to encourage our
customers to think outside the box, because ‘small and multifunctional spaces’ are a future topic
for the housing and living industries.”

Serial winner of the Red Dot Design Award
The 48 international members of the Red Dot jury took a similar view: The award for best product
design went to the ContiHome. Rationale: “The ContiHome inspires with its exposed structure, and
an open design that is very inviting in combination with the use of naturalistic materials.” The
organizers counted around 22,000 submissions from designers, design studios and manufacturers
from some 60 countries. According to the Red Dot jury, award winners must set new standards in
the design industry – and Continental did just that. Continental surface specialists are already
familiar faces at the Red Dot Design Award ceremony: The upholstery fabrics skai Toronto EN with
staynu technology and skai Vyp Lana with laif technology won in 2021, the furniture surface skai
colore classico ULTRA won in 2020, and the exterior surface skai Jet Black won in 2018.