Recently, Wang Tianqi, a 2023 master's student, and Liu Xinyuan, a 2024 master's student from the Department of Industrial Design of Academy of Arts, Tsinghua University won the championship at the “Dongfeng Dream Car” competition with their work Lingyu-Gemini. The physical model of their entry was showcased at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, reflecting the next generation of designers' profound insights and original explorations into the future of mobility.
Wang Tianqi & Liu Xinyuan | Lingyu-Gemini
Physical Model at Shanghai Auto Show
These award-winning works were completed under the joint guidance of the Institute for Mobility Experience Design, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and the Institute for Design Strategy and Prototype Innovation, Tsinghua University Research Center for Arts and Science. Leveraging extensive platform resources, the institutes provide students with comprehensive support, spanning conceptual refinement, prototype construction, and interactive experience development. Mentors at the institutes guide students to focus on the integration of technology and aesthetics, emphasizing humanistic care in design. They encourage students to transcend the traditional understanding of "means of transport" and reconstruct their perception of future mobility.
Mentor Guidance
The design team proposed a “tool + toy + companion” trinity concept for future mobility, addressing the diverse needs of Generation Z by creating an intelligent mobile space that combines emotional interaction and entertainment. The core innovation lies in its detachable “dual-vehicle” architecture: a stable main vehicle paired with two agile AI motorcycle robots, forming a symbiotic relationship. These vehicles can operate independently or interact collaboratively, enabling seamless transitions between commuting and recreational scenarios.
The interior design focuses on immersive experiences, utilizing multimodal design to harmonize space, interface, and CMF (Color, Material, Finish), creating a groundbreaking human-machine interaction experience.
The “Dongfeng Dream Car” competition, initiated by Dongfeng Motor Corporation in collaboration with the China Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Foundation and the Dongfeng Public Welfare Foundation, is a professional automotive design contest with the theme “Intelligent Innovation · New Future.” Spanning several months and divided into six stages, the competition attracted participants from universities across China and abroad, culminating in the selection of champions, runners-up, and top ten winners.
Final Judging at Dongfeng Group R&D Headquarters
