Once again, a very unique and creative approach to this brief with excellent design execution, making it perhaps the most well-thought-out submission of the entire challenge.
This entry handles its outlandish approach remarkably well. From a distance, it almost appears like a normal city car, almost, because there is practically nothing normal about its design, yet it also doesnât look overdone. The front fascia looks excellent, and I like how it is composed of multiple different areas in different colours and textures. There is actually a lot going on when youâre looking up close, but everything feels tidy and perfectly in place. The lightbar does look a bit generic, though they are accompanied by these large fog light-ish pods featuring an X made up of Oâs (more on that later). I see a lot of potential in those, like displaying different patterns based on what type of vehicle it is (for example luxurious or sports models). Some aerodynamic elements are also present, specifically on the hood and sides. Speaking of the hood, it is mostly made up of a weird alternative material, also seen on the splitter, side skirts and rear bumper. I believe itâs supposed to be some kind of recycled plastic or maybe even carbon fiber (unlikely though), but to me it looks more like bird droppings 
. I like how the rear is split into 2 layers though, with the bottom one having a modern interpretation of the âAirbumpsâ seen on the previous generation of Citrus vehicles, which looks really nice. Those rectangular rugged elements are reflected on other parts of the car as well, like the taillights for example, adding to the consistency. Overall, it looks like the whole body is made up of multiple divided parts (most notably the fenders in comparison to the sides), and I think that works very well. I would like to point out the greenhouse, which looks a bit too vertical in my opinion, though it has grown on me a little. The wheels look solid.
This entry brings a lot of new ideas for Citrus vehicles, but no worries, it is also crammed with references to old models as well. As mentioned before, the sides and rear bumper feature those rugged âAirbumpsâ. Once again, the front grille(-less) area has the asymmetric logo as well as the 3 illuminated vertical lines, which are accompanied by a very âfreshâ looking lime green colour (pun intended, the colour works excellently with the Citrus brand image by the way). The rear wheels are also partially enclosed with wheel covers; them being painted the same shade as the fender cladding really helps with the proportions, but they are not a must on this car in my opinion. One of the new features includes the XO pattern present in the DRLs and taillights. They give the car a playful and crisp aesthetic which I really like. Also worth mentioning are once again the rims, which somewhat resemble the inside of a lime.
Build quality is another highlight of this car. Even though it is completely made up of 3D fixtures, it still has realistic panel gaps and shut lines. There are barely any areas where the reflections donât line up, or where the fixtures clip with each other. I really canât fault it, well done.
As a design language, I would see designs inspired by geometry and linearity, looking very modern and slightly utilitarian even. Key elements carried over from the concept would definitely be the secondary accent colour, as well as the light âpodsâ, though maybe placed in other areas. The taillights would vary from having said âpodsâ, or using the second option which is the lightbar accompanied by the horizontal lines on the corners. The wheels would definitely be borrowed from the concept car as well.
Overall, this entry undoubtedly fits with the brief, as it brings a consistent and well-though-out design language, whilst also staying true to the brandâs past identity. There are some elements here and there that are not really my cup of tea, but those are rather small nitpicks compared to the rest of the design. Well done.
Verdict: moves on to the finals!
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) with the French references and took a bit more modern, lighter approach, it could have been a winner.
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. What I like about this design is that it allows for a lot of variation whilst also looking quite quirky. If I would see this car in real life, I would definitely think that it is from a French brand. What I struggle with is that the concept carâs design relies heavily on retromodern features like the silver roof element and the dipping beltline, which are both challenging to use on production models that donât directly reference the original Citrus Reine.
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