CUPRA Formentor Concept Car Creation
The CUPRA Formentor was unveiled earlier this year to celebrate CUPRA’S first anniversary as a separate brand. It is the first model developed specifically for the brand and integrates the latest technologies and a high-performance plug-in hybrid engine.
The model made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2019 but many months of hard work went in to creating the concept beforehand.
Concept Car Creation Process
• 500 sketches
• 100 renders
• 700 kilos of clay
• 1,800 icons on the screen, 1,300 on the instrument panel
• 1 km of thread
• More than 50 colour tests
Designing a concept car requires hours of sketching, hundreds of renders, many questions, narrowing down ideas and fresh starts. In total, the CUPRA Formentor took six months to create.
The process beings with initial sketches. As explained by Alberto Torrecillas, exterior designer of the CUV CUPRA Formentor: “Working on the design of a concept car gives us more creative freedom. First, we commit ideas to paper. Some designers like to begin drawing on a graphics tablet, but I much prefer freehand pencil sketches on paper and coming up with different proposals.” This procress takes place for both the exterior and interior of the vehicle.
Once the design has been shaped, it’s time for the CAD designers (Computer Aided Design) to bring it to life. Innovative technology turns drawings into 3D graphics in order to begin modelling exact shapes of the car, fitting all its features and elements. Thanks to virtual reality, the car can magically be seen in the middle of Barcelona’s Avenida Diagonal street, as if it were real.
The team of model makers then use 700 kilos of clay to finally turn the design of the CUPRA Formentor into a physical life size model that can be seen and touched inside and out. Carlo Arco, who is responsible for exterior modelling, explained: “During the creation process of a concept car, the designers make continuous changes to the model and we're right up there with them. This synthetic industrial material enables us to make changes on the fly and when seeing the end result nobody would say that the car is a clay sculpture.”
Meanwhile, the Colour & Trim team focuses on touch-related sensations and colours, combining the latest technology with craftsmanship. Fabrics and materials have to be selected and interior and exterior colours have to be designed ‘Sporty Chic’ was chosen for the Formentor, which features leather, visible stitching, aluminium textures and petrol blue.
Find out more about the SEAT range or contact Caffyns SEAT today for more information.