Following the resounding success of the Art of Wheels 2022, the highly anticipated rim design challenge returns once again with its second edition to celebrate the best of art and engineering in the automotive industry. Art of Wheels 2023/24 which is co-organised by Giant Light Metal Technology (M) Sdn Bhd & My Lives Global marketing & Event will once again see both Malaysian and International designers vying for the opportunity to showcase their skills by incorporating the use of GLMT’s expertise in producing state-of-the-art alloy rims that incorporate superior functionality, aesthetic quality, and exceptional user experience. The competition was established last year as an initiative to mentor and upskill aspiring designers in Malaysia.
The first edition began with 50 participants from local universities who were given a list of Porsche sports car models to design rims for, based on technical specifications and target consumers aged between 18 to 40. It saw Bryan Teh Yea Quan, a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design student at the School of Media, Arts and Design (SoMAD) at Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) emerging as Champion.This was revealed to the members of them media and invited guests by GLMT Malaysia’s Branch Manager Andrew Thu in his welcome address during the unveiling ceremony and press conference which was held at GLMT’s showroom in Sunway Nexis in Petaling Jaya, this morning.
“Although aesthetics is the priority in this competition, participants are expected to highlight lightweight features of the material – alloy, while exuding avant-garde fashionable style to meet the needs of discerning and affluent luxury car owners and prestige car manufacturers,” shared Andrew Thu.“Apart from this, factors such as material utility, reinventing customer perception of alloy wheels, creativity, concept, and feasibility in a real-world design, will be taken into account by professional industry-leading judges,” Thu further added.The event was also attended by Henry Thu, the Chairman of Giant Light Metal Technology, from Kunshan, China, which is a manufacturing subsidiary of the world-renowned Giant Group of Taiwan. “This competition is aimed to create a pathway for aspiring Malaysian designers to showcase their talents and be exposed to a new world of creativity. Through this competition, we hope to push the limits of our contestants and provide them with constructive feedback that can be carried forward throughout their professional careers. In doing so, we hope to fulfill our responsibility as established industry players to mentor and nurture the future generation and our local talents.” expressed an enthusiastic Henry Thu.This year’s competition will also see a motorcycle rim design challenge, through an exclusive collaboration between GLMT and Tekhne Sdn Bhd.
This was revealed by Chong Chee Kong, Tekhne’s general manager.Tekhne is a new company recently formed under Hong Leong Industries which is focusing on the automotive spare parts & accessories business, covering both 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler segments.“As a new company, we target to launch our products sometime in Q1 of 2024, targeting the Malaysian automotive aftermarket and will be looking to expand our business further into the ASEAN region within the next 5 years, expressed Chong.”“We are also actively looking for business partners that share the same business synergy to join us in order to grow our business together and to bring the company forward,” he further added. “Tekhne’s mission is to become the leading automotive supplier in ASEAN by 2028,” Chong concluded enthusiastically.
On hand to introduce the competition and provide exclusive insights into the competition’s theme and objectives was Francis Chen, Asst. Sales Manager of My Lives Global Marketing & Event.“The competition transcends the boundaries of mere aesthetics and engineering; it stands as a testament to profound fusion of artistry and technical within the automotive industry. Our mission is to delve deep into the Malaysian design landscape unearthing hidden gems of talent waiting to be polished” “We are on a quest to unearth exceptional visions, to give rise to rim designs of unparalleled luxury and elegance. Exclusively gracing the majestic Porsche super cars and Yamaha motorcycles, these creations will leave and indelible mark, elevating their allure to unprecedented heights.”The competition program which aims to attract and cultivate creative talents will be divided into two phases. Phase 1, the month-long preliminary stage, where participants will have to come up with designs complete with sketches, technical drawings, data sheet, rationale and also a mock up, and Phase 2, the two-month long final stage will see qualifiers will attend a senior panel consultation and their designs reviewed by the car owners and amended or adjusted accordingly.
Only qualifiers from Phase 1 will be allowed to join the the motorcycle rim design challenge.The finalists’ designs will be sent for production in Kunshan, China, for professional judges and car owners to judge based on the actual rims, and the winners will be announced in early 2024. The champion of the Rim Design Challenge will receive a cash prize of RM 5,000.00 while the runner up and second runner up will receive RM 3,000 & RM 2,000 respectively. RM 500 each will be awarded to all consolation prize winners.In the Motorcycle Rim Design Challenge, a cash prize of RM 3,000 will be awaiting the champion, while RM 2,000 & RM 1,000 will go to the runner up and second runner up respectively.
Interested participants/designers can register at GLMT’s website at www.glmwheels.com. The deadline for registration is on 23rd October 2023, with a one time registration fee of RM 300.00 per participant.
