Los Angeles, California – The design entry from Mazda R&D of North America was named the winner of the Los Angeles Auto Show’s 2008 Design Challenge. This year’s theme, Motor Sports 2025, asked nine of Southern California’s automotive design studios to depict a motor sports vehicle that predicts how auto racing will change by the year 2025.

The Mazda team designed the Kann, an electric race car with patented electronic tire system to reach 250 mph (402 km/h) with no harmful emissions. The vehicles are piloted by individual drivers, but teams are made up of thirty cars, all on the track together.

Design studios, including Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen entered two-dimensional renderings and concept descriptions. The judges chose the Kann for “how well it integrated a high level of innovation and technology into the design, as well as its truly unique styling.”

“The scope of the entries this year was very impressive, and in the end it came down to which team had the most innovative and artistic design that could go beyond the expectations and challenges of racing today,” said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles. “Mazda’s designers created an optimistic vision of 2025 and ultimately brought unique styling back to motor sports.”