LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- EcoMotors International, in conjunction with Art Center College of Design (Pasadena) and the College for Creative Studies (CCS) located in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit), announces the winners of the completed EcoMotors Design Challenge: Reshaping the Future.

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"We're simply thrilled by the inspired concepts that the students at Art Center and CCS conceived and developed for the EcoMotors Design Challenge," said Don Runkle, CEO of EcoMotors.  "In the ways they embraced the packaging opportunities of our game-changing opoc® engine, these young designers have shown how this compact, efficient, and lightweight propulsion source can, indeed, reshape the future of automotive design – to the delight of tomorrow's car-buying consumers.  Congratulations to not only our six winners, but also to all the students who participated."  The honorees are:

Gold:  Brian Malczewski, CCS (mid-size passenger car)

Silver:  Bruno Gallardo, Art Center (full-size pickup truck)

Bronze:  JJ Hwang, Art Center (new-concept vehicle for emerging markets)

Honorable Mention: Alexander McGowen, CCS (new-concept vehicle for emerging markets)

Honorable Mention: Eric Um, CCS (full-size pickup truck)

Honorable Mention: James Leo Yamazaki, Art Center (mid-size passenger car)

The EcoMotors Design Challenge jury, led by chief judge Jack Telnack (former Ford design chief) included former General Motors and Chrysler design chiefs Wayne Cherry and Tom Gale, and also renowned collector and aficionado Jay Leno. "Wayne, Tom, Jay, and I were handed the daunting task of selecting six winners out of a pool of nearly two dozen extraordinary student designs," said Telnack. "We were excited and very impressed by their talent, insight, creativity and enthusiastic response. Clearly the opoc® engine holds the promise of revolutionizing core architecture and appeal across a wide range of vehicles."

"Reshaping the Future" has been a rewarding experience for all of us at Art Center," said Stewart Reed, Chair of the Transportation Design Department at Art Center College of Design. "The designs that the EcoMotors opoc® engine inspired are unlike anything we could have foreseen beforehand – truly groundbreaking work."  Mark West, Paul and Helen Farago Chair of Transportation Design at the College for Creative Studies, added, "The EcoMotors Design Challenge afforded that most coveted assignment: a genuinely clean sheet of paper – on which to explore how an engine half the size and weight of conventional motors can revolutionize vehicle packaging and design."

Each Podium Finisher and Honorable Mention honoree received a monetary scholarship award from EcoMotors. The scale models of the three Podium Finishers' designs are being displayed on The Art Center College of Design's 2012 LA Auto Show stand, from November 28^th through December 9^th.

About EcoMotors
Established in early 2008, EcoMotors is changing the landscape of internal combustion power. Based in Allen Park, Mich., EcoMotors is commercializing the unique opoc® engine for use in cars, light trucks, commercial vehicles, aerospace, marine, agriculture, auxiliary power units, generators, etc. Anywhere conventional gas or diesel power is currently utilized, opoc® represents a better propulsion solution.

EcoMotors primary investors are Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates and Braemar Energy Ventures. Khosla Ventures, based in Menlo Park, California, offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs. The firm helps entrepreneurs extend the potential of their ideas in breakthrough scientific work in clean technology areas such as solar, battery, high efficiency engines, lighting, greener materials like cement, glass and bio-refineries for energy and bio-plastics, and other environmentally friendly technologies as well as traditional venture areas like the Internet, computing, mobile and silicon technology arenas. Vinod Khosla, who founded the firm in 2004, is a founder of Sun Microsystems and was formerly a General Partner at Kleiner Perkins. Bill Gates has been an enthusiastic supporter of EcoMotors and Braemar Energy Ventures has led the most recent round of investment as EcoMotors extends its scope around the world.        

About Art Center College of Design
Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, Art Center College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. Art Center offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of disciplines, as well as public programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for its ties to industry and professional rigor, Art Center is also the first design school to receive the United Nations' Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status, providing students with opportunities to create design-based solutions for humanitarian and nonprofit agencies around the world. During the College's 82-year history, Art Center's alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live, and important issues in our society.

About CCS
The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is an integrated learning community located in Detroit. A private, fully accredited college, CCS enrolls 1,400 students pursuing Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. CCS also offers visual art opportunities for learners of all ages through its Community Arts Partnerships and Continuing Education programs. For more information, visit www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/about .

SOURCE EcoMotors International