Design Week 2026, Milan returns as automotive capital

Car & Design

Audi, Renault and Jeep win Car Design Awards 2026

Audi for its Concept C, Renault for the Twing E-Tech Electric and Jeep for its Brand Design Language are the winners of the Car Design Award 2026, the Oscar of world car design created since 1984 on the initiative of Auto & Design magazine with the support of Alcantara.

by Corrado Canali

23 April 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Audi, Renault and Jeep were honoured with the Car Design Awards 2026 in the respective categories of Concept Cars, Production Cars and Brand Design Language. The ceremony took place in Milan in the ADI Design Museum, as part of Design Week 2026. The first prize-winners in the Concept Cars section were the Audi design team for the Concept C, ahead of the Genesis design for the Magma GT and in third place the Citroen team for the Elo.

Concept Cars, here are the motivations of the jury

The jury's motivation for the Concept Cars category is as follows. The Audi Concept C has brought minimalism back to the centre of contemporary car design, with a form that is not only pure but also coherent, seemingly sculpted from a single block of aluminium, faithful both to the brand's history and futuristic at the same time. A truly masterful exercise in radical simplicity where clarity, technology and emotion come together in a work of great design intelligence.

Awards for the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric and Jeep

And we come to the Production Cars section in which Renault's design team prevailed for the new Twingo E-Tech Electric, ahead of BMW's design team for the iX3, while in third place was the Ferrari team for the new 849 Testarossa. Finally, for the Brand Design Language section, which is awarded to the design team that best worked on both the consistency and transversality of the brand's language, went to Jeep's design team.

Production Cars, here are the motivations of the jury

The jury's motivation for the Production Cars category was as follows. The Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric demonstrates a lively and distinctive design that combines style, sympathy and accessibility with obvious intelligence. A city car, in short, capable of transforming the small format into an authentic design statement, tastefully evoking the MPV shape of the original Twingo to win over both those who experienced it in the 1990s and those who discover it today.

Brand Design Language, here are the motivations of the jury

Finally, the jury's motivation for the Brand Design Language category was as follows. Without ever betraying its origins, Jeep's design reinterprets unmistakable semantic elements such as the seven-slit grille and trapezoidal wheel arches, transforming them into universal symbols of adventure and freedom. In the age of energy transition, Jeep continues to shape the collective imagination of exploration, making authenticity the cornerstone of every creation it creates.

Sustainable Intelligence or Design in the Age of AI

An interesting talk was held at the ADI Design Museo in Milan, entitled: Sustainable Intelligence-Design in the Age of AI. Four managers from the design sector, namely Chris Lefteri from Alcantara Design Ambassador and Advocate, Luca Borgogno from IAAD.Transportation Design Strategic Director, Florian Seidl from Lavazza Design Manager and Alessandro Belosio as Toyota ED2 Assistant Chief Interior Designer, discussed the topic.