Tatra wins prestigious Red Dot award for the design of the latest generation of Force vehicles
A few days ago Tatra Trucks automotive company recorded another great success. For the first time in its history, it won the Red Dot award in the Product Design category twice. This award, which is one of the most prestigious international awards in the field of design, was presented to the latest third generation Tatra Force trucks with a four-door cab and a version of the development line called e-Drive with an electric traction engine and hydrogen fuel cells.
The Red Dot award, also known as the "Oscar for designers", originated in Germany, evaluates product and communication design and has been awarded annually since 1955. The ceremonies are held in Essen, where the Red Dot Museum is located. The award is based on the evaluation of dozens of independent experts.
"The jury evaluated the entries for the Tatra Force with four-door cab and the Tatra Force e-Drive with two-door cab on the basis of digital presentations as well as a personal inspection of the cars in Essen, where we brought them to show them. The jury appreciated the comprehensive design concept of the cars, i.e. not only the exterior design, but also the interior. This is the first time that Tatra has succeeded in this design competition, so the award for two products is all the more valuable for us, and it also reflects the sophistication of the design of both the four-door and two-door versions, as well as the timelessness and quality of the interior," said Radomír Smolka, Tatra Trucks board member responsible for development projects and research.
The automaker first introduced the third-generation Tatra Force model range at Pyros in the middle of last year. The firefighting versions were the first to be presented, followed in the autumn by the Tatra Force e-Drive FCEV with an electric traction engine and hydrogen fuel cells. Other versions for various segments, such as the military, will soon follow, and the new generation of the Tatra Force series will soon become one of the pillars of Tatra Trucks company's production. The third-generation Tatra Force vehicles were developed in the company's design department by a team led by Radomír Smolka in cooperation with industrial designer Lukáš Taneček. He has already won the Red Dot award in the past and also participated in the design of the second generation Tatra Tactic model range. It is not surprising that Tatra relied on him when preparing the new Force series vehicles.
"The design of the cab of a commercial truck must be functional and efficient, which implies certain constraints for the designer right from the start. So we had to address some conflicting requirements with colleagues from Tatra and the development company AV R&D. For example, the use of any mouldings was ruled out and plastic parts on the exterior of the cab were to be eliminated as much as possible; instead, a construction made only of standardised profiles was required. At the same time, the design of the new generation of Tatra Force cabins was to express the new design language of Tatra Trucks company, which Radomír Smolka had a clear idea of. His vision was concrete, clear and I liked it. Even so, it was a great challenge," explained Lukáš Taneček.
However, the close and intensive cooperation between Lukáš Taneček and Radomír Smolka's design department has borne fruit in the form of modern and cleverly designed trucks with a great variety of low cab designs for different application segments. In addition, the new cabs allow several types of engines to be installed under the front or rear of the cabs, including alternative drive systems. This was not possible with the previous generation of the Tatra Force range.
"The functionality and efficiency of the technical design of the new cabs is thus combined with a modern design that has won the prestigious Red Dot award. This is proof that even Tatra Force trucks, whose main mission is to serve on the road and off-road in the most difficult conditions in all weather conditions, and not to be a decoration of car showrooms, can boast a modern and award-winning cab design, which at the same time meets high demands for safety and protection of the crew and the requirements for the installation of modern electronic and assistance systems," added Radomír Smolka.
Tatra Trucks, a joint stock company, took over the world-famous brand and automotive company in 2013, which underwent a successful restructuring after a change in ownership structure. In addition to standardized model lines, the company also produces special trucks tailored to customer requirements. The domestic markets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are very important, and a large part of the carmaker's production is intended for export to dozens of countries around the world. Tatra Trucks a.s. employs more than 1,400 people, and more than 700 more work in its subsidiary Tatra Metalurgie a.s., which focuses mainly on foundry and forging. The shareholders of Tatra Trucks are the industrial-technological holding Czechoslovak Group and the engineering group Promet Group.
