Collective taxi

Internship project, FIAT Style center, 1997.

Tutor: Peter Davis, Roberto Giolito.
During my compulsory intership I had the opportunity to live and experience for threemonths full time how life in a design center would be.
I had the chance to get lessons about sketching, presentation techniques, how to draw cars, participate to product development meetings and to learn a lot from amazing professionals as such as Peter Fassbender, Roberto Giolito and Luciano Bove.
Most of the internship was focused on the design of a collective taxi.
This service has similarities with standard taxi service and also with plublic transport: the ride is custom made, but shared with other people that goes on the same itinerary, more or less.

Both ride and fare are shared with strangers, with little adjustments to the route depending on the destination of each passenger.
It is cheaper than a taxi and more comfortable than public transport, and much cheaper than a private car.
The vehicle, after an early sketching and reasearch phase, was compact enough to move in urban traffic and large enough to accomodate 5 passengers plus luggage and the driver.
The vehicle must be tall, to consent an easy boarding and descent of passengers, with five individual seats, and a smal passage corridor. That's why the car body got a "hump".
The driver seat is moved to the front, in a central position. below the seat is placed the diesel-electric hybrid power unit.
The driver could pivot and access from the sliding door on the side, the same used by the passengers. An additional emercency exit is on the rear.
Double curved windows give a great view to the exterior, while the car body is made of a steel spaceframe with light steel panels.
The reference package was derived from Fiat Multipla with external dimensions: 4250x1820x2100h mm.
Design takes a lot from the '60s Multipla, including round shapes, the front moustaches, even the Fiat logo resembles the one of the '60s, on red background with some chrome addition.

Final design