THE BREAKDOWN:
- Winners of the Car Design Award 2026 include Jeep, Genesis, and Renault.
- The Audi Concept C won the concept car award.
- The new Renault Twingo the won production-car category.
As is tradition, Milan Design Week also hosts the Car Design Award 2026, an award created in 1984 by Auto&Design magazine and revived in 2016 after a long hiatus. The Car Design Award 2026 jury recognized winners across three different categories: Concept Cars, Production Cars, and Brand Design.
The venue, as always, was Milan’s ADI Design Museum, which houses the collection of all winners of the Compasso d’Oro award. These were the winners.
In the concept car category, the Audi Concept C took top honors—a roadster penned by Audi’s new head of design, Massimo Frascella. The Concept C will set the styling direction for all future Audi models. Second place went to the controversial Genesis Magma GT, with the Citroen Elo finishing third.
Concept Cars
- Audi Concept C
- Genesis Magma GT
- Citroen Elo
In the production-car category, the new Renault Twingo won. The small French EV taps into the nostalgia trend launched with the Renault 5 and continued with the Renault 4, bringing back the first-generation model’s mini-MPV proportions. The podium was rounded out by the BMW iX3 and the Ferrari 849 Testarossa.
Production Cars
- Renault Twingo
- BMW iX3
- Ferrari 849 Testarossa
Finally, in the Brand Design Language category—which recognizes a brand’s overall styling approach—Jeep received the most votes, followed by Genesis. BMW and Dacia tied for third.
Motor1's Take: Automotive design is always in flux. The cars and brands awarded here will dictate and influence their competitors as they leave a lasting mark on the look of modern vehicles.
