A professional designer from India, Shashank Shekhar, has won the 2024 Design Contest held by Polestar in collaboration with Hot Wheels. That means his creation will be available to buy as part of the official Hot Wheels lineup next year.
The Design Contest is an annual event from Polestar, intended to draw in extra-creative new ideas about what future models could look like. The 2024 colab with Hot Wheels asked entrants to "submit designs inspired by its renowned 1:64 scale and Polestar’s distinctive design language".
Shekhar won first prize for his rugged off-roader, Polestar TRX. The exaggerated proportions and sleek surfaces presents a "bold interpretation of Polestar's normally subtle design philosophy" says the carmaker.
The design becomes the first Polestar to be included in Hot Wheels toy car series, with the die-cast collectable available for consumers in the European summer of 2025.
“I'm thrilled to win. This will be the first design in my career to be produced. Something like this gives you a lot of confidence as a young designer,” says Shekhar.
Italy’s Powei Chen was awarded the runner-up prize for his colourful Cyber Shaker, which nods to both past and present with cyberpunk design.
Roman Moor’s classic Le Mans submission from Germany received an honourable mention for his Polestar Track Toy concept, which impressed the four-judge panel that included representatives from Polestar and Mattel.
Check out the TRX, Cyber Shaker and Track Toy in the gallery below, or in the video at the top of the page.
The 2024 contest attracted over 200 participants from around the globe. Judges were instructed to seek out designs that reflected the playfulness and vibrancy of the Hot Wheels brand while still incorporating elements of Polestar's design aesthetic.
