Volvo Construction Equipment wins prestigious red dot design award

The L220G wheel loader from Volvo Construction Equipment wowed a panel of design experts in Essen, Germany, to win the red dot award – a seal of high design quality from the world’s largest and most distinguished design competition.

The red dot product design awards 2011 honors outstanding industrial design and celebrates the design team behind the concept. Only the very best products, from 15 categories, managed to convince the jury – and this year 4,433 products were entered by designers and companies from 60 countries worldwide. The Volvo L220G was entered into the vehicle category where it was awarded with a ‘red dot’ prize.

The L220G wheel loader is part of Volvo’s new G-series range and stood out from the crowd because of its fuel efficient and productive design, with 20% increased lifting force, 10% improved breakout force and stronger hydraulics. Entirely Volvo-designed, the machine works in perfect, productive, fuel efficient harmony.

Stina Nilimaa Wickström, Design Director at Volvo Construction Equipment, heads the Volvo product design team. “We are thrilled to have won such a prestigious award,” says Stina. “The award is a credit to our hard working and creative team at Volvo and it shows that we are delivering world class machine designs. We are proud to continue the Volvo tradition of being innovative leaders in the construction design arena.”

Professor Dr. Peter Zec is the initiator of the red dot design award, which has been running since 1955. “As always, our jury cast a very careful eye over the products submitted. Design quality asserts itself clearly in the judging process, with genuine and new creative solutions being rewarded too. Both of these criteria are not just yardsticks for good design, but also for the potential for market success.”

The winning products in the red dot design museum

More than 1,000 guests from the world of design, industry, society and media will celebrate the red dot award winners on 4 July 2011 in Essen’s opera house, the Aalto Theater. The Volvo L220G wheel loader will then be displayed during a four-week special exhibition in the red dot design museum, together with the other prize-winning products from 5 July to 1 August 2011. The museum is located at the world heritage site of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen and houses the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary design worldwide.

Note to editors

Designers and producers have been competing for the red dot award since 1955, when it was first presented at the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany. The Design Zentrum is is one of the oldest and most highly reputed design institutions in Europe. It is also one of the most active design institutions and is a place of pilgrimage for amateurs of culture, architecture and design throughout the world.

The red dot award honors outstanding design quality and trendsetters and today products are judged from 15 categories, depending on their product type. Alongside the ‘red dot award: product design’ there is also the ‘red dot award: communication design’ and ‘red dot award: design concept’.

About the award, visit: www.red-dot.de/presse.