LOUISVILLE, KY -- Swoopy styling and interior innovations by a young art student won Freightliner Trucks' Future of Pride & Profit design contest, conducted over the last four months strictly on Facebook.


Minwoo Song from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Mich., won first place with his "2020 Freightliner Super Truck." It features swooping aerodynamics on a tractor that is a combination conventional and cabover, executives observed during a ceremony last night in Freightliner's booth at the Louisville truck show.

The contest, which ran from November 2011 through February 2012, invited college students in North America to submit original designs for the owner-operator style truck of the future.

Three finalists received an all-expense paid trip to the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), where their designs were on display at the Freightliner Trucks booth.

"Freightliner Trucks is the undisputed leader in cutting-edge truck design, and we welcomed the opportunity to connect with some of the brightest designers," said Michael McHorse, marketing segment manager, on-highway for Freightliner Trucks.

"As we celebrate our 70th anniversary, we also look forward to engaging new talent that can continue to foster our legacy of innovation."

Song's Super Truck included concepts such as a hydrogen fueled powertrain, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel on the steering wheel and a liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel on the dashboard.

Fans of the Freightliner Trucks Facebook page lauded the practicality of the interior design, which included a roll-up bed and multi-function luggage storage, reducing the time it would take a driver to organize his or her personal belongings.

A panel of judges narrowed the 50 submissions down to the top three, with fans voting for the eventual winner via Facebook. Judging criteria covered a broad spectrum of required skills, including concept, overall product appearance, originality, power of emotion, and illustration quality.

Song will receive a $20,000 scholarship along with an internship offer from Daimler Trucks North America. Jeeho Cha, from Lawrence Technological University, finished as runner-up and received a $10,000 scholarship, with Ahadin Hutasoit of Art Center College of Design rounding out the top three.
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