Being Judgmental; TOP CAR DESIGNERS EYE WORLD'S BEST WORK.(News)

Byline: ANDREW LUU

The lineup read like a design all-star team: BMW design director Chris Bangle, Ford design vp J Mays, hot-rodder Chip Foose and Ed Welburn, GM's vp of global design. Come to think of it, that's what it was.

These were four of 27 past and present designers judging the inaugural Eyes on Design Awards at this year's North American International Auto Show, a design competition judged solely by designers.

If it was an all-star team, Tom Gale, former Chrysler vice president of product development and design, was captain. Chief judge Gale, who helped conceive such vehicles as the minivan, Ram pickup, Prowler, Viper and PT Cruiser, was sought by the nonprofit Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology two years ago when it began toying with the idea of creating an award that emphasized automotive design recognized by design peers.

Together they settled on three distinct categories: Aesthetics and Innovation, in which a new and significant design standard is set; Concept Implementation, in which a brand or product's true character emerges; and Functionality, which focuses on designs that convey function efficiently.

Concept and production vehicles compete equally against each other; the only stipulation is that the vehicle must be introduced at the Detroit auto show.

Gale's ...