Polestar TRX
Scheduled for release as a Hot Wheels product in summer 2025
The Polestar TRX (center photo), which won the top prize in the Polestar design contest, is scheduled to be commercialized by Hot Wheels in 2025.
In 2024, the Polestar Design Contest was held in collaboration with Mattel’s Hot Wheels miniature car brand, and invited entries to submit designs inspired by “1/64 scale, Polestar’s distinctive design language.” Shashank Shekhar’s Polestar TRX, which won the grand prize this year, will be Polestar’s first Hot Wheels product and will be released in the summer of 2025.
For over 50 years, Hot Wheels has inspired automotive design and brought automotive culture to fans of all ages. Hot Wheels has a history of pushing the boundaries of design to create die-cast models that reflect car culture, while Polestar’s design contests have also supported and collaborated with aspiring student and professional automotive designers.
Once again, the Polestar design team is providing one-on-one coaching to the shortlisted candidates, introducing a process to refine their designs for the final selection. Shekhar, who designed the futuristic fully electric pickup “Polestar TRX,” expressed his joy at winning the grand prize as follows:
“I am truly thrilled to have won the Grand Prize. This is the first time in my career that a design has been made into a product. It’s a really big deal for me. I never thought my design would end up in a Hot Wheels car… I had a great time preparing for the finals, and this kind of thing gives a lot of confidence to young designers.”
1,200 people participated in the 4th design contest
The Polestar Design Contest has now been held four times. This was the largest ever, with 1,200 participants. The photo shows the runner-up, Powei Chen’s “Cyber Shaker.”
The four-person judging panel, which included representatives from Polestar and Mattel, selected the “Cyber Shaker” by Italian artist Powei Chen as the runner-up, a colorful design evoking past and present with its cyberpunk design. The honorable mention went to the “Polestar Track Toy” by German designer Roman Moor, whose classic Le Mans prototype-inspired design is a testament to the car’s appeal.
Now in its fourth year, the Polestar Design Contest has provided a valuable opportunity for both professional and student designers to present their automotive designs. Since the first contest, the contest has highlighted outstanding talent from around the world, with many of the winning students going on to work on Polestar’s design team and in professional positions in the design industry.
The 2024 competition attracted the largest number of entries to date, with over 1,200 participants from around the world. The judges selected designs that reflected Polestar’s signature minimalist design aesthetic while also reflecting the playfulness and vibrancy of Hot Wheels. Juan Pablo Bernal, Polestar’s head of interior design, gave the following overall review after the fourth design competition:
“We always look for innovative ideas in the Polestar Design Contest, and this year’s submissions definitely exceeded our expectations. We saw some of our most daring designs yet, and we can’t wait to see what the Polestar TRX collector’s item from Hot Wheels will look like in real life.”
