Ducati 1199 Panigale wins “best-of-the-best” in premier design competition: The red dot design awards

•4,662 products assessed for the 2013 edition •Official award ceremony held Monday, 1 July in Essen, Germany •The award-winning Ducati 1199 Panigale to be exhibited in red dot design museum, Singapore.

Borgo Panigale (Bologna, Italy), 02 July 2013 – The Ducati 1199 Panigale Superbike, an icon of style, innovation and technology has been judged by a jury of 37 experts and awarded “best-of-the-best” within the product design category of the red dot awards, one of the biggest and most prestigious international design competitions.

The 2013 edition of the competition saw a staggering 4,662 products go through the rigorous selection process, with the Bologna-based manufacturer clinching the award for the innovative motorcycle that has further underlined the company’s status as a design icon within the motorcycle industry.

Held at the Aalto Theatre in Essen, Germany, on Monday, 1 July, the glittering awards ceremony was attended by some of the biggest names in the world of design. The highly influential audience enjoyed an intriguing display of jury-selected products, of which Ducati’s 1199 Panigale became the star of the show.

Ducati’s award-winning Superbike will be exhibited for four weeks at the red dot design museum in Germany, at an exhibition in Taiwan and, for one year, at the impressive red dot design museum in Singapore. The  red dot design award is the only international award that boasts two dedicated design museums, in Germany and Singapore, thus giving further visibility and added credibility to awarded product designs.

The 1199 Panigale’s cutting-edge technology and aesthetic brilliance have combined to create a work of art and by going beyond the barriers of motorcycle design, is now enjoying international success. Ducati’s charm has also now spread beyond the boundaries of the motorcycling industry and is fascinating the whole world.

With every single component designed to maximise performance, while achieving aesthetic perfection, the motorcycle’s description further validates its design success. The 1199 Panigale’s shape and form captures light in a way that conveys the dynamism of a body that is solid yet nimble and elegant yet powerful. Its smooth streamlining flows effortlessly from the front fairing to the rear light, artfully housed in the motorcycle’s tail. Even its empty spaces become an essential aspect, with LED lights shaping a surface for the frontal air intakes. Both the engine and exhausts reveal themselves and yet remain hidden, seemingly playing out a subtle game in which exposure constantly interacts with audacious absence. The result expresses the essence of beauty in every last detail leaving the new 1199 Panigale to celebrate Ducati originality, acknowledged by all as the pinnacle of motorcycling design.

“The red dot ‘best of the best’ award acknowledges all the hard work put in by everyone at Ducati R&D for over three years,” commented Andrea Ferraresi, Ducati Design Centre Director, during the prize-giving ceremony. “Moreover, joining the ranks of the award’s top winners has made this product – and Ducati – part of product design history. Every single component has been designed to be performance-oriented and function-specific. Together, all these components form a harmonious, light, visually stunning product. Which is just how a Ducati should be.”

Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of red dot, highlighted how outstanding design capacity and economic success go hand-in-hand: “The winners of the red dot product design award 2013 are the protagonists of fast developments within the very culture of industrial design. The last few days have seen us engaged in the extremely difficult task of selecting the best, most deserving designs. Indeed, it is sometimes just a single detail that makes the difference when it comes to showing off a product’s special qualities. All these creations have been assessed and examined by the expert and critical eyes of an international red dot jury.”

The Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore covers 4000m2 and houses over 2000 products inside one of the world’s greatest contemporary design exhibitions. From 2-28 July, the museum will host the winning products of 2013 in an exhibition entitled “design on stage - red dot award winners: product design 2013”, a unique event that will highlight the latest design trends. The Ducati 1199 Panigale will be a part of the exhibition and visitors will have the opportunity to take a close look at the originality and innovation of this impressive “best-of-the-best” motorcycle in the extraordinary setting of the red dot design museum.

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A – An Audi Group Company

Founded in 1926, Ducati has been producing sport-inspired motorcycles since 1946. Their motorcycles are characterised by “Desmodromic” performance engines, innovative design and avant-garde technology. Covering several market segments, Ducati's range of motorcycles are divided into model families which include: Diavel, Hypermotard, Monster, Multistrada, Streetfighter and Superbike.

These authentic icons of “made in Italy” are sold in over 80 countries around the world, with concentration on the European, North-American and Asia Pacific markets. Ducati competes in both the World Superbike Championship and, with an official team, the World MotoGP Championship. In Superbike Ducati has won 17 Manufacturers' titles and 14 Riders' titles and in 2011 passed the historic milestone of 300 race victories. Ducati have participated in MotoGP since 2003, and took both the Manufacturers' and Riders' titles in 2007.

The Red Dot Design Award

With the red dot design award, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen created one of the world’s most acclaimed competitions. The prize, the “red dot”, has established itself internationally as one of the most sought-after quality marks for excellent design. The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen displays the award-winning products in the red dot design museum for at least one year.

In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the red dot design award breaks down into different disciplines: the “red dot award: product design”, “red dot award: communication design” and “red dot award: design concept”.  Further information is available at: www.red-dot.de/press