Working with one of the most innovative brands in the automotive industry, developing real-world projects and presenting them to professionals. This is the experience enjoyed by students on Eina's Bachelor's Degree in Design through a collaboration with CUPRA that connects education with the challenges of the industry.
How do we imagine the future of mobility? Which materials, textures and experiences will define the vehicles of the coming decades? These are some of the questions explored by students on the Projects 6 module of Eina's Bachelor's Degree in Design. This semester, the course brought together exchange students from Australia, Mexico, Italy and the United Kingdom alongside Eina students. Together, they developed the project Machines of Feeling: New Aesthetics and Materialities for the Future of Automotive Design, in collaboration with CUPRA.
Throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, the students worked from a real industry brief, sharing their creative process with CUPRA's design team. The collaboration included an immersive visit to the CUPRA Design Centre in Martorell, mentoring sessions with industry professionals and the development of proposals exploring new ways of understanding mobility through design, sustainability and innovation.
The project enabled students to experiment with materials, craft techniques and technologies such as 3D printing and laser cutting, transforming ideas into prototypes, renders and conceptual narratives. Throughout the process, they investigated materials used in the automotive industry, particularly fabrics for vehicle interiors, as well as other components such as tyre rubber. They also explored new possibilities through a biomaterials workshop. It was an opportunity to learn by doing while tackling the same challenges faced by professional design teams today.
Beyond the academic outcomes, the collaboration gave students the opportunity to expand their portfolios, establish direct links with professionals in the sector and showcase their talent to an international company. The final projects were presented at CASA CUPRA before Francesca Sangalli, CUPRA's Director of Colour & Trim, together with members of the brand's design team, including Jordi Font, Elena Sarasua and Albert Gil, who were able to discover the students' proposals first-hand and exchange ideas with them.
This initiative exemplifies Eina's educational approach: a learning model closely connected to the professional world, based on real projects and collaboration with leading companies and institutions. It is an approach that enables future designers to develop the skills, experience and professional network they need to begin their careers before completing their studies.
The project was coordinated by Professor Grazielle Bruscato Portella, with the support of Eina's Deputy Director, Javier Nieto. It involved the participation of the following students: Felicity Elisabeth Batten (The University of Melbourne), Anna Bono Albiol, Caterina Capodivacca (Università IUAV di Venezia), Pedro Figuereo Jiménez, Cristian Eduardo Gallo (University of Brighton), Max Ilario Soria, Carolina Lopez Cano (Centro de Estudios Superiores de Diseño de Monterrey), Laia Moliner Martínez, Antonia Moraca (Politecnico di Milano), Giulia Carla Oliva Nikitsenka (University of Florence), Alessandra Paglia (Politecnico di Milano), Chiara Palumbo (Politecnico di Milano), Iku Ricard Sala Miura and Júlia Ilenia Sarmiento Villanueva.
Cover image: Antonia Moraca, Chiara Palumbo, Iku Ricard Sala Miura, CUPRA FEEL SYNC.
Proceedings