NEXEN TIRE has secured two finalist honours at the 2025 International Design Excellence Awards. The recognition goes to NEXIST and CELLEXIS, two forward-looking concept tyres designed to solve mobility challenges in crowded urban environments. The IDEA Awards, run by the Industrial Designers Society of America, rank among the world’s top design competitions and judge work on innovation, usability, aesthetics, and social impact.
NEXIST targets urban spaces where road capacity will continue to shrink. It is designed for fully autonomous Urban Air Mobility with vertical take-off capability. The concept uses advanced carbon composite materials for lightweight performance while keeping the intuitive form of a tyre. The aim is to support efficient, reliable movement in compact, high-rise cityscapes.
CELLEXIS takes inspiration from the shape of a red blood cell. Its spherical structure integrates omni wheels in four directions that serve as tyres, docking mechanisms, and entry points. The concept is built to speed up passenger transfers and reduce dependence on private vehicles, which is a core need in large, growing cities.
Both concepts were developed with the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, an organisation under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea. This work builds on NEXEN TIRE’s ongoing concept tyre programme with leading Korean universities and institutions. The company has now earned IDEA recognition across three recent years, 2022, 2023, and 2025.
NEXEN TIRE has also added major global awards in 2025. The Winguard Sport 3 secured a Red Dot Design Award. The N’FERA Sport R and N’BLUE 4Season 2 earned the North American Green Good Design Award. These results reinforce the brand’s focus on design quality and sustainability outcomes.
“This award is a testament to our philosophy and innovative efforts to deliver differentiated experiences that resonate globally,” said John Bosco (Hyeon Suk) Kim, CEO of NEXEN TIRE. “We will continue to develop designs and technologies that bridge the present and future of mobility.”
NEXEN TIRE is using concept tyres to test ideas that can move from lab to real-world mobility systems. NEXIST points to a mixed ground-air future. CELLEXIS tackles bottlenecks in mass transit. Together with new Red Dot and Green Good Design wins, the dual IDEA finalist honours signal a brand investing in design that solves real urban challenges.
Tagged with: Nexen Tire, concept tyres, industrial design, IDEA Awards, UAM, modular transport, Red Dot, Green Good Design, ESG, Europe, winter tyres, mobility
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