That’s a wrap on round two of Haus of Automotive. And it easily lived up to last year’s premiere.
Last week, Milan Design Week did what Milan Design Week does best: it turned the city into a stage, with installations and ideas everywhere you went.
Right in the middle of it, we added our own layer. A space where automotive design wasn’t just displayed, but shaped: Haus of Automotive.
Now, the doors are closed. But we’re not ready to let go just yet.
So let’s take it back to the start, shall we?
We started Haus of Automotive quietly with a small opening event on April 19. Just a handful of people, but the anticipation for the official start to the week filled the entire room.
Then, on Monday, we turned up the volume.
Sold out, full focus, and a clear signal at our CMF Conference: materials have moved from finishing detail to core driver.
Across panels, our speakers flipped the usual hierarchy: materials weren’t discussed as surface, but as defining elements of experience and innovation. For a full day, we went deep on new tools, processes, and emerging trends. But just as importantly, on how to navigate that constant influx and separate what truly matters from what doesn’t.
We also brought in perspectives from outside automotive, and you could literally see the connections forming in people’s heads. Different industries, same underlying questions, just approached from another angle. Rachele Didero’s talk captured that best. Coming from fashion, she showed how AI can enhance human agency rather than replace it. And while the context was different, the transfer was immediate.
Although the gap between vision and feasibility remains, it is getting tighter and tighter. And the intent to close it even further was hard to miss.
Following Monday’s grand kick-off, Tuesday kept the energy high with the Lighting, UX & Brand Conference.
In a packed room, for the first time, we gave Lighting the spotlight it deserves. Not as a safety feature, but as a design tool defining communication, personalisation, and emotion. From exterior signatures to interior interaction, Lighting is turning into a language. And it became evident just how far it can go.
Naomi Saka opened the day with a level of dedication and conviction that carried through every session. It was not just about sharing expertise, but real passion for the topic. And that passion became visible in where the ideas came from: references pulled from far beyond automotive, then translated into tangible design approaches.
Then, the focus shifted towards UX & Brand.
At the core of the conversations? How brands balance global consistency with local expectations, how UX today is transforming from a layer within a product to something that increasingly defines the automotive experience itself, and how brand is equally critical in shaping a deeper, more emotional connection with consumers.
This led to a step back into the fundamentals, questioning what brand really is in the first place. The answer? Brand is not a product at all, it’s a feeling that stays with people over time.
Across both days, one mindset connected everything: question what exists, push what’s next.
True to that, conversations went deep, sometimes even uncomfortable, and always necessary. OEMs, suppliers, creatives, strategists – they all came together in one place, moving in the same direction towards experience-driven design, material intelligence, and sustainable innovation.
And what do you do after two days of running the mind at full speed? Correct: cool down.
So, on Tuesday evening, we headed to the GAC design studio for a small Designers’ Night together with them. No programme, no pressure. Just a bunch of designers in one room, easy conversations, good energy all around.
A simple, fitting way to close the week.
While on stage the future was discussed, off stage it was already there. Materials you could touch, technologies you could test, and systems you could explore, presented by some of the industry’s boldest brands.
At the center: Lotus with IN PROGRESS. From historic artefacts dating back to Lotus’ F1 era to forward-looking concepts embodied in the only shortly before unveiled Theory 1 in Au, it showed one thing clearly: progress isn’t a milestone. It’s a mindset, and it’s continuous.
Outside, BADER added even more buzz to the programme with an immersive installation where materials weren’t just explained, they were experienced.
Together, Lotus and BADER were present throughout the entire week, drawing in the street’s explorers. 250 conference guests quickly turned into 3,000 vistiors per day, and the conversations of the first two days extended far beyond the conference audience.
But what stuck with us most, was the in-betweens.
Conversations that weren’t planned. Reunions that had been long overdue. New connections forming on a simple “Hello”. A mix of generations, disciplines, and even industries coming together – bringing different perspectives but a shared sense for curiosity, openness to learn from each other, and drive to influence what’s next.
These moments are rare. And when they happen, it creates momentum you can’t design artificially.
Milan Design Week is more than a showcase. The real impact comes from participation: engaging with the questions that don’t have easy answers, challenging assumptions that have been comfortable for too long, and daring to think outside the box.
Haus of Automotive created space for exactly that. And it worked because of the people in it. So this is as much yours as it’s ours.
To all our partners, speakers, and guests: thank you!
We may have only just come back from Italy, but our return is already set.
Pistons & Pretzels Turin, we’re on our way. See you in June!
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