Milan Design Week’s automotive content took another step forwards in 2025. Over the last few years, the world of furniture has been thoroughly infiltrated by mobility brands to the extent that MDW serves as a focal point not just for collaborations but for product launches as well. In addition to the evergreen presence of Lexus, we’ve rounded up the brand activations and events that made a splash at MDW 2025.
Fiat Grande Panda Kartell
Inside the Fiat Grande Panda Kartell
It’s hardly unexpected to find such a core Italian brand as Fiat being represented at MDW, and this one-off collaboration with Kartell is even more attuned to the creative vibe of the event. The Fiat Grande Panda Kartell graced the furniture maker’s stand, resplendent in red coachwork surrounded by an environment shaped by the long-term Kartell collaborator Ferruccio Laviani. The Grande Panda is a ready-made style icon and a worthy successor to Fiat’s extended family of small and smallish city cars, and the collaboration with Kartell amped up the urban style.
Fiat Grande Panda Kartell
Kartell has worked with Fiat for decades – the company designed a ski rack for the original Fiat 500 back in the 50s – and has continued to the present day. Laviani has lavishly splashed around various shades of red, contrasting it with black detailing to make the visual elements of the Grande Panda really stand out. Inside there’s a subtle hue of Tasmania Blue with bespoke fabric and trim throughout, with prominent Kartell monograms paired up with the Fiat logo. Polymers are derived from renewable sources, while the upholstery is made from offcuts from Kartell’s Foliage armchair. Look closely and you’ll see a Kartell lamp on the instrument cluster.
Opposites United: Eclipse of Perceptions by Kia
The Cave by A.A. Murakami, part of Kia's MDW 2025 installation
Kia was relatively low key for its third appearance in the city – presumably focusing on the Seoul Mobility Show which ran concurrently. Its installation at the Museo della Permanente, Opposites United: Eclipse of Perceptions, featured work by the artists Philippe Parreno and A.A. Murakami. The four pieces, Marquee, The Cave, Beyond the Horizon and The Eclipse were about setting up an atmosphere and feeling, without explicitly invoking the form of a car.
Marquee by Philippe Parreno, part of Kia's MDW 2025 installation
The Eclipse event space was joined by Parreno’s Marquee installation and The Cave by A.A. Murakami, an artistic collective set up by Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves. The Cave was a kinetic automaton bathed in red light, designed to take viewers out of their comfort zones and question the endurance of human creativity. A final installation, Transcend Journey, explored the evolution of mobility.
Maserati Giorgetti Edition
Maserati Grecale Giorgetti Edition with the Giorgetti Maserati Edition interior design collection
Another iconic Italian brand using Milan to leverage its collaborative credentials was Maserati. Working with Giorgetti, the luxury sports car maker not only showed a one-off Fuoriserie Grecale but a new interiors collection. Fuoriserie, Maserati’s custom department, worked alongside Giorgetti to create a car that represents a ‘dialogue between two Italian excellences,’ according to Giorgetti’s Creative Director Giancarlo Bosio.
Maserati Grecale Giorgetti Edition
The denim blue leather inside the Maserati Grecale Giorgetti Edition
The Giorgetti Maserati Edition collection of furniture is infused with classical mythology, taking Maserati’s Trident emblem as a jumping off point, as well as the brand’s long-standing naming strategy that uses legendary winds. It includes the Nereide modular sofa, Seidon sofa and sculptural Lorelei armchair and sofa, along with the Ploto coffee table and several other pieces.
Giorgetti Maserati Edition interior collection at Villa Il Girasole
Seidon sofa from the Giorgetti Maserati Edition interior collection
For the one-off Grecale Folgore – the full-electric variant of Maserati’s mid-sized SUV – the company created a special ‘Gleaming Dusk’ bodycolour, with denim-coloured leather interior and copper-coloured details. Collection and car were shown at the Milanese Giorgetti Spiga showroom and at the Maserati Milan showroom respectively.
Maserati.com, @Maserati, GiorgettiMeda.com, @GiorgettiOfficial
smart #5 Brabus World Premiere
smart#5 Brabus
The freshly minted revival of smart turned to Milan to host the world premiere of its new smart #5 Brabus. The German tuning company has been let loose on smart cars before, including pocket rocket versions of the original smart fortwo, but this is the first Brabus-infused smart car of the modern era. The smart #5 is the brand’s largest model to date, and unsurprisingly that’s resulted in the most powerful model to date. Styling tweaks inside and out give the mid-size #5 a more purposeful, performance-focused stance without losing any of the signature smart playfulness.
Inside the new smart #5 Brabus
UK.smart.com, Brabus.com, @Brabus
Futurespective: Connected Worlds by Range Rover and Nuova
Range Rover also made their MDW debut, with an installation at Palazzo Belgioioso dubbed Futurespective: Connected Worlds, designed in collaboration with California-based design studio Nuova. Representing the design-led connectivity between old and new, Nuova’s installation at the 18th century Palazzo Belgioioso transported the visitor between two eras, 1970 and 2025 with an emphasis on how luxury has changed and also, in some ways, stayed the same.
Part post-Rivals Cotswolds chic, part minor Italian Royalty hunting attire, all wrapped up in a neo-Martin Parr aesthetic, this was Range Rover leaning hard into its retro heritage. It was something seen elsewhere in the city at the debut of Vinile’s ‘remastered’ Range Rover Classic, but Range Rover and Nuova definitely played it with tongues firmly in their cheeks, whilst at the same time acknowledging what JLR’s Gerry McGovern describes as the car’s ‘profound cultural influence’. ‘It’s a 55-year ongoing story, with design at its heart,’ he adds.
RangeRover.com, @RangeRover, @NuovaGroup, TimeTravel1971.com
Škoda Elroq vRS
A straightforward reveal from Škoda, the new Elroq vRS made its public debut at MDW. The company’s first all-electric model, the addition of a vRS model marks the first application of Škoda Auto’s sporting side to an EV. The Elroq is a quietly confident mid-size SUV and the uprated variant promises not only more power but a greater emphasis on driver feedback and exclusive interior and exterior design and trim details.
Cupra Design House
The Sensorial Capsule, part of the Cupra Design House installation
Cupra made one of the most significant investments in Milan Design Week with the introduction of its new Cupra Design House. Already hellbent on becoming an ‘emotional electric car maker’, the creation of the Design House is a four-pillared strategy that takes the company’s design focus beyond mobility. Run by Chief Operating Officer Cécilia Taïeb and Chief Design Officer Jorge Diez, Cupra Design House will act as a jumping off point for cross-disciplinary collaborations, as well as steer the creation of accessories.
Cupra describing the company’s relationship with the wider industry design as a ‘red thread’ that runs through everything it does. The debut presentation saw four prototypes unveiled, including concept clothing designs that use Adaptative Knitting technology to create shape shifting ‘second skin’ garments that will ultimately inspire the upcoming Cupra Active Wear Collection. There was also a collaboration with Zellerfeld on fully 3D-printed sneakers, a multifunctional vest created with Mam and luggage designed in collaboration with Harper Collective.
The more immersive and experimental side of Cupra Design House, Cupra Beyond, was demonstrated by a conceptual design for a Lounge Chair and a sensorial ‘Cupra Capsule’, which takes elements of the company’s interior design, including lightweight structure, muscled forms and an emphasis on light and sound. Going forward, the Cupra Design House will continue to be represented by four key pillars: the Cupra Collection, Cupra Collabs, Cupra Beyond and Cupra Accessories.
Materials on display in the Cupra Design House
CupraOfficial.co.uk, @Cupra_Official
Audi House of Progress
The Audi House of Progress, designed by Studio Drift
Audi wasn’t the only company treating MDW as a replacement for the many lost auto shows. Following on from last year’s reveal of the Audi Q6 e-tron, the German behemoth once again took a substantial slice of Milanese real estate to showcase a new vehicle. This time it was the turn of the new Audi A6 Avant, shown alongside the Audi S6 Avant e-tron at the ‘Audi House of Progress’, a substantial pavilion designed by Studio Drift and built in the courtyard of the Portrait Milano hotel.
Audi A6 Avant
It was actually Audi’s twelfth appearance in Milan, although these days the company is focusing much more on real product rather than futuristic speculation. The A6 Avant is a case in point, an elegant evolution of the marque’s mainstay large estate that features advanced OLED lighting front and rear.
Zeekr: The Art of Connection
Zeekr Mix
As part of the Haus of Automotive installation by Konzepthaus, Geely-owned Chinese brand Zeekr showcased vehicles and events as part of its debut installation in Milan, The Art of Connection. Alongside an immersive installation by Steven Mark Kübler and some forward-thinking student portfolios, the company also showcased its Zeekr Mix, currently a China-only luxury minivan that’s designed to maximise interior space and flexibility.
Lotus Emeya and Esprit
Also part of the Haus of Automotive (and another Geely subsidiary) was Lotus, who arguably won ‘best in show’ for their display of an immaculate white Lotus Esprit in a giant vitrine of Via Tortona. Inside, the sports car company showcased an upgraded version of its all-electric Emeya, now available in a number of different trim and performance specifications. Lotus also used the event to showcase its ‘DNA’ brand building blocks, Digital, Natural and Analogue.
Lotus Emeya
Phiaro and Lean Mobility
Phiaro's stand with the Lean Mobility Lean3 city trike
Local specialist manufacturer Phiaro, which focuses on building exquisite one-off concept cars for many major auto companies, brought along the RideRoid Lean3, a tiny tilting two-seater developed by Japanese-Taiwanese company Lean Mobility. This ultra-urban machine seems perfectly suited for a city like Milan and garnered a lot of interest. The three-wheeler is set to enter production later this year.
LeanMobility.net, PhiaroInc.com
Flying Flea x Mattia Biagi
Flying Flea 'Motototem' by Mattia Biagi
Flying Flea, the new EV brand from iconic motorbike manufacturer Royal Enfield, made its Milanese debut with an exotic collaboration with LA-based artist Mattia Biagi. The result is ‘Motototem’, a customised FF.C6 with entirely reimagined neo-organic components. Biagi has focused on key elements of the design – the frame, girder forks, headlight, handlebars, battery case – and re-shaped these using materials like travertine marble, bronze, stone and leather.
Flying Flea, the new EV brand from iconic motorbike manufacturer Royal Enfield, made its Milanese debut with an exotic collaboration with LA-based artist Mattia Biagi. The result is ‘Motototem’, a customised with entirely reimagined neo-organic components. Biagi has focused on key elements of the design – the frame, girder forks, headlight, handlebars, battery case – and re-shaped these using materials like travertine marble, bronze, stone and leather.
Artist Mattia Biagi with the Flying Flea 'Motototem'
The end result is truly exotic, appropriately insectoid in places but also bearing the spirit of David Cronenberg and H.R. Giger. From the bronze handlebar grips imprinted with the artist’s fingerprints to the hand-moulded clay fork guards and the marble battery case, everything about Motototem transcends the original machine’s impressive technology to create something truly distinctive.
FlyingFlea.RoyalEnfield.com, @FlyingFlea, MattiaBiagi.com, @MattiaBiagi1
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