LSN : News : Stat: EVs and hybrid cars surpass 50% of vehicle sales in China amid slowing market

Kacper Motyka designs sleek sex-centred chair to enhance intimate experiences

Chairie by Kacper Motyka, UK

UK – Kacper Motyka, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, has created Chairie, a dynamic piece of furniture designed to enrich sexual experiences. Inspired by the work of mid-century designer Verner Panton, Chairie features a three-cylinder design that adapts to various sexual positions.

Motyka’s final year project on the BA Product & Industrial Design course reflects his desire to improve comfort during intimate moments. ‘Furniture should adapt to our needs and desires, offering comfort and relaxation conducive to spontaneous and dynamic interactions,’ he explained.

Electric actuators allow each cylinder to move independently, transforming the piece from a chair into different configurations. Motyka emphasised that Chairie is tasteful, blending into any living environment without immediately evoking its dual purpose. ‘Our homes lack furniture specifically designed for sex… I wanted Chairie to look like a comfortable chair without evoking associations with sex at first glance,’ said Motyka.

Having applied for a patent, Motyka plans to refine Chairie and explore additional colours and finishes. He envisages the product as a significant step towards elevating intimate experiences through innovative design.

Explore our Design and Health & Wellness topics to gain insight into the latest product innovations.

Strategic opportunity

Explore the untapped market of intimacy-centric furniture that enhances personal experiences. This could involve designing discreet, multifunctional, modular pieces that blend seamlessly into modern living spaces

Warner Bros revives Beetlejuice on Roblox with first virtual box office

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Roblox Experience by Warner Bros Pictures, US

Global – Warner Bros Pictures is bringing the iconic Beetlejuice franchise back to life in a ground-breaking collaboration with Roblox, creating the fully immersive experience, Beetlejuice Escape the Afterlife. Designed by Sawhorse, this innovative digital environment offers fans both new and old a chance to explore the eerie, playful world of Beetlejuice while interacting with familiar and fresh characters.

The experience, launched on 5 August 2024, allows users to dive into three spooky, immersive worlds inspired by the original film and its upcoming sequel. Visitors navigate through The Afterlife Lobby, encountering beloved figures like Delia and Lydia, while also tackling ghouls in a quest to rescue new characters such as Astrid. Notably, this initiative marks the debut of a virtual Fandango box office within Roblox, where users can purchase movie tickets directly – a first on the platform as it experiments with integrated commerce.

Cameron Curtis, Warner Bros executive vice-president of marketing, explains the dual objective to Business Wire: to engage dedicated fans and attract new audiences, all while pioneering new methods to drive ticket sales and content viewership. We explore how virtual stores and Web3 brand experiences are maturing further in X-tended Retail.

Strategic opportunity

As users adapt to multi-layered storytelling, consider how you can combine your virtual retail experience with real-life options to deepen levels of engagement

Apple introduces distraction control for Safari

Builders Club in partnership with Apple and Radical Music

Global – Apple has unveiled a new Safari feature, Distraction Control, allowing users to remove distracting elements from websites. Rolling out from August 2024 in developer beta versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, the tool is accessible from the Page Menu in the Smart Search field. Users can select items they want hidden, and Safari will remember these settings on future visits, although the changes don’t synchronise across devices.

Distraction Control follows the Arc Browser’s Boosts, which similarly enabled site customisation. Unlike Boosts, though, Apple’s feature won’t remove ads or frequently change content. Its effectiveness on dynamic elements like the Who to Follow section on X (formerly known as Twitter) remains unclear.

Apple has also introduced a redesigned reader in iOS 18, offering improved listening and font controls, and a new Highlights feature that brings key information to the surface, such as driving directions and tv show review summaries, directly from web pages.

This UX innovation follows the findings from our Quiet Mode microtrend report, in which we unveil how consumers crave distraction-less tech.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to offer products or services that cater for consumers seeking a more focused, seamless and distraction-free digital experience

Stat: EVs and hybrid cars surpass 50% of vehicle sales in China amid slowing market

Mercedes x Belmond Vision Pullman Express concept by Arya Kani, US

China – For the first time, electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid cars accounted for more than 50% of vehicle sales in China in July, despite an overall decline in car sales. According to the China Passenger Car Association, sales of new energy vehicles – comprising EVs and hybrid cars – reached 879,000 units, representing 50.8% of total vehicle sales, even as total car sales fell by 2% to 1.73m.

Wang Chuanfu, CEO of BYD, the world’s largest EV and hybrid car manufacturer, anticipated this milestone in March, signalling strong momentum in China’s EV industry. ‘The industry is entering the elimination stage of the race,’ noted Wang.

The decline in July’s overall sales can be attributed to car-makers’ summer production breaks and the easing of an industry-wide price war. But price competition continues, with BYD cutting prices of its premium Leopard 5 model by 17.2%.

To stimulate the market, Beijing has doubled subsidies for trading old cars for new ones and relaxed auto loan requirements in a bid to boost EV adoption in smaller cities and rural areas.

In our Creating the Circular Car viewpoint we analysed how the mobility industry must aim for more than just electrification if it is to become truly sustainable in the future.

Strategic opportunity

Tap into the growing demand for EVs and hybrid cars by researching and developing new and existing products within this field. Consider expanding your production capabilities to meet rising consumer interest