Modu City Car by Daniel Henneh is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award ᱞᱚᱦᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ in ᱜᱟᱰᱤ, ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱯᱟᱨᱤᱵᱟᱦᱟᱱ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ Competition Category.

ᱞᱚᱦᱟᱜᱟᱰᱤ· 2025

Modu City Car

by Daniel Henneh

Client: Modu

A' Design Award ᱞᱚᱦᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ Winner in ᱜᱟᱰᱤ Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Modu City Car

ᱢᱚᱰᱩ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜ-ᱟ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱢᱚᱰᱩᱞᱟᱨ ᱥᱚᱦᱚᱨ ᱜᱟᱲᱤ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱥᱚᱦᱚᱨ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱪᱟᱞᱟᱜ-ᱪᱟᱠᱟᱛ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱰᱤ᱔ᱚᱠᱩᱛ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱜᱟᱲᱤ ᱠᱚ ᱟᱡᱟᱜ-ᱟᱡᱟᱜ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞ ᱦᱚᱸ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱟᱜ ᱠᱚ ᱦᱟᱹᱴᱤᱧ ᱛᱮ ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾ ᱞᱮᱠᱟᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱡᱟᱶᱟᱜ ᱦᱮᱰᱞᱟᱭᱴ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱚᱠᱟ ᱠᱟᱴᱤᱡ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱟᱨ ᱟᱭᱢᱟ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱛᱟᱸᱦᱮᱸᱱ ᱢᱤᱨᱚᱨ, ᱞᱟᱦᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱛᱟᱭᱚᱢ ᱵᱟᱢᱯᱚᱨ, ᱰᱨᱟᱭᱤᱵᱷ ᱥᱤᱥᱴᱮᱢ ᱟᱨ ᱪᱮᱥᱤᱥ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱦᱚᱸ ᱦᱚᱸ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱛᱨᱤᱠᱟ ᱛᱮ ᱯᱟᱨᱴᱥ ᱠᱚᱣᱟᱠ ᱮᱸᱠᱷᱚᱸ, ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱠᱷᱚᱨᱚᱪ ᱟᱨ ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱨᱮ ᱵᱮᱵᱦᱟᱨ ᱦᱚᱪᱚ ᱠᱚᱢ ᱦᱩᱭᱩᱜᱼᱟ ᱾ ᱢᱤᱫᱴᱟᱝ ᱵᱚᱫᱤ ᱞᱮᱡᱚᱨ ᱠᱟᱴ ᱚᱛᱮ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱮᱸᱜᱟᱲ ᱮᱱᱚᱰᱟᱭᱡᱰ ᱮᱞᱩᱢᱤᱱᱤᱭᱟᱢ ᱯᱟᱱᱮᱞ ᱠᱷᱚᱱ ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱟᱨ ᱮᱴᱮᱠᱴᱨᱤᱠ ᱰᱨᱟᱭᱤᱵᱷᱴᱨᱮᱱ, ᱤᱱ-ᱶᱦᱤᱞ ᱢᱚᱴᱚᱨ ᱟᱨ ᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱥᱟᱥᱯᱮᱱᱥᱚᱱ ᱦᱚᱸ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜ-ᱟ ᱾ ᱴᱷᱮᱸᱡ ᱚᱠᱚᱭ ᱠᱤᱨᱤᱧ ᱮᱦᱚᱵ ᱚᱠᱛᱚ, ᱚᱱᱞᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱛᱮ ᱜᱟᱲᱤ ᱠᱚᱱᱯᱷᱤᱜᱟᱨ ᱠᱟᱛᱮ ᱮᱢ ᱚᱲᱟᱜᱼᱟ, ᱟᱨ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱛᱟᱭᱚᱢ ᱟᱸᱭᱢᱟ ᱦᱚᱸ ᱡᱟᱹᱨᱩᱨᱚᱛ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞ ᱦᱩᱭ ᱨᱮ, ᱚᱱᱟ ᱠᱷᱚᱱ ᱢᱚᱰᱩᱞ ᱠᱚ ᱵᱚᱫᱚᱞ ᱦᱩᱭ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜᱼᱟ ᱾

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award ᱞᱚᱦᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ

Modu City Car ᱫᱚ A' Design Award ᱞᱚᱦᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱧᱟᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱚᱢᱟᱱ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱢᱤ ᱡᱷᱟᱞᱠᱟᱣ ᱠᱚ᱾ Modu City Car ᱫᱚ ᱠᱚᱞᱟ, ᱣᱤᱜᱭᱟᱱ, ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱩᱱᱤᱭᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Modu is designed around modularity and interchangeability of components. It can be configured both at purchase and later as the need changes without buying a new vehicle. Modu introduces the concept of interchangeability, for instance, the left and right headlights are identical, the driving mirrors, the front and back bumpers, even the drive system and chassis system. This significantly reduces the manufacturing cost, energy and subsequently a smaller environmental footprint.
Dimensions & Packaging: Modu is modular so the dimension will vary base on the configuration. Minimum configuration 1.8m length x 0.85m width x 1.5m height
Electric drivetrain, In-wheel electric motor, air suspension, laser cut and bent anodized aluminum body panels.
Tags: Modular, City Car, Urban Mobility, Sustainable Design, Electric Vehicle, Interchangeable Components, Lightweight, Innovative, Compact, Energy Efficient, Flexible
Production Technology: The design of Modu was made possible through Design Thinking. Early ideas were captured via sketching, white boarding and sticky notes to capture critical features. These ideas were then refined through peer interviews and feedback. Iterative sketches led to CAD modeling in Siemens NX, with FDM 3D printing to validating key technical features. Realistic renderings in Keyshot and composition in Photoshop were used to visualize the vehicle and its potential use cases.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was combining complete modularity with aesthetics and structural integrity, a tough balance since these often conflict. The inspiration for Modu's exoskeleton design is from military vehicles, this simplified the design and reduced part count. Additionally, making the parts interchangeable was a challenge but crucial, for instance the left and right headlights are interchangeable, even driving mirrors, the bumpers, the drive system and many other components.
Research: Extensive academic research on urban mobility trends, material options, and advanced manufacturing, combined with user-centered design principles, drove Modu’s development. Informal interviews and digital prototypes captured local transportation insights and spurred iterative refinements. This research and feedback validated the need for a sustainable, adaptable vehicle, guiding design choices toward superior modularity, energy efficiency, and operational versatility.
Inspiration: I grew up in Ghana, West Africa where transportation continues to be an issue. Seeing first hand the potential of a highly optimized vehicle to impact lives, I was inspired to design a brilliant yet affordable solutions. Modu is designed to give the customer absolute freedom to configure the vehicle at the time of purchase and even later as their need changes without needing to buy a completely new car.
Project Duration: Project started in August 2024 in San Jose California and finished in January 2025
Operation Flow: The unique experience of this vehicle to starts right with the purchasing experience; The customer will configure the new Modu on an online platform where key elements such as size, specific modules and intended use can be chosen.
the vehicle is then delivered after a few days due to the ease of customization.
Operating Modu will be extremely easy with the ability to use the smartphone as a dashboard hence all the users music , frequently visited locations, contacts, etc all comes along for the ride on seamless experience.