Nexen Tire's Concept Tires Win 2025 IDEA Finalist Honors
Nexen Tire Americas Inc. has received two finalist honors at the 2025 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) for its concept tires Nexist and Cellexis.
The IDEA awards, organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), rank three design competitions, assessing entries on innovation, usability, aesthetics and social impact.
Nexen’s two honored concepts embody forward-looking solutions to the transportation limits of high-density urban environments, advancing mobility concepts for efficiency and ensuring reliable transportation in metropolitan areas.
Nexist represents a forward-looking solution for future cities where road space is expected to shrink. It is designed for fully autonomous Urban Air Mobility with vertical take-off capabilities and delivers lightweight performance through advanced carbon composite materials while still preserving the intuitive form of a tire.
Cellexis embodies a modular public transportation concept tailored to the needs of megacities. Inspired by the form of a red blood cell, its spherical structure integrates omni wheels arranged in four directions, functioning simultaneously as tires, docking systems and entry point. This design enables faster transfers and reduces dependence on private vehicles.
Both concept tires were developed in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP), an organization under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea. Nexen Tire has earned IDEA Awards for the past three years (2022, 2023, and 2025).
In addition to this recognition, NEXEN TIRE also earned major global design awards in 2025, including the Red Dot Design Award for the Winguard Sport 3 and the North American Green Good Design Award for the N’FERA Sport R and N’BLUE 4Season 2.
“This award is a testament to our philosophy and innovative efforts to deliver differentiated experiences that resonate globally,” says 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.”