Eurostars
DESIGN (INDIVIDUAL MODEL)
Pierre-Paul Mattei
Project Design Director, PSA Group
TITLE: Project Design Director
COMPANY: PSA Group
BASED: Paris
AGE: 48
NATIONALITY: French
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
After receiving his master's degree in industrial and automotive design, Mattei began his career in 1996 as a CAD designer at Peugeot, where he worked on models including the 307, 307CC and 407. He held various design management roles until 2009, when he became Peugeot project design director, working on the 508 and Exalt concept, among other vehicles.
REASON FOR WINNING
Mattei directed the styling of the new Peugeot 508, a midsize sedan that breaks with convention by offering a hatchback instead of a trunk. The new 508 has a lower height than its predecessor, frameless windows and a more aggressive design than the previous generation. In addition, Peugeot's i-Cockpit allows an unobstructed view of the instrument panel. The station wagon version is set to debut at the Paris auto show this month.