With Concepts in Manhattan, Chevrolet Tries to Ignite Design Students' Interest April 9, 2012, 3:08 pm Before press previews for the 2012 New York auto show, Nick David, the Chevrolet senior exterior designer credited with the Tru 140S concept car, met with students from the design program at the Pratt Institute. He was joined by marketing manager John McFarland. One of the key themes of recent discussion in the automobile business has been the indifference of the millennial generation to the expressive aspects of the automobile. A smaller proportion of young Americans have licenses than in previous generations. Posted around the Classic Car Club on Hudson Street were statements based on Chevrolet's research among millennials. One chestnut read, "Less than one in three say the car they drive should represent who they are." The Tru 140S concept was intended to reach the remaining set of customers who were enthusiastic about driving and craved Lamborghini excitement with Cruze economy. It and the Code 130R, another concept, are at the New York auto show, where passers-by are being asked to vote for their favorite and contribute ideas for the interiors of the cars. During the discussion, Mr. David was asked about the large front fender areas on the 130R, which several students felt were too large, and also about cut lines in the body pieces. "The students asked really good questions," Mr. David said. Jasper Waters, a transportation design major from the class of 2013, was more transfixed by square slices of pizza hanging on copper pipes than the 140S nearby. "It seems busy," he said of the concept. I don't care so much for cars. I'm more into bikes and motorcycles. With those, he said, the owner was closer to the technology. I love my Trek road bike. It is more like an extension of yourself.