The color of infinity inside an empty glass

Posted by Vincent Nguyen

https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/11/17/the-cube-trike-flatbed-hybrid-750-redefines-urban-cargo-with-tilting-technology/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-cube-trike-flatbed-hybrid-750-redefines-urban-cargo-with-tilting-technology

https://www.yankodesign.com/?p=592073

Urban cargo transport has always meant compromise. You get capacity but lose agility, or you get maneuverability but sacrifice load capability. Cube’s Trike Flatbed Hybrid 750 eliminates that trade-off entirely with a tilting rear mechanism that keeps the front wheel responsive while the cargo platform stays stable. This isn’t just another cargo bike with a basket attached. It’s a purpose-built three-wheeler that handles like a regular bike despite carrying up to 60 kilograms of whatever your city life demands.

Designer: Cube

The design philosophy centers on one compelling idea: the flatbed as blank canvas. That open platform invites customization in ways traditional cargo bikes with fixed containers never could. Coffee cart entrepreneurs, mobile vendors, small business owners, and urban families all see something different when they look at that 60kg-capacity deck. Some see a pop-up retail space. Others see a week’s worth of groceries. The platform doesn’t dictate use cases. It adapts to them.

Tilting Technology That Preserves Natural Handling

Most three-wheeled cargo bikes feel exactly like what they are: vehicles optimized for stability at the expense of cornering agility. You turn the handlebars and the entire rig leans as one cumbersome unit, reminding you constantly that you’re piloting something fundamentally different from a bicycle.

The Flatbed Hybrid 750 solves this with rear tilting that decouples the cargo load from the front steering geometry. When you lean into a corner, the front wheel responds with the natural feedback and precision of a standard bike. The rear platform stays level, keeping your cargo stable while you maintain the intuitive handling that makes cycling feel effortless.

It’s the kind of mechanical solution that feels obvious once you experience it, yet took genuine engineering thought to implement correctly. The short wheelbase amplifies this advantage, giving you tight turning radius and city-friendly parking capability that larger cargo solutions simply can’t match.

Power System, Frame Construction, and Material Intelligence

Cube specified the Bosch Cargo Line motor with 85Nm of torque paired with a 750Wh PowerTube battery. This isn’t a standard e-bike motor adapted for cargo duty. It’s purpose-built for moving weight through city streets, up inclines, and across the stop-and-go rhythm of urban traffic.

The capacity handles extended routes or full workdays without range anxiety creeping in. The Bosch Kiox 300 display integrates cleanly into the cockpit, giving you ride data and battery status without visual clutter. LED remote keeps controls accessible without forcing your hands off the grips.

The frame uses aluminum Superlite construction to balance the competing demands of cargo capacity and manageable weight. At 65 kilograms for the complete bike, it’s substantial but not absurd. The maximum system weight reaches 220 kilograms, accounting for rider and cargo together. That’s real utility capacity without requiring forklift-grade construction.

Critical frame components use aluminum gravity casting, an advanced manufacturing process that ensures structural strength where it matters most while maintaining the clean lines that define modern industrial design. The Comfort Ride Geometry tunes frame angles and dimensions specifically for stability and rider comfort across long sessions or rough city surfaces. This isn’t aggressive sport geometry adapted for cargo use. It’s ground-up design for urban utility. The step-through frame accommodates riders from 1.60 meters to 1.90 meters (roughly 5’2″ to 6’2″), with adjustable stem and seat making one size genuinely fit most users.

Downtube storage adds practical capacity for tools, locks, or daily essentials without eating into your primary cargo platform. The optional front rack expands carrying capability further for riders who need maximum versatility. Every storage solution integrates cleanly rather than looking bolted on as an afterthought.

The entire system feels cohesive rather than assembled from disparate components, with charging happening via a 4A charger that balances speed with battery health for daily-use vehicles. The engineering reveals itself in small decisions that compound into a cohesive whole, from component selection through geometry tuning to accessory integration.

Suspension and Rolling Stock

The SR Suntour MOBIE 34 CARGO 24″ fork with 100mm of travel specifically targets cargo trike applications. City streets aren’t smooth test tracks. They’re pothole-riddled, uneven surfaces where suspension matters for rider comfort and cargo protection. The fork absorbs impacts that would otherwise transmit straight through a rigid setup, making long urban routes less punishing on your body and your cargo.

Wheel sizing splits between 24-inch front and 20-inch rear, optimizing for a low center of gravity that enhances stability while making loading and unloading easier. CUBE EX40 rims come tubeless-ready with robust spoke counts (36H front, 32H rear) designed to handle cargo loads without constant truing. Schwalbe Pick-Up Super Defense tires bring the durability and urban grip that cargo applications demand, resisting punctures and providing confident traction across varied city surfaces.

Modular Platform Philosophy and Component Integration

The Flatbed Hybrid 750 establishes modular urban mobility as a legitimate design language. That open platform invites iteration and customization in ways that closed cargo boxes actively prevent. A food truck operator sees space for a custom coffee cart build. A mobile repair business sees a rolling workbench. Families see grocery capacity and weekend adventure potential. Each vision works because the platform doesn’t impose a singular use case.

The swampgrey and reflex colorway keeps the aesthetic modern and understated, letting custom cargo solutions provide the visual personality rather than forcing the bike itself to shout for attention. It’s the industrial design equivalent of a well-designed neutral backdrop that makes everything you place on it look better.

ACID components throughout the finishing kit (grips, lights, mudguards, storage options) create an ecosystem of compatible accessories. You’re not hunting through third-party catalogs hoping for fitment compatibility. The system is designed to expand and adapt as needs change. Tektro Auriga Twin+ hydraulic disc brakes include a parking lock feature that adds crucial safety when stopped for loading, unloading, or temporary parking on inclines. All-weather reliability comes standard, recognizing that urban utility vehicles can’t take weather days off.

Enviolo Cargo shifters deliver stepless gear transitions designed specifically for loads, with no hunting for the right gear or worrying about shifting under torque. You adjust continuously as terrain and load demand, keeping power delivery smooth and intuitive. It’s the kind of component choice that reveals thoughtful system integration rather than spec-sheet box-checking. The entire drivetrain recognizes that cargo cycling demands different performance characteristics than recreational riding or commuting.

The step-through design removes the athletic barrier that traditional bike frames create. You don’t need to swing your leg over a high top tube while managing cargo or wearing work clothes. You step through, adjust the seat if needed, and go.

Universal Access for Shared Urban Futures

The adjustable geometry and intuitive controls make this genuinely shareable across families, businesses, or community programs. There’s no specialized training required. If you can ride a bike, you can ride this. The parking brake, integrated lights, bell, and mudguards handle the practical details that separate concept vehicles from daily-use tools. Cube positions this within their broader cargo ecosystem alongside Family Hybrid and Cargo Hybrid configurations, recognizing that urban mobility needs vary. The Flatbed version specifically targets the blank-canvas modularity that businesses and adaptable use cases require. It’s futureproofed not through tech features that will age, but through physical adaptability that responds to changing needs over years of use.

The Trike Flatbed Hybrid 750 proves that cargo capacity and bicycle agility aren’t mutually exclusive when you engineer the solution correctly. Tilting technology, modular design, and purpose-built components create a platform that adapts to urban life rather than forcing urban life to adapt to it.

The post The Cube Trike Flatbed Hybrid 750 Redefines Urban Cargo with Tilting Technology first appeared on Yanko Design.

https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/11/17/the-cube-trike-flatbed-hybrid-750-redefines-urban-cargo-with-tilting-technology/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-cube-trike-flatbed-hybrid-750-redefines-urban-cargo-with-tilting-technology

https://www.yankodesign.com/?p=592073

Posted by Sarang Sheth

https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/11/17/this-armored-lexus-concept-borrows-from-cybertruck-and-rezvani-but-stays-premium/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=this-armored-lexus-concept-borrows-from-cybertruck-and-rezvani-but-stays-premium

https://www.yankodesign.com/?p=592018

Viewed in isolation, the LF TT could easily be mistaken for a Rezvani sketch or a videogame boss vehicle: slab sides, armored arches, and a stance that looks ready to drive through a building rather than around it. Only when you start tracing the lines does the Lexus in it emerge, from the long, graceful roof arc to the layered surfacing that sits underneath all the blocky geometry.

That tension between brutality and refinement is the core of the project. It borrows the visual grammar of Cybertruck‑style faceting and Rezvani‑style intimidation, then overlays it with Lexus’ obsession with crafted surfaces and precise lighting graphics. The LF TT is not trying to be a practical pickup; it is trying to answer a different question entirely: what would a Lexus halo truck look like if it had to share a stage with the loudest, most extreme machines in the segment.

Designer: Theo Flament

The front end is a masterclass in this translation. Instead of a literal spindle grille, the design uses a deeply recessed trapezoidal cavity to house three powerful light modules, creating the same pinched-waist effect through negative space and shadow. Above this, a razor-thin DRL stretches across the fascia, an aggressive evolution of the light blades seen on the current RX and RZ models. The hood itself features sharp, origami-like creases radiating from the central emblem, another nod to the L-Finesse philosophy of creating dynamic surfaces that catch the light. It’s a clever reinterpretation, translating a familiar brand identity into a language of hard-edged, functionalist aggression without losing the original logic or hierarchy of the face.

The comparison to the Cybertruck is unavoidable, but the execution of the surfacing is fundamentally different. Where Tesla’s design suggests raw, folded stainless steel, the LF TT’s body panels feel more like layered armor plating over a muscular, sculpted core. The main surfaces have subtle bulges and are broken by deep, intersecting feature lines that create a sense of tension and complexity, a hallmark of the L-Finesse language, just sharpened to a knife’s edge. Capping it all is a sleek, coupe-like glasshouse with a continuous arc from the A-pillar to the tail. This silhouette is much closer to a performance GT like the Lexus LC than any utility vehicle, reinforcing its road-biased, high-performance mission.

This theme of reinterpreted signatures continues at the rear. The full-width light bar, now a staple for Lexus, is rendered as a series of tightly packed vertical fins, adding a level of detail and precision that feels more like a high-end watch than a simple taillight. This intricate detail work reinforces the LF TT’s true purpose. It’s not a workhorse. The short rear overhang, fastback profile, and massive, stylized wheels on low-profile tires clearly position it as a high-performance halo product. It’s a rally-raid supercar for the road, a kind of “LF-A of trucks” meant to showcase technological prowess and design confidence rather than payload capacity or pure off-road practicality. It’s a statement piece, designed for presence above all else.

The post This Armored Lexus Concept Borrows From Cybertruck and Rezvani, But Stays Premium first appeared on Yanko Design.

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https://www.yankodesign.com/?p=592018

Posted by Vincent Nguyen

https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/11/17/huawei-mate-80-series-design-language-evolution-and-the-20gb-ram-flagship/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=huawei-mate-80-series-design-language-evolution-and-the-20gb-ram-flagship

https://www.yankodesign.com/?p=592060

Huawei just confirmed November 25 as the official launch date for its Mate 80 series, and the company isn’t holding back. Four distinct models, each with its own camera architecture and design identity. The standout? A flagship variant packing 20GB of RAM and an octagon-shaped camera module that breaks from the circular designs dominating the smartphone industry.

Designer: Huawei

This is Huawei’s play for design differentiation in a market where most flagship phones look nearly identical from the back. The Mate 80 lineup spans from the accessible base model through to the RS Ultimate Design, a halo product that signals where Huawei sees premium smartphone design heading.

Four Models, Four Design Approaches

The Mate 80 and Mate 80 Pro share a circular rear camera module housing three sensors, including a periscope telephoto lens. Both phones feature dual front cameras with 3D face unlock technology. It’s a refined, approachable design that builds on Huawei’s established camera bump aesthetic.

The Mate 80 Pro Max steps up with a quad-camera system that includes dual periscope telephoto lenses. That’s two dedicated telephoto sensors for optical zoom flexibility, a configuration that gives photographers multiple focal length options without digital cropping. Dual front cameras maintain consistency across the upper-tier models.

Then there’s the Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design. The octagon-shaped camera module is the immediate visual differentiator, a geometric departure that catches attention without feeling gimmicky. It houses four rear sensors and pairs with dual front cameras, but the design statement is what matters here. Huawei is using the RS Ultimate to establish a distinct visual identity for its most premium offering.

Color Palettes Reflect Market Positioning

Huawei assigned different color families to each tier, reinforcing the hierarchy through material and finish choices.

The Mate 80 and Mate 80 Pro come in Dawn Gold, Obsidian Black, Snowy White, and Spruce Green. These are accessible, versatile colorways that work across different user preferences without pushing too far into statement territory.

The Mate 80 Pro Max gets Polar Night Black, Polar Silver, Polar Day Gold, and Aurora Blue. The naming convention evokes extreme environments and natural phenomena, positioning this model as the performance flagship with colors that suggest technical capability.

The RS Ultimate Design narrows to three options: Dark Black, Pure White, and Hibiscus. That last color, Hibiscus, has generated notable attention in early discussions. It’s a bold, design-forward choice that signals this phone is as much about aesthetic expression as technical specifications.

RAM Leadership: 20GB in the RS Ultimate Design

The Mate 80 RS Ultimate Design ships with 20GB of RAM paired with either 512GB or 1TB of storage. That’s the highest RAM configuration in the entire lineup, positioning this model for users running multiple resource-intensive applications simultaneously or future-proofing for increasingly demanding mobile workflows.

The base Mate 80 and Mate 80 Pro offer 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, and 16GB/512GB configurations, with the Pro adding a 16GB/1TB option. The Mate 80 Pro Max comes in 16GB/512GB and 16GB/1TB variants. Huawei structured the RAM progression to create clear performance tiers across the lineup.

Launch Strategy: Pre-Orders and Dual Flagship Debut

Huawei opened pre-orders through its Vmall online store ahead of the November 25 launch event. The company is simultaneously unveiling the Mate X7 foldable, positioning the launch as a comprehensive showcase of its flagship smartphone strategy rather than focusing solely on the traditional slab phone format.

The dual launch suggests Huawei sees both form factors as equally important to its premium positioning. The Mate 80 series represents refinement and camera innovation within the established smartphone template, while the Mate X7 addresses users prioritizing screen real estate and multitasking flexibility.

What This Means for the Flagship Race

The Mate 80 lineup shows Huawei using design variation to create meaningful differentiation within a single product family. Most manufacturers rely primarily on camera count and technical specifications to separate models. Huawei added visual language shifts, particularly with the RS Ultimate’s octagon module, to make the hierarchy immediately apparent.

The dual periscope telephoto system in the Pro Max addresses a real pain point for mobile photographers: the gap between primary wide and telephoto focal lengths. Two periscope lenses allow for more granular zoom options and better image quality across the telephoto range.

Whether these design choices translate into market success remains to be seen when the phones launch November 25. But Huawei is clearly betting that distinctive design, aggressive RAM configurations, and advanced camera architectures can carve out space in the competitive flagship smartphone market.

The post Huawei Mate 80 Series: Design Language Evolution and the 20GB RAM Flagship first appeared on Yanko Design.

https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/11/17/huawei-mate-80-series-design-language-evolution-and-the-20gb-ram-flagship/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=huawei-mate-80-series-design-language-evolution-and-the-20gb-ram-flagship

https://www.yankodesign.com/?p=592060