Shuriken
A wheel rim redesign for MAPSA and SEAT — starting from an existing model and reinventing it through research, ideation and 3D development into the Shuriken, a rim that bridges the family and sports worlds for the SEAT Arona.
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Overview
What was the challenge?
Redesign MAPSA's DYNAMIC 43CM 17" 26/3 FR aluminium wheel rim to match the design language of the SEAT Arona: sporty, modern, versatile. The new rim had to satisfy strict technical specifications while expressing dynamism and exclusivity.
How did we approach it?
The process ran through company and market analysis, user profiling, and a structured ideation phase — moodboard, brainstorming and morphing — before converging on the Shuriken concept. SolidWorks was used to model, validate mechanically and design the production molds. A physical prototype completed the development.
What came out of it?
The Shuriken rim takes its name and geometry from the Japanese throwing weapon. Five blade-like radii flow from the centre with sharp contours and dual finishes — matte black body, metallic rim edge — transmitting speed, agility and a sense of hypnotic motion at any angle.
Design Process
Two companies shaped the brief: MAPSA, an aluminium wheel rim manufacturer focused on work and innovation, and SEAT, a Spanish car brand founded in 1950. The rim to be redesigned was the DYNAMIC 43CM 17" 26/3 FR, fitted to the SEAT Arona. The target user became a couple aged 30–40 with two children, who had recently changed to a spacious, polyvalent car and cared about both practicality and aesthetics.
Methods
- Desk Research
- Product Analysis
- Context Mapping
- User Persona
A moodboard fixed the aesthetic direction — modern finishes, straight lines, aerodynamism, dynamic ramifications and depth variations. Brainstorming and morphing generated a wide range of sketched concepts. A weighted selection matrix comparing faithfulness to the brief, originality and feasibility narrowed the field to three candidates. Shuriken emerged as the clearest answer.
Methods
- Moodboarding
- Rapid Sketching
- Concept Matrix
The chosen concept was modelled in SolidWorks and stress-tested with force and torsion simulations. The virtual rim passed all mechanical property validations. Six-part molds were then designed in SolidWorks to make the complex blade geometry manufacturable through low-pressure fusion casting. A physical prototype was 3D-printed, sanded, filled, painted and finished to verify the form at full scale.
Methods
- 3D Modeling
- SolidWorks
- Technical Drawing
- Flat-pack Design
Final Product
The Shuriken stands for "choose to have it all" — a rim that bridges the family and sports worlds. Both design and name draw from Asian culture: the sharp radii recall ninja throwing weapons, flowing outward from the centre with a twist that hypnotises in motion. Dual finishes — matte black structure, machined metallic edge — complete the effect.
