A BRP design center in Europe
On April 11, 2023, the Canadian group BRP inaugurated its design and innovation center in Sophia Antipolis, in the Alpes Maritimes. Located in the Mediterranean technology park, it is the group's first design center in Europe. The structure, which employs 12 people, including industrial and digital designers and fashion designers, complements two design studios, one in Canada and the other in Florida in the United States.
Inventing sustainable mobility
Denys Lapointe, BRP's Chief Design Officer, sets the roadmap for this new team: "The studio is a complementary satellite to the other two US studios. The 3 studios are called upon to work on advanced concept research related to mobility. With this location close to the sea, they will be able to work on marine aspects and products used in the area, such as Seadoo, Manitou and other brands. In Sophia, we have the sea and the mountains, all references to our playground, but also in the technopole research groups on sustainable technologies."
The BRP studio also met with the Port Vauban teams in Antibes, to learn about the Smart Port project, which aims to push maritime innovation in the sector.
Responding better to European customers
The Canadian group BRP sometimes suffers from its image and its strong Canadian identity. For Denys Lapointe, the arrival in Sophia is an opportunity to broaden his customer base. "There is sometimes the perception of a North American bias, even though we have 19 nationalities in our centers in Florida and Canada. But with the Sophia center, we come to neutralize that bias, by bathing in the European market, with people of 7 different nationalities who will be focused on European mobility."
