April 8, 2025 - We’re proud to share that our groundbreaking XS System has been awarded the prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025 — a recognition that underscores our commitment to design excellence and sustainable innovation in urban mobility.
Red Dot Award: Product Design
The Red Dot Award: Product Design is one of the most renowned design competitions in the world, celebrating excellence and innovation since 1955. Each year, an independent jury of around 40 international experts evaluates thousands of submissions based on criteria such as innovation, functionality, formal quality, ergonomics, and durability. Winning a Red Dot is a mark of distinction that highlights a company’s commitment to outstanding design on a global stage.
Reimagining Ebike Design: The XS System Advantage
The XS System is redefining urban e-mobility with its ultra-lightweight, modular architecture. At its core lies the eX1 external battery, weighing just over one kilogram, which serves as the system’s sole power source, delivering reliable energy for daily use while enabling a clean, compact integration into the bike frame.
When paired with the MAHLE X20 or X30 motors, the complete system reaches an exceptionally low weight of just 2.5 kilograms (with the X20), while still generating a powerful 55 Nm of torque — comparable to mid-drive motor systems. Fully compatible with the MAHLE ecosystem, the XS System is already on the market, empowering bicycle manufacturers to unlock new levels of design freedom without compromising performance.
Award-Winning Innovation, Built for the Future
The XS System embraces a minimalist philosophy by including only the essential components: the eX1 external battery, the XS smart controller, the X20 or X30 drive unit, and a torque or pedal assist sensor (PAS). This lean design not only minimizes environmental impact and optimizes material use, but also enhances ease of maintenance and enables limitless customization through a wide range of compatible accessories.
With the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2025, the XS System now adds a third international recognition to its name — alongside the Design & Innovation Award 2025 and the iF Design Award 2025. These accolades reaffirm MAHLE’s position at the forefront of eBike innovation, as we continue to develop smart, sustainable solutions that redefine the urban cycling experience.
About MAHLE SmartBike Systems
MAHLE SmartBike Systems is the specialized division for the design and development of drive systems for electric bicycles of the German MAHLE Group, an international leader in sustainable mobility solutions for the present and the future.
The team, of more than 150 people, is composed of software and hardware engineers, industrial and electronic engineers, quality specialists, 3D designers, creative, production and materials experts and a long list of professionals to which are added another 80 people distributed in the different centers of the group in Spain, Germany and Asia.
With Palencia as the headquarters of this great project, MAHLE SmartBike Systems brings together MAHLE’s R&D, Marketing, Operations and Sales activities in the electric bicycle sector.
The ultralight and compact MAHLE systems are composed of the motor, batteries, controllers, components and all kinds of intelligent solutions for electric bicycles and are perfectly integrated and interconnected with each other to offer the rider a fully customized experience. For all these features, more than 80 brands worldwide, including those whose innovation is revolutionizing the cycling industry, incorporate MAHLE drive systems as the perfect choice in terms of integration, cost and efficiency for electric mobility.
