Category Archives: design and styling

GM to Face F-Series, Ram with New 2014 Silverado, Sierra Pickups

An initial analysis by AutoInformed indicates that the trucks are good, but the question lingers will they be good enough against Ford’s F-Series and Dodge’s Ram line, both with considerable marketplace momentum, and both with their own unique selling points from recent revisions. Continue reading

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Honda Opens Advanced Design Studio in Downtown Los Angeles

Honda R&D Americas today opened an Advanced Design Studio in downtown Los Angeles for the creation of future Honda and Acura “automobile and mobility design concepts.” Continue reading

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New 2014 Lincoln Compact SUV Caught by Jim Dunne

Look at what Lincoln is planning for the small SUV market of 2014. The 2014 Lincoln prototype is based on the all-new 2013 Ford Escape architecture – wheelbase, drive train, 2-/4-wheel drive, 5-place seating, maybe a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with its alleged fuel economy advantages? Continue reading

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Next Generation Chevrolet Silverado Pickup to Debut in December

Chevrolet will unveil what is calling the all-new Silverado 1500 full-size pickup on 13 December at a special event in the Detroit area. In a release, Chevy claimed, “bold exterior design of the new Silverado reflects the enhanced capabilities of the truck while features such as jewel-like, projector beam headlamps showcase the careful attention given to every detail.” Presumably, this also means a “bold new grille.” Continue reading

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“Upscale” McLaren P1 Concept to Debut at Paris Motor Show

McLaren Automotive will show a concept of what it is calling the next generation ultimate supercar later this month. The P1 will be at the center of the McLaren stand at its first big league auto show, the Paris Motor Show or Mondial de l’Automobile 2012. The British company says the car is only a design study, next year a production version will be revealed and go on sale. Continue reading

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LeMay Car Museum to Stay Open on Weekends

LeMay or America’s Car Museum said today that it will continue to open seven days a week year-round. The Tacoma museum’s original plan when it opened this June was for five days a week during the fall and winter months. LeMay’s collection, estimated by the Guinness Book in the mid ‘90s to include a 3,000-plus cars, trucks and motorcycles, highlights cars ranging from a 1916 Pierce Arrow to a 1956 Chevy two-door hardtop. Continue reading

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First Look – McLaren Spyder Carbon Fiber Super Car

During a road tour visiting its eight North American dealers and offer private showings to their affluent customers, McLaren stopped off in Detroit to show media its new 12C spider that debuted at Pebble Beach in August. No surprise that it’s a sleek, well finished sports car, with good outward visibility and reasonably room inside for this type of conveyance. At $265,750 plus $2,500 delivery (plus any customization), it will also be as rare as an honest politician when deliveries start early next year. Continue reading

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New Thermaltake Mouse Designed by BMW as E-Sports Thrive

Forget Formula One, the future of motorsports might be in the hands of gamers. BMW DesignworksUSA has created the latest mouse for Thermaltake, a Taiwanese based company well known for gaming. The so-called Thermaltake Level 10 M mouse that just went on sale is a high-tech extension of a gamer’s hand in computerized sports competition.

Traditionalist sports fans, as in occupiers of stadium or race track or couch potato seats, might be surprised to learn that that e-sports have evolved from simple Nintendo or Playstation set-ups at home to professional competition at the annual World Cyber Games with millions of dollars in prize money. So much money is floating around from sponsorships that professional gamers can now earn hundreds of thousand of dollars a year. At peak times, 15 million gamers could be online – and football and auto racing are the top games, err sports. Continue reading

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Works of Artist Hanns Lohrer Coming to Porsche Museum

Starting in early September the Porsche Museum will display the works the Stuttgart painter and commercial graphic designer Hanns Lohrer (1912-1995) with an exhibit that goes beyond his automotive oeuvre. During the 1950s and ’60s, Lohrer played a vital role in the visual appearance of the Porsche brand in promotional pieces. Lohrer’s works helped create a positive image for what was then an upstart sports car manufacturer. Continue reading

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Rolls-Royce Appoints Giles Taylor as New Design Director

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars said today that Giles Taylor is appointed Design Director, effective 1 July 2012. Taylor will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. Taylor replaces Ian Cameron, who retires from the role he has held since 1999. Continue reading

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BMW Zagato Coupe: Concept or a Small Production Run?

The Concorso on the shores of Lake Como began as a get-together of coachbuilders presenting one-off hand-built creations, but some of the press photos supplied by BMW were taken at its test track in Germany, a sign that more than one copy of the coupe will appear for wealthy buyers. Continue reading

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Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, 911 Designer, Dead at 76

In 1958, Ferdinand joined the engineering office of what was then Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche KG. His first model was the design of a successor to the 356 model out of plasticine. In 1962, he took over as head of the Porsche design studio, making his name one year later with the Porsche 901, which went into production as the 911, and is still in production seven iterations later. Porsche also designed racing cars, including the type 804 Formula One racing car and the Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. Continue reading

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Ford, Lincoln Change Touch Screens after Quality Ratings Dive

While Ford keeps claiming its customers want electronic features such as MyFord Touch, saying 56% of them rate the technology as an “important” part of the buying decision, its quality and customer satisfaction ratings by users as measured from independent sources have plummeted during the three years since introduction. Continue reading

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Milestones: Cadillac Electric Starter Eliminates Hand Cranking

One hundred years ago the electric starter debuted in the 1912 Cadillac Touring Edition helped establish Cadillac’s reputation while increasing its sales. It’s hard to imagine but before the invention of the electric starter by Charles Kettering it took hand cranking, considerable muscle, and some luck to wake up a Tin Lizzie or one of its ilk. Cranking fathered the American slang term ‘cranky,’ which was said to describe someone’s mood after struggling to start a car. Continue reading

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Dodge Dart Debuts Using First Fiat Architecture. More on Way

The U.S. Dart is in many ways similar to the original Ford Focus (C170) that was derived from a European Ford design a decade ago. And Dart faces the same challenges as well. Though bigger than that Focus – a decided plus in North America, and with much more content – it remains to be seen if Dart’s U.S. suppliers can rise to the quality challenge posed by competing small Japanese and Korean cars. Continue reading

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