Auto Design

  CUTTING EDGE DESIGN

Pininfarina Student Award Winners

Building, transportation and industrial design winners

 

  CONCEPT OF THE WEEK Dodge's 'Attainable Dream Car'
Micro but macho: New for the Geneva Auto Show, the Demon concept car is a small roadster on steroids

 

  AUTO SHOWS

Crossovers Take Center Stage in Chicago

As the crossover becomes increasingly competitive, carmakers unveil even more new products at the Chicago Auto Show
Slide Show: Highlights of the 2007 Chicago Auto Show

 

  SLIDE SHOWS

The Best New In-Car Infotainment Systems

Whether from carmakers or the aftermarket, one of the biggest anticipated trends in the auto industry is developing technology to access phones, PDAs, music, maps, and more through new dashboard controls

MORE AUTO SLIDE SHOWS >

 

 AUTO REVIEWS >>

Saab's Dynamic Aero 9-3 SportCombi

Editor's Review

The Good Handling, distinctive looks, relatively low price

The Bad Front-wheel drive only, no third-row seating

The Bottom Line A sporty, European-style wagon at a lower price than the German competition

 

 

MORE AUTO REVIEWS >

Reader Reviews >

 

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Detroit Needs Design

A forum at this year's North American International Auto Show emphasized the need for design as strategy, not mere styling

Gas Saving Gizmos That Really Work

Why wait for fuel cells? You can get fuel-efficient technologies now

Designers Aim to P.L.E.A.S.E Peugeot

The winner of the fourth Peugeot Design Contest

Don't Drive This Car Naked!

Rinspeed, the Swiss company behind the Splash, Senso and zaZen, unveils its latest far-out automotive offering: the "eXasis" transparent car

Want to Make Cars More Fuel-Efficient? Make Them Lighter

Environmental champion Amory Lovins argues that modern cars weigh too much. New composites could change all that
Slide Show: Most Fuel-Efficient Luxury Cars

In-Car Technology Sharply Accelerates

The battle for the dashboard is heating up in the automotive world, as car makers race to offer new in-car 'infotaiment' systems
Slide Show: The Best New In-Car Infotainment Systems

IPO for Siemens' Auto Electronics Unit?

The German conglomerate offers high-tech safety equipment in its VDO division, and talk of a possible spin-off has boosted its shares

LUV This Concept

A German engineering company will debut its new "Luxury Utility Vehicle" at the Geneva auto show in March

Walter de'Silva Heads up Volkswagen Design

The shake up and shuffles at VW continue

Mulally: Ford's Most Important New Model

To help turn Ford around, its new CEO is first attacking its entrenched bureaucracy, forcing it to be smarter and more efficient

A Burst Of Speed At Lamborghini

After years of restructuring, the sports car maker is finally a serious rival to Ferrari
Slide Show: Forty Years of Lamborghini

Rolls-Royce Leads Luxury Fleet to China

With a sale of 14 Phantoms to a Hong Kong hotel, the fabled British carmaker is riding a wave, and Infiniti, Acura, and Lexus are in the wake
Slide Show: The Making of the Rolls-Royce Phantom

Porsche's 'King Looks to Expand Empire

CEO Wiedeking hints that by Porsche controlling VW, it could position itself to compete globally with Toyota
Slide Show: The 2007 Porsches

Land Of The Lilliput-Putt

The Japanese are mad for minicars, a trend that's boosting Suzuki and others
Slide Show: Japan's Thriving Mini-Car Market

Audi Forum Brings on the Brand

The launch of the brand-building, high-end showroom reflects the automaker's new confidence that its cars can follow through on its promise
Slide Show: Behind the Velvet Rope with Audi

Harley Just Keeps On Cruisin'

Aging customers? Sure. Nostalgia brand? Definitely. So why is its stock at a record high?
Slide Show: Hog Heaven
Slide Show: How Bikers Would Chart Harley's Course

BMW's Dream Factory

Sharing the wealth, listening to even the lowest-ranking workers, and rewarding risk have paid off big time
Plus: An Interview with BMW's Chief Designer
Slide Show: The World's Most Innovative Car Factory

Kia's New Plant

Kia breaks ground on a new $1 billion plant in Georgia expected to open in late 2009 with an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles

Halo Cars That Shine

Car makers use cutting-edge "halo" cars to draw consumers to showrooms and illuminate the rest of their lineups
Plus: Slide Show

Turn Your Car Into a Wi-Fi Hotspot

New technology will soon let car passengers check email, surf the web, game or communicate via any Wi-Fi-enabled device

Electric Cars Get a Zap!

The California company brings alternatively powered vehicles to the U.S. Could this be a new dawn for ecopower?
Slide Show: Zap! An Alternative Lineup

World's First Affordable Diesel Hybrid Powertrain

A British firm has developed a low-cost, high-efficiency hybrid-electric drivetrain as an alternative to expensive proprietary systems

No More Foggy Windshields

A German company is looking to eliminate condensation on windshields by using a transparent coat of carbon nano tubes

Chicago Auto Show

A few highlights from the recent Auto Show in the Windy City

The Year in Concept Cars

Muscle cars hogged the spotlight in 2006, while some of the coolest designs look like they’ll actually make it into production, too
Slide Show: The Best Concept Cars of 2006

Most Luxurious Cars 2006

Pure power is cheap and safety unexciting. Luxury is what differentiates a car from a machine and a work of beauty
Slide Show: Most Luxurious Cars & Trucks of the Year

A Motorcycle That Runs Clean And Quiet

The ENV is the world's first motorcycle built around a hydrogen fuel cell. Running clean and quiet, it is, to date, the simplest and most innovative articulation of that technology's potential
Slide Show: Hydrogen Wheels: Ready for a Closeup

Suzuki's Fuel Cell Wheelchair

A fuel-cell-powered wheelchair prototype named the MIO generates it own electricity, reducing odds of being stranded

Today's High-Tech Cars

Cars may not always get more fuel-efficient, but manufacturers are making them more technologically advanced instead
Slide Show: Cars on the Tech Edge

Can this Man Save Ford?

Freeman Thomas has a record of rescuing brands—the VW New Beetle, the Audi TT, the Chrysler 300. Will the Interceptor save his new employer?
Slide Show: Freeman Thomas's Bold Designs

America's Greatest Living Car Designer

Auto legend Carroll Shelby talks about Mustangs past and present, what ails Detroit, his favorite American cars, racing, and Texas
Slide Show: Shelby's Wild Horses

Q&A: Peter Schreyer's Design Plans for Kia

The Korean carmaker's new chief designer discusses developing the brand through design, especially given its European expansion drive

Toyota Takes Europe—By Design

Two top designers at the carmaker's cutting-edge center in France talk about moulding Japanese style to Euro-tastes
Slide Show: Toyota's Designs for Tomorrow

A Revolution in Swede Speed

Sweden's Christian von Koenigsegg always dreamed of building the ultimate supercar. Now, his Koenigsegg CCR is breaking records
Slide Show: Koenigsegg's Dream of Speed

Your 'Vette, Your Way

Why stick with stock? Fred Kanter's N2A Motors offers custom Corvettes with a retro look and plenty of zip
Slide Show: Rides That Are Truly One of a Kind

Mr. Opel, Meet Mr. Saturn

GM wants to join the two brands "at the hip" to give car buyers the benefits of Opel's new, edgier design
Slide Show: Opel's Family Gems

Roofs Paved with Green

Pollutant-filtering plants embedded into paving stones are set to change the skyline in the Bronx

Down-to-Earth Spaceship Design

British design firm Seymourpowell came up with the concept interiors for Virgin Galactic's spaceship. Still, they say design isn't rocket science
Video Slide Show: 2009: A Space Odyssey
Slide Show: Seymourpowell's Design Fantasyland

Chipotle: Fast Food with 'Integrity'

Steve Ells, founder of the red-hot Mexican-food chain, on his aim to make the focused menu as all-natural as possible, and why it's worth the expense

Software That Will This Sentence Fix

Israel-based WhiteSmoke has devised a program that, by checking against a vast database, makes English text more fluent. Its top market? The U.S.

Why Advertisers Still Don't Get It

It's time to remember that advertising needs brands more than the brands need advertising. A good product creates its own relationships