Lamborghini SUV confirmed

A senior source at Lamborghini's parent company Audi in Ingolstadt, Germany, has confirmed reports suggesting that the Italian supercar maker is close to revealing a dramatically styled and luxuriously equipped SUV/crossover concept that previews its long-touted third model. "I can't comment in detail but the speculation in the press is largely correct," an Audi manager revealed when questioned about reports outlining plans by Lamborghini to gauge public response to a successor to the famed LM002 with a new SUV concept. Set to get its first public airing at the Beijing motor show in late April, the new SUV/crossover will extend the current Lamborghini lineup, joining the successor to today's Gallardo and the recently introduced Aventador in what will at least be a three-strong model lineup from Sant'Agata from 2016 onward.

NHTSA safety consultant dies at 64

Miami trauma surgeon and preeminent car-crash researcher Jeffrey Augenstein would often tell the story of the time he was talking to a crash victim who collapsed and died from hidden injuries in the middle of the conversation. The experience led Augenstein to research and then call attention to the unexpected injuries that could occur when drivers interacted with airbags. It's but one example of the achievements of Augenstein, who died recently at age 64.

CDN and Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition Update

Seats, relationships, city life, the virtual world and new materials exploration: one month into the Car Design News-Opel/Vauxhall interactive design competition, launched on 11 October, these are a few of the themes student designers are exploring, in answer to the question 'What do you think is our lounge style?'. The competition, a collaboration between Opel-Vauxhall and Car Design News, is an interactive design competition for students who are studying design – of any discipline – at a college in Europe. The winner of the competition will work as a paid intern at Opel/Vauxhall design center in Rüsselsheim.