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LA Design Challenge 2010 announced

This year will see the seventh running of the annual LA Auto Show Design Challenge when the industry circus hits the US west coast in November. All participating studios have been tasked to envision a 1000lb (454kg) 2+2 vehicle that is both comfortable and secure while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the emotional connection and beautiful styling today's consumers demand. For the first time, design studios from outside the US – from both Germany and Japan – will compete for the prize.

New Aston Martin Vanquish Volante arrives – costs £200k

The New Aston Martin Vanquish Volante (pictured) costs £200k It’s almost exactly a year since the Aston Martin Vanquish arrived as a replacement for the DBS, and now we get it’s convertible sibling – the new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. Aston are claiming the new Vanquish Volante is the stiffest Aston convertible ever and have also managed to keep the usual weight increase for a soft top down to just 9kg by giving the Volante a full carbon fibre body. The result of that is the Volante manages to produce exactly the same performance figures as the Vanquish Coupe – 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and 183mph – from its 565php, 6.0 litre V12 and shouldn’t, we hope, shake and shimmy in the way many Aston convertibles do in the process.

Mercedes plots McLaren buyout

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 04 October 2006 09:00 DaimlerChrysler is planning a bid for the McLaren Group, to gain full control of its F1 operation and production of the SLR supercar. CAR Online asked DC boss Dieter Zetsche if he was considering extending Mercedes' stake in McLaren, to give the Germans control. 'It's one of the options we might exercise,' he said.