00 - 01 Nissan Altima Door Lock Switch Front Right Passenger on 2040-parts.com

Design Contest: NDA wins 2009 LA Design Challenge

A future where environmentalists and car enthusiasts - not to mention sober-minded adults and thrill-seeking young people - all coexist in harmony just might be possible with Nissan's V2G concept vehicle. The hypothetical design study, which runs on a futuristic grid of electric roadways but can also be customized for 'off grid' joy riding, won the 2009 LA Auto Show Design Challenge for the way it embodies this year's 'Youthmobile 2030' theme. The focus was to create vehicles that would appeal to a generation of young drivers raised on cell phones and social media.

Toyota teases Muppets Super Bowl spot

Former NFL player and current "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor Terry Crews will appear in Toyota's Highlander-focused Super Bowl ad. The automaker released a teaser spot today, referencing the Coen Brothers and featuring the Muppets' famed dilapidated bus, a fanciful tour vehicle in the vein of Ken Kesey's Furthur or the Partridge Family's Mondrian-esque Chevy. (RIP, Dave Madden.) It's safe to assume that some manner of madcap mayhem will ensue upon the arrival of the rest of the Muppet crew, but for now, all we get is a shot of pianist Rowlf buckling himself in sans invitation.

Speakers confirmed for Interior Motives China Conference 2010

Speakers are being confirmed for CDN's China conference this year, an event that seeks to bring together the changing design tones of global OEMs with the best of local design. Titled ‘New brands and the search for a design identity', the conference will explore both global and Chinese influences in this exploding market, and include both international and Chinese design chiefs within global OEMs. The event is hosted by CDN's print magazine, Interior Motives, and takes place in Beijing on 21-22 April, just before the auto show opens to the press on 23 April.