1 - New Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti Badge Emblem Front Grill (sti Rear Mount Black) on 2040-parts.com

Ford's NA Design Director aims to shorten product lifecycles

Peter Horbury, Ford Motor Company North America Design Director, has told Automotive News he intends to shorten product lifecycles at the ailing company from an average five years to three years starting this decade. "We feel there is no value in minor changes but a huge value in major changes," Horbury told the industry weekly. Ford needs to ensure that buyers continue visiting showrooms as the giant automaker struggles to retain market share.

BMW 2 Series tease begins (video)

New BMW 2 Series tease begins BMW’s plans to extend their model range continues, with the new BMW 2 Series due to join its larger sibling – the BMW 4 Series – as the 1 Class Coupe/Cabriolet. The official reveal for the new BMW 2 Series is expected at the end of next week, but ahead of that BMW has started to tease its new Coupe on video (below). We don’t get to see much – and what we do see isn’t a huge surprise – but we already know much of what to expect when the 2 Series starts to hit the road in 2014.

Central Academy of Fine Arts degree show 2009, China

China's home grown car makers are increasingly ambitious, as illustrated by plans to grow rapidly at home and, in some cases, expand abroad and compete with foreign rivals in cutting-edge technologies. One big impediment they face in taking on their foreign rivals is design. Top dogs in the global auto industry invest heavily in engineers and designers.