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SAIC wins LA Auto Show Design Challenge

China's SAIC, the parent company of Roewe and MG brands (yes, Morris Garages and what used to be Rover), took the top spot in the LA Auto Show Design challenge with its Mobiliant Concept, beating other contestants like BMW DesignworksUSA, Subaru, Mazda, Changfeng, Quoros, and others. The theme for this year's challenge at the LA Auto Show was "Biomimicry & Mobility 2025: Nature's Answer to Human Challenges." Entrants were directed to propose design concepts that integrated the concept of biomimicry into transportation concepts. Quite a challenge and quite an open theme, especially when you consider that last year's theme was pretty straightforward: "Highway Patrol Vehicles in the Year 2025." In 2012 the Subaru SHARC concept took the top prize.

Last call for entries: IM Design Awards

As the deadline for entries to the 2010 Interior Motives Design Awards approaches – all designs must be received by 10 July – details of the judging panel and the upcoming awards ceremony in Paris are firming up. Judging the hundreds of student designs this year will be a panel of industry experts that includes such influential figures as Amko Leenarts, Interior Design Director, Peugeot; Robin Page, Interior Design Director, Bentley; Wolfgang Müller-Pietralla, Leader VW Future Research; Michael Robinson, Design Director, Stile Bertone; Andreas Stump, Head of Advanced Interior Design, Citroën; Romulus Rost, Chief Interior Designer, Volkswagen Advanced Design, Potsdam; and Euan Sey, Editor of Interior Motives magazine. The competition is open to students enrolled at any accredited undergraduate or graduate design degree programme, both in automotive and non-automotive disciplines – those studying fashion design, industrial design, architecture and other similar fields are also eligible.

Car companies, community & a cause

Last Saturday night (April 20) was one of those I-can't believe-I-get-paid-to-do-this kind of evenings. My wife Maria and I -- along with 550 of our closest friends -- were invited to attend the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute's 31st annual dinner. The name sort of says it all, and the dinner is a simple enough concept that even I get it: It's held to raise money.