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LA Design Challenge 2011: studios compete to design Hollywood car

This year's LA Design Challenge will see competitors from around the world battle to design Hollywood's next movie car. Participating design studios from General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz Germany (Smart), Mercedes-Benz Japan (Maybach) and Mercedes-Benz US will all be showcasing their creative talents in an effort to secure top honors. Automobiles in Hollywood films produced throughout the years have become some of the most iconic symbols of the films – perhaps as important as the movies themselves.

Porsche announces new Weissach design center and wind tunnel

Porsche is to invest around €150m into its Weissach development facility, including a new design center. The plans also include an electronics integration department and a state-of-the art, on-site wind tunnel, which is hoped will allow the company to realize an holistic approach to efficient design, with a strong focus on aerodynamics. When we spoke with head of Porsche design, Michael Mauer, at this year's Paris motor show, he also alluded to the fact that the Volkswagen Group's – and, more specifically, Walter de'Silva's – recent influence on the German manufacturer was shifting its attitudes: "The Volkswagen Group has a very good understanding of how much freedom a brand needs to keep its characteristics and with [Walter] as 'conductor', I feel a lot of support with design issues within the company," explained Mauer.

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive (w/Video)

Spearheading BMW's drive on technologies at the 81st Geneva motor show will be this: the Vision ConnectedDrive. The car is said to set the course for future BMWs in terms of design language but also the technologies integrated into them. A two-seat roadster, the Vision ConnectedDrive is a 'purist interpretation' of BMW design language.