1973 Mercury Montego Owner's Manual / Owner's Guide / Original!!! on 2040-parts.com

Finalists announced in Fiat UK's 'Smiles per Hour' design competition

Fiat UK has picked five finalists in the ‘Smiles per Hour Design Competition', a design contest we first told you about back in July. The aim of the competition was to find a budding designer in Britain who would develop a clever and amusing new way to travel. Following an initial judging process, the selection for best designs comprised of Simon Tarrant's 'Street Rower'; Nick Rawcliffe's 'Snowbone'; Natalie Daghestani's 'Hylo female commuter shoe'; Steven Spong's ‘Longbow'; and Harley Zblewski's 'Suitcase Car' -  a design we first saw at Coventry University's annual Degree Show in June.

Is the car industry heading toward the past?

Is the future of cars decidedly old school? An NPR blogger certainly thinks so. NPR Business Desk reporter Sonari Glinton recently likened the 2014 Detroit auto show to an era 40 years ago, reflecting the possibility that the renewed zeitgeist of an entire convention indicates a "retro" kind of thinking.

Kia KV7 concept

Kia is clearly keen to grab the last of 2010's headlines by releasing this teaser render of its upcoming concept, the KV7, due to be unveiled at the Detroit auto show. The large crossover appears to preview a replacement for the Korean manufacturer's Borrego. While the exterior's clamshell tailgate, muscular wheelarches and Ford Explorer-aping lamp graphics (from this view, at least) may be directly relative to a production model, it's unlikely that the rear gullwing door openings will make the transition.