Cash for clunkers plan revives trade fight

Import brand automakers and dealers warned on Thursday that a vehicle scrappage proposal before the Senate would violate trade agreements and could weaken the economy. The Senate could vote on the plan on Thursday, which would offer $10,000 to any moderate- or low-income consumer who trades in a car or truck that is at least 10 years old and buys a new one that is more fuel-efficient and "assembled in the United States." The trade-ins would be scrapped rather than resold. The U.S.-made mandate "smacks of the protectionism that led to the Great Depression," said Barbara Nocera, the top Washington lobbyist for Mazda North American Operations.

College Exhibition: Strate College Degree Show 2006

Graduating Transportation Design students at France's Strate College displayed their Diploma projects in the school's annual degree show, held at the central Paris school June 23-24. A jury of design managers from major European and international manufacturers including Renault, Citroen, General Motors, Hyundai, DaimlerChrysler and Volkswagen assessed the graduating students' work. The exhibition included work from the schools programs in Transportation Design, Product Design, Luxury Design, Services Design, Graphic Design, Packaging Design and a new three-year program in Modeling.

Lexus LF-CC Concept previews new Lexus IS

The Lexus LF-CC Concept – heading for a debut at Paris 2012 – is a bold concept previewing the new Lexus IS. Lexus is certainly getting its style Mojo together with new models that offer more dramatic styling, and seem to offer more for the driver too. Like the Lexus LF-CC Concept.