2002-2005 Hyundai Sonata & Kia Optima Dashboard on 2040-parts.com

Fiat 500XL spied undisguised – it’s not a looker

The Fiat 500 range has already expanded from the very successful recreation of the original 500 in to something bigger and more family friendly with the 500L, and now we have the joy of an even bigger version on the way – the Fiat 500XL. The 500L managed to lose almost all of the chic retro appeal the 500 managed so convincingly, and it looks like the 500XL goes a step further, with looks that only its mother could love. Grafting an extra 200mm on the back of the 500L perhaps seems like a good idea, but the execution doesn’t sit well.

Four-door BMW 4-series Gran Coupe revealed in renderings?

Another day, another upcoming car revealed thanks to a leaked patent filing -- and another BMW model variant to memorize: f30post.com has renderings of what looks to be the four-door BMW 4-series Gran Coupe, originally posted at the Chinese-language site autohome.com.cn. No, your eyes do not deceive you, nor are you going crazy. This is, or at least appears to be, a four-door version of the car that BMW created as the dedicated two-door replacement for the now-discontinued 3-series coupe.

Umeå Institute of Design Degree Show 2008

Masters students at Sweden's Umeå University Institute of Design exhibited their final projects in the annual Degree Exhibition in early June. This year 38 students exhibited their work, including 7 from MA Transportation Design, 5 from MA Advanced Product Design, 6 from MA Interaction Design and a further 20 from the BA Industrial Design course. The MA Transportation Design programme is led by Tony Catignani, with Nick Coughlan as external tutor.