2006 06 Pontiac Vibe Truck Suv Brochure Std Awd Gt on 2040-parts.com

Movie review: Cars 2 offers more layers than a good paint job

There is layer upon layer of intricate detail in the movie Cars 2, the sequel to the successful 2006 Pixar release Cars. So much detail, in fact, that you might want to wait until the DVD comes out so that you can freeze the frames and pick out all of the subtle automotive styling cues that abound within. But go see the movie.

Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake on the way

Mercedes’ design boss Gordon Wagener has revealed to WhatCar that they are planning to go exactly the same route with the CLA as they did with the CLS, and create a coupe estate. The CLS Shooting Brake (pictured below) has been very well received, and with much of the world downsizing its cars a CLA Estate is a very sensible way to go, offering all the good design elements of the CLA – which already looks like a CLS on a boil wash – in a car that has more practicality. Wagener gave no idea of time scale for the CLA Shooting Brake, but with the first CLAs expected to hit customers in June it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a concept CLA Shooting Brake arrive by the time of the Frankfurt Motor Show in September before going on sale in 2014.

At GM, the tail fin is back--but now it's a blade

Tail fins are making a comeback at General Motors Co., although they are a far cry from the saillike appendages of the 1950s. And this time the company is calling them blades. The look, pioneered on the Chevrolet Volt to improve aerodynamics, will appear on other models to boost fuel economy, said Ed Welburn, GM's global design chief.