27in Motorcycle Whip Python Skin And Black Leather on 2040-parts.com

ArchDaily Buildings of the Year Awards 2011 winners announced

ArchDaily, the most visited architecture site on the net, has announced the winning designs in its Building of the Year Awards 2011. After more than 65,000 votes, the website's readership has decided the winners in 14 categories ranging from sports architecture to offices. Here at Car Design News we're constantly looking for inspiration both inside the automotive world and out – we know you're on the look-out too.

2013 Ford Fusion Energi gets range of 620 miles

The hybrid wars continue -- much less exciting than the MyFord Touch -- after the Detroit auto show, and Ford has thrown it latest punch: the 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid. The Energi is the Blue Oval's fifth electrified vehicle to launch in the past year, and will arrive with a total gas and electric range of 620 miles. That's 120 miles more than the 2014 Honda Accord hybrid and 80 miles more than the Prius hybrid.

VW to intro Passat BlueMotion Concept at Detroit auto show

While performance heads are anxiously awaiting the North American debut of the hot-heat Mk VII Golf R at the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen's Passat BlueMotion Concept offers never-before technology in the Yank/Canuck family sedan segment: a four-pot motor with cylinder deactivation. Based on the EA211 1.4L turbo motor we sampled last year in the Euro-market Audi A3 sedan, the Passat BlueMotion Concept's engine is capable of shutting down the middle two cylinders during cruise, and features the Jetta Hybrid's gearbox, a twin-clutch unit capable of decoupling from the engine during off-throttle coasting. In the Passat's application, the 1.4 puts out 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque; VW suggests its highway fuel economy will stand at 42 mpg.