Freshened Nissan GT-R gets more power

The mid-life refresh of the storming Nissan GT-R will feature a power increases as well as slightly updated styling and new interior trim options. Nissan is keeping details of the extra power to itself, although rumors imply it might grow to more than 500 hp. The design tweaks are intended to flow more cooling air into the engine bay, which suggests the power might rise substantially.

Design Contest: Peugeot Design Contest 2007 winner announced

The 'Flux' concept by Mihai Panaitescu, a Romanian design student studying in Turin, has been announced as the winning project in the fourth Peugeot Design Contest. The runners up in second and third places were 'Njooy' (Wesley Saikawa from Brazil), and 'Allscape' (Gustavo Ferrero from Venezuela). At 20 years old, Mihai is the youngest ever winner of the Peugeot Design Contest.

Japan hopes to make EV recharging technology the global standard

Japan's automakers aim to cement their lead in electric vehicles by making Japanese recharging technology the global standard and bringing it to the United States. A coalition of manufacturers, including Nissan and Toyota, is teaming with Japan's biggest electric company and the government to make it happen. They aim to corner the market on one of the technologies that will be key to the eventual acceptance of electric-powered cars: the high-speed charging points that will act like gasoline stations of the future and enable drivers to recharge and keep driving after their batteries run low.