Aem Sr20det Ems Series 1 on 2040-parts.com

Mini auctions Kiss Countryman cars to fund global relief efforts

If Dad's Gene Simmons poster is starting to lose its luster, you should probably sign on to eBay to try to win him a custom-painted Mini forever emblazoned with that tongue. Mini and the rock bank Kiss partnered to auction four Countrymans (Countrymen?) that are custom-painted with the iconic likeness of each band member, in a 10-day Father's Day charity auction that started on May 29. Kiss band members joined Mini at the New York auto show in April to unveil the four vehicles now up for auction.

Ford moves upmarket with new Mustang, Edge and Vignale sub-brands

Ford Britain's biggest carmaker is fighting back against increased competition from budget brands from below and executive makes from above with an aggressive expansion, which will see it launch three new models by the end of 2015. Ford is about to introduce models popular in the US over here to stretch its product line-up above the £30,000 threshold. At last week's Geneva Motor Show, the company showed the new Mustang sports car as well as the new Edge crossover (above).

Local Motors 'Design Our Car' competition opens

Local Motors has opened its first-ever ‘Design Our Car' competition, which encourages collaboration within the manufacturing community. The open-source automaker is providing two of its Rally Fighter cars, one of which will be built at the company's micro-factory in Arizona while the other will be built live in the Emerging Technology Center at September's International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. Ideas from the design and engineering community are being sought to help design and select a skin for the Rally Fighter that will be built by the Local Motors team this spring.