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Volvo picks up Red Dot Design Award for new connectivity system

Volvo's Sensus Connected Touch connectivity system with the world's first voice-activated integrated Spotify connection has been awarded a 2013 Red Dot Design Award. The Sensus Connected Touch accessory turns the integrated 7-inch display into an infrared, beam-scanned touch screen that can be used even when wearing gloves. The system can be controlled using the touchscreen, the steering wheel or the center stack, while you can also voice-activate all music sources. Alain Visser, senior vice president of marketing, sales and customer service at Volvo, says, "The Red Dot Design Award confirms that this approach to an intuitive, human-centric user experience fulfils modern car owners' desire to remain constantly connected also when driving." The WiFi connection can be made using either a car-mounted 3G/4G-dongle or the driver's mobile phone, and the data is transferred by the WiFi between the phone and the Sensus Connected Touch.

Next Hyundai Genesis partially revealed in spy shots

Thanks to an Autoweek reader, spy shots of the next Hyundai Genesis sedan found their way into our inbox this morning. The big four door was heavily camouflaged at rainy O'Hare Airport, but we can definitely see the winged Genesis logo on the wheels and the interior is Hyundai all the way. The front end looks blockier than the outgoing model, similar to the HCD-14 concept we saw at the Detroit auto show.

Motorcycle makers revved for rebound

Bikes are back. After being hit a lot harder by the recession than carmakers, the motorcycle industry, more susceptible to the whims of discretionary spending, is on its way back. “Unit sales are growing for the first time in several years,” said Danny Phillips, executive vice president of Advanstar, the parent company of Progressive International, which put on last weekend's motorcycle show at the Long Beach Convention Center.