Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Worth a read: Wired's 'Why Getting It Wrong Is the Future of Design'

Wired has just published a series of short articles entitled 13 Lessons for Design's New Golden Age. While there are some interesting examples cited in the piece, the concluding article, ‘Why Getting It Wrong Is the Future of Design' by the former creative director of Wired magazine, Scott Dadich, feels like it has particular resonance for car design. Dadich's Wrong Theory uses disruptive examples from the world of art, plus his own experience of working at Wired, to explain how design goes through phases: establishing a direction, creating a set of rules that define that direction and finally someone who dares to break from that direction.

First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.

2015 Cadillac Escalade – it’s still big, bold & brash

The 2015 Cadillac Escalade arrives – it’s still big, bold & brash The Cadillac Escalade SUV is not a car you see much in the UK, but it is loved by footballers, Rappers and those who deal in less than legal substances. It’s really too big, too brash and too flashy to ever have a hope of making real sales in the UK or Europe, but in America it’s the default luxury SUV of choice for even the most staid of buyers. So they won’t be disappointed that the 2015 Cadillac Escalade (which we would think of as a 2014 Escalade, as production starts next spring) is still huge and brash, even if it does seem to have gone up a notch or two in quality.