Daihatsu Kopen concept: changeable body panels

Wondering what all the fuss is about the interchangeable body panels on the new Daihatsu Kopen concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show? Hopefully this will help it make a little more sense. As you can see from our montage image, Daihatsu has designed the Kopen concept with a kind of non-structural spaceframe.

Johnson Controls engineer presents 'Driven Mavens' free design tutorial videos

Free online video tutorials on the car design process are being presented on an interactive blog launched by a Johnson Controls lead engineer. Arvind Ramkrishna, who has worked in the automotive sector for over 10 years, set up ‘Driven Mavens' to teach students and enthusiasts how to design cars using both traditional methods and the latest digital software. Two full free courses are offered, one of which is ‘How to Draw Cars: Drawing in Perspective'.

Porsche 918 Spyder: The first ride in the future game changer

Faster than the iconic Carrera GT yet more economical than parent company Volkswagen's frugal new Up supermini, Porsche's next supercar, the 762-hp gasoline-electric powered 918 Spyder, promises to offer the best of both worlds—scorching performance and ultralow consumption. Autoweek joins Porsche's engineering team for the very first test of the car that is already causing headaches in Maranello and Sant'Agata. For all of its intense promise and awesome potential, the very first running prototype of the upcoming Porsche 918 Spyder looks suspiciously like a refugee from a shadowy postapocalyptic movie set as it glides silently into view across the vast expanse of bitumen at the Nardo test track in southern Italy.