Car Design News Contest

As one judge, Geert Jan Schellekens, Principal Automotive and Industrial Designer at SABIC Innovative Plastics, said; "From several hundred entries to 20 finalists in a day's time - what could have turned out to be a cumbersome process, if not a bureaucratic nightmare, actually became an intensive yet fun session with many intriguing and interesting interpretations of the contest brief - fuelling some lively discussions!" Another strong impression from judges was also of the variety of design entry and the effort that had been put into them, as Dale Harrow said: "I'm very impressed with the standard, and particularly with the diversity of entries to the contest". Derek Buckmaster,Global Market Director, Body Panels & Glazing for SABIC Innovative Plastics, said: "I was surprised by the depth of thought which the entrants had put into their designs to meet the diverse needs of the three 'milenniumites' described in the design brief. The designs displayed numerous approaches to meeting the environmentally-friendly and light-weight goals." All designs were considered relative to the Assessment Criteria a critically important part of the contest, created to ensure as much fairness in the process as possible and detailed in the Contest part of Car Design News.

CONFIRMED! Buick Regal GS gets green light

The Buick that enthusiasts have been clamoring for--the Regal GS show car revealed at the Detroit auto show--will soon be reality. This turbocharged demon packing 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque with a six-speed manual transmission and a host of performance enhancements has been approved, spokeswoman Dayna Hart told AutoWeek on Monday. There is no time line for the launch, and other details are not available.

Toyota GT86 TRD Griffon makes its debut at Goodwood (video)

The Toyota GT86 TRD Griffon 9Pictured) made its debut at Goodwood this weekend We’re still waiting for Toyota to make a more powerful version of the GT86 (and Subaru the BRZ), but we are starting to get more focused versions. We’ve already seen the GT86 TRD – developed by Toyota Racing development – as a road car limited edition, and last month we learnt that Toyota were going to debut a track version – the GT86 TRD Griffon – and that it would arrive at Goodwood. Now the Griffon has arrived looking immensely purposeful with its wings and diffuser and carbon fibre for the roof, doors, bonnet and boot and some severe fettling of the oily stuff with upgraded brakes, new alloys, mechanical limited slip diff and stiffer suspension.