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Art Center College of Design Spring Show 2007

Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, held its Spring semester graduation Show in April, showcasing a diverse assortment of design proposals for brands ranging from Lamborghini and Ferrari to Chevrolet, Saab and ZhongHua. The show featured work from 16 graduating students in the Bachelor of Science - Transportation Design program.  Rick Chen - ZhongHua 2+1 Urban Jet ZhongHua 2+1 Urban Jet is a unique concept vehicle that studies the possible future direction for the brand's design DNA. The vehicle's proportions, forms, and graphics are inspired by clean, elegant, and soft spoken classical Chinese designs that represent an Asian view of luxury.

Citroen C5 Airscape (2007): first official pictures

By Chris Chilton First Official Pictures 20 August 2007 11:27 That’s no Citroen C5! No it isn’t, but it could be next year's C5 because the Airscape concept gives us a few clues to what we should expect from the forthcoming Mondeo fighter. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Starting Out: Interview Techniques

Brief and firm and with eye contact: your handshake is the first contact you make in an interview, so it is vital to get it right. Project a limp wrist and the chance of work slips. There are many aspects of interviews that can daunt the uninitiated but for those graduating this summer there are some essential hurdles to overcome.

Aston Martin DBS (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 17 August 2007 07:00 Oh my... Yes, it kind of leaves you lost for words doesn’t it? Aston pulled the wraps of its new DBS super coupe today on the opening day of this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California – the perfect setting for a show devoted to beautiful cars.

Infiniti EX (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 16 August 2007 09:55 So what is this? This is the EX, Infiniti's take on the X3, Freelander and upcoming Q5. Unveiled today at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, the EX spearheads Infiniti's arrival in Europe.

John Cooper Mini Works Challenge (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 15 August 2007 10:05 Now this looks seriously cool... Doesn’t it just. Mini has hooked up John Cooper Works to create the Challenge – a bespoke racing Mini developed for Mini’s one-maker race series.

Skoda Fabia Estate (2007): first official pictures

By Chris Chilton First Official Pictures 14 August 2007 03:56 Supermini estates are a bit of an oddity - most people looking for a roomy car want extra space in the cabin too. But Skoda clearly reckoned the old Skoda wagon was worth replacing because the new one makes its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Spetember. Based on the new Fabia hatch we drove earlier this year, the new estate is just 7mm longer but 46mm loftier than the old estate.

Porsche Cayman Edition 1 (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 14 August 2007 04:00 So, black is the new black at Porsche. So it seems. This is the new Cayman S Porsche Design Edition 1, a special run of 777 all-black Cayman models – based on the 3.4-litre 295bhp Cayman S.

Show Review: Art Center Car Classic 2007

For those of you who haven't yet attended, Art Center's Car Classic is rapidly becoming the talk of the concours circuit. Held during the middle of the summer trimester at the main Hillside campus in Pasadena, it was started just three years ago and is gaining quite a following not only because of its intimate setting in which to admire the cars but also because attendees rub shoulder-to-shoulder with a variety of current and past industry designers and celebrities. To this fellow automotive enthusiast and Art Center alumnus at least, the Car Classic likens itself most to Lord March's Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival in the UK.

Subaru Impreza WRC concept (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 10 August 2007 09:52 Nice rally car and all, but I'm a bit lost... It's simple. At the upcoming Frankfurt motorshow, Subaru will pull the wraps off this Impreza WRC 'concept' car, which is great for rally fans.

Mazda6 preview

Mazda's redesigned Mazda6 (known as the Mazda Atenza in Japan) will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The new car is an evolution of the original model's front face, bringing forward modern design elements and smoothing out the features for a more streamlined and aerodynamic look. With pronounced front wheel arches and simple shut lines, the car continues along Mazda's styling theme first seen on the Mazda2.

Audi A8 (2007) facelift: first official pictures

By Mark Nichol First Official Pictures 07 August 2007 06:45 Another mid-life facelift? What's so exciting about that? More than you'd think, actually.

Mazda 6 (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 07 August 2007 09:11 This looks pretty cool. Mazda's designers are certainly pushing out the boat... You're not wrong.

Pforzheim University Summer Show 2007

Transportation Design students at Germany's Pforzheim University displayed their work in the school's summer degree show held in July, one of two graduation shows per year. The exhibition included work from graduating Diploma and Masters students, a Honda project by MA students, and a Renault exterior and interior project by the 4th, 5th and 7th semester students. Projects by students graduating from the four year Diploma course included: Super Kit Car Andreas Zimolong In recent years there has been increasing demand for individualized products and for aftermarket customization.  Usually the functional aspects, and the artistic or visual aspects are treated seperately.

The anti-drink-drive car

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 03 August 2007 02:25 Nissan today unveiled its answer to drink-driving: the car that monitors the driver's alcohol level before every journey and stops you if you're about to break the law. Boffins at the Japanese firm have equipped a domestic market Fuga with monitoring equipment that can spot if a driver has been boozing. It's so sophisticated, engineers claim it can differentiate between perfume (which often contains alcohol) and tell if it's the driver or the passengers that have been drinking.

Government launches CO2 website

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 03 August 2007 09:56 Just as CAR Online has launched its Green cars section so the government has stepped up its ‘Act on CO2’ campaign. Earlier this week, at the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd) HQ in London, Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick unveiled the Department of Transport’s online ‘Best on CO2’ car rankings. The new website - www.dft.gov.uk/ActOnCO2 - lists all the cars on sale.

Bentley Continental GT Speed

Bentley has just revealed the most powerful car ever produced by the company. Aptly named the Continental GT Speed, the new car boasts 600bhp and can reach a top speed of 202mph. Inspired by Bentley's 'Speed' models of the 1920s, the new model features numerous tweaks to the GT's V12 power source and some design revisions all its own.

Who's Where: GM's new Asian and European design studio appointments

New additions have been made to the design management teams at General Motors, both in Asia and in Europe. Effective today (August 1), Friedhelm Engler begins his new role as Director of Design for the Pan Asian Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), based in Shanghai, China.  He is responsible for all design related activities in the joint venture between General Motors and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC).

Bentley Continental GT Speed (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 01 August 2007 07:45 Does Bentley never stop? Apparently not, and with the might of the VW Group behind it, little can slow expansion at the Crewe firm. It's just announced that in the first half of 2007 it delivered 5600 cars - and this year should be the first time Bentley breaks into five-figure sales.

Peugeot 308 RCZ concept

These are the first pictures of the Peugeot 308 RCZ concept car, scheduled to make an appearance at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Based on the forthcoming 308, the 308 RCZ is a 2+2 coupe - in the same ilk as Audi's TT. The construction focuses on lightweight, employing aluminum in the roll over protection bars, a polycarbonate rear windscreen and carbon fiber body panels. Design details of the dramatic concept include pronounced wheel-arches that blend seamlessly with the aggressive front fascia and a stepped beltline. The large offset between the door and rocker panel emphasizes the purposeful, sporting stance.

Peugeot 308 RCZ (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 31 July 2007 12:00 Peugeot's TT: the 308 RC Z If you're designing a mid-sized coupe from scratch, it's hard to ignore the head-swivelling, original Audi TT. Peugeot clearly thinks so - its Frankfurt show star, the new 308 RC Z unveiled today, looks like a Chinese facsimile of the Mk1 TT, especially viewed in profile. Maybe that's why Peugeot introduced a clumsy kink in the waistline (a la Hyundai Matrix), to disrupt the Germanic body language...

Fiat 500 options

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 30 July 2007 04:09 Half a million option combinations on the Fiat 500? Tell me more! You can indeed spec the 500 to the skies, but apart from the odd body stripe, alloy wheel or paint colour, all the launch cars in the media have been mainstream, plain Jane spec.

Mitsubishi Concept-CX sketches

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 30 July 2007 10:23 What’s that, a Lancer hatch? Not quite, though the front does have a strong resemblance to the four-door Lancer that will land in the UK at the start of 2008. Dubbed Concept-cX, this, show car points to Mitsubishi's possible future compact crossover in the mould of the Nissan Qashqai.

Northumbria University Degree Show 2007

Students graduating from the Northumbria University BA (Hons) Transportation Design course based in Newcastle in the north east of England have shown their work in London in the exhibition 'Forming Emotion'. Held in Brick Lane as part of the 'Free Range' series of summer Art and Design shows, the exhibition of thesis projects featured a combination of scale models and 2D presentations of digitally-developed models. Making an Entrance Neil Morley In the golden age of the 1930s Rolls-Royce represented the epitome of style and glamour and the exclusive mode of transport for stars of the silver screen and wealthy magnates.

Strong results for Maserati

By Chris Hope Motor Industry 27 July 2007 02:27 This week has thrown up some surprising financial results for struggling car manufacturers from all corners of the industry. Last February, at the release of the Quattroporte Automatica saloon, chief exec Roberto Ronchi promised an end to Maserati’s financial woes. Five months later, the Italian supercar maker sees black for the first time in its 17-year Fiat stewardship.

Audi A1 sketches

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 27 July 2007 06:08 Audi A1: the world exclusive We always knew that CAR's Georg Kacher is one of the best connected motoring journalists in the world. But even we were surprised when he rang the office with news that he'd 'obtained' official design sketches of Audi's new Mini, the A1. Forget the artist's impressions you'll find elsewhere, CAR Online has three sketches smuggled out of Ingolstadt's design HQ that show exactly how Audi's baby will look.

Audi R8 Spider (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 27 July 2007 06:10 Audi R8 Spider: the lowdown Audi is lopping the top off its R8 supercar - and CAR Online has the exclusive proof. This official design sketch leaked from the company's Ingolstadt design studios shows exactly how the open-air R8 will look when it goes on sale in 2009. It follows our scoop on the Audi A1 yesterday, and we have more Audi news to come tomorrow.

Audi A7 (2007): first official sketch

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 27 July 2007 07:59 Audi A7: the world exclusive Completing CAR Online's hat-trick of Audi scoops is this - Ingolstadt's slinky answer to the Mercedes CLS. The A7 is due to land in showrooms in September 2009 and will be previewed by a concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show. For any manufacturer to launch a successful model against the CLS, it must turn heads like a scantily-unclad A-list catwalk model.

Mini Clubman (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 27 July 2007 11:48 Bloody hell. What have they done to the Mini? That was pretty much CAR Online’s reaction when we first saw this picture.

Porsche Cayenne Hybrid (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 26 July 2007 04:57 A Porsche hybrid? That's right, and CAR Online has just returned from a visit to Weissach - Porsche's R&D HQ near Stuttgart - where we were given the full lowdown on the Cayenne Hybrid. Porsche's hand has been forced by the current public and political climate surrounding CO2 and global warming - and the company has taken the unusual step of showing its prototypes even though they're a few years from production.