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Subaru Impreza (2007): first official pictures

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 03 April 2007 06:30 Subaru Impreza: the lowdown The Subaru Impreza is about to lose some of its quirkiness; it's always been a slightly odd proposition, standing out from the hatchback norm with those gawky saloon dimensions - but now it's following the European trend for more practical hatchbacks. These are the official pictures of the new Impreza and WRX to be launched at the New York Motor Show this week. Opinions are already fiercely divided about its looks (more sophisticated or dull?

Subaru Tribeca facelifted ((2007): first official pictures

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 03 April 2007 09:01 Subaru Tribeca: the lowdown Subaru is being very honest about the B9 Tribeca. Its face was its misfortune and it sold only 18,000 in the States instead of the projected 36,000. The ugly duckling hasn’t quite become a swan, though.

Jeep Grand Cherokee (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 02 April 2007 08:42 Jeep Grand Cherokee: not much has changed, has it? Nope - this is the mildest of mid-life refreshes, isn't it? Jeep has massaged the engines, shopped extensively at the gadget superstore and polished up the exterior design, but you'd be hard pressed to notice the new 2008 model-year Grand Cherokee.

Who's Where: Alfonso Albaisa appointed Vice President of Nissan Design Europe

Alfonso Albaisa has been appointed vice president of Nissan Design Europe (NDE) located in Paddington, London, effective April 1, 2007. Albaisa replaces Satoru Tai, who will return to Japan. In his new role, the 42-year-old Cuban-American will head a team of more than 50 international designers, modelers and support staff.

Ford Shelby GT500KR and F150 Foose (2007): first official pictures

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 30 March 2007 04:12 Ford Shelby GT500KR: the lowdown Ford’s latest Shelby Mustang special packs a 540bhp punch, and will be flexing its muscles at next week's New York Motor Show. It’s called the Ford Shelby GT500KR, in homage to the 1968 original, and just 1000 Coupes go on sale in spring 2008. KR means King of the Road, a name GM had intended to use until Shelby got wind of it and grabbed the crown first.

VW Golf build passes 25 million

By Gareth Kent Motor Industry 30 March 2007 10:07 Thirty-three years after the first Golf, Volkswagen has just passed the 25 million milestone. As one of the pioneers of the modern hatchback genre, the Golf was a hit right from launch in 1974, and sold one million cars within three years. The 25 millionth Golf to leave the Wolfsburg gates was a Tornado Red 1.4 TSI.

Chevrolet Trax (2007): infomation

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 29 March 2007 09:09 Chevrolet Trax: the lowdown How low can you go in the US? That’s the question three compact concepts are asking the public at next week's New York Motor Show. GM revealed just one of the minicars today - this cute, four-door Trax.

Changan CV11

Changan's first MPV rolled off the production line on March 26 in China, following its preview as a concept four years ago at the Shanghai Motor Show. Since then the MPV market in China has boomed, sales in 2006 a third higher than in 2005. The package and styling of the CV11 are both euro-generic, but is interesting to see a different market embrace them so enthusiastically.

Geneva Motor Show 2007 Trends and Overview

Geneva is always one of the best shows to visit - it's easy to get to from the airport or city centre, it's more compact than the other major auto shows, it's well attended by car designers and there are a lot of new designs to enjoy. This year there were at least 14 significant new production debuts, a similar number of concept cars and, for a change, the weather was more spring like than winter... The core reaction from the designers we spoke to at the show was that there were no really very exceptional new cars at the show - the Hyundai HED-4 Qarmaq concept, Mazda Hakaze concept and Maserati GranTurismo being the possible exceptions.

Infiniti EX Concept (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 28 March 2007 07:06 Infiniti EX Concept: the lowdown Infiniti is Nissan’s answer to Lexus, a wannabe aspirational and luxurious brand aimed squarely at Audi, Mercedes and BMW's home turf. Nissan has enjoyed a reasonable success with Infiniti in the US, and they're coming to Europe next year. The new EX, shown today for the first time in concept form, is to be unveiled at the New York Motor Show in April - and it will spearhead the launch in Europe in 2008.

Hummer H2 (2007): first official pictures

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 28 March 2007 09:52 Hummer H2: the lowdown It’s best not to look directly at the new Hummer H2 in sunlight; you’ll be blinded by bling. New bits of glitz have appeared on the 2008 model, going on sale later in the year, including newly chromed door handles and a larger, lower grille. This grille, along with larger gaps in the seven-slot full-frontal smirk, helps to cool the more powerful 6.2-litre V8.

Cadillac STS (2007): first official pictures

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 28 March 2007 10:47 Cadillac STS: the lowdown A new in-yer-face grille will let neighbours know who’s driving a 2008 Cadillac STS. GM’s luxury barge is bigger than ever, and a restyle gives it a confident American look, sharing elements with the flagship Escalade SUV. The multi-faceted grille was first seen on the Sixteen concept, and incorporated onto both Escalade and the 2008 CTS.

Hummer H2 SUT (2007): first official pictures

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 28 March 2007 11:03 Hummer H2 SUT The H2 SUT gains the same 393hp 6.2-litre V8 and six-speed box as the SUV, plus its more refined interior. This might seem incongruous to a Brit: a pick-up is a working vehicle, right? Not in the States.

First Chinese MGs built

By Jack Carfrae Motor Industry 27 March 2007 02:17 Today is an historic day for Nanjing Automotive as the first MG built outside Longbridge will leave the production line at Nanjing’s factory in China. Around 1000 visitors are gathering at the plant to join in with the celebrations, where the new, Chinese-built MGs will be on display (above). The first cars off the production lines are the MG TF and the MG 7, which Brits will remember as the MG ZT.

College Exhibition: Pforzheim University Spring Show 2007

Transportation Design students at Germany's Pforzheim University displayed their work in the school's spring Transportation Design degree show in February, one of the two graduation shows per year. The exhibition included work from graduating Diploma and Masters students, projects by the 5th and 7th semester students, as well as work from students in the earlier stages of the Diploma and Masters courses. Projects by the graduating Diploma students (four year course) included: Structure Driven - A modern automotive sculpture Sebastian Kroes 'Structure Driven' combines a new structural vehicle architecture with a pure driving experience, and presents new solutions for weight-reduction and driving systems.

Hyundai Genesis Concept

By Liz Turner First Official Pictures 26 March 2007 03:46 Hyundai Genesis Concept: the lowdown The first official pictures of Hyundai’s Genesis concept confirm that the company will soon be snapping at the heels of Lexus and Infiniti. The new executive saloon will be unveiled at the New York Show in April. There’s a 32-valve, 4.6-litre V8 under the hood sending power through a ZF six-speed auto and limited-slip diff to the rear wheels; we’re promised a 0-60mph time of less than 8.0 seconds.

BMW M3 engine shown

By Ben Barry Motor Industry 23 March 2007 01:18 BMW has revealed detailed specs on the all-new 4.0-litre V8 that’s soon to be slotted into the all-new M3. Power is confirmed at 420bhp with 295lb ft peak torque available from 3000 to 7000rpm. The engine – made at the same foundry as the BMW Sauber F1 team’s V8 and derived from the same architecture as the M5 and M6 V10 – looks set to dispel any fears M purists may have had that the M3 would be transformed into a nose heavy, slow revving behemoth.

College Exhibition: Monash University Degree Show 2006

Graduating students from the Industrial Design department at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, presented their work in the annual degree show in December 2006. The show featured the work of Industrial Design students who have just completed a four year undergraduate degree. Rogue Andy Wong The Rogue concept is a 1+2 seater specifically designed for China's one-child generation.

Infiniti G37 Coupe

The New York Auto show, rapidly gaining respect from automotive manufacturers around the world, will be the stage for the release of the all-new 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe, the second generation of the G-series coupe. The overall styling of the G37 faithfully follows Infiniti's 'Vibrant Expression' design identity, shown first by the G sedan. It combines strong, robust lines with flowing, rich surface volumes which resembles a well-built, muscular athlete.

Caparo T1 (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 22 March 2007 01:02 Not another supercar? Afraid so, though that’s hardly a bad thing. And unlike the numerous other sketches and concept cars that seem to appear by the day, deliveries of the Caparo T1 will start in May.

Infiniti G37 Coupe (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 22 March 2007 09:21 Infiniti G37: the lowdown Infiniti has so far been a brand best known in the US, but over the next few years Europeans are going to hear a lot more about them. The brand is to Nissan what Lexus is to Toyota - the Japanese firm’s luxury brand. But while Lexus does luxury, Infiniti is chasing BMW.

Car Design of the Year Awards presented in Geneva 2006

Exactly a month after announcing the Saab Aero X and Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione as the 2006 Car Design of the Year winners, Car Design News presented these awards to the winning design teams at the Geneva Motor Show. The award for 'Car Design of the Year 2006 - Production' went to the design team of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. Antonio Bravalle, CEO of Alfa Romeo, accepted the award together with Daniele Gaglione, exterior designer and Giovanni Pizzi, interior designer.

Fiat 500 (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 21 March 2007 09:49 Is it a Trepiuno, Cinquecento or 500? Welcome to the new Fiat 500 - due to launched 50 years to the day after the unveiling of the original 500. That car became an icon, and Fiat is hoping for more of the same with this modern interpretation, the most exciting launch in Turin for a generation.

Aston Martin's race plans

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 20 March 2007 04:54 It’s only just over a week since Aston Martin was sold, but today it confirmed plans to race at Le Mans. The DBR9 will return to the famous La Sarthe circuit in June. Perhaps this was inevitable, since Aston’s new non-executive chairman is David Richards - the chairman of Prodrive, which develops the DBR9 and its FIA GT3-spec sister car, the DBRS9.

Land Rover Defender revised

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 20 March 2007 07:17 It's just the same old Defender, isn't it? It sure is, but Land Rover says it has been comprehensively upgraded. That’s good news: a replacement is some years away and the current car has roots dating back to 1948.

Citroen Picasso five-seater (2007): first official pictures

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 20 March 2007 11:36 Citroen C4 Picasso: the lowdown Citroen’s new five-seater compact MPV has arrived on UK shores to take on the likes of the Renault Scenic and the Toyota Verso. The C4 Picasso is essentially a stubbier version of the (subtly renamed) Grand C4 Picasso, Citroen’s seven-seater MPV which went on sale last year. And you could be forgiven for confusing the two - at the front, there’s not much difference apart from an extra couple of slashes in the bumper.

Toyota Yaris SR (2007): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 19 March 2007 01:19 I know what GTI stands for - what's this SR badge doing? SR stands for ‘sporting and refined’, says Toyota, perfectly describing its new ‘warm’ hatch. The Japanese manufacturer might be able to turn out hybrids by the thousands, but their recent sporting pedigree is pretty poor.

Auto Union sale scotched

By Jack Carfrae Motor Industry 19 March 2007 02:35 Christie’s has pulled the ultra-rare 1939 Auto Union Type D grand prix car from auction this month. It had been expected to hit a new record of nearly £8 million. As reported previously, the Auto Union was attracting great interest because it is one of only two surviving examples from the late 1930s.

Proton Satria Neo (2007) - the supermini that Lotus built

By Jack Carfrae First Official Pictures 19 March 2007 12:53 Proton Satria Neo: the lowdown The new incarnation of Proton’s Satria has made its way into British showrooms. Still keen (and rightly so) to boost its street cred, Proton is making a song and dance about its ownership of Lotus by claiming that the Satria Neo is layered with Hethel know-how, design and inspiration. Those expecting Elise-style handling and Esprit-like power might be touch on the disappointed side, though… There’s no doubt that the Satria Neo is a sharper-looking car than its predecessor.

Design Contest: 2007 World Automotive Design Competition winners announced

The winners of the 2007 World Automotive Design Competition (WADC), sponsored by Autodesk, were announced at the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show in February. The competition was relaunched in 2007 with a few new twists created to meet the needs of the global automotive industry. The fifth WADC strived to provide manufacturers worldwide with a source of new automotive design talent and to encourage design students, and especially women, to choose a career in automotive design.