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Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

Fiat 500X compact crossover debuts: Paris 2014

Fiat 500X compact crossover debuts The Fiat 500X is the latest member of the Fiat 500 family to arrive, and following a recent tease it’s debuted at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Fiat has decided to go the same route with the 500X as they did with the 500 L by creating two models – a 500X for the city and a 500X for the country. The 500X gets the same family design as the rest of the 500 range and sits on the same platform as the new Fiat Punto and comes in at 4.25 metres long (the butch version is just a couple of centimetres wider) and 1.80m wide.

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870 The new Jaguar XE had a glitzy London launch last month, but all we really got was the XE S; the lesser models were kept under wraps until the Paris Motor Show debut. But now that’s upon us we get full UK specs and prices for a car that will be the make or break of Jaguar, certainly in terms of becoming a real challenger to the German triumvirate and moving from niche maker to proper global player in the Premium market. And Jaguar are obviously feeling pretty bullish about the XE, because instead of offering it at a discount to their main challenger – the BMW 3-Series – they’ve actually come in at a bit of a premium.

Fitness-focused autonomous vehicle pedals to victory in Interior Motives Design Awards

Earlier tonight, on the eve of the first Paris Motor Show press day, the world's top designers and automotive journalists assembled at L'Espace Clacquesin in Paris to witness sponsors Ford and Volkswagen announce the 2014 Interior Motives Student Design of the Year: ‘Life Cycle' by Jason Chen and Dirk Wan of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, USA. Launched in January of this year and themed ‘Beyond Styling: a Design for Life', the competition asked students to create projects around three diverse but specific briefs: ‘Beyond Autonomous', which posed the question of what would happen if we were to combine the latest developments in computing and robotics with automobile design; ‘An Interior for Life', in which students were asked to focus on one feature or element of a car's interior and adapt it for dual use in a user's ordinary life; and ‘Pickup Truck of 2030', which challenged the young designers to extrapolate what the future might hold for this popular and versatile mode of transport. This year's contest attracted more than 200 entries from students based at 57 schools in 24 different countries.

Don't miss CDNLive, reporting on the best from Paris Motor Show 2014

As ever the Car Design News team will be reporting live from the halls of the Paris Motor Show. After the long summer break we're in the French capital for what promises to be a great event. CDNLive from the Paris Motor Show We're looking forward to turning our attention to a promising list of production-car debuts of all shapes and sizes, from the new Smart ForTwo and Opel Corsa to the Volvo XC90 and Renault Espace, via Mazda's new MX-5, the Fiat 500X and Jaguar XE.

2015 Honda CR-V Facelift Paris 2014 debut

The 2015 Honda CR-V Facelift gets a Paris 2014 debut It’s two years since the latest Honda CR-V arrived in the UK (and a chunk longer since it arrived in the US and Japan), so it’s a time for a refresh, with the facelifted Honda CR-V for 2015 revealed ahead of a debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show later this week. Under the skin, the four-wheel-drive versions of the new CR-V get a more powerful 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel engine from Honda’s Earth Dreams series, which replaces the current model’s 2.2 litre diesel. The new 1.6 litre comes armed with 158bhp and 258lb/ft of torque and emissions of 130g/km (with the six-speed manual) or 135g/km when mated to the new 9-speed auto ‘box – savings of 11 and 20 cent over the old engine/gearbox combinations.

Designer insights: highlights of Auto Design Prague 2014

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, might not seem the most obvious choice for an automotive design conference. But when one considers the country's history of innovation in the arts and architecture, its long-lived automotive marques like Tatra and Skoda, and Prague's central location in Europe, it makes perfect sense. Conference speakers included the program design director for Citroën DS, Ivo Groen; Volvo vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar advanced design director, Julian Thomson; Gert Hildebrand, head of design for Qoros; and Johann Lemercier, program manager at Ferrari design.

Rockar Hyundai: Hyundai’s new digital sales channel

Rockar Hyundai will have a ‘Car Shop’ in Bluewater The death of the car showroom has long been predicted, and there’s no doubt that the car sales model we’re used to – visit showroom, see salesman, get upsold, leave with something you didn’t want – is going to die a death as the world and his dog get used to living, and buying, online. Now, Hyundai has decided there’s sufficient appetite for buying online to create a new digital platform for Hyundai buyers that removes the salesman from the equation and lets car purchases – and service followup – go properly digital. Enter Rockar Hyundai.

2015 VW Passat price & specs – costs from £22,215

The 2015 VW on sale 7th October from £22,215 The latest Volkswagen Passat – the eighth generation, no less – was revealed in July as a sleeker, lighter and more upmarket Passat – one which could be an Audi if the badges were changed – as VW try once again to deliver a Passat that will make a real mark in its sector. Based on VW’s MQB platform, the new Passat gets a more rounded look, swept back headlights and a back end that looks more appealing and is set to go on sale on 7 October in VW’s UK showrooms. VW are only offering diesel engine options at launch, with a choice of a 118bhp 1.6 litre, a 2.0 litre with 148bhp or 187bhp and a 2.0 litre bi-turbo with 237bhp, DSG ‘box and 4MOTION.

New Honda Civic Type R Concept previews production Type R

The new Honda Civic Type R Concept previews production Type R We had a concept Civic Type R at Geneva earlier this year, but this latest Honda Civic Type R Concept – heading for a debut this week at the Paris Motor Show – almost certainly preview the full production Civic Type R due to arrive in Honda showrooms in 2015. Honda has made sure this Type R Concept is anything but a shrinking violet, giving it a startling blue paintjob with red highlights and keeping the statement massive rear wing intact, complete with quad tail pipes, aggressive rear diffuser and butch body kit. Under the skin of the front-wheel-drive Type R will be a new 2.0-litre i-VTEC which offers more than 278bhp – enough, it’s expected, for a sub-6 second 0-62mph – mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox with a new steer axis control at the front which minimises torque steer so you can get the power down properly.

Winners of the Car Design Awards China winners describe their internships

With the 2015 Car Design Awards China now launched and open to entries, we caught up with some of the winners of the 2014 edition to find out about their current internships.Four of those we spoke to had the unique opportunity to pack their bags and head west to Detroit’s CCS college in the US to take part in its annual Cultural Immersion Workshop, while two others were placed in the Shanghai studios of Geely and Qoros. 阅读中文请点击这里Here they describe the highlights of their experiences so far, in their own words: Name Guo JiayiInternship CCS, Detroit USAge 23Home town BeijingSchool CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts) "The most interesting part of my internship was working with professional designers from different countries, exchanging ideas and learning from each other. Each of us has a different point of view and style, so looking at the combination of the American and other cultures is very interesting.

New Ford Mondeo Price & Specs – costs from £20,795

New 2014 Ford Mondeo Price & Specs – costs from £20,795 The new Ford Mondeo is almost the old Ford Mondeo, so long has it taken to get it ready to roll in the UK and Europe after Ford decided to switch production to Valencia. Bit ‘t’s finally gone on sale, more than two years after the US got their version of the Mondeo. The first European car to get Ford’s new C-D platform, the new Mondeo had a chassis tuned for best-in-class driving dynamics (say Ford) and steering weight and direction that matches the ‘Comfort’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ settings.

Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept revealed ahead of Paris debut

Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept revealed ahead of Paris debut It looks like Kia is ready to push the start button on a new range of mild hybrids with the reveal of the Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept ahead of its debut later this week at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The new mild hybrid powertrain isn’t going to make an enormous difference to power or economy, but in a world where taxation gets based on official CO2 figures it will make the Optima more appealing to company car buyers. The Optima hybrid gets the normal 1.7 litre diesel engine and adds a small electric motor powered by a 48V lead-carbon battery which will be enough for short running at low speeds on electric power alone or allow some electric ‘cruising’ on motorways.

2014 Vauxhall Corsa & Vauxhall Adam: URGENT recall – DO NOT DRIVE

2014 Vauxhall Corsa & Vauxhall Adam: URGENT recall Have you bought a Vauxhall Adam or Vauxhall Corsa since May? Then Vauxhall need to hear from you – urgently. In fact, the recall is so urgent that Vauxhall are advising those whose cars are affected not to drive it.

CDN-GM Interactive Competition: Phase 2 deadline extended until Sunday 28 September

Due to the number and quality of the entries that are still pouring in we've extended the deadline for this phase of the CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition to give you a couple more days to upload your work. Remember that during this phase, while your design needn't be fully finalized, you should be firming up your major themes based on your Phase 1 work and the feedback comments from the Mentors and your peers. The entrants progressing to Phase 3 will be announced next week for the final phase of this year's contest ahead of the announcement of the winners in January.

Design a steering wheel for Ford and win a trip to its Cologne studio

Ford UK, and product development publication DEVELOP3D, have announced details of a new competition, asking designers to create a concept for a future Ford steering wheel. The competition is open to UK-based designers from all industries, and submissions should be emailed in the form of digital sketches or hand-drawn images. The deadline is 7 November, 2014.

Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid: The plug-in Cayenne debuts in Paris

The Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid arrives in Paris There will come a point when governments realise that car makers are getting too clever at gaming CO2 levels with impressive and sophisticated hybrids. But until then, there’s a growing number of cars that, on the face of it, offer a ‘cake and eat it’ option for buyers. Like the new Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.

McLaren 625C Coupe & Spider. So THAT’s what it is

The McLaren 625C Coupe & Spider arrive for Asian buyers Early last month we reported that there was a McLaren 625C on the way, even if it made no sense. It made no sense because we couldn’t see how it would fit in the McLaren model range, so close was it in power and specification to the 12C’s replacement – the McLaren 650S – to maker commercial sense. But all has been revealed.

Concept Car of the Week: Ford Synergy 2010 (1996)

In the early 1990s, the US government instigated the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles research program (PNGV). This brought Ford, GM and Chrysler together to collaborate in developing cars that could achieve up to 80mpg, and be ready to market by 2003. While working on the PNGV, in 1996 Ford introduced the Synergy 2010, featuring the firm's 'New Edge' design that debuted a year earlier with the GT90 concept.

Volvo V40 Cross Country gets new T5 Drive-E and AWD

The Volvo V40 Cross Country gets the new T5 Drive-E engine Volvo are on something of a roll at the moment, what with the impressive 2015 XC90 on the way and the very convincing range of Drive-E engines rolling out across their range. And the Drive-E engines really are good; we had one in recently (review to come soon) and the new D4 in the S60 is quick, frugal, quiet and, really, on a par with the best diesels from BMW. And we don’t say that lightly.

Ferrari 458 Speciale A (that’s ‘A’ for Aperta) revealed

The Ferrari 458 Special A – revealed ahead of its Paris debut The Ferrari 458 Speciale A (the ‘A’ stands for Aperta – Italian for open) has been revealed this afternoon – ahead of its Paris Motor Show debut next week – as the most powerful open-top Ferrari ever, promising 0-62mph in just 3.0 seconds. Just 499 will be built. And if you want to invest money in a new Ferrari, the 458 Speciale A will be a good shout; with just 499 being built (just like LaFerrari) it’s almost certain these rare 458s will appreciate in the coming years – just like the 599 Aperta has (although there were even fewer of those).

New Jaguar XE: More Ingenium engine details (video)

Jaguar XE 2.0 litre diesel Ingenium engine – from 99g/km Unlike the new Land Rover Discovery Sport – which makes do with the current outsourced 2.2 litre diesel engine – the new Jaguar XE is getting JLR’s all-new range of Ingenium engines from launch. Now, with the proper debut of the XE just a week away, Jaguar is happy to share a bit more detail on the XE’s new engines. Built at Jaguar’s new engine plant – in which JLR has invested £500 million – the new Ingenium engines are a clean-sheet design, as light and efficient as possible and capable of delivering an impressive blend of power and torque.

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.

Volkswagen Golf Alltrack – VW reveal the ‘Crossover’ Golf

The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack – a rufty-tufty ‘Crossover’ Golf With the world falling in love with cars that do things they’ll almost never need, car makers are filling more and more niches with new models that have an element of Off Road ability. Step forward the new 2015 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack. Just as they did with the Passat Alltrack, VW has taken the Estate version and made it a bit more butch, in effect turning it in to a sort of ‘Crossover’ Golf with the ability to take on (slightly) more rugged terrain.

2015 Mercedes C 63 AMG (& AMG S) Saloon & Estate revealed

The 2015 Mercedes-AMG C 63 blows in with up to 503bhp It’s nine months since the new Mercedes C-Class was revealed, and it’s a cracker. But if the regular C-Class leaves you feeling a bit underpowered you now have the option of the BMW M3-bashing 2015 Mercedes C 63 AMG for some real get up and go. Actually – with Mercedes moving AMG more front and centre – you now have the option of the Mercedes-AMG C 63, with the name change mirroring the nomenclature for the new Mercedes-AMG GT.

2015 Audi TT drops its top – TT & TTS Roadster for Paris debut

The Audi TTS Roadster (pictured) debuts at Paris 2014 It’s only six months since the new Audi TT arrived at the Geneva Motor Show, but now Audi is ready to show its drop-top version with a debut of the Audi TT Roadster scheduled for the Paris Motor Show next week. As you’d expect, to all intents and purposes, the TT (and TT S) Roadster are pretty much the same as the TT Coupe, with the top chopped off and replaced by a retractable fabric roof – a roof that opens and closes in just 10 seconds – and a bump in price of around £2,000. That means the Audi TT Roadster with the 2.0 litre TFSI engine with 182bhp, manual ‘box and Sport trim will come in at a bit under £32,000 and the 306bhp TTS Roadster at a bit under £38,000.

'Outside the Oval' art exhibition showcases Ford Australia design team's creativity

Members of Ford's Melbourne design team have created over 30 works of art for a new exhibition. Called Outside the Oval, the event is normally held internally, as an opportunity for the design team to explore creative pursuits that may have previously been limited to their spare time. However, this year it will be opened to the public for the first time, with artworks including sculpture, 2D paintings and digital art.

Patrick le Quément to receive EyesOn Design 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award

Patrick le Quément has been selected as the latest recipient of the EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award. Le Quément will be presented with the award in Detroit on 19 June 2015, as part of the EyesOn Design week.Le Quément was the senior vice-president of corporate design at Renault from 1995 to 2009 and was chairman of the joint design policy group coordinating design within the Renault-Nissan alliance.At Renault, he oversaw the design of the Twingo, Scenic, Espace III and IV, Laguna II, Kangoo, Megane II and many other production and concept cars that defined the look of the era. He is currently a consultant in industrial and strategic design and the co-founder of the Sustainable Design School in France.The recipient of the annual EyesOn Design Lifetime Achievement Award is selected by its previous winners.

Citroen C1 Urban Ride Concept – it’s a C1 ‘Allroad’ Crossover

Citroen C1 Urban Ride Concept – it’s a C1 ‘Allroad’ Crossover With the 2014 Paris Motor Show rapidly looming, car makers are busy rolling out details of their new cars and concepts due to go on show, and today there’s another from PSA with the reveal of the Citroen C1 Urban Ride Concept. Demonstrating what can be done to the, frankly better than you think, C1 City car, Citroen has applied a makeover that turns the C1 in  to a funky little ‘Allroad’ for a bit more rufty-tufty around town. Citroen calls its makeover of the C1 to create the Urban Concept as SUV-inspired with ‘go anywhere looks’.

Fiat 500X Crossover teased on video – debuts at Paris Motor Show

Fiat 500X Crossover teased on video – debuts at Paris Motor Show Just like MINI, Fiat has taken the retro-revival of the 500 way beyond the original, and now the latest take on the 500, and Fiat’s answer to the All4 MINI Countryman, is about to arrive – the Fiat 500X. The Fiat 500X is a butch take on the Fiat 500L, but the first (leaked) photo of the 500X (above) does show a car that’s less boxy than the 500L. Frankly, the video tease Fiat has released doesn’t show as much as the leaked photo, but instead focuses on teasing the 500X’s detail in between shots of a young woman playing on a swing.