Maserati and Poltrona Frau showcasing continuing collaboration

Maserati and Poltrona Frau are showcasing their continuing collaboration in automotive design in a weeklong exhibition at Design Centre at Chelsea Harbor, London. From 18 until 22 June the glass domes of Design Centre will play host to a Maserati GranCabrio Sport as well as one of Poltrona Frau's skilled artisan upholsterers working on a chair throughout the week in a demonstration of traditional Italian craftsmanship. Poltrona Frau, the international high-end furniture company, has realized the interiors of the entire Maserati range – including the Quattroporte saloon, GranTurismo coupe and GranCabrio convertible – through its 100-year history of leather working and handcraftsmanship.

Ford overhauls plans for the U.S. C-Max to go with fewer seats, all hybrids

Ford has shifted gears on its plans for the C-Max wagon in the United States and will now sell only the five-seat version with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, beginning in 2012. Ford has canceled plans to sell the seven-seat version of the C-Max with a conventional gasoline engine in the States. Ford will call the car the C-Max hybrid, and C-Max Energi will be the name of the plug-in version.

Design Contest: LA Design Challenge 2008

The entrants for the fifth annual Design Challenge, part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference, have now been announced. Nine Southern California automotive design studios - including Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen - have been pitted against one another and asked to develop a concept which best answers a brief entitled 'Motorsports in 2025'. "Automotive designers have always been fascinated with motorsports and this year's Design Challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talent to look at these cars with new eyes, using innovative technologies and approaches," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc.