Corvette evangelist, aerobatic pilot Betty Skelton dies at 85

Betty Skelton, former acrobatic airplane pilot, Chevrolet Corvette test driver and daredevil speed racer, died at the age of 85 on Aug. 31. Skelton established a concrete precedent for women's roles in aviation, aerobatic performance and auto racing.

College Exhibition: Royal College of Art Vehicle Design students prepare for the The Show 2004

June 16, 2004 - Final year students at London's Royal College of Art postgraduate Vehicle Design course are preparing for their annual degree show. The design concepts exhibited by the 17 graduating students explore themes for future mobility, including: A public bike using new plastic forming technologies, a three-wheeled motorcycle for Aprilia, and a mobile living space that solves the probems of commuting by moving the home close to the workplace. Heung Soo Kim's coupe concept explores 'light as communication', with intuitive gestural driver controls, simplified instrumentation using color-coded indicators and exterior lamp elements embedded within the vehicle's glass surfaces.

Toyota's Akio Toyoda flies solo at media event, in change of style

It was as much a change for Akio Toyoda as it was for Toyota Motor Corp. In unveiling the company's new mid-term business plan this week, the media-shy president flew solo at a news conference without the usual safety net of being flanked by his top brass. The move was a departure for Toyoda, who -- in his two years as president -- has tended to divert technical or detailed questions to a panel of executives sharing stage with him.