Cardone Industries 50-1140 on 2040-parts.com

Interior Motives China Conference 2009

As global automakers such as Porsche put the finishing touches to their show cars in the run-up to the Shanghai Motor Show on April 20th, sister publication Interior Motives is doing the same with its exciting line-up of speakers as it prepares to host the second Interior Motives China design conference in the city the following day. Scheduled to take place on 21st and 22nd April (immediately following the first motor show press day) at the InterContinental Shanghai Pudong hotel, this event will see the biggest names in Chinese, Asian and Western car design come together for a two-day program of interactive debate. Entitled 'China: Changing the landscape of car design', this year's conference will focus on the issues and opportunities facing both foreign and domestic carmakers as they search for commercial success in China.

Autoweek archives: Pontiac Firebird Type K wagon

This Autoweek archives piece comes from March 1980, when Bob Irvin and Bob Hall explored the fabled--and failed--Pontiac Trans Am wagon. In the late 1970s, the Pontiac Firebird Type K (Kammback) was explored as a way to inject some life into the aging F-body lineup. After a concept build by Pontiac Motor Division, vice president of design Bill Mitchell had two 1977 models constructed in Italy by famed Ferrari designer Sergio Pininfarina.

A younger, sportier look for Mercedes-Benz pays off with U.S. customers

When it comes to design, Mercedes-Benz was long the conservative grande dame of luxury-car makers. Styling was understated and aimed at middle-aged buyers. But a shift toward sportier and more youthful styling, partly driven by U.S.