Chevrolet Truck Spare Tire Carrier (under Bed) on 2040-parts.com

CDN-Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition Enters Exterior Phase

Car Design News is pleased to announce the finalists of the interiors phase of the Car Design News-Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition. Pierin Giacomo of the Istituto Europeo Di Design in Turin, Italy, Victor Uribe, also of IED Turin, and Chiayuan Lu of Coventry University in the UK have been named as the top three entrants in the first phase of the competition. They topped the entries received from students at 36 design schools across 18 different countries in Europe.

2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe review notes

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: Just when all the auto pundits thought the big-honkin' all-wheel-drive full-size (at least for Mini) Countryman was the first sign of Mini's impending demise, along comes the apocalypse, otherwise known as the Cooper Coupe. Though people of all ages venture that it “looks cool” or “interesting” or “fun,” none of them have had to drive it or live with it. Let's get out of the way that it can be as fun to drive as a Mini Cooper S, but it's not an improvement over the larger, more functional, more sanely styled model.

Mercury rolls into history with build of final Grand Marquis

The last Mercury--a Grand Marquis--rolled off the production line Tuesday at Ford Motor Co.'s assembly plant in St. Thomas, Ontario, marking the official end of another Detroit brand. The sedan will be shipped as part of a fleet order, Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans said.