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Toyota Prius points the way to design future

For a glimpse of Toyota's future design trends, check out the Prius. The third generation, debuting Monday in Japan, stays true to the line's role as a vanguard of futuristic styling and sports many new elements that will be popping up soon in other models. Chief among these are the sharply creased corners, the forward placement of the Toyota badge, a lowered grille and styling that Toyota's global design chief Wahei Hirai calls "free-form geometrics." The goal was to create an avant-garde, high-tech look that also screams green.

Mercedes-Benz to use inflatable rear seatbelts on new car

Mercedes-Benz will begin equipping its cars with inflatable seatbelts for rear passengers, making it the second automaker to use the safety technology. Mercedes said the belt would be introduced on an upcoming luxury car. A likely candidate is the redesigned S-class sedan, which the German automaker is preparing to put into production next year.

College Exhibition: Monash University Degree Show 2009

Graduating students from the Industrial Design undergraduate program at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia recently presented their annual degree show. One third of the group developed transport related projects encompassing a broad range of topics including energy efficient personal mobility, sustainable materials and manufacturing, scientific data collection and emergency services. Overall, the students' work reflected a strong emphasis on user interaction, systems innovation and production integrity.