Cnt-97319 on 2040-parts.com

Central Academy of Fine Arts degree show 2009, China

China's home grown car makers are increasingly ambitious, as illustrated by plans to grow rapidly at home and, in some cases, expand abroad and compete with foreign rivals in cutting-edge technologies. One big impediment they face in taking on their foreign rivals is design. Top dogs in the global auto industry invest heavily in engineers and designers.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Aviator Edition Pebble debut

Rolls Royce has created a special edition of the Phantom Coupe – the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Aviator Edition – to debut at Pebble Beach. Even car makers at the very top end produce limited edition models to garner extra sales, and Rolls Royce is no different. With the Pebble Beach petrolhead jolly about to kick-off in Monterey, Rolls Royce has revealed a limited edition Phantom Coupe – the  Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Aviator Edition – which will debut at Quail and celebrates Charles Rolls’ passion for aviation.

Meet the Porsche Macan small SUV

The small Porsche SUV that goes on sale about 18 months will wear the Macan nameplate, the German automaker said on Thursday. Until now, the SUV project had been known by the code name Cajun, created from the concept of “Cayenne Junior.” Porsche says Macan is “derived from the Indonesian word for tiger and combines suppleness, power, fascination and dynamics.” The Porsche Macan will share a platform with the Audi Q5 and will be built at the Porsche plant in Leipzig, Germany, that now builds the Cayenne. Porsche is spending $650 million to expand the Leipzig plant, adding a body shop and a paint shop.