Cobra Boulevard Slashcut 2163sc on 2040-parts.com

Mazda hires VW alum Derek Jenkins to head U.S. design staff

Former Volkswagen designer Derek Jenkins has been hired to be the design chief for Mazda in America. Jenkins, 39, fills a position vacated last summer by Franz von Holzhausen, who left to take the top design post at electric-vehicle maker Tesla Motors. Jenkins had been chief of design for the Volkswagen Group in North America, which he joined in 2000.

Interior Motives Design Awards 2013

Earlier this evening, the world's top designers and automotive journalists gathered together at the Moon13 club in Frankfurt to watch sponsors Ford and Volkswagen reveal the 2013 Interior Motives Student Design of the Year: ‘Audi O Concept' by Nir Siegel, Cherica Haye and Hanchul Lee of London's Royal College of Art. Launched in January of this year and themed ‘The Connected Car', this year's contest attracted hundreds of entries from students spread across every corner of the globe. And at a ceremony hosted by acclaimed designer Chris Bangle earlier today, the following talented young designers realized their dream of winning an award:   Best Ergonomics (Sponsored by Visteon) and Student Design of the Year ‘Audi O Concept' – Nir Siegel, Cherica Haye & Hanchul Lee (Royal College of Art, UK) "The O Concept is not a normal car," claim its creators.

Chicago auto show: Ford Transit Connect van targets businesses

The demise of the Freestar (more commonly remembered as the Windstar) minivan left Ford without a small cargo carrier it could pitch to business and fleet customers who didn't need the hugeness of the E-series van. That gap in the product lineup gets filled this summer with the front-drive Transit Connect van--a product Ford has been selling in European and Asian markets for six years. Ford rolls out the U.S.