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Chrysler to close Pacifica Advanced Design Studios

The 20 designers at Chrysler's Pacifica Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California will soon be finding themselves out of a job. The struggling North American automaker announced the closure of the facility on Friday, stating that the company is ‘leveraging resources worldwide, forming new joint ventures and alliances and consolidating operations in order to better achieve global balance.' Responsible for many of the more successful designs hailing from Chrysler in recent times, including the Chrysler 300 sedan and the new Dodge Challenger musclecar, the Pacifica Advanced Product Design Center also yielded the Nassau concept car and the Pacifica crossover – bearing the same name as the west coast studios in which it was created. The work done at the Pacifica Advanced Design Center will be consolidated into the Advance Design function in Auburn Hills and continue to be led by Senior Vice President of Design, Trevor Creed.

2013 Acura RDX to start at $35,205

Acura announced on Thursday that the 2013 RDX crossover will start at $35,205 including an $885 destination fee. That's a significant jump over the current Acura RDX, which starts at $33,780 including destination. Granted, the extra money buys you two more cylinders: The 2013 RDX features a new 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 33 more horses than the outgoing model, for a total of 273 hp.

New designs make car buyers happy, J. D. Power APEAL survey finds

Buyers of 2011 vehicles are happier with their choice if the car or truck is a new design instead of a carryover model, according to a survey results released on Wednesday, even though new designs are more prone to quality problems. The Hyundai Equus luxury sedan was the top-ranked car in J. D.