Driver Outside Front Door Handle 01-06 Fit Hyundai Santa Fe 8265026010 on 2040-parts.com

Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

2015 BMW i3 official photos

The BMW i3 has been officially released as of today, simultaneously worldwide in London, New York City and Beijing. The city car is powered by an electric motor producing the equivalent of 170 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The rear-wheel-drive, 2,635-pound car can sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in 7.2 seconds and can achieve a range as high as 118 miles.

Skoda Fabia RS 2000 (2011): the open-air hot-hatch

Skoda is the latest of the VW Group brands to unveil a showcar at the 30th annual Worthersee GTI festival in Reifnitz, Austria. Earlier in the week Audi unveiled their bloodshot-eyed meanie, the A1 Clubsport Quattro concept. Now the value-brand VW makers from Mlada Boleslav have unveiled the Fabia RS 2000.