CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition 2014 now open!

Car Design News and General Motors are pleased to announce the 2014 edition of the CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition is now open for entry. This is the fourth running of the contest that challenges the design students of North America to create GM's future, with the guidance of professional designers and fellow students. Up for grabs are six, three-month paid internships that offer the chance to work alongside GM's design teams at the world-famous Tech Center in Warren, MI.

Honda Odyssey has more room, more stuff

The redesigned Honda Odyssey minivan, scheduled to arrive in dealerships this fall, is lower, wider, roomier and more aerodynamic than its predecessor. It also will have more standard features and will be priced about the same as the current model. Exterior design never has been a big factor with minivans.

2012 Nissan NV hauls the goods

On the vehicular-evolutionary chart, full-size cargo vans haven't progressed much beyond the shag-carpeted, porthole-windowed, rolling disco lounges of the 1970s. Not a bad thing for obvious reasons, unless you're a tradesman or anyone else whose business requires a heavy-duty box on wheels to haul tools, equipment or goods. Enter the 2012 Nissan NV (Nissan Van), directed at what Nissan found was the least-satisfied segment of automotive customers.