Kawasaki 1981 Klt200a 3 Wheeler Oil Tank on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz scores double wins at German Design Council awards

Mercedes-Benz took home two design trophies from the 2014 German Design Council awards, winning Special Mentions for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class and the Ener-G-Force concept vehicle. The German Design Council traces its history back decades, and every year dozens of experts evaluate more than a thousand entries, with just a fraction of them being automotive designs. This year 30 well-known design experts judged approximately 1900 submissions, assessing a variety of design elements in picking their top choices, and this year a duo of Mercedes-Benz vehicles won the praise of design gurus.

Hyundai reveals i-oniq concept teaser

Hyundai has hinted at its future design direction with this single teaser shot of its ‘i-oniq’ concept car. Further details will be revealed in the run-up to next March's 2012 Geneva show, but judging by this glimpse, the concept will take the form of a large coupe with a hatchback tail. It stops short of the full shooting-brake silhouette, but there’s a hint of Brera in the curvature of its rear end. ‘Two strong arched curves define the silhouette of i-oniq, creating a playful contrast between the sharp character lines and soft but muscular features’ says Thomas Bürkle, Hyundai’s European Chief Designer.

Concept Car of the Week: Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Sport (1965)

Autodelta produced 112 Alfa Romeo TZs between 1963 and 1965. The TZ abbreviation – for Tubulare Zagato – refers to the innovative lightweight spaceframe chassis that kept the weight at an impressive 660kg and assured great performance both on the road and on the track. Out of those desirable TZs, Zagato bodied the vast majority but two of the chassis were also handed to rival carrozzerias Bertone and Pininfarina.