License Plate Frame, Larry H Miller on 2040-parts.com

Swedish court rejects Saab creditor-protection plea; Saab will appeal

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected an application by ailing carmaker Saab for protection from creditors to give it breathing space to solve a cash crisis and get funds from Chinese investors. The Vanersborg district court in western Sweden said in a statement on its Web site that there was no reason to believe a new creditor protection process, known as a reconstruction, would work. Saab said in a statement that it is disappointed with the ruling and will appeal the decision.

Ford S-Max (2015) second-gen family favourite spied in USA

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 14 February 2014 16:00 The new Ford S-Max won’t reach UK dealers until early 2015, due to a new Ford supply backlog caused by the closure of the firm’s production plant in Genk, Belgium. In the meantime, Ford is pushing ahead with development of the new S-Max, seen testing here alongside the first-gen model that’s been on sale since 2006. These spy shots come from the United States, where the new S-Max has been spied testing for the first time since its concept car outgoing.

2011 LA Design Challenge entries revealed

As the Los Angeles Auto Show rapidly approaches, the 8th international Design Challenge has been announced. Inviting studios from across the globe to compete, previous years have seen concepts created for environmentally conscious briefs that called for sub-1000lb vehicles through to ‘Motorsport 2025' concepts that reinterpreted motor racing in the semi-distant future. This year sees six design studios turning to the silver screen and creating the next ‘A-list automobile', those being: Honda Research and Development Americas, Inc; Hyundai Design North America; Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America inc.