Ls3 Heads 2008 Corvette on 2040-parts.com

Interior Motives Design Awards 2013 deadline this Friday

The deadline for entries to the Interior Motives Design Awards is Friday 12th April. You have just three more days to have your work evaluated by some of the most influential figures in the automotive design industry, including Volkswagen's Romulus Rost and Wolfgang-Müller-Pietralla, and Amko Leenarts and David Woodhouse of Ford. Should your project reach the final round of judging, it will be displayed at a glamorous awards ceremony in Frankfurt on 9th September, the eve of the first Frankfurt Motor Show press day.

Toyota talks powertrain plans

After trailing many of its competitors in the recent engine- and transmission-technology wars, Toyota Motor Corp. will launch a swath of powertrains in the next several years, a top powertrain r&d executive said. Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain r&d, said that Toyota is investing heavily in turbocharged engines, larger displacement Atkinson cycle engines, continuously variable and fixed-gear automatic transmissions, and new hybrid and fuel cell technologies.

Lexus targets the Mercedes-Benz S-class with a sporty LS 460

Lexus has introduced its first sport package on the LS 460 to take aim at the Mercedes-Benz S-class. The flagship LS, redesigned for the 2007 model year, is getting long in the tooth. And Lexus wants younger BMW and Mercedes owners.