Mini wins 'Car of the Year' award

THE BRITS finally enjoyed some success this summer as the latest Mini was named Auto Express magazine's Car of the Year 2014 at a lavish ceremony in London’s West End. This third-generation version of the Mini is built in Oxford, with engines made in Hams Hall near Birmingham and body panels coming from Swindon. As well as winning the overall Car of the Year Award, the Mini was also named Best Premium Small Car.

Say Chevrolet--not Chevy--GM tells employees

From racetracks in the heartland to the iconic strains of “American Pie,” one word--Chevy--has transcended class and culture and helped raise the bow-tie brand to the lofty status as one of the most recognized in the world. But now, one of the most blue-collar and singularly American marques is going formal: General Motors has told its employees to use the world “Chevrolet” instead of the commonly used “Chevy” nickname. An internal memo distributed this week directs workers to use the official name in all communications, from official duties to simple conversations.

Design Contest: Local Motors and Shell announce 'DRIVEN' [w/video]

Local Motors, the open-source car design community, has announced its latest competition. Working in collaboration with Shell Oils, the DRIVEN contest is an acronym for Design of Relevant and Innovative Vehicles for Energy Needs. Entrants are asked to create a car for one of five cities: Amsterdam, Bangalore, Basra, Houston or Sao Paulo.