Car Design Awards China winners head to Coventry University

Two Car Design China Award 2012 winners won the fantastic opportunity to spend two weeks in Coventry's Automotive Design department. We headed to Coventry to find out how Cao Chengang, a Tongji University graduate, and Gao Zhigiang, currently studying at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, are finding their time in the UK. After shaking off their jet lag they rolled their sleeves up and began an intense project under the watchful eye of the Art and Design school's senior lecturers.

Aston Martin DBRS9 (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 11 January 2008 12:52 Two famous names will unite for the 2008 Le Mans 24hrs. Aston Martin will return to Le Sarthe to defend its GT1 crown and this time the cars – numbered 007 and 009 – will be in Gulf Oil colours. The evocative orange and eggshell blue DBRS9s will compete 40 years after a Gulf-liveried car first won Le Mans.

Ownership costs of traditional versus alternative fuel vehicles

As gas prices remain high, and an increasing number of automakers roll out plug-in hybrid cars and full-electric vehicles, it's becoming easier to be tantalized with the idea of driving right past the gas station and simply "plugging in." The debate ensues when it comes to cost: These alternative fuel vehicles mean a larger outlay of cash at the onset, but the long-term fuel savings could make the purchase worthwhile. To help straighten out this numbers game, we use the Department of Energy's Vehicle Cost Calculator to compare alternative fuel vehicles with their gasoline-only counterparts. For each scenario, we assumed that our hypothetical owner was able to get the full $7,500 federal tax credit and a $2,500 state tax credit, such as is available in California.