Minn Kota 110239 Talon Cover, 12-feet, Black on 2040-parts.com

CCS students tackle GM project

Seniors studying Transportation Design at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, Michigan, have recently completed a project with General Motors that has been underway since late 2009. General Motors challenged the students to design an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) that focused on the brand identity of Buick, Cadillac or Chevrolet, utilized the EREV components, and optimized aerodynamic attributes. Design features that incorporated sustainability materials and efficiency were also considered important components of the design development.

Land Rover Defender 90 XS by Chelsea Truck

The Land Rover Defender 90 XS by the Chelsea Truck Company (owned by Kahn Design) is a nice titivation of Land Rover’s iconic off-roader. Kahn Design turn their hand to modifying Land Rovers for the residents of Cheshire, Surrey and Essex – the most recent being the Evoque RS250 Vesuvius Copper – but, under the guise of off-shoot Chelsea Truck Company, Kahn has given the Land Rover defender a bit of a makeover too. Under the bonnet is the familiar 2.2 litre diesel with its adequate 120bhp and 265lb/ft of torque that comes in completely bog-standard setup, but cosmetically Kahn has given the Defender 90 XS some of the frills the regular Defender is missing.

Honda Civic saloon, coupe at the 2011 Detroit show

Honda showed off two new Civics at the NAIAS 2011: the Civic Si Concept Coupe and the Civic Concept Saloon. They're sadly US-market only, rather than related to the European spec models, themselves up for replacement at the end of 2011. Although 'concepts', these two effectively show what will roll into US showrooms in spring 2011.  The blurb is pretty strict on the difference between the American and Euro Civics: 'The Civic Si coupe and saloon Concepts are US-only design and will not be sold in the UK.