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SAIC wins LA Auto Show Design Challenge

China's SAIC, the parent company of Roewe and MG brands (yes, Morris Garages and what used to be Rover), took the top spot in the LA Auto Show Design challenge with its Mobiliant Concept, beating other contestants like BMW DesignworksUSA, Subaru, Mazda, Changfeng, Quoros, and others. The theme for this year's challenge at the LA Auto Show was "Biomimicry & Mobility 2025: Nature's Answer to Human Challenges." Entrants were directed to propose design concepts that integrated the concept of biomimicry into transportation concepts. Quite a challenge and quite an open theme, especially when you consider that last year's theme was pretty straightforward: "Highway Patrol Vehicles in the Year 2025." In 2012 the Subaru SHARC concept took the top prize.

Ford Fiesta not yet in dealerships; dealers and customers get antsy

The new Ford Fiesta small car is either right on schedule or a few weeks late, depending on who's talking. Ford says the car is on schedule for a promised “summer” launch. Ford is shipping the cars this week from an assembly plant in Mexico.

Book Review: Masters of Modern Car Design

Authors Bart Lenaerts and Lies Del Mol Publisher Waft ISBN 978-9081482042 Price €60 Available from http://www.waft.be/ There are surprisingly few books dedicated to car designers and fewer still that scratch below the surface of the slick, sharply-suited PR messages that have elevated today's top creatives to front men of many brands. The guys from Waft see things differently. They first came to our attention with their book Belgian Car Designers, profiling the surprising number of their countrymen holding top design seats.