8th L'Argus Design Competition announced

From 1 June 2009, design students will be invited to take part in the eighth annual L'Argus European Design Competition, which this year takes as its theme 'Less is More: Traveling in the Era of Simplicity'. Questioning students on the concepts of mobility and the future of automobile design, this contest - organized by French magazine L'Argus de L'Automobile - will run until 11 December 2009 and culminate in an awards ceremony on 20 January 2010. The competition is open to students attending design colleges within the European Union and Switzerland, including non-automotive courses covering disciplines such as industrial design, fine arts and architecture.

Bentley SUV will be the Bentley Falcon

It looks like Bentley has come up with a name for its SUV – Bentley Falcon - and, as expected, it will get a complete redesign before it arrives. But it now seems that VW has bitten the bullet on the Bentley SUV and signed it off for production, when it will apparently come complete with a new Bentley name – Bentley Falcon. The news of a name for Bentley’s luxury off-roader comes from Georg Kacher writing in Automobile Magazine and, although it perhaps doesn’t resonate particularly in the UK, it will probably have more impact on the target market for the SUV – the Middle East – where the Falcon is a big deal.

Dodge Charger and Challenger refreshed for New York auto show

Dodge is set to unveil a refreshed Charger and Challenger for the 2015 model year. Prior to the debut of the models at the New York auto show next week, the automaker has dropped a few teaser images. First, Dodge has given the front fascia of the Charger a serious redesign, trading the large, upright headlights for sleeker units, also dramatically altering the grille design.