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Michelin Challenge Design announces 2008 jury

Michelin Challenge Design, known for enticing some of the world's most talented up and coming designers, has convened its 2008 panel of judges. The eight automotive design experts met July 16-17, 2007, at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, to select the vehicle designs and concepts for special exhibition at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January. This year marks the seventh year for the international competition with a record 272 individual designers, teams, studios, and companies from over 50 countries submitting full-size vehicles, scale models and computer-generated renderings in support of the central theme, 'Safer.

First Sight: Mercedes-AMG GT

“If I was to buy any sports car that wasn't a Mercedes, it'd be a Porsche 911,” says Mercedes' head of design, Gorden Wagener. “But when you see the two cars together, we think ours has the edge.” He's talking about the new Mercedes-AMG GT, a front-mid engined, two-seater sports car that's unashamedly aimed at higher-end 911s, and we've come to see it at Mercedes' Sindelfingen studio.  The GT replaces the larger SLS, and is seen by Wagener as the best example yet of his 'sensual purity' design philosophy: “The SLS is very much [he gestures] line, line with a surface in between. With the GT we started with the surface and worked to refine and reduce the number of lines.” Elements of the SLS's platform have been carried over, so the GT measures the same 1,939mm wide.

Ford Fusion

NAIAS saw the unveiling of Ford's new Fusion sedan. By adopting the global 'One Ford' design language, Ford is hoping the midsized sedan will build on its D-segment sales with just one product, with this car also replacing the European-market Mondeo. The Fusion is the first production car to adopt the Kinetic 2.0 design language debuted by the EVOS concept at Frankfurt in 2011.