Concept Car of the Week: Bertone BMW Pickster (1998)

The creation of new niche products is an ongoing process for car manufacturers and sometimes combining different segments into one can provide a popular solution. Nowadays, all these mongrels are usually categorised under the same label ‘Crossover', which doesn't mean much anymore a part perhaps for an artificial off-road appearance. But back in America's sixties, the combination of a pick-up's functionality with the style and driving performance of a sports car became so successful that it created a whole new segment.

Fourth annual World Automotive Design Competition winners announced

The fourth annual World Automotive Design Competition was hosted by the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Ontario, on February 17. Students were asked to design a world car that has universal appeal. Christophe Charbault, a design student from the Ecole de design at the Universite de Montreal, won the first prize of US $10,000.

GM’s Henderson offers a ray of hope for Sky, Solstice

There appears to be a slight glimmer of hope for fans of the Saturn Sky and the Pontiac Solstice. CEO Fritz Henderson said that General Motors would be willing to sell its Wilmington, Del., plant, which builds the Sky and the Solstice--two eye-catching performance cars--if a buyer specifically wanted those niche products, similar to what Chrysler offered with its Dodge Viper business.