Profile Publications Magazine Issue 81 Featuring Miller Straight Eight on 2040-parts.com

Chrysler to close Pacifica Advanced Design Studios

The 20 designers at Chrysler's Pacifica Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California will soon be finding themselves out of a job. The struggling North American automaker announced the closure of the facility on Friday, stating that the company is ‘leveraging resources worldwide, forming new joint ventures and alliances and consolidating operations in order to better achieve global balance.' Responsible for many of the more successful designs hailing from Chrysler in recent times, including the Chrysler 300 sedan and the new Dodge Challenger musclecar, the Pacifica Advanced Product Design Center also yielded the Nassau concept car and the Pacifica crossover – bearing the same name as the west coast studios in which it was created. The work done at the Pacifica Advanced Design Center will be consolidated into the Advance Design function in Auburn Hills and continue to be led by Senior Vice President of Design, Trevor Creed.

Honda expands recall on airbag inflator

Honda has expanded a previously announced recall for airbag problems of certain 2001 through 2003 model year Honda and Acura vehicles. The recall now includes vehicles that may have had the original driver's airbag module replaced with a service part. The replacement airbag inflators could deploy with too much pressure, causing the airbag to rip, resulting in injury or death, according to Honda.

Audi Urban Future Awards 2010 - Phase 2

Imagine a utopia where digital technology allows for an uninterrupted traffic flow of autonomously driven pay-as-you-go ‘taxis' that liberate the urban landscape from the unnecessary clutter of road signs, traffic lights, parked vehicles and the pollution caused by street lights. This was the winning proposal from Berlin architect J Mayer H who has won the Audi Urban Future Awards. In this visionary cityscape for 2030, the car will transform from being a machine for maneuvering in traffic to a sensorial experience machine – the opened up urban space allowing its inhabitants to appreciate buildings and other monuments overshadowed by sheer traffic and its support systems.