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CES: GM to open the dashboard to developers

At last year's Autoweek Design Forum, father of the iPod and Nest Labs co-founder Tony Fadell suggested that automakers concentrate on designing and building cars, leaving handset makers to handle infotainment. The latest announcements from Ford and GM -- in conjunction with the International CES -- suggest that automakers would rather treat the dashboard space as a handset. Yesterday, Dearborn, Mich., announced the Ford Developer Program, which opens up Sync to outside application development; now General Motors has announced a similar initiative.

Opel hires 2011 CDN-Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition winner

Opel has taken on the winner of last year's Car Design News – Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition, Victor Uribe, to work as the latest addition to its creative design team. Uribe, a Transportation Design graduate from Istituto Europeo Di Design in Turin, Italy, emerged as the winner in the exterior design category for his submission, ‘Lounge in Motion', and won himself a six-month internship at the Opel/Vauxhall's European Design Studio in Rüsselsheim, Germany. "I met fantastic people who taught me a lot and helped me to refine my design skills.

One last hurrah: the 1994 MG RV8

It's tough to imagine the British car scene in North America without the MGB, which remains a popular starter classic and is available in every price range imaginable--and some price ranges that aren't. The iconic MGB was in production from 1962 until 1980, an entire era that saw relatively few changes introduced to the well-proven design. The marque itself was overseen by three corporate parents during those 18 years on the line: BMC, British Motor Holdings and, finally, British Leyland.