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One Lap of the Web: We invented the Miata!

-- Sochi or bust! Is there anything more Russian than driving a Lada Niva to the Winter Olympics? (Flagrant corruption, perhaps.) Documentary producer Vlad Ketkovich calls the venerable Niva "the closest thing to an automotive version of the Russian soul," and we'd wager that the Niva belongs in quintessential Russian-ness next to the Bolshoi Ballet and the movie "Russian Ark." (Or "Ninth Company," if your attention span has been blown to bits.) -- A gorgeous Alfa Romeo ventures into the woods by itself.

Vauxhall Mokka revealed

Vauxhall Mokka With the arrival of the Buick Encore, the Vauxhall Mokka (and Opel Mokka) have also been revealed ahead of their Geneva debut. We must confess, we’d expected the Vauxhall Mokka to be the Vauxhall Mocha. But it looks like GM in Europe have decided to go with the German spelling, so the Corsa SUV will arrive in the UK as the Vauxhall Mokka.

AW Design Forum: Nissan design boss challenges cookie-cutter design

Using provocative words such as “guilty” and “fearful,” Nissan Design America chief Bruce Campbell was blunt in his assessment of the current state of car styling: There's too much sameness. Speaking at the AW Design Forum on Thursday morning in Detroit, Campbell pulled no punches, pointing to the bad economy, global design--and fear--as reasons for blandness in sheetmetal. “We are guilty of this sameness.