Toyota Camry Rearview Mirror on 2040-parts.com

Michelin Challenge Design 2009 preview

Michelin has released details of three more contenders which will be displayed at the Michelin Challenge Design exhibit at the 2009 NAIAS next week. The stand will feature 11 scale models and 24 two-dimensional drawings that were selected by a jury of top automotive designers. Among these are Raquel Aparicio’s Soft Vehicle, Fernando Gomez’s Packard concept and Niels Grubak Iversen and David Goncalves’ Phoenix concept.

A look at Toyota future products

Toyota has slipped behind competitors in drivetrain technology and now must play catch-up against the likes of Ford, Hyundai and Mazda. Much of Toyota's lag stems from engineering resources being diverted by the unintended acceleration crisis and other quality miscues in the past two years. Now expect Toyota to focus more on turbocharging and direct injection, and it may even bring a couple of diesels to the United States as part of midcycle changes.

Volkswagen wants you to design a video game car in return for an internship

Volkswagen has launched a new design contest in order to find three students to undergo a six-month internship program at its Wolfsburg design center. In order to prove your worth, you have to design a car that looks beyond the current paradigms of The Car. Think more about how personal mobility – and particularly autonomous cars – will look, feel and interact by creating a new scenario: "Video games have created their own unique medium, devoid of normal design barriers," reads the competition website.