Vintage American Lafrance Automobile Type Fire Extinguisher W Bracket Porsche on 2040-parts.com

Briefs all in for Car Design Awards China 2014

It's exactly a month since the fifth annual Car Design Awards China's launch and we're pleased to announce all the briefs are in. Created to discover the latest crop of Chinese design talent, this year's contest – open to full-time students studying a design discipline of any kind in China – features briefs from Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Geely, JAC, Qoros and UD Trucks. Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz has asked participants to study the average Chinese family, their lifestyle and habits and design the most suitable Mercedes-Benz car concept imaginable for them in the future.

New Volkswagen Golf: World Car of the Year 2013

The VW Golf MK 7 has been declared World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show, beating Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota to the title. That bunch included cars like the Porsche Boxster, Mercedes A Class and Toyota GT86, so competition was strong, but just as the new Golf had triumphed as European Car of the Year 2013 the Golf was also victorious on the bigger, global stage. It’s the fourth time in five years VW’s cars have nabbed the WCOTY award, with the Golf Mk 6 taking the gong in 2009, the VW Polo in 2010 and the VW Up!

The dog ate my Aston Martin

A 42-year-old Brit gave his dog away after the border collie-spaniel mix chewed the fiberglass fender of his Aston Martin DB9 Volante while he was away from home, the Daily Mail reports. Royston Grimstead, from Somerset, England, told the Mail he was already contemplating giving his dog, Luce, away because she didn't get along with his other dog. Then he came home to find $4,800 in damage to his Aston.