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Driven: Volkswagen Passat CC GT

Elegant and refined. Forty years ago these two words would not have been used to describe the Beetles bought in droves by the counterculture in the US; a symbol of the hippy movement and the definitive people's car, designed at a time when Germany sought to put people in motion. With the Passat CC, however, Volkswagen is indeed making a sharp move away from the ‘volks wagen', and these two words rolled off the tongues of those who saw the car in all three countries we drove through on our winter holiday.

Aftermarket Car Plug-In Hybrid system developed (video)

The Department of Engineering Technology at the Middle Tennessee State University has developed a plug-in hybrid retro-fit system for cars. As hybrid cars show the world that we can get more miles to the gallon from fuel by adding in an electric motor to the mix (depending on just how that electricity is generated, of course), it was inevitable that aftermarket solutions would eventually surface. Now, the Department of Engineering Technology at the Middle Tennessee State University has popped up with what they claim is an after market plug-in hybrid system that can be added to just about any car and would cost – assuming it gets to market – around £2,000.

Report: Interior Motives China Conference 2009 – Day 2

After a boat trip down the Huangpo River in the evening of the first day to give delegates and speakers a chance to mix more informally, it was soon time to get back on with the second day of the conference. This saw a speaker and panel line-up including experts from Lotus, Bertone, Geely, the Royal College of Art, Tsinghua University and Art Center Pasadena, covering sessions as diverse as environmental design, better car design education and brand identity. Session 5 - Eco design future This environmentally focused session was kicked off by a thoughtful speech from Nathan Mullinix, VP research and development for leather supplier and conference sponsor Eagle Ottawa.