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Behind The Scenes: Hot Wheels Design Studio [w/Video]

Hot Wheels' vice president of design Felix Holst has spent some time chatting to Cool Hunting about the brand's design philosophy at its Design Studio at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo, California, in a new video. According to Holst Hot Wheels has evolved from being focused on muscle cars and V8 engines to being all about technology as a reflection of the new generation they're designing for.  He explains the benefits of designing over 240 vehicles a year that aren't limited by rules and regulations, saying in a studio that's driven by pushing the boundaries, it's a question of just how wild they can get.  The video really captures not only the men's passion for their jobs but the fun they have doing it. Small wonder Holst says he'd never go back to car design, and reveals the studio is packed with qualified car designers who chose Hot Wheels over conventional jobs in the industry.  We also hear from Hot Wheels Car Maker's designer Julian Payne, who explains how the new Car Maker – which gives you the chance to mold your own custom Hot Wheels at home – works.

Nissan wins New York taxi bid

Nissan won the fight for an exclusive 10-year contract to design and supply the next generation of taxis for New York City, starting in 2013. "The new taxis will be custom-designed to meet the specific demands of carrying 600,000 passengers a day in New York City traffic," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday. "The vehicle meets the top priorities identified by the public in our online survey." Nissan was battling Ford Motor Co.

Opel not for sale, GM exec says

General Motors Vice Chairman Steve Girsky says Opel is not for sale. "We're developing plans to make Opel work," he said at the Automotive News World Congress on Tuesday. Opel and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen were mentioned as possible targets of Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who said on Monday he may seek to combine his company with another automaker to increase efficiencies and cut development costs.