Q&A: David Townsend, GM global design director, user experience

GM's new design director of user experience, David Townsend, has only been in the job just over a month. But with a remit extending to the interface design of every vehicle in GM's global portfolio, his influence will soon be widespread. After graduating from Art Center with a degree in transportation design, Townsend interned for Toyota but soon moved to Motorola, where he developed wearable Bluetooth technology and designed the familiar headsets worn by coaches in the NFL.

Geely’s Rolls Royce clone gets de-cloned

The Geely GE Facelift - no longer a RR Clone It’s amazing how much things have moved on in the last twelve months. A year ago we reported that China’s Geely had become the latest Chinese car maker to produce a complete rip-off clone of a Western car, in this case a clone of the Rolls Royce Phantom. The Geely ‘Phantom’ even sported a  single seat  ’Throne’ in the back so the owner could feel really important in his Chinese version of  a Western plutocrat’s carriage.

Michelin Challenge Design announces 2009 jury

Michelin Challenge Design, one of the world's top design competitions, has announced its panel of judges for 2009. The distinguished group of automotive design leaders will meet in July at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, to select the vehicle designs and concepts for special exhibition at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next January. This year marks the eighth year for the international competition.