2014 Michelin Challenge Design finalists announced

Michelin has announced the 15 finalists of the 2014 Michelin Challenge Design, themed ‘Driven/Undriven: The Duality of Tomorrow's Automobile'. Their work will be showcased in January at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. A judging panel of automotive designers and industry experts selected individuals and teams from Italy, China, South Korea, Finland, Serbia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala from over 900 registrants from 74 countries.

Maybach, or not Maybach? That is the question.

Maybach - off to Gaydon? Actually, whether to keep Maybach on the Daimler life support system is a question that has taxed the brains of many a Mercedes exec,  almost since the Maybach brand got its revival under Mercedes and turned in to a cross between a stretched old S-Class, a Playstation and a glitterball. Because despite the efforts of Mercedes to position the Maybach above the S-Class – and in to competition with Rolls Royce and Bentley – the Maybach has somehow conspired to be less desirable than the S-Class.

Infiniti M35h GT announced

Infiniti has revealed a new, cheaper, version of the hybrid M35h – the Infiniti M35h GT – which starts at £41,101. We love the idea of modern hybrid technology providing a useful power boost for more performance and better economy, but we don’t like the premium most car makers charge for their hybrid technology. But Infiniti is different, and their hybrid M – the world’s fastest hybrid production car – comes at a very small premium over the equivalent diesel offering, and now it has an even cheaper entry point.