Shanghai 2013: Conference and Awards events from CDN and Interior Motives

Can Design News and Interior Motives are gearing up for our annual visit to China for a number of important events in the industry's calendar, kicking off with the 2013 Interior Motives China Conference. This year's theme, ‘Technology and tradition – old meets new in modern-day China' features a new highly interactive format guaranteed to inspire and illuminate. Last year's event – timed to coincide with the run-up to the Beijing auto show – attracted over 400 senior OEM designers and Tier supplier executives from around the world, and this one promises to be bigger and better than ever.

Honda cancels V8 program, S2000 and CR-Z convertible, report says

Fun appears to be on the chopping block at Honda. Plans for the successor to the S2000 sports car, a lineup of rear-drive Acuras, a proposed V8 engine and a drop-top built off the CR-Z hybrid are all dead, according to a report in a British magazine. The reason: Honda is rethinking its product plans as it grapples with the global downturn in sales and economic conditions, Autocar is reporting.

Tesla Model S burns in Seattle

A Tesla Model S crashed and burned on Tuesday morning in Seattle. The electric-vehicle manufacturer told Bloomberg that the Model S “collided with a large metallic object in the middle of the road, causing significant damage to the vehicle.” More specifically, the object struck the Tesla's battery. The report worried investors, and Tesla stock fell 6.2 percent on Wednesday.