Design

2021 PRIOR DESIGN Porsche Taycan Widebody

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Just some drool-worth images and official press release on this beauty!  Since driving Taycan Turbo down at Amelia Island Concours 2020 I am a huge fan and this design upgrade is sure to increase the car’s already-amazing curb appeal even more. These are just the renders and they already make me weak in the knees!  Cannot wait to see the real thing. 2021 PRIOR-DESIGN Porsche Taycan Widebody PRIOR-DESIGN PRESS RELEASE: Wide body kit for the Porsche Taycan www.prior-design.de Porsche’s four-door all-electric sports car gets a ferocious appearance Tune an electric car? You can’t do that – or at least nobody would …

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Design Talent Showcase – 2025 McLaren Monaco – Front-Engine GT By Nathan Malinick

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On the eve of McLaren’s latest road car reveal at Villa d’Este tomorrow — here is a masters-thesis design project from a rising star of the car business. Its premise? A front-engine GT car from McLaren.  Named the Monaco, nearby where Macca will unveil their cushiest road car yet. But this concept is no strategic counterpoint. This design was finalized last year so it is just a delightful convergence of ideas in the motor universe.  From the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, to Woking, and back. “I finished this project before the release of the McLaren Speedtail last fall …

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Concept Flashback – 2011 Unimog 60th Anniversary Design Concept

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While we’re in the Unimog mood, here is a fun look back to the recent past for the 60 Years design concept. This sought to strip the Unimog to its core, function-required elements. Enhancing the insane wheel travel and semi-flexible chassis with showy red springs visible easily through the giant front fender/hood combination. Deconstruction and modernization are the clearest themes visible in this design. The bodywork is pared to the bare minimum, while the roll cage for the passenger cell becomes the only structural element of the open-air cabin. Similarly flowing new frame rails swoop upward around the rear suspension …

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Mercedes-Benz G-Class INFERNO by TopCar Design

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We were famously unimpressed by the new G-wagen’s lack of visual impact when it was first released.  The new panels all around barely made a dent in updating the machine! Time was warmed our impression of the redesign — which was more focused on interior and performance upgrades, while deliberately keeping the exterior style almost frozen in 1979. TopCar Design to the rescue! The new aftermarket options for the latest G-Class generation are quite comprehensive, functional and visually exciting on such a big beast of a truck.  There are dozens of aero tweaks and detail modifications in carbon-fiber throughout the …

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ECD Auto Design Shows New Defender 110 Azure Custom w/ Lux Upgrades + 430HP V8

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This latest custom Defender 110 from ECD Automotive Design pushes alot of my buttons.  First off, it is already completely finished, is in the USA, and has a huge list of mods and design tweaks. Most exciting is the engine swap to a GM crate LS3 making more than 400 ponies and sent to the wheels via a six-speed automatic. No word on pricing for this one-off but links below for more info!   ECD Auto Design Defender 110 Azure ECD Automotive Design – Project Azure Specifications Model – Custom Defender 110 Engine – 6.2L LS3 V8 with 430 hp Transmission – 6-speed automatic Exhaust – Borla Performance …

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2018 SALAFF C2 Supercar Concept – Best of Pebble Beach – 30-Photo Gallery

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Very rare double best-of winner for the Concept Lawn of 2018 Pebble Beach Concours! The Salaff C2 wins most arresting face by a mile, and also scores wildest concept tail! Very fantastic design ideas virtually pouring from all the C2’s aggressive cutlines. Carlos Salaff is already a favorite designer for many car buffs.  He is the man behind the ill-fated Mazda Furai concept, which was a 450HP rotary LMP2 racecar as well as 2040 design preview. This latest exercise is a grass-roots, hand-crafted effort from the artist’s base in Italy.  Humble-ish underpinnings from a Gallardo do nothing to tamp my …

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2019 McLaren SENNA GTR – Best of Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018

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The McLaren Senna is already such an insanely aggressive and unique new hypercar.  Its looks instantly make the entire Lambo and Ferrari lineups seem hopelessly dated. The raw energy from these sliced and diced panels hardly needed a racing upfit.  But here we are. This Senna GTR is absolutely shocking in its design brutality. The functional nature of the aero additions are makes them even more interesting and beautiful to the eye. Check out this nose — not just the usual surfboard chin splitter here, oh no. What they’ve done is remove any air-blocking flat surfaces from the nose.  What …

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Design Talent Showcase – P1 Phenom Hybrid – Le Mans WingTire Concept

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  Here is an eye-popper of a design concept!  The racecar of the future packing micro turbojet engines on each side.  And tires made of carbon-fiber turbine wing blades.  Packaging of the driver within a central translucent pod / teardrop is almost the most subtle piece of this beauty. P1 Phenom Hybrid is imagined in partnership with Michelin and Embraer — tire and aircraft experts.  P1 Phenom is best in exploring how racing will look with jet propulsion: beyond axles and contact patches for traction. Cheers Carlos Carvalho! Follow him over on Behance here. https://www.behance.net/gallery/41172119/P1-Phenom-Hybrid-Le-Mans-(Michelin-top10) P1 Phenom Hybrid – Le …

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Update1 – 2017 Lamborghini Terzo Millennio

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Updated with high-res photos. Lambo just whipped the wraps off the newest, hottest Lambo yet: the Terzo Millennio.  This third wave hypercar aims to make electric exotic.  And make it sexy. Tough ask! The new Lambo TM aims to revolutionize materials and packaging to go even more mid-engined than Aventador or Centenario.  Cab farther forward.  More extreme rakes to all glass.  And extreme aero taking more precedence than beauty.  We see Lambo’s wild pipedream of what their flagship might be in 2025. Only fairly lousy images and no tech specs available yet.  Watch this space for better materials when available. …

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Designer Showcase – Changha Lee – Peugeot Lumie LMP1 Concept

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Changha Lee has created quite a storm with this molten bullet of a racecar.  Insanely long and nearly melted in its surfaces.  But full of strategic aero and functional slashwork where needed.  It is quite a fetching design story as well.  From initial ideation to engineering skematics.  Then onto photoreal renders and even a scale model. THe Lumie Peugeot design is so charming in its simplicity.  No doors with just a hinged canopy windshield to let the central driver get in position.  The flexing, superheated flow of the design extends far over the rear axle.  A super longtail with carved …

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Design Talent Showcase – The Most Expensive Cars: Budget Edition – By Aksyonov Nikita

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Oh the joys of steelies!~ Stamped steel wheels were the lifeblood of the car business for its first century.  They were cheap to produce, cheap to fix and stronger than most potholes.  Sure, they weighed a metric tonne each.  And this made handling bouncy or soggy in feel for drivers. What is today’s most expensive rides swapped their magnesium, titanium-alloy, carbon-fiber or forged aluminum for steel wheels? No hubcaps allowed, but we’ll maintain the 20-inch sizes on many of these OEM exotics.  Chiron, Regera, Superfast and more — all rolling on iron steamrollers. What else is Nikita up to? Vulcan …

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Concept Flashback – 1990 Renault Laguna Roadster

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Concept cars serve a variety of purposes in the auto business.  They can be helpful as a grand pronouncement of new ideas — even if those are years away from the showrooms of real life.  They can also be a grand distraction.  Or a grand way to bring halo hotness to a dull lineup. And most of all, they are perfect as blank canvasses for designers to express themselves.  Take a simple idea, like a two-seat cabrio, and take it to its wildest brainstorm conclusion.  In the case of the ultra-curvy Laguna concept, this meant a mid-engine turbo four driving …

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Concept Flashback – 2006 Renault Nepta

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You can always count on the French manufacturers to bring some real concept heat.  Perhaps it is the rotation between Frankfurt and Paris.  Whenever it is back in Paris, the brands really go all-out to pack the house. These concepts generally run the gamut of production-unlikliness.  From never-ever to never in a million years. So with no limits but the need to define a next-gen surface language and design theme, what kind of car would you use?  A grand cabriolet, of course! Four giant seats but just two butterfly doors.  These bring the entire bodyside up from central hinges on …

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2017 MINI John Cooper Works GP Concept – Design Analysis

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MINI fatigue is undeniable lately as an enthusiast and for car shoppers alike.  The improvements are so substantive, but the design and image seems frozen in time.  Most of the time. Then rumbles up a track-attack prototype so extreme that even it hates being a hatchback.  It hates that its breadvan shape lacks the low nose of a supercar or the mid-engined silhouette. So this JCW GP concept rejects its limitations.  It says: i will create extreme downforce and aero — hatchback shape and all.  It does not accept that front-drive is a demerit on the Nordschleife. Floating external fenders …

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2017 Pebble Beach Concours – CONCEPT LAWN – PART TWO

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We’re back with another round of simply gorgeous photos fresh from The Lodge at Pebble Beach. Seems our previous “all 12 cars” headline really came back to bite in the ass?! We forgot some notables. More pics of the Fux 720s, VW ID Buzz, the Italdesign Zerouno, Pagani Zonda Roadster Exclusive Evo, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, and last but not least, the Infiniti Q60 Project Black S. A few more glamor shots of the Prototype 9 and Vision 6 included for good measure. Bonus points if you can spot Horacio Pagani (aka the Head Dude at Pagani) and Gorden Wagener, the …

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2017 OKUYAMA Kode 0 – Tech Specs + World Premiere at The Quail

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Here is a true dreamcar if there ever was one.  A modern expression of the Gandini wedge design ethos that ruled the supercar world for decades. But leaner, cleaner and more functional under Okuyama’s pen. This machine is ostensibly a one-off created by Ken Okuyama Cars, but a micro-batch of customer cars are possible with style like a Stratos Zero or Ferraro Modulo! It is a masterpiece of linearity.  But with nice overlapping layers that give depth to the front bumper, lower windowline and multi-material tail.  Part of this square rump is notably decorated with chrome brightwork, while the edges …

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2017 Lincoln Continental 3

2017 Lincoln Continental 3.0T AWD Black Label – Road Test Review

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Welcome to a future where the Lincoln Continental has the grace of a Bentley.  It has cabin comfort worthy of a private jet and a backseat to shame most Mercedes. Impressive?  That barely does the Continental’s first impression justice. We spent a week getting to know the machine inside and out.  Learning the delights of cooled and massaged comfort in all four corners of the machine.  And flinging the Continental out of corners with unreal speed thanks to the Focus RS-style torque vectoring AWD system.  Of course, the whole time, surfing full throttle of 400HP/400 pound-feet of torque from the …

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6 Ways the 2019 Aston Martin VALKYRIE Is Next-Gen Bonkers

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Whisper it, but Aston is on a serious roll lately. The launch sales of DB11 are strong and Vanquish is holding its own versus Bentley and Porsche.  All two dozen copies of the halo 2016 Vulcan track star sold out in days, and the future of the DBX SUV is on track for arrival in summer 2018 to stores worldwide.  From a brand new factory in Wales, of all places! Sure, Rapide and Vantage are showing some age, but will be rejuvenated fairly soon with new AMG turbo powertrains. And then we have this masterpiece.  The collab with Red Bull …

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2017 TOPCAR Porsche Panamera 971 Stingray GTR Edition

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  Never shy about modding a hot Porsche! Larte Design has a menacing makeover in store for the new-gen Panamera 971 series. This dramatic exterior makeover from the crew who make the incredible 911 STINGER is called something similar: the STINGRAY. This widebody spectacular shares nearly no panels with the stock Panamera.  The smoothly slowing fender extensions and reverse breather vents make the Stingray GTR into a super touring car!  With four doors and 24K gold interior detailing, of course. The bodywork is all available as bare or painted carbon and the kit comes in just below $30k in total. …

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LARTE Design Launches Carbon Kit for MASERATI LEVANTE

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Larte Design has a new set of carbon-fiber goodies to dress up one of the world’s hottest new trucks: the Maserati Levante. These make perfect gifts – even to yourself! — for DIY car guys and gals.  Why?  No heavy lifting here or intense bodyshop skills needed to mount these properly. The extra CF bits and bobs (about nine in all) extend the factory spoilers just a touch deeper for added sporty coolness.Sounding like a fanboy here but nobody does stick-on carbon fiber as nicely as Larte Design.  The chin spoiler, side spats and mirror caps are elegant and appear …

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2018 KIA Stinger GT AWD 8

2018 KIA Stinger GT AWD – 4.8s, 167MPH Stats Confirmed – 31 Photos

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The Stinger GT from KIA is the dream on wheels.  Four-door fastback with a rear-drive chassis and huge twin-turbo power.  So many dreams, in fact, that the car’s giant trunk will actually come in handy right away.  In what is a clear confirmation of the car’s production-ready status, the power operation of the liftgate up or down is Panamera-esque.  Audi A7 and the A5 Sportback also form strong core templates for the Stinger.  This German-designed and German-engineered machine headed to KIA showrooms for under $50k in the next six months. Black chrome laces the bottle-nose front fenders and the extremely …

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540HP BMW M2 ClubSport by Dähler Brings S55 M4 Engine Swap

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The main gripe that purists have with the M2 is that its engine is not, technically, a BMW Motorsport spec engine.  It still makes monster power but is less able to cope with sustained high G forces than the M4’s S55-series motor. Daehler (or Dahler) of Switzerland now has a three-pack of custom M2s as showcases of their tuning skills.  The standard coupe, an M2 Convertible (!) and now this M2 Clubsport.  With the S55, it is the “CS competitionline.” Parts can be shipped worldwide for local installation, or they will happily sell you a complete vehicle as well.  That might …

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2017 Mercedes-Benz Concept A – Debuts Fresh Design in Shanghai

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This new Mercedes-Benz concept feels a bit disingenuous.  On the one hand, we have a clear look at the next CLA-Class compact sedan.   But on the other, we have a heavy-handed effort to link this piglet with the 4-door AMG GT Concept.  Aka, the full hog. AMG GT CONCEPT Actually, we take most of that back.  The look of this Concept A is endlessly charming.  Its new LeMans-type grille with vertical slats meets ultra slimline LED headlights.  Wide intakes below leave no doubt as to how turbocharged and speedy MB’s always are. Could the LEDs up front be even …

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1957 Jaguar XKSS 716 at Amelia Island Concours 16

1957 Jaguar XKSS 716 at Amelia Island Concours [41 Photos]

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A ‘racecar for the road’ is almost cliche these days in how often it describes sports and supercars.  But this XKSS was a revolution in its time: it added bumpers, road lights and a luggage rack to the LeMans-dominating speed of the XKD.  Of, and a windshield, softtop and side glass! But beyond these detail mods, the XKSS is pure racecar. In person, its otherworldly curves and body flow are spectacular to behold.  The curt front end metal wraps the oval intake and glassed-in headlamps with no flab whatsoever.  Just like a bubble flying through the universe.  But this bubble …

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2018 Range Rover VELAR World Debut w/Video

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Hey handsome! Check out the latest and greatest Range Rover in history: the new VELAR!  The RR Velar is another genius product that fits the five-seat super-sport SUV niche.  Yes, there was open space for new customers above the Evoque bu below the seven-sear Range Rover Sport. This Velar is set to hoover them up.  Next-gen powertrains and tech abound – but there’ll be time for all that later.  First things first: how gorgeous is it? VERY!     An ultra-streamlined new aesthetic for the bodywork hugs the ground like no Land Rover before.  The ultra wide track appears straight …

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2017 Lexus RX350 – Design Analysis Video with 40 New Photos

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Here are some very pretty photos and an informative video walkaround of the best-selling Lexus RX.  Count the vehicle as a solid follow-up to the smooth, comfy and quiet Lexus crossover hero.  As dull/proven as the powertrains are, it is really the exterior design of the new RX350 that future-proofs such a familiar machine. The cabin will seal the deal among previous owners not wild about the new full-frame grille!  It is much more luxurious and one of the smoothest-riding SUVs we’ve ever driven. For a half-dozen more articles and drive reviews of the Lexus RX, be sure to check …

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2.9s, 646HP 2017 Novitec MCL57 McLaren 570S

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Novitec does McLarens!? Yessirs.  In addition to RR and the Italian exotics, Novitec is bringing their tuning madness to the McLaren 570S.  Ostensibly the tamest car out of Woking so far, these mods prove there is a fierce force with this baby Macca. MCL57 is pretty catchy as a name, too.  MCL by Novitec sounds nice too.   Here are 37 mouthwatering photos.  Each one better than the next.   2017 Novitec MCL57 McLaren 570S NOVITEC now also refines the sports cars from McLaren   Start with the McLaren 570S: engine tuning to up to 475 kW / 646 hp, …

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Audi A6/S6/RS6 Widebody! PRIOR-DESIGN PD600R Is Hot New Aerokit

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  The RS6 might not have crossed the pond to the USA, but now you can one-up that flagship via a massive new aerokit from Prior Design.  At least in terms of pure curb appeal, this PD600R widebody will make any A6 or S6 a fastlane king. Check out the gorgeous new PD600R in its element around Monte Carlo via the gallery, plus an itemized upgrade list and links to buy below that. PRIOR-DESIGN PD600R Widebody Aerodynamic-Kit for AUDI A6/RS6 With our PD600R Widebody Aero-Kit installed, the car is 8cm wider on the front & 10cm at the back. Complete …

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VIDEO: 2017 Ford Focus RS RX – Project RX Episode 1 – Design and Development

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            FORD PERFORMANCE RELEASES “PROJECT RX”: BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE FORD FOCUS RS RX DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY The Ford Focus RS RX was designed to be the ultimate rallycross vehicle in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Collaborating with UK-based M-Sport and Hoonigan Racing Division, Ford Performance engineers implemented the same high-tech instruments and procedures used on production vehicles to develop the Focus RS RX for competition. The first of a four-part documentary, episode one of “Project RX” highlights the design and development of the vehicle between Ford Performance headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, and the M-Sport …

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LARTE Design TESLA Model S P85D Elizabeta Redline 20

Power Surge! LARTE Design TESLA Model S P85D Elizabeta REDLINE

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PART TWO: The Redline Look! 50 more gorgeous photos from Larte Design of their Tesla Elizabeta mods.  This time at a heavy industrial site.  The heaviest industry of all, in fact! What’s that?  Nuclear power…!  No cooling towers needed for this Tesla’s hot black and red look. Tesla is wiping the face off the Model S for its first facelift, but we think Larte Design’s new bumpers and aerokit are far sexier.  Please enjoy a thorough look at the Larte ‘Elizabeta’ upgrades in this posh shopping photoshoot!  The parts are available in three materials, with the top carbon-fiber/basalt combination said …

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LARTE Design TESLA Model S P85D Elizabeta Mods Are Hot!

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  Tesla is wiping the face off the Model S for its first facelift, but we think Larte Design’s new bumpers and aerokit are far sexier.  Please enjoy a thorough look at the Larte ‘Elizabeta’ upgrades in this posh shopping photoshoot!  The parts are available in three materials, with the top carbon-fiber/basalt combination said to be stronger and much lighter than traditional fiberglass.  The nose and tail is the most upgraded, to our eyes, but the sill extensions, spoilers all around and exposed-weave carbon elements are deeply sexy throughout. The upgrades from Larte Design are pretty reasonable, in terms of …

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2018 TESLA Model 3 – Design Analysis, 50 Images and Flyarounds Inside and Out

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This is not going to be a boozy lovesong about Tesla changing the world. As you have probably seen from the deluge of media coverage, the Tesla Model 3 arrived just after dark in SoCal last night, to much fanfare and fanboy eagerness. Initial reaction: horror. Horror and revulsion. Why, oh why, Tesla, if you can change the world and make the best EVs of all time… can you not realize how ugly the new Tesla models have become?  It is in the details like the formless faces, the bloated rooflines and the generic detailing of the Model X, the very-tired-looking Model …

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MANIFESTO Wins Ferrari Top Design Challenge 2015

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Ferrari crowned the winner of its latest Top Design Challenge recently… and it is not the one you would think! Nor the one with the most votes online.  The popular vote went to deEsfera, but the unanimous jury selection — MANIFESTO — came in fourth online.     MANIFESTO by ISD-RUBIKA out of France was the absolute winner of the challenge.  The judges loved its fully-developed powertrain, cabin packaging and innovative inside-out appearance for the floating rear canopy.  This giant space between the rear wheels and the inner chassis/engine compartment appears to have been the defining design element adored by …

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Design Talent Showcase – Alfa Romeo AW30 by Olcay Tuncay Karabulut

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  Some fantastic, out-of-this-world designs to feature today from Turkey! Olcay Karabulut’s Alfa Romeo AW30 design takes a look into the future of renewable-powered racecars.  And not just coal-fired EVs… this AW30 hopes to hit 200-mph around the world’s racetracks thanks to two constants: sun and wind. The solar component is intended as the solution under 100-mph, after which it synthesizes energy via dedicated turbines.  This might sound far-fetched, but is certainly worth exploring.  If only for the unique design solutions it inspired. The proportions take a radical shift: much longer and lower than current F1 cars.  Next, the intakes …

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2010 BERTONE Pandion for Alfa-Romeo Is Next-Level Brilliance Inside and Out 30

Hall of Fame – 2010 Alfa Romeo Pandion by BERTONE

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We obviously cover a lot of concepts and dream cars here, but rarely does one captivate the eye and mind more than the 2010 Bertone Pandion. BERTONE: COMPANY SITUATION ANALYSIS First things first: Bertone (pronounced ‘Bear Tony’) is currently restructuring after some lean years in the Italian car business drained its corporate accounts to breaking point. Is this any way indicative of the quality of the firm’s design work? Absolutely, positively not. In fact, it is because of Bertone’s amazing ideas that the firm branched back into actual car factories versus just dreamy, steamy concept cars and prototypes. Full-scale production …

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PRIOR DESIGN Ferrari PD458 AeroKit – Looking Gorgeous on New Rosso Corsa Example

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New photoshoot of the PD458 aerokit from Prior Design! This time, we see the non-widebody version with a set of lovely 21-inch VOSSEN VPS-306 forged wheels. Continental tires and a slight height drop from the H&R springs complete the look.  Clearly, this aerokit is a winner with or without the extended PD458WB fenders. Check out the latest lipstick-red hotness — and how-to-buy info — below..   PRIOR DESIGN Ferrari PD458 AeroKit – Red Prior Design can make some of the craziest, most-exotic customs look absolutely flawless. Truly factory-fresh in appearance, the Prior Design upgrades are a fabulous treat on any supercar. But the …

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Porsche MACAN PD600M Widebody by Prior Design – Chopster Looks, Easy Pricing

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  Prior Design is a favorite for the gorgeous enhancements they provide to a huge range of exotic cars.  The Macan is a fave too!  Any SUV that can do an accidental four-wheel-drift when making a U-turn is a hero car for us!!   And you are forgiven for thinking these customs are $100k or more atop whatever the base price of the car is — a la Brabus or Mansory, among others.  Those firms are known for one-off and bespoke carbon-fiber creations, full fender swaps and general re-engineering on a very dramatic scale. Prior Design is more of a …

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Top 10 SUPRA-Tastic Design Details – Toyota FT-1 Concept + 88 NEW Photos

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NEW FT-1 photos?  Yes ALL NEW…? Sortof. We posted these originally on laptop in Santa Cruz, and the results were iffy.  So we went back to the originals, starting again and bringing the FT-1’s details to high-res glory! The most striking things about the FT-1 in person are its captivating beauty, extremely long-hooded proportions, and intense aero detailing. A stunning car. Let’s appreciate its top 10 design details from up close. The design of the FT-1 is visibly alive.  Functional ventwort in a dozen places around all side brings the wild, swooping fenders and hood into sharp relief.  The aero cuts and ground-effect details make …

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2016 Opel GT Concept – RWD Turbo Triple Under Sexy, Blown-Glass Exterior Design

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Opel is trying to get its mojo back.   The German firm and its Vauxhall twin have taken a pounding in the last few years in terms of desirability and brand affinity. This Opel GT aims to realign the firm with modern Euro values and driving ideals. Best place to start? A lightweight purist’s special! This Opel GT’s design is what will make a big splash, but we like what is underneath even better. A front-mid mount for the turbo 1.0-liter triple sends power to the back wheels.  Simple pleasures! A six-speed sequential manual and 8.0-second sprint to 60-mph are …

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Road Test Review – 2016 Buick REGAL GS

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  We want to love the Regal GS. Its looks are crisply European, as is its dashing corner grip and unflappable high-speed poise.  But remember the old Pirelli slogan “Power is nothing without Control” ? Well, the Regal GS inspires a flip in that phrase: Control is nothing without powerrrrr. Since writing up our first test impressions of the 2015 Regal GS with “Deeply Disappointing” in the headline, we have had more than ample chances to change our tune. An invite to a Buick Regal GS track day appeared out of thin air, and then a fresh 2016 model for …

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Own the ONLY 2016 Aston Martin DB10 – SPECTRE Hero, Vulcan, DBX and DP-100 All Slightly Awful, Though

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The DB10 is finally available to buy! But not for you.  =] Just ten of the bespoke 007 rides were created ahead of the film. It was not immediately clear if that ten included the movie stunt cars, or how the ten DB10’s would be sold. We now know.  Eight were used to film the movie, while two stayed in pristine and brand-new condition. Aston is keeping one of the new cars for itself to enjoy.  And that last one? Up for grabs!  Christie’s auction house is selling the DB10 on February 24th to benefit MSF, or Doctors Without Borders …

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2016 Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition is UK-Only Sport Special

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  Pretty hot new pack of Jags on the prowl for UK shoppers: the 2016 British Design Edition.  Wearing all the sexiest options and four special colors, the BDE is offered in hard or soft-top form, exclusively in the 380HP AWD with the new eight-speed automatic paddle-shifter.   2016 Jaguar F-TYPE British Design Edition JAGUAR LAUNCHES F-TYPE BRITISH DESIGN EDITION 05/01/16   IN BRIEF Exclusive F-TYPE British Design Edition based on the 380PS V6 S enhances the F-TYPE’s multi award-winning design and features a wealth of additional equipment as standard Coupé and Convertible body styles Available in four colours: Caldera …

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Design Analysis – 2014 SEAT Ibiza CUPSTER

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The 2014 GTI Wörthersee event brought out a few exciting concept reveals: including this very playful Ibiza. If any car’s namesake location points to its mission, it would be this concept!  Why?  Ibiza (say: eeee-beee-thhaaa) is the Cancun of Europe. Sunny party people flock to this semi-trashy island resort to escape the grey, rainy winters across Europe.  They dance to all the latest club bangers, contract some STDs (worth it!), then march home — back to the real world. Would this CUPSTER make sense in just resort mode, or in real life? It does not really matter: the car is …

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2017 Jannarelly Design JD1 is All-New, Rear-Engine Exotic from Talent Behind LYKAN HyperSport and Zarooq Sandracer

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WHat happens when two of the most skilled talents in bespoke supercars come together?  Fusing design vision, carbon-fiber production and a bit of marketing magic? The JD1 from Jannarelly Design! This is a fantastic bit of absolutely breaking news: Anthony Jannarelly is a clear favorite of ours since obsessing over his crisp, layered aesthetic as seen on the W Motors Lykan and Fenyr, plus the recently-revealed Zarooq SandRacer. This new venture pairs Jannarelly with Frederic Juillot, lead at Equation Composite, to make their own supercar vision a reality. A look behind the curtain of the two Frenchmen’s lives shows that their …

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BENGALA Auto Design – Widebody Boutique Prelaunch Gallery

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Gorgeous needs no introduction… Some delicious visions from the talented Bengala Automotive Design in Madrid today, with the LF-A, P1 and Huracan widebodies particularly stunning.     BENGALA Auto Design – Widebody Boutique Prelaunch Gallery   Bengala Automotive Design S.L. is a privately owned Company dedicated to the Design & Customization of High-end Luxury Vehicles. Our market is currently segmented in two different areas, Luxury and Semi-Luxury. Brands which compose this first segment include Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche. While our Semi-Luxury Projects cover brands such as Mercedes-AMG,Audi and BMW. Today we work with customers in Europe and Middle East. Our expansion …

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FCA 2016 #DriveforDesign Contest Seeks Teen Input on 2025 Dodge SRT Hellcat!

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On the heels of Ferrari’s very promising design challenge for 2015, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles just launched its multi-playform FCA Drive for Design contest. The objective for all entries is to envision a 2025 Dodge SRT Hellcat — and is limited to high school students in grades 10-12, sophomores to seniors.  The goal is to see what tomorrow’s design talent would do with the 2025 Hellcat in a no-limits world of the future. Will it be an open-wheeled racecar with tandem double cockpit? Or a mid-engine exotic like the SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo? 2015 SRT Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo Or …

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Ferrari Design Challenge 2015 – Vote Your Future Hypercar Style!

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Ferrari has been crowd-sourcing design ideas and talent since at least 2005 — with many of the ideas for the eventual LaFerrari sharing at least something with the design-student scale models and renders. This was after Ferrari pulled the marquee hypercar design contract back in-house from Pininfarina. ‘Crowd-sourcing’ is not really a fair description of this Design Challenge effort, though. Why? These entries are not ‘loser-generated-content’ from the public — but near-finished and highly thought-through prototypes.  So more of a creative shootout than simply hive-mind idea cultivation. For the 2015 contest, Ferrari switched the script in a few ways. Ferrari …

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2016 Audi R8 LMS – New Open-Aero Design Analysis, Specs and Pricing

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The new R8 is big news, of course, for supercar shoppers. Three models are set for the US range: the R8, R8 V10 and R8 V10 Plus. All sport AWD as standard and curb weights of 3500- and 3600-pounds. America will miss out on the limited-release R8 E-Tron but we will definitely see the fifth family member: the nearly unbeatable 2016 R8 LMS. This factory racecar is already outselling the existing model among dozens of top-tier sportscar racing teams. The reasons are simple: it is faster than ever thanks to cunning new aero and mechanicals. The biggest changes versus the …

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2017 Volvo S90 Reveals Slinky New Limo Shape, 400HP T8 PHEV Drivetrain

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Volvo is on a huge roll!  The new XC90 led a 26-percent sales gain for the month of November 2015, and the momentum is just getting started. The next step is this all-new S90 luxury sedan.  All-new and competing with A6 and even A8, this new Volvo limo is an exceptionally promising replacement of the aged S80. The new S90 runs all-new chassis, exterior, interior and powertrain — making it a near clean-sheet approach to the next generation of large Volvos.  The powertrains and much else is shared with the exceptional new XC90: this includes the standard T6 turbo engine …

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300MPH 2018 BUGATTI Spyshots, Renderings and Design Analysis

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The Bugatti Veyron took more than 10 years and ~10-billion dollars to make real for its 2005 debut. The vehicle development started with the VW W12 NARDO/SYNCHRO prototypes before taking on a life of its own via stratospheric performance dictates from the very top of the Volkswagen Group. 1000-horsepower and 250-mph. Great in theory, surpassed in practice!   The next-generation Bugatti supercar has a great running start by using many components and skills long-honed for the first Veyron and its SuperSport and Vitesse models since the launch spec. Even so…. this long intro is basically a warning: do not get …

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2016 OKUYAMA Kode9 Coupe (Production Model) 6

2016 OKUYAMA Kode9 Coupe – Production Debut, Tech Specs and Detailed New Photos

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We love these gorgeous exotics from ex-Pininfarina man Ken Okuyama. They were the darlings of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show — even nabbing headlines from the big OEM displays thanks to their alien design, exotic measurements and production intent. Nearly finished the below article before we discovered the Lotus link under the skin of the Kode9 Spyder and Coupe. At the time it seemed like a writeoff of a few hours effort… only to have major bait/switch feelings. Since that distant original article went out (40 hours ago), however, we have a bit more perspective.  And more info to share …

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2016 Ken Okuyama Design KODE9 Spyder – Bespoke Japanese Exotic, or Triple-Price Knockoff?

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For all of Japan’s hard-earned prestige in the car-making business, there are few to no supercar startups emerging from this island nation full of automotive talent. Perhaps this speaks to the export-centric nature of the industry, or to the plethora or superb global hypercars among which to choose for your fast drives around Fuji speedway and others. And again still, perhaps the native driver mentality is simply conservative and hyper-urban. Being stuck in traffic in a $200k exotic is just as boring as being stuck in traffic in a Honda S660 ragtop, or perhaps an MX-5. Few would doubt Japan’s …

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HD Road Test Review – 2016 Lincoln MKX – Tops New Lexus RX with Style, Power and Panache

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Lincoln MKX beats Lexus RX. You read it here first! True story. As one of the only car reviewers to have driven both 2016 models, we are surprised to report that the MKX is the better machine. First Drive Review – 2016 Lincoln MKX What a difference a few years can make! If you had told me in 2005 that Lincoln would be making globally-competitive cars, four SUVs and debuting exclusive tech like the new 3.0-liter V6TT making 400HP in the 2017 MKZ, we would have laughed right in your face. Sure, Lincolns have been “okay” for a while now …

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LARTE DESIGN 2016 Infiniti QX80 Missuro is Whitehot in New Image Set + Animated LED Demo

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The QX80 has been a favorite of Larte Design (and ours!) for years. LARTE has been designing aero kits for the 400HP supertruck in many forms since 2011 or so. This is their baby. So of course, when the 2015 model debuted in Pebble Beach with a plush QX80 Limited pack and new LED lighting, the LARTE folks were quick to take note. Since those first QX80s started turning heads in Monaco with wild styling mods, Larte has expanded globally — with Cali and German offices doing great tunes on the Lexus LX570, Merc GL, Tesla Model S, QX60, QX70 …

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LARTE DESIGN 2016 Infiniti QX80 Missuro Debuts New Dual-Mode Exhaust + Rotora 8-Piston Brakes

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The QX80 has been a favorite of Larte Design (and ours!) for years. LARTE has been designing aero kits for the 400HP supertruck in many forms since 2011 or so. This is their baby. So of course, when the 2015 model debuted in Pebble Beach with a plush QX80 Limited pack and new LED lighting, the LARTE folks were quick to take note. Since those first QX80s started turning heads in Monaco with wild styling mods, Larte has expanded globally — with Cali and German offices doing great tunes on the Lexus LX570, Merc GL, Tesla Model S, QX60, QX70 …

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Bentley Continental GTC by PRIOR DESIGN – Aero Kit Delivers Fresh, Sexy New Style

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Wow. Has it really been since 2003 that the world has enjoyed the Continental GT? Indeed!  The original model ran until 2011, replaced a in 2012 with updated details and tech all around. But unless you are in one of the hot recent models, like the GT3 or the SuperSport, your Conti GT might need a bit of updating. This kit appears to fit all generations and models of Continental. Prior Design’s three-piece kit is as effective an update as we have seen, especially for the pricing of the Duraflex pieces — which are a tenth or less than full …

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2015 Nissan IDS Concept is Autopilot EV with Sharply Stylish Aero

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Here is a pretty interesting concept car from Nissan for the Tokyo auto show: the IDS. This rolling showcase shows the latest Nissan vision for a sporty, ultra-efficient battery-electric vehicle of the future. One might think of this as a superLeaf, as well as a look at the tech expected to underpin the redesigned ~2017 Leaf. The major upgrades are everywhere: exterior design is all-new and aggressively sleek in the wind tunnel. The cabin is a future-tech fantasy of touchscreens and AI controls, including a fully autonomous drive mode. Under the actually-pretty-stylish nose and its extreme lower splitter, next-gen LEDs …

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2016 Audi R8 V10 Copper 7

2016 Audi R8 V10 in Satin Canyon Copper Wrap by HplusB Design

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This brand-new Audi R8 started life black, but has been reborn in a custom satin color by its new owner. The beauty of the new lines and fender details are really brought to life with this no-sheen Satin Copper Canyon wrap, expertly applied by HplusB Design of Germany.   2016 Audi R8 V10 Copper FULMINANT AUDI R8 by HPLUSB DESIGN In concern with car wrapping with all its aspects, the HplusB Design Company at Monheim on Rhine stands out in the center of attention. All foiled by the team of Michael HIBGEN and Patrick BARTH vehicles are a clear expression …

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Design Analysis – 2015 Renault COUPE CORBUSIER Is All-New Flagship Concept

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Shades of brutalism, yet light on the inside and accented with with fantasy curves. The description of the iconic Villa Savoye country house in France neatly applies to almost all Le Corbusier’s creations. The architect is a legend in modernism, a movement that prioritized livable interiors, created with advanced industrial construction methods leaning heavily on steel and concrete. The idea of Villa Savoye being a legendary cabin in France just epitomizes the era of its design. Cold-war emotions were running hot, while WWII and its mass destruction of France inspired a clean break in the national mood.   Villa Savoye, …

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2016 Tesla Model X – Mouth-Watering Tech and Speed; Sleeker Nose for $140k 7-Seater

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Watch this on The Scene. WIRED drive video embed alpha Tesla unveiled the Model X last night with some seriously impressive tech specs, cabin features and range estimates. But first: the nose. This is the biggest and most dramatic change versus the near-production models previewed at SEMA and elsewhere over the last three years. Replacing the gloss-black grille shell is a smooth one-piece painted bumper. Just a sliver of black grille remains up at the hood edge. This black grille houses the sharp Tesla T badge, making a point into the bodycolored bumper below. EXTERIOR The look is quite unique …

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PRIOR DESIGN Ferrari 458 Widebody AeroKit 11

PRIOR DESIGN Ferrari 458 Widebody AeroKit Now Shipping!

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Prior Design can make some of the craziest, most-exotic customs look absolutely flawless. Truly factory-fresh in appearance, the Prior Design upgrades are a fabulous treat on any supercar. But the Ferrari 458 Italia wearing 2.4-inch wider front fenders, an all-new aero tray with LaFerrari-esque single upright, and racing flics all around? A nose to write home about, for some. Around back, the PD458 makeover is even more extreme: a width stretch of 4.7-inches makes room for giant 21-inch rubber and custom alloys. The overall impact is stunning — a true racecar for the road.   PRIOR DESIGN Ferrari 458 Widebody …

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Mazda KODO Design Wins 3 Automotive Brand Awards from German Design Council

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      Mazda just had a very eventful week in Frankfurt: three Automotive Brand Contest awards for the CX-3, KODO Bike Concept, and grand prize for the KODO Design language. Very impressive results. It looks like the Mazda Design ‘Car as Art’ installation at Milan design week this Spring left quite the impression on the German Design Council, the award sponsors. Held in Frankfurt, the awards capped off an eventful week in Deutschland: they unveiled an all-new concept car. The Koeru concept reveal shows upmarket ambitions as a full-size SUV with gorgeous lines and sporty handling. Along with the …

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JAGUAR 2016 Model-Year: Big Price Cuts + $35k Base for New XE25t Rear-Drive Sedan

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Jaguar’s transition to aluminum has been a godsend for playful and fun handling. Even the big XJ can be thrown around with verve. The flipside of the lightweight alloy? Price, of course. Luckily, Jaguar is adjusting its 2016 USA lineup’s pricing. Big chops in list prices are not really in the calculus — the max cut is around $3k — but better standard equipment will take much of the sting out of the options list. Aluminum is currently at six-year price lows as the global commodities slump takes hold — so this is not pure altruism on Jaguar’s part. Jaguar …

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2016 BMW 340i M Sport and 330d xDrive in 150 New Photos

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A big round of updates for the BMW 3 series range! The changes bring new LED lighting front and rear, a PHEV model called 330e, and the new 340i badge to replace the 335i. This update reflects an all-new turbo engine up front. The 3.0-liter inline-six is now dubbed B58 versus the previous N55. The new engine has a just of 20 horsepower up to 320, with a torque mountain of 330-pound-feet coming on from just 1350 RPM. That is one eager motor! The US range includes a 320, 328i or 328d and new 330e featuring plug-in hybrid technology. A …

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Prior Design Turns Audi A5/S5/RS5 Into Credible Sport Quattro via PDA500 Widebody Aero Kit

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  One more gorgeous widebody special to get the Citroen DS4 out of our systems… =]   Now that we have seen the 2016/2017 A4 , it is clear that the Audi mid-size models will be around in the current style for years to come. This is hugely disappointing for a variety of reasons.   Audi Sport Quattro But current owners of the A5/S5 and RS5 should not despair — there is actually a painless way to get the Sport Quattro Coupe Concept design cues today, The A5 PDA500WB conversion is one of the more stunning we have seen in …

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2015 BMW M235i Convertible by DÄHLER Design & Technik 3

390HP, 4.0s 2015 BMW M235i Convertible by DÄHLER Design & Technik

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The Swiss have a wild reputation for custom cars — one that is totally at odds with the national psyche of quiet, law-abiding mountain folk. When the need for a custom-tuned machine from BMW or Weismann is in your sights, Daehler is a smart choice for holistic upgrades to power, stance, grip and overall performance. The M235i Convertible is a fantastic upgrade to the massively fun and massively fast M235i Convertible. But this time with an extra 90 or so horsepower, a thrumming sports exhaust, and exterior design tweaks to turn up the car’s aggression beyond M Sport. With all …

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Jaguar ACCD Finals 4

Jaguar Design Talent Shootout – ACCD Finalists Show Fresh Big-Cat Ideas

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The first styling bucks are in from Jaguar’s new California design partnerships. Art Center College of Design (ACCD) and Academy of  Art University in San Francisco (AAU) design internships will give these future car-designers great executive critique, plus contacts. Typically near the end of a design masters, the ideas shown here as the ACCD Finals will end up on the road. Not intact… but the ideas and aesthetic these designers show will inform 2020-2025 models. That being said, we are usually mystified by design bucks…. But none here really screams ‘winner’ and future Jag. Yet. But with time and tweaks… …

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2016 Toyota LAND CRUISER Sports Fresh Design and Big Tech Upgrades

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  Toyota’s loveable Land Cruiser is fresh for 2016 with a variety of cool updates to the style, performance and luxury inside! The Land Cruiser is all new from the A-pillars forward, with a much larger and truckier grille than the current model. The two-piece intake element now includes thick chrome bars extending into the headlamps. It is clearly a much more butch appearance all around, thanks to that grille and the new domed hood. The upper hood now wears a deep rounded edge between the engine cover and the fenders. A dip in the middle of the hood flows …

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2016 Honda Accord Coupe Touring

2016 Honda Accord COUPE Shows its Fresh, Sexy Design in 50 New Photos

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Updated 8.11.15 The Coupe joins the Accord reveal today! Did you do a double take on first sight?? We did… perhaps for the first time in years for an Accord Coupe. Shown in the top-spec V6 Touring trim level, the new Accord Coupe is vastly more attractive than the frisky and fast — but dull-looking — existing model. The Coupe looks really striking with all its new LEDs and styling upgrades – especially up front, where it is far more serious with black chrome in place of the sedan’s normal brightwork. The nose look is similar to the Accord Sport …

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See VOSSEN Design and Build VPS-306 Alloys for Mercedes-AMG GT S in 180-Pic Photo Essay

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  Here’s a really cool look behind the scenes at Vossen wheels. How are custom wheels designed and tested for an all-new model like the AMG GT? This photo essay takes us on a step-by-step trip through the process of upgrading the factory rims. How shockingly tiny do the factory wheels in comparison with the end results?! The engineering and laser measurements of the inner wheel wells and axle hubs are the most critical bits of knowledge for Vossen’s CAD-CAM designers. Once these parameters are set, the firm can custom-cut any design or style of wheels to fit any AMG …

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LARTE Design Lexus LX570 Alligator Bodykit Brings Exotic, Designer Feel to VIP Fave

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  Considering that the Lexus LX570 is the ride of choice for VIPs worldwide, the exterior of the truck is remarkably demure. Yes, the updated 2014 factory LEDs and grille design help distinguish the LX570 a bit from its Land Cruiser cousin — but where is the visual punch, the sex appeal and pure aggression of the hottest Cayennes, QX80s and Mercedes SUVs? For an LX570 that will take you (*and your family!) safely into and out of hot zones around the world — while looking exotic, exclusive and even more expensive than ever — the Larte Design ‘Alligator’ pack …

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PRIOR DESIGN Makes MB S-Class Into Cold-Blooded Apex Predator Inside and Out

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We’re becoming pretty big fans of Prior Design. The custom bodykit house brings a unique style to each of its models, without getting caught in some of the fairly tired ruts of the BRABUS or Mansory style. This S-Class might not be the firm’s trademark widebody style — but it still packs a wallop of visual aggression and exclusivity. Prior Design excels at fairly affordable upgrades that are some of the first-to-market for new exotic cars. Their preference for a composite duraflex material also means they can complete orders in a tenth the time of the carbon-fiber alternatives. Despite that …

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Prior Design G-Class Aero Kit 14

Prior Design G-Class Aero Kit Now Offered as a Widebody

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 Sometimes it seems like there are more customization programs for the G-wagen than there are actual G63’s in the world. Why is this such a popular model for posh custom overhauls outside and in? Our theory is that the type of owner is naturally a wild extrovert already – so giant wheels, bumpers, hood, fenders and LEDs all fit the personalit type nicely. They are also generally super wealthy, too, which always helps sell merch. Secondly, the G-Class is a fantastic starting point for customizers. Its block-chic design and frozen bodywork make it the perfect candidate for sporty bumpers, extra-wide …

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PRIOR-DESIGN PD6XX Widebody for BMW 650i and M6 Will Scare Friends/Neighbors

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The goal of a really outrageous bodykit and aero upgrade should include terrifying small children and worrying neighbors. On that count the Prior Design BMW 6 series definitely delivers! Few Bimmers outside or GT6 or DTM look this ridiculously macho and testosterone-rich. The duraflex/fiberglass kit is quite comprehensive – with numerous pieces sold together or a la carte listed below. Not making each piece from CF custs the cost of the kit down 80-percent, we’d estimate. It also means the panels are somewhat flexible and pliable. This will save much heartache over high speedbumps! While the demo car is the …

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Mercedes-Benz A-Klasse (W 176) 2015

2016 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Refreshed With New LEDs, Fascias and Adjustable Drive Modes

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Mercedes-Benz revealed the fresh A-Class this weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed — showing off the new AMG A45 among its brothers like the new G500 4×4-squared and the AMG GT-S. This refresh for the A-Class updates the nose and tail designs with fresh fascias and LEDs. It is particularly convincing from the back — where even the entry-level A180 and A250 have a much sleeker appearance. The look blends the best of hot-hatch proportions with the fast and low-roof wagon style we always love. A big mechanical change for the nw A-Class are adaptive and adjustable dampers, controlled …

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Maserati 975 Ernesto Concept by Maurice Maschmeyer 2

Design Talent Showcase – 2019 Maserati 975 Ernesto Concept by Maurice Maschmeyer

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Pasadena College of Art and Design is just the finishing touch on a thorough artist’s education for this month’s student designer, Maurice Maschmeyer Maschmeyer is a native German speaker fluent in English and French as well. An recent Italian immersion will make him a quadruple threat linguistically. In terms of automotive and industrial design vision, Maschmeyer has an interesting eye for beauty and a sweeping, holistic aesthetic that previews next-gen hypercar styles. Graduating in 2017, Maschmeyer will leave California to take his aesthetic and automotive design skills into a major OEM, and onto a street near you a year or …

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2015 Discovery Sport KAHN Design Exterior 14

KAHN Design Works Magic on New 2015 Land Rover DISCOVERY SPORT

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Before the all-new Disco Sport even arrives in the USA, the style gurus at KAHN Design have already worked their magic on the seven-seater inside and out! The cabin is possibly more impressive than the metal outside on this first tuner upgrade of the hotly-anticipated new Land Rover — with a full wrap in natty red alcantara for the touch points of steering wheel, door cards and dash console. A matching tomato-red leather refitting brings quality and panache to this cabin that the family-oriented factory truck can’t dream of matching. Outside, the tweaks for the KAHN Design Disco Sport are …

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2015 UP Design Mole Construzione Artigianale 12

2015 UP Design MOLE Construzione Artigianale – World Debut in 45 Photos!

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Welcome to Umberto Palermo’s latest exotic: the Mole Construzione Artigianale. Quite a mouthful of a name, and one that must be pronounced with Italian flair to feel its impact! Molè (Mo-lay) Cunstruzione (Cahhn-struuu-zzi-oh-nay) Artigianale (aharr-ti-zi-ohh-nah-lay). How are those for phoenetics! Molè references a local building in Turin, while Construzione Artigianale loosely translates to bespoke creation. Long intro! But the mood of this new hypercar needs no words. Stunning from all sides. It is a deconstructed and deeply sexy take on the modern high-performance ethos — but adds the joy of creation via details unlike anything else on the road. A …

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2015 Torino Design WildTwelve Concept 3

2015 Torino Design WildTwelve Concept Debuts at Parco Valentino

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Exciting supercars galore at this week’s Parco Valentino Gran Premio. A blend of design expo, luxury showcase and car show — this ‘Goodwood South’ just wrapped up a fun week at Turin’s magnificent Valentino Castle. Torino Design revealed a very interesting new concept, the WildTwelve Concept. This is a carbon-chassis exotic with bespoke design and engineering inside and out. A hybrid V12 lives behind the cockpit, yet this machine is in the same size class as the Huracan or Ferrari 488. Primarily a design showcase, the Torino Design WildTwelve is not headed for production any time soon. But it is …

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First Look: 2016 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Debuts New Performance Design and Fresh Cabin Tech

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  The Jetta GLI is new for 2016, with a design that actually looks (kinda) new! Hooray! The current Jetta is a bit of a joke in the car-enthusiast community. On sale since the beginning of time immortal, the vehicle is stale and dorky and nerdy. Not even a default “hot chick” car at this point. It is more like a jumbo Corolla — but with atrocious mechanical and electronic gremlins present from day one. It is heavily, heavily decontented to achieve a base price point of around $20,000, and this overall de-cool-ification unfortunately drowns out the fresh 1.8-liter turbo …

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray PDR700 Widebody Prior Design 2

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray PDR700 Widebody Kit from Prior Design is Just $8k

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PART TWO! This supercar cycle certainly also applies to the COrvette Stingray – especially with the arrival of the king-dong Z06 atop all standard C7s…! Not included in the PDR700 pricing below? This fantastic cabin upgrade. Every surface wrapped in quilted leather or real suede, plus carbon-fiber detailing throughout. All those gorgeous Range Rovers and S63’s that get torn apart inside for a tuner seem so silly. But the C7 interior — nicer though it is than ever before — can still be pretty dour and plastic-fantastic. Ooof. But what part of this PDR700 might be worth skipping? Those round …

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Ferrari 458 Widebody By Prior Design 3

Ferrari 458 Widebody By Prior Design Adds FXX K Design Cues

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Being a supercar owner is hard work! You place your deposit or even lock down a full order, then you wait for months and months for the master elves to create it and send it your way. The day finally comes: you have never felt more alive! But then a year or two passes. Other supercars have come out since your beauty arrived. And heaven forbid, a complete redesign of the model or even a facelift can make your $350,000 showpiece feel a bit yestertech. This is the perfect time to pull the trigger on some sweet custom mods. Prior …

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Prior Design PD750 Widebody Nissan GT-R 12

Prior Design Launches Widebody Aero Upgrades for R35 Nissan GT-R

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Five pieces to heaven with this one! Prior Design’s latest upgrades are for the R35 Nissan GT-R — giving it a fresh and mean new look from all angles via new bumpers, sills and fender flares. The PD750WB kit is actually pretty trendy and chic, despite the matte black wrap on the Monaco example shown here. There is a cool street-racer ethos with the style of flare — with angular and expressive fender tops, but carved-out and aerodynamically friendly lower fender elements. Its cool. The bumper up front is also incredibly effective at upping the GT-R’s visual aggression. These pieces …

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AMG SLS Widebody 900GT By Prior Design Is Radical Design Upgrade

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Holy hell! Get a load of the latest badass bodykit for the AMG SLS: the Prior Design 900GT Widebody. The kit comes in around $30k and consists of two dozen new body pieces — which come ready to paint as standard, with CF available. the four-part front bumper including the four lateral gills the six-part front wings, the two-part bonnet with air inlets the likewise two-part side skirts including blade the four-part rear wings the two-part rear bumper including diffuser the five-part rear valve spoiler As you can see, the effect is almost unreal on the SLS as a 2015 …

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Design Epicentrum Supercar Office Desks - Bugatti Veyron 1

Race to Work in New Bugatti and Lamborghini Office Desks from Design Epicentrum

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Here is a fun and unique new toy for the boy inside all businessmen! Full-size office desks with the nose of an iconic supercar sounds like a dream come true. Workmanship is highly detailed and well-executed, with internal grilles, radiators and headlight optics created in detail. Design Epicentrum is the company, with a HQ in Gdańsk, Poland. The firm is let by Piotr Marek Smolnicki, a cool young guy with engineering, urban planning and industrial design degrees. The cars available are the Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Murcielago or Lamborghin Gallardo. Individual colors and some customization is available — with a commensurate …

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4.6s 2016 BMW 340i xDrive and new Plug-in 330e Lead Refreshed Range

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A big round of updates for the BMW 3 series range! The changes bring new LED lighting front and rear, a PHEV model called 330e, and the new 340i badge to replace the 335i. This update reflects an all-new turbo engine up front. The 3.0-liter inline-six is now dubbed B58 versus the previous N55. The new engine has a just of 20 horsepower up to 320, with a torque mountain of 330-pound-feet coming on from just 1350 RPM. That is one eager motor! The US range includes a 320, 328i or 328d and new 330e featuring plug-in hybrid technology. A …

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LARTE Design Range Rover Sport WINNER Takes Monaco in 73 New Pics

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Updated 5.5.15 The Larte Design WINNER kit for the Range Rover Sport is now available to order!  Who would have thought… seven items to make any RRS so cool and stylish!? There are no shortage of custom upgrades for the new Range Rover Sport, but this latest kit from Larte Design is instantly one of the most distinctive. A gloss black dip for all the trim elements and the new alloys sets the tone, while new bumpers front and rear are fresh and angular like the best supercars.A new pair of white LED DRL’s live in the lower intakes, and …

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Tesla Model S by LARTE Design – Gorgeous Exterior Makeover in 60 Photos!

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When you drive a $100,000 car, you have dozens of fantastic options — supercars, limo’s, SUVs, you name it. But once you are hooked on the spooky-fast Tesla Model S, it is hard to go back to a regular 911 or AMG. But how to update the Model S details to match the coolness of other cars that can hit 60-mph in under four seconds? The Model S just needs a few tweaks to dramatically up its style and road stance. Larte Design’s new bodykit elements create a fairly stunning transformation via just a dozen pieces. The front bumper is …

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2015 Volkswagen C Coupe GTE Concept 17

Updated With 18 New Photos – 2015 Volkswagen C Coupe GTE Concept

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Updated 4.21.15 With 18 New Photos VW + China = Love   You probably know that Chinese car buyers love VWs and they love limousines. Seems like a perfect opportunity to combine the two into a stylish market-leader, right? Perhaps. The VW Phaeton has indeed been a relatively big hit in China, which is the car’s leading/only market along with Germany. Phaeton ≠ S-Class But there are three big issues with the Phaeton achieving big sales in China (or anywhere else…): 1 — it is ancient inside with very, very poor technology compared with the new S-Class 2 — its engines are …

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2015 Volkswagen C Concept GTE 20

2015 Volkswagen C Coupé GTE Previews Phaeton Replacement

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VW + China = Love   You probably know that Chinese car buyers love VWs and they love limousines. Seems like a perfect opportunity to combine the two into a stylish market-leader, right? Perhaps. The VW Phaeton has indeed been a relatively big hit in China, which is the car’s leading/only market along with Germany. Phaeton ≠ S-Class But there are three big issues with the Phaeton achieving big sales in China (or anywhere else…): 1 — it is ancient inside with very, very poor technology compared with the new S-Class 2 — its engines are too large and draw massive VAT …

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2010 Peugeot SR1 Concept 23

Concept Flashback – 2010 Peugeot SR1 Roadster Brought Beauty Back to Lion

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French auto giant Peugeot has made some real stinkers over the years — especially years starting in two-thousand. The face of the brand from around 2005 to around 2012 was a horrifying ghoul of a scream mask. Looking like it wanted to eat anything that got within its gaping maw, there was real shock among auto buyers at how amazingly fugly Pugs had become. Paired with notoriously long front overhangs, the grille graphic was the last etch on the Peugeot design coffin. The SR1 Concept roadster from 2010 was a firm pivot away from that hideous look.  It was a …

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2008 Citroen HYPNOS 35

Concept Flashback – 2008 Citroen HYPNOS Was X6-Sized Missed Opportunity

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  This 2008 Citroen concept is best known for its melted candy interior – with a swirl of wild colors looking a bit like a bag of Skittles left of the dashboard of a car in direct sunlight. But in fact, this crossover was one of Citroen’s first attempts at a soft-roader. Powered by a 2.0-liter HDi turbodiesel making 200-horsepower to the front wheels, plus a hybrid electric setup with 50HP for the back axle. The crossover and SUV space presented and still does present a fantastic opportunity for mass-market brands to achieve premium sales they all crave. Evidence? How …

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Scion iM 11 copy

2016 Scion iM Debuts in NY With Focus Size But Fiesta Pricing

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  Scion just rolled out two brand-new 2016 models for the subcompact and compact segments — with this iM hatchback being the firm’s shot against the Kia Forte5, Ford Fiesta and Chevrolet Sonic. The single-trim entry price of below $20,000 is set to be fairly well-equipped and roomy versus the rivals mentioned; the iM is almost the exact same size as the Ford Focus and VW Golf. But those expecting a credible threat to those car’s performance might be underwhelmed. The chassis seems fairly promising with a double-wishbone independent rear suspension paired with sport-tuned electronic power steering. Big rubber and a standard …

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1953 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000CM Shows Origin of 2015 4C Nose Design 25

1953 Alfa Romeo 6C 3000CM Shows Origin of 2015 4C Nose Design

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Alfa Romeo has such a deep catalog of sportscars, it is natural to wonder if the 4C’s nose design pulls in some heritage cues. We suspected it did, but could not pin down exactly which car inspired the Alfa shield in oversized, vertical form — combined with twin intake jellybeans on either side. What shape are those extra grilles!? Pointed toward the edges of the nose, but rounded around the grille section. It is a fantastic look on the 4C. In person, this new Alfa is absolutely brilliant. Gorgeous. Versus the chrome treatment on these 3000CM grilles, the 4C employs …

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2015 ED Design TORQ Concept 40

2015 ED Design TORQ Concept Racer Is Unusual, Conflicted Design Study

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  This is a curious one. The ED Design TORQ concept from Geneva 2015. A product of a growing Italian design consultancy, this concept is a look at future automated race-cars. The most curious parts of the car are two: — a total lack of glass. The view out is via surround-view cameras projected on an inner wrap-around screen projection. — the seating for two and steering wheel These two traits do not really match each other. A lack of glass makes sense when only sensors are controlling the driving action. But with passenger and a driver, monitors seem like …

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2016 Hyundai Tucson 3

2016 Hyundai Tucson Impresses in 25 New Geneva Pics + Advanced 48-Volt PHEV

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Updated 3.6.15 With 24 New Photos The new Hyundai Tucson looks really, really cool in Geneva! Can you believe this compact SUV will compete with the Nissan Juke and Fiat 500X? It just seems so much larger and more substantial. In fact, it is actually quite wide for this new generation, but still has the compact length needed to make it easy to park and drive in cities around the world. We are also impressed to see a 48-volt hybrid version on the stand. This four-fold leap in transmittable power is a big architecture change in the car world, and …

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2015-02-24_201223

Cool Gift Ideas – NOMO Design Auto Icon Screen Prints Show History and Evolution of Famous Car Makes

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  What to do for interesting and informative wall decor between the teenage years of Blue-Tac posters and the mid-life oil on canvas? How to keep you automotive passion visible, brand loyalty powerful and left-brain active … without dusting off those old Porsche posters? These new screen prints from Chicago-based NOMO Design are a fantastic way to relive the evolution of iconic brand styles every day. Highlighting the major design features of BMW noses over the last 80 years? Fantastically interesting, relevant and stimulating to all car-guys and gals. Jerome Daksiewicz is the designer behind this project, which is on …

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2016 Skoda Superb 6 copy

2016 Skoda Superb Revealed in Prague With Audi A8-Rivaling Roominess and Superior Design?!

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Skoda is very proud of the Superb, their flagship of the line and packing a gigantic back seat that is in the same league as the standard-wheelbase A8 limousine. How and why is this possible in a car that is priced under the VW Passat? How comes down to the mass-market MQB chassis componentry and lack of an aluminum-spaceframe chassis or alloy bodywork. Front-drive is the name of the game, but this is also a side benefit. The trunk is bigger than any Audi sedan. Why? That is a bit more complicated. Think of the Superb as the Phaeton of …

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