Design

A British company has a colourful plan designed to help drivers keep their focus on the road. Highways England, a UK Government-owned company, is planning over £15 billion worth of purely visual improvements alongside the country’s highways over the next three years. Translation...Read More»

As much as humankind hungers for variety and change, there's a part of us that appreciates consistency. We cherish having our tailgate cookouts at the same spot before every home game, we love the soup that our great aunts make for Thanksgiving, even though it's not as good as it used to be -- all...Read More»

Infiniti has some grand plans. It’s taking the brand global, and to do that it’s completely redoing its product line, with a total of nine models expected in the next couple of years. Getting some smaller models into the lineup—like the QX30 crossover, closely previewed by QX30...Read More»

A refresh due for the 2016 or 2017 Nissan Sentra still won't include a hatchback model; but it will wrap in the sporty, more expressive look of the new Nissan Pulsar hatchback, which made its debut this past week at the Paris Auto Show. Neither the Pulsar nor the performance-oriented Pulsar NISMO...Read More»

Automotive styling tastes can be more fickle than fashion; and it only takes a quick look at how cars are seen as a sort of extended fashion statement here in the U.S. to understand why. ALSO SEE: 2015 GMC Yukon Video Road Test Most shoppers want a vehicle that fits in, yet one that stands out just...Read More»

It looked for a few years like compact and mid-size pickups were a dying breed. But with the introduction of an all-new Chevrolet Colorado this next year, along with a new-generation Honda Ridgeline under development, this portion of the truck market could rebound. That’s right; Honda today...Read More»

Visit any auto show, and you'll see plenty of concept cars. Most will leave you feeling "meh". Like, "These designers had the time and the money to dream big, big, big, and that's what they came up with? I weep for the future. Hey, does anyone want Jamba Juice?" Then there are the select few: some...Read More»

J.D. Power has just released its highly anticipated 2013 Initial Quality Study, and on the whole, it contains plenty of good news for consumers and automakers alike. However, it also signals a major shift in the way that we relate to our vehicles and what we expect of them. The study is based on...Read More»

Car models are refreshed about every seven years, and just before the "new and improved" versions debut, many dealerships offer discounts on outgoing models. Which raises an interesting question: would you rather get a good deal on a new car that's built on a seven-year-old design, or would you...Read More»

At the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan has revealed a daring crossover design concept that previews a potential direction for the next-generation Murano crossover. Created at Nissan Design America, in San Diego, and penned by Nissan Motor Co. senior VP and chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura, the new...Read More»

Crowdsourcing is everywhere these days. Astronomers use it to find rogue asteroids. City planners use it to revitalize downtown promenades. And it's the ethos behind the game-changing Kickstarter.com. So naturally, when Audi's Lightweight Design Centre needed to crank out a new chair, it followed...Read More»

Hyundai has announced that former BMW designer Christopher Chapman has been appointed to the position of Chief Designer at the Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI). In this role, he will have overall responsibility for new vehicle and concept vehicle design. Chapman takes over from Philip...Read More»

How does an all-new type of vehicle, like the 2012 Hyundai Veloster—with such radically different packaging and very extroverted looks—come to exist? That’s what we asked Brandon Ramirez, Hyundai Motor America’s product planning manager, a couple of weeks ago as we were...Read More»

For decades Volvo has peddled its cars with an emphasis on their safety prowess, a reputation that still stands today, albeit somewhat diluted thanks to the introduction of 300 horsepower sports sedans like the S60 R-Design. However, thanks to strict regulations and increased consumer awareness...Read More»

Calling all artists: Japanese luxury automaker Infiniti is sponsoring a digital art competition. Be forewarned, however, that it comes with strings attached. The gist: Infiniti has partnered with the high-concept art magazine Designboom to create a "Digital Art Competition". Contestants have three...Read More»

Overnight, Ford sent out a barrage of press releases about the company's latest accomplishments. And jammed amongst the stories of tech developments and safety improvements was some news that made our resident typographer a little queasy: Fords are getting bolder. That's not metaphor: the automaker...Read More»

If you're shopping for a new car and have a preference for Chrysler Group products, expect to see frequent model updates from Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep in the coming years. Ralph Gilles, head of design at Chrysler (and president & CEO of Dodge) believes that frequent styling changes may be the...Read More»

Like Whitney Houston, Opel believes that children are the future -- of cars. The German subsidiary of General Motors has just launched a contest for design students, with the goal of creating a concept car that could one day roam the roads. The contest rolls out in two stages. Stage one centers on...Read More»