Design

Perhaps hinting at the scale of its future vehicle development program, Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini has opened a new design center aimed specifically at the development of prototypes and concepts. The company has revealed little detail about what kind of projects will be developed...

It's a somber day for news in the car world. Maria De Villota, test driver for F1's Marussia, has been injured in a crash during testing in the U.K. The latest updates indicate she's conscious and responsive. We hope she pulls through to a full recovery. Sergio Pininfarina, automotive designer and...

Sergio Pininfarina, son of Pininfarina founder Battista Farina, passed away in his home in Turin, Italy, late last night after a long illness. Pininfarina, who was aged 85 at his death, has been involved with the legendary Italian design house his father founded for more than 40 years and was...

Rolls-Royce announced today that Giles Taylor will serve as its new design chief from July 1, replacing Ian Cameron, who retires from the role he has held since 1999. Taylor will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, the head of design for all BMW Group brands, and comes to his new role with more than 10...

The idea of shoehorning a big engine into a small car is nothing new, and off the top of our collective heads we can name examples like the SHOgun, a Ford Fiesta infused with Taurus SHO power; the Mallett Pitbull Solstice, stuffed full of Corvette LS2 V-8 and Volkswagen’s own Frankenstein...

AmoritzGT’s DoniRosset supercar is powered by the Viper’s 8.4-liter V-10, but has it mounted in a mid-engine position.

Porsche has shown that with a little innovation, the manual transmission can remain relevant in a world where regular automatics and newer dual-clutch units offer faster shifts and better economy. Porsche’s solution was to create a seven-speed manual by modifying the design of its seven-speed...

Very few people get to design cars for a living, and even fewer of those will pen the next supercar. However, one lucky and particularly talented individual that we know of will get to see their dream come true. GrabCAD, a company specializing in the development of computer-aided design (CAD)...

This much is clear: the above Chevrolet Korea video shows a slightly restyled Chevrolet Cruze sedan, which seems to carry over the same front-end look debuted by the Cruze Wagon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. As World Car Fans (via Auto Forum) points out, the existing car’s mesh...

Following the appointment of Max Wolff as the head of its design team, Lincoln has now hired another Australian designer, Peter Jones, who will serve as a manager of the luxury division’s interior design team. Unlike Wolff, who previously worked as a designer for GM subsidiaries Holden and...

The Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este is, aside from being somewhat awkwardly named for American English speakers, one of BMW's favorite outlets for pure design concepts. This year, it's the BMW Zagato Coupe. Designed in collaboration with Zagato, the Zagato Coupe is a unique take on the idea of a...

BMW has promoted its current chief of exterior design, Karim Habib, to the new role of head of design for the BMW brand. Habib, the 42-year-old Lebanon-born Canadian, will report to Adrian van Hooydonk, the head of design for the entire BMW group. Habib was responsible for the design of several...

Lotus founder Colin Chapman was perhaps best known for his ability to “add lightness” to purpose-built race cars. Legend has it that Chapman would only stop removing bracing from a race car chassis when he approached (or sometimes exceeded) the point of structural failure. Lotus may not...

Once the preserve of control panels on the Starship Enterprise, touch technology is now central to some of the most popular gadgets, including smartphones and satellite-navigation systems. It'll soon take over much of our car interiors too, says electronics firm Magna. The company has been working...

After recent turbulence legendary Italian design house Pininfarina is poised to post its first profit since 2004. Over the years the company has suffered some major setbacks including the death of its CEO Andrea Pininfarina back in 2008 and the loss of design contracts to internal design studios...

Weird, but true: Hyundai recently loosed 40 baboons on the latest Hyundai i30 hatchback. The i30 shares most of its essentials with the Elantra, though it's a hatchback in the case of the monkey-infested durability tester. Hyundai claims it's the first test of its kind by a U.K. manufacturer...

Rolls-Royce buyers don’t like change, yet every product has to evolve to stay current. When dealing with a product like Rolls-Royce’s flagship Phantom, the trick is to change the car enough to be different, yet not so much as to alienate brand loyalists. When penning the Phantom Series...

China is already the single biggest market for new cars, but soon it will be the biggest for new car designs too. That’s the prediction of Silvio Pietro Angori, the CEO of legendary Italian design firm Pininfarina. Speaking with Automotive News (subscription required) recently, Angori...

The Buick Enclave is the industry’s best-selling crossover with third-row seats, so GM knows that any changes to the car need to be handled with car. Unfortunately, when it comes to design, improving a successful product can be a bigger challenge than starting with a clean sheet. In the case...

Anatole Lapine, the lead designer behind such Porsche models as the 924, 944 and 928, has died at the age of 81. Lapine joined Porsche in 1969 as head of the Style Porsche design studio, a job he held until 1988. Michael Mauer, Porsche’s current chief designer, said of Lapine’s passing...