Design/Styling

Tata Technologies reveals its second EV concept: a commercial vehicle Using the platform of its 2012 eMO four-occupant electric-powered concept car, Tata debuted the eMO-C commercial vehicle during an open house in March at the company's new North American Engineering and Innovation Center. Read full story

Barchetta concept dedicated to Pininfarina Paying homage to Sergio Pininfarina, who died last year, and the mid-engined configuration that he persuaded Enzo Ferrari to adopt in 1965, his namesake company, Pininfarina, devised a striking barchetta concept car, based on the running gear of the Ferrari 458 Spider, which was displayed at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Read full story

Disco Volante flies again Touring Superleggera unveiled the production version of its Disco Volante model at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, having introduced a full-scale model in 2012. The model makes a clear reference to the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante (flying saucer) C52 of 1952, produced by Carozzeria Touring, the forerunner of Touring Superleggera. Read full story

Subaru shows future AWD concept The VIZIV plug-in hybrid crossover concept unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show was said to show the future direction of the brand. If so, it could signal a move away from conventional four-wheel-drive systems for the company’s products. Read full story

Students design proposal for Alfa sedan On display at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show was a full-scale model of a project created by students from IED’s Masters in Transport Design program. It was a collaborative project with Alfa Romeo for a sedan that would also appeal to the American and Asian markets. Read full story

2013 ATS led GM's new approach to improving driver visibility The Cadillac ATS development team used a new GM visibility evaluation technique involving "hedgehog" visualization to create a corporate Driver Visibility Calculator. It enables vehicle-development teams to quickly study how structural design areas, such as pillar cross-section, affect the driver’s field of vision. Read full story

Cutting costs of carbon composites Automotive lightweighting needs drive progress toward cheaper fiber and high-throughput processing. Read full story

Kia Cross GT concept is bigger than Sorento The plug-in hybrid crossover unveiled at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show has a larger footprint than Kia's current production Sorento CUV. Read full story

Designing for bigger profitability from small cars The biggest challenge for the designer of small vehicles concerns profits. “Those vehicles have to make money and that is so difficult,” said Stefan Lamm, Director of Exterior Design, Ford of Europe. Read full story