Former BMW lightning rod Chris Bangle to receive Lifetime Design Achievement Award

Filed under: Celebrities, Design/Style

Chris Bangle has been awarded the 2012 Lifetime Design Achievement Award by the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology for his work in vehicle design. EyesOn Design calls on past award winners to vote for the yearly recipient, and this year’s jurors included names like Walter de’Silva, Sergio Pininfarina and Jack Telnack among others. [...]

Bright Automotive to build van in former Hummer plant

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Bright Automotive

The production lines at the AM General Corp factory in Mishawaka, Indiana used to crank out the Hummer H2. Now they’re set to produce a vehicle that may not quite have the same intimidation factor, but does have a high degree of practicality. In the process, about 300 workers could [...]

Report: Former NFL running back Reno Mahe allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth gas

Filed under: Etc., USA
Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Reno Mahe is facing felony charges for stealing gasoline from A-Core Concrete Cutting in Utah. Mahe and four others are charged with theft of more than $15,000 worth of gas in 2010, according to court documents.
Along with Mahe, former BYU football player Tevita Ofahengaue is also being [...]

Former Pininfarina designers team up for Fiat 500 Marcia Corta project

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Hatchback, Design/Style, Fiat

Fiat 500 Marcia Corta by Camal – Click above for image gallery

We’ve seen all sorts of things done with the Fiat 500. People have chopped the roof off, covered it in gold, planted trees in it, taken it rallying and even moved the engine to the trunk. The latest, [...]

EV Cup calendar brings electric racing, former Stig to California [w/video]

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Th!nk (Think), Racing

Former Stig Ben Collins in EV Cup 2011 Westfield iRacer – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s said that racing improves the breed, and if ever there was a breed of vehicles that could stand some improving, it’s electric ones. The EV Cup is a racing series designed to encourage [...]

Coda appoints former GM exec Philip Murtaugh as CEO

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Coda Automotive

Coda Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery

In early November, Coda Automotive’s now-former chief executive officer, Kevin Czinger, announced his resignation. In the interim, Coda’s board co-chairman and former Goldman Sachs executive, Steven “Mac” Heller, assumed the position of CEO. Now, Heller will step aside as Coda has appointed Philip [...]

Ford nabs former Cadillac stylist for new Lincoln design chief

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Cadillac, Ford, GM, Lincoln, Design/Style
Max Wolff, formerly of General Motors, has been hired by Ford Motor Company to head up Lincoln’s design team effective January 3, 2011.
During his tenure at GM, Wolff was most recently responsible for leading Cadillac’s exterior design team, though he also held positions at the automaker’s Holden and [...]

Former U.S. Sec. of Transportation to lead Toyota Quality Advisory Panel

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

An independent advisory panel has been formed to help Toyota get a handle on its quality issues. With all of the current headlines relating to Toyota recalls and defects, the independent North American Quality Advisory Panel has been convened to study and give the automaker advice on quality and safety [...]