2009 Ninja Ex500 Ex 500 Kickstand Center Stand Oem on 2040-parts.com

Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand. Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months. The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.

Design Services: Motorcity Europe

A recent Business Week article stated that "never before has design been so vital to an auto maker's success, maybe even to its survival". Much of the reason for this is the close parity in quality between different brands and the general high quality of new cars; according to J.D. Power, vehicle quality has improved 24% in the past five years.

Driven: Delta Motorsport E-4

The Delta Motorsport E-4 is the outcome of three years of research, design and development that is key to a new generation of British ingenuity. Fifteen years ago, if asked to think about the low-volume sector of the British motor industry, the Rover V8 and tubular steel space frames would immediately have come to mind, along with a sizeable dose of fiberglass. Today a new wave of companies are exploring new and ingenious manufacturing, design and technologies.