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Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon TI is spotted in metro Detroit

It's tough to say what a metro Detroit sighting of this manufacturer-plated Alfa Romeo 159 TI Sportwagon portends for the Italian automaker's long-anticipated return to the American market--probably nothing. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's plan to bring Alfa Romeo back to the United States features the sporty, limited-edition 4C coupe, the subcompact MiTo and the midsize Giulia, but not the out-of-production 159. Still, a domestic sighting of a brand-new Alfa Romeo is a rare enough occurrence that we're happy to share these photos without further comment.

Global Automotive Forum hosts designer roundtable meeting in Chengdu, China

The second Global Automotive Forum took place last week in the Jiaozhi international conference center in Chengdu, one of the most important economic and transportation centers in Western China. The two-day event was based around the theme of 'Crossing from Producing to Innovation Country' and was attended by more than 80 people from the global automotive industry. While most of the sessions revolved around the greater automotive industry in China, Car Design News was asked to organize a session of the forum centered on design, which included a 'roundtable meeting' for designers.

Ford overhauls plans for the U.S. C-Max to go with fewer seats, all hybrids

Ford has shifted gears on its plans for the C-Max wagon in the United States and will now sell only the five-seat version with hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, beginning in 2012. Ford has canceled plans to sell the seven-seat version of the C-Max with a conventional gasoline engine in the States. Ford will call the car the C-Max hybrid, and C-Max Energi will be the name of the plug-in version.