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Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

Mercedes E Class Estate – UK details and prices

The 2010 Mercedes E Class Estate launches in the UK this week The 2010 Mercedes E Class Estate has hit the UK this week, with the E Class Estate going on sale for the first time, with versions ranging from the E 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY right up to the range topping E63 AMG Estate and prices from £29,785 up to a rather large £73,855. But it’s not just the price that’s large – at least on the E63 AMG – it’s the E Class Estate itself. It is quite simply cavernous, offering 696 litres of load space with the seats up and 1950 litres with the seats down.

The Great Date Car Debate: Top 10 date cars from his perspective--and hers

Here at AutoWeek, we've seen plenty of top 10 lists for date cars over the past few years. They all seem to have one thing in common: They're written by male bloggers whose most recent date was with a two-liter of Mountain Dew and a PlayStation 3. Since we have both men and women on our editorial staff, we decided to get a read on the subject of date cars from an actual representative sample of the dating pool.