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.

Scuola Polytecnica Milan - Personal Car Project

In summer last year ten students from the Master's course in Transportation Design at the Scuola Polytecnica Milan took part in a project for FIAT. The work developed from a briefing by the FIAT Advanced Design Centre, taking into consideration the dimensional and content restrictions. One of the concepts which stood out was that of Alessandro Battaglia working on the exterior design, and Alberto Burger, who developed the interior design.

LA Motor Show: Maserati begins new era

MASERATI has kicked off a new era of brand activity with the arrival of its Ghibli compact luxury saloon. The company’s stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show launched a new slogan and philosophy, called ‘the absolute opposite of ordinary’, to journalists ahead of the show’s public opening. The Ghibli will spearhead the new initiative, which sets out the company’s stall for the foreseeable future as it tries to carve a bolder new path to create bigger waves in the luxury car world.