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U.S. car sales surge 19 percent in May

All major automakers except Toyota reported double-digit U.S. sales gains in May, as the light-vehicle sales rate hit its highest level since December. Sales rose 19 percent from May 2009, marking the eighth-straight monthly increase, the longest such streak since June 2000, according to Bloomberg Data.

Beanz Meanz More Eco-Friendly Future Fords

THE car industry is full of interesting and unusual business partnerships, but this latest tie-up between Ford and Heinz promises to be one of the more intriguing. Far from seeking to produce 57 varieties of any particular new Ford model, the two firms are exploring the use of tomato fibre to develop a sustainable composite materials for use in vehicle manufacturing. For example, boffins believe that dried tomato skins could become the wiring brackets in future Ford vehicles or the storage bin a customer uses to hold coins and other small objects.

CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition winners announced at NAIAS

The winners of the CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition have been announced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Following a guided tour of the auto show with the GM design team, the finalists gathered on the GMC stand in Cobo Hall where Mark Adams and Ken Parkinson – heads of design for Cadillac & Buick, and Chevrolet & GMC respectively – were joined by Car Design News' Editor Owen Ready to present the winners of each brand's competition brief. Joining them on stage were the mentors from GM's design teams who interacted with the entrants throughout the competition to critique and help develop their work, making this a truly unique contest.