04 05 06 Bmw X5 R. Grille Upper Hood Black/chrome Finish on 2040-parts.com

Local Motors XC2V design competition winners announced

The winners of the Local Motors XC2V design competition have been announced. Created in partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the brief called for individuals to co-create a vehicle body design for two different missions – Combat Reconnaissance and Combat Delivery & Evacuation – based on Local Motors' tubular steel chassis. The goal was to create a fast, lightweight, highly capable vehicle that would be suitable for various field missions.

Porsche Boxster: First official photographs

Fresh from revealing the latest 911 cabriolet at the Detroit auto show, Porsche has issued these first official photographs of its third-generation Boxster. Photos and information about the Boxster appeared on the Internet ahead of the Porsche's planned release time set for early Thursday morning. Set to get its first public airing at the Geneva motor show in March, the thoroughly re-engineered roadster gets a lightweight aluminum body, a roomier 911-style interior and the choice of two heavily upgraded versions of the German carmaker's classic horizontally opposed six-cylinder--both now boasting direct injection, slight gains in power and, thanks to a host of new fuel-saving features, impressive reductions in combined-cycle fuel consumption.

Pininfarina adds product-development director

Starting on Dec. 1, Andrea Maria Benedetto will serve as Italian car-design firm Pininfarina S.p.A.'s product-development director. Benedetto, who last served as the vice president of body and chassis function in the research and development division of Toyota Motor Europe, will organize engineering and R&D activities.