47-42038 Impeller 47-42038q02 on 2040-parts.com

Remaking the Ford Mustang

By the time the next-generation Ford Mustang debuts in 2014, it will have worn a decidedly retro look for nearly a decade. From the styling to the chassis to the raw power, the pony car remains a throwback and a simple, true American pleasure. Expect that mantra to continue, but the execution will evolve, moving the Mustang forward into a broader, potentially global audience as it nears a half century of performance.

Swansea Metropolitan University degree show 2009

Graduates from Swansea Metropolitan University, based on the South Wales coast, exhibited their final year BA and BSc Automotive Design projects at the National Waterfront Museum recently. A relative newcomer to automotive and transport design - this being only the second BA graduate cohort to graduate - the three-year course at Swansea Metropolitan yields a high standard of work, which has received positive industry support in recent years. With projects ranging from the slightly avant-garde to high-quality next generation or niche vehicles, the students were encouraged to select a philosophical direction that they were passionate about yet also suited their desired future career aspirations.

Nissan opens new design studio in Beijing

Delayed by the deadly earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year, Nissan Motor Co.'s new design center in Beijing finally received a proper opening this week, when global design chief Shiro Nakamura showed off the studio as a new source of ideas for Nissan and Infiniti. Nissan Design China, as the Beijing-based center is known, "is not a studio to just generate ideas for China," Nakamura said in an interview with Car Design News. It's equipped to handle designs of show cars and production cars for both Nissan and Infiniti brands, aimed at customers in China, as well as around the world.