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Driven: BMW 5 Series GT

It's an illustration of the place London has become that it's typically possible to park brand new or exotic cars on an average street and be met with studied indifference by the average passer by. So why, during a week of driving a BMW 5 Series GT, were we made to feel so conspicuous? Every time we parked in a busy area, at least one stranger felt the need to remark, usually to tell us how ugly they thought it was.

Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid design sketches leak out

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 February 2009 09:28 These pictures allegedly reveal the production-spec Opel/Vauxhall Ampera a fortnight ahead of its Geneva show debut. A Spanish website claims to have stumbled across the technical design sketches at a European patent office and – if authentic – they spill the beans on the new plug-in hybrid electric concept car that’s bound for a showroom near you within two years. The Ampera is Opel/Vauxhall’s version of the Chevrolet Volt, the breakthrough car that could just save GM if it survives its current crisis.

2006 Michelin Challenge Design seeks vehicle designs for California market

Michelin issued a call for entries to the global design community this week to kick off the 2006 Michelin Challenge Design, one of the industry's fastest growing vehicle design forums. In the last four years, Michelin Challenge Design has been the catalyst for students in design universities, design firms, professional designers from top OEMs, and individual designers from all over the world to have their work exhibited at a major international auto show in support of a central theme. Last year, submissions were received from 50 countries worldwide with selected designs displayed at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in January.