Coffee Mug - Cessna Logo on 2040-parts.com

BMW's quirky new i3

The side view of the new BMW i3 electric vehicle takes some getting used to, with no two windows the same size or shape. The i3 is high-waisted through the front door and then there's a notch for a taller rear-passenger window and the rear-hinged rear door and a narrow, tapering window at the rear quarter. Yet when you look at the underlying structure -- made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic -- an innovative choice for a mass-produced car -- there's a giant side opening from front to rear.

Toyota files for 'Supra' trademark

Adding more grist to the new-Toyota-sports-car mill, the automaker has filed with the USPTO for a “Supra” trademark covering “Automobiles and structural parts thereof.” On one hand, it's routine for companies to protect their dormant trademarks; Toyota previously filed to protect the "Supra" mark back in 2010; that protection expired on January 27th of this year. The new filing was made on Feburary 10th, in the midst of the post-Detroit, FT-1 enthusiast froth. We can't help but hold out hope that there's a bit more weight behind this application than simple maintenance of the status quo.

New-look Interior Motives Winter 2013/14 issue out now

The winter edition of Car Design News' quarterly interior design publication, Interior Motives magazine, is out now sporting more pages and a brand-new layout designed to put the exclusive sketches, development images and high-quality photographs that accompany each story in their best possible light. As ever, the issue features in-depth design development articles on the most interesting and important concept and production vehicles launched in recent months. But the revamped magazine's larger format and more sophisticated layout explore their design with a level of detail and glamour never seen before in publishing.