Du-ha 10048 Du-ha Underseat Storage Incl. Gun Rack/organizer Dark Gray on 2040-parts.com

Fiat dual-clutch transmissions are planned for North American products

During the next five years, Chrysler Group's powertrain lineup will be transformed from one dominated by larger-displacement engines to one dominated by Fiat-derived four-cylinder engines, V6s and, eventually, electric vehicles. Chrysler also said Wednesday that it will add Fiat-designed dual-clutch transmissions in its North American products. The company also will launch its new Pentastar V6 engine on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the second quarter next year, said Paolo Ferrero, Chrysler's powertrain chief.

Design Contest: LA Design Challenge 2008

The entrants for the fifth annual Design Challenge, part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference, have now been announced. Nine Southern California automotive design studios - including Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen - have been pitted against one another and asked to develop a concept which best answers a brief entitled 'Motorsports in 2025'. "Automotive designers have always been fascinated with motorsports and this year's Design Challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talent to look at these cars with new eyes, using innovative technologies and approaches," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc.

Alfa Romeo/IED Gloria [w/gallery]

The European Institute of Design (IED) in Turin will unveil its new Gloria concept, developed in collaboration with Alfa Romeo Style Center, at next month's Geneva motor show. These renders of the sports sedan concept, which is 4,200mm long, 1,920mm wide, 1,320mm high sitting on a wheelbase of 2,900mm, show a traditional Alfa grille that feeds into the hood's prominent V-shaped character lines. Two leather hood straps in front of the windshield are a nod to the brand's older models.