Judge dismisses dealers' lawsuit against Tesla's retail stores

Dealers trying to block Tesla Motors Inc.'s retail stores in Massachusetts lost another round this week when a judge dismissed their lawsuit against the electric vehicle maker. In a ruling issued Monday, Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Fishman said the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association and other plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. It was the same reasoning the judge used in a November ruling denying a preliminary injunction against Tesla's suburban Boston store.

End of the road for 'Queen's favourite' car

ONE OF the most-loved and long-lived road vehicles, and a favourite with the Queen, is to cease production. The last Land Rover Defender will be produced by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) at Solihull in the West Midlands in December 2015. Featuring in the Angelina Jolie film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and in the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, the Defender name can be traced back to the early 1990s.

Umea University students complete Saab collaboration project

A selection of first-year students from Sweden's Umea University have completed a 10-week collaborative design project with Saab. Tasked with exploring new directions for the brand, students were encouraged to investigate the interplay of brand and identity. Each of them was assigned a non-automotive brand to reflect on parallels that could be established between that brand and Saab, whilst also capturing the essence of the Swedish carmaker through their project's concept, its proportions, surface language, details, graphics, functionality and material choices.