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Honda Gear Concept

Rather than fighting for headlines at NAIAS, Honda debuted its new GEAR Concept at the Montreal International Auto Show. The subcompact GEAR is apparently inspired by fixed-gear bicycles (although quite how is unclear), described as a customizable vehicle that demonstrates the carmaker's way of providing vehicles for young, urban, Gen-Y lifestyles. "Subcompact cars are usually either utilitarian, but uninspiring or they're fun, zippy cars that are impractical and too expensive for the Gen-Y buyer," said Dave Marek, Design Director at Honda R&D Americas, Inc.

Hongik University's transportation design process

Hongik University in Seoul, Korea, is one of the preeminent design schools in the country with a diverse range of programs. But the school's transportation design department has also developed a unique approach for concept ideation. At the International Transportation Design Forum in Pforzheim, Germany, Professor Joo Hyun Chung from the school's Transportation Design course gave Car Design News an exclusive insight into the process, explaining how students express their ideas into 3D surfaces directly, using materials such as paper and wire for the first exploration of the form rather than the traditional 2D to 3D process.

Motorcycle makers revved for rebound

Bikes are back. After being hit a lot harder by the recession than carmakers, the motorcycle industry, more susceptible to the whims of discretionary spending, is on its way back. “Unit sales are growing for the first time in several years,” said Danny Phillips, executive vice president of Advanstar, the parent company of Progressive International, which put on last weekend's motorcycle show at the Long Beach Convention Center.