Fiat Strada

The forth-generation Fiat Strada pickup is a product of company's booming Brazilian operations and is set to go on sale in Europe this month for the first time. It follows on from the Ford EcoSport, another South American product heading to the global market. The Strada is offered with three body styles: a standard two-seat cab configuration; a long cab with stowage behind the seats; and a full four-seat crew cab variant.

Last Lexus LFA leaves Motomachi Plant

The very last Lexus LFA – LFA #500 – has left the Motomachi Plant in Japan two years after production started and three years after the LFA was revealed. The idea of a Lexus supercar that cost so much seemed barking mad, but the LFA turned out to be a very special car indeed, not just for its build and performance but for what it meant for Lexus and Toyota – a future that would encompass many of the LFA’s design cues and DNA in future mainstream models. But three years after the LFA debuted, and exactly two years after the LFA went in to production at the TMC dedicated production facility at the Motomachi Plant, Aichi Prefecture, the last LFA – a white LFA Nurburgring Package #500 – has left the building.

Design Contest: Michelin Challenge Design announces 2008 theme and call for entries

Michelin Challenge Design, one of the world's fastest growing transportation design programs, has announced it will continue its focus on safety in 2008 under the central theme of 'Safety over Size.' The 2008 theme was announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where the Michelin Challenge Design exhibit showcased works from vehicle manufacturers, students, as well as the first full-size concept to be submitted by an independent entrant. Rising energy costs, urban congestion and environmental concerns are all contributing to an increased interest in smaller vehicles, but consumers are often hesitant to consider smaller vehicles due to safety concerns that are both real and perceived. Participating designers are encouraged to 'throw away the book' and to present ideas that enhance the real and perceived safety and security of smaller vehicles through design innovations in areas such as accident avoidance, enhanced driver controls, survivability and visibility.