Opel Vauxhall Insignia 2008-2013 Radio Display 12844841g on 2040-parts.com

Video: Jaguar XF clay model gets axed

Jaguar recently gave a trio of clay modelers the task of deconstructing the original model of their carefully and lovingly sculpted XF sedan by handing them axes and sledgehammers in front of a camera crew. The modelers – dressed in black t-shirts and jeans – are shown taking apart the model piece by piece, perhaps taking out their frustration with designers who feel the need to get a little too hands-on with their artisan handiwork. Perhaps some other car manufacturers could using this as inspiration to destroy some of their cars, maybe – naming no names – before reaching production.

Scuola Politecnica di Design Milan 2007

Milan, Italy is well known for being a style center, so it's fairly apt that there is a design school based in one of the most fashionable and creative areas of the city. Scuola Politecnica di Design has been molding new designers for over 50 years and has a program specifically devised for students seeking to master the art of transportation design. On June 29th the school held its annual degree show, and Car Design News went to Milan to see what the students in the Masters Course had dreamt up. This year marked the second time that Audi sponsored the course, giving students a brief that consisted of creating "a sporty, small lifestyle car for the 'Generation Mobile'": a small car for young customers living in urban areas that would also be accustomed to using iPods.

No sign of global auto meltdown at Tokyo Auto Salon

With more than 600 cars on display and a record number of exhibitors, nothing at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon tuner show hinted at the global economic downturn. As always, there was a great mix of styles, from hard-core, 1,000-hp, supertuned machinery to weird customized scooter tricycles. Auto manufacturers tried hard to capture the minds--if not the wallets--of the younger-than-30 crowd with customized versions of production cars, while tuners were busy persuading power junkies to choose them for their next engine modification.