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Ford announces new Silicon Valley research laboratory

Ford has announced plans to open a new R&D center in California's Silicon Valley with a view to creating a hub for collaborative technology projects. With neighbors including Google, Microsoft, facebook, Apple and Stanford University, it's certainly setting up shop in the right part of town. Its location also connects Ford's Advanced Design Studio in Irvine, CA and Ford employees working with connectivity platform partner Microsoft Corp.

Honda prices 2014 Odyssey minivan

The 2014 Honda Odyssey minivan will start at $29,655 including destination when it hits dealerships in July. The upper echelon family hauler will sport a six-speed automatic -- replacing the five-speed -- and 3.5-liter V6 making 248 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. Fuel mileage is up to 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway in part because of Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management.

Mercedes-Benz scores double wins at German Design Council awards

Mercedes-Benz took home two design trophies from the 2014 German Design Council awards, winning Special Mentions for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class and the Ener-G-Force concept vehicle. The German Design Council traces its history back decades, and every year dozens of experts evaluate more than a thousand entries, with just a fraction of them being automotive designs. This year 30 well-known design experts judged approximately 1900 submissions, assessing a variety of design elements in picking their top choices, and this year a duo of Mercedes-Benz vehicles won the praise of design gurus.