Vintage Ford Pick Up Truck Fender on 2040-parts.com

2011 Saturn Vue: GM confirms plug-in crossover is on track

A plug-in electric powertrain once destined for a Saturn crossover will live on at General Motors and will arrive in 2011 in another vehicle. GM vice chairman and product chief Tom Stephens confirmed to wire service Reuters that the project remains on track. The automaker was scheduled to bring a plug-in version of the Saturn Vue to market in 2011.

Weird Chevrolet pickup roadster hot rod probably inspired the SSR

Here's a thought: If you've ever wanted to be buried in what you're driving, it's a boon if your car is already shaped like a coffin. Behold this "cute little roadster," which resembles the unholy union of a Ford T-Bucket and a mechanical pencil lead dispenser and probably will make its way into a Jimmy Buffet video. (Click here if the ad goes down or if one of the Autoweek editors snaps it up first.) A 1972 Chevrolet pickup truck is scattered in there, somewhere after the bowtie-shaped everything.

Schreyer: More than a designer of products I wish to be an architect of Hyundai's brand image

There's no denying Peter Schreyer has been instrumental in turning around Kia's image from a manufacturer of wheeled white goods in a creator of design-led products. Now his attention turns to sister company Hyundai in his role as chief design officer for both companies and his plans are no less ambitious. "More than a designer of products I wish to be an architect of Hyundai's brand image," he told an audience at Hyundai's European headquarters, explaining how his job is not simply 'styling' but communicating the brand's message right down to details such as the seatbelt warning buzzer.