Volvo C30, Ford Focus fare well in insurance-group crash tests

Four two-door cars received the highest safety rating in frontal crashes and two received that rating for side collisions in recent testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute gave its "good" rating in side crashes to the Volvo C30 and two-door Ford Focus. Those vehicles, along with the two-door Honda Civic and Chevrolet Cobalt, also received "good" ratings for frontal collisions, the non-profit group funded by auto insurers said.

Design Contest: 2005 World Automotive Design Competition announced

The World Automotive Design Competition, sponsored by Alias and hosted by the Canadian International Auto Show, is back with more participating design schools and an impressive list of prizes. Design students from twenty-six schools around the world have been invited to design a World Car that visually identifies its cultural origins and, at the same time, has appeal, and can be sold throughout the world, in at least five countries on three continents. The vehicle should be easily recognized as coming from a particular culture.

Renault-Nissan and Mercedes get very cosy

The Mercedes Twingo? Almost, but not quite In yet another – highly expected – sign that the future for car makers is more and more co-operation, Renault-Nissan and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) have today announced a wide-ranging alliance which will see much of the output of each company utilised by the other. Top of the list for starters is the joint development of the platform for the next SmartForTwo which will be shared by the next generation Twingo.