(Official) word comes out of Warren today of the opening of GM’s electric vehicle-specific design studio. While some of us already knew this was taking place, the last few days’ flurry of electro-vehicle announcements (such as the release of the Chevy Volt sketch above) prompted the General to let us know who’s boss in the USA’s increasingly green design world.

GM recently gave the green light (pun intended) to put the studio together, gathering a team of nearly 50 designers, modelers, and engineers to get this effort rolling. Headed by Bob Boniface, we can expect GM to make a great amount of advancement in the field of design+environment, and hopefully this will lead to more vehicles and platforms than just the Volt.

Read the official press release after the jump. Read more

Can’t think of anything to fill that stocking?  Nothing makes any car guy happier than a simple Hot Wheel.  For a mere $1 you get a glimpse of future fantasy and the nostalgia of childhood fun.   Look for the 2008 series with the winners of the this years SEMA contest.

The 15th annual Design Forum is coming up fast and if you don’t have ticket, you best get on it. This is a great day to be in the automotive industry. Celebrate design in the midst of designers and concept cars. Hint, hint, students.

I have been going to this for quite a few years now and this years theme sounds like the best one in awhile….Designed for Fun. This is why we all got into this business, hopefully it is working out for you. If not, here is a day to remember what it should be. One more reason…..no crowds.

Head over to Autoweek to buy tickets. The lineup is posted after the jump.

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LOLZ! We here at CDf love to joke around, and especially at this time of year when we are fully understanding that designers and design students are completely broke and we go and throw an expensive $2,499 bone at you as a gift idea.

Well my friends and loyal readers, this bone is a hearty meal for any pup, as the Wacom Cintiq is the tablet of choice for all (respectable) designers.

Imagine drawing directly on the surface, just like God intended! What a novel idea! Come join us as we thoroughly enjoy this 1-to-1 sketch feedback! The Cintiq 21UX is the granddaddy of all tablets, weighing in at 21.3 inches across, sporting luscious color, and even a swivel base, this drawing tablet is the stuff of dreams!

Can’t see yourself dropping the 2.5 grand on this baby? Opt for some of the less-expensive screenless models Wacom has to offer. But then again, no self-respecting designer would do that, would they?

Intuos3 6″x8″
Intuos3 9″x12″

Check out the rest of our 2007 Gift Guide!

Back to school special! The perfect gift for every student. Give them the gift of markers, pencils, paper, and Red Bull for those late nights. The more money your son/daughter saves on supplies, the more they can spend on what really matters in college….booze!

Check out our tools in the Fetish shop…..boy that sounds funny

Remember those crazy days of art school?  CCS?  CIA?  Art Center? Backwoods Community College?

Well, so does CarDesignFetish!  So, join us in misery as we recall the bravest four years of our lives: breathing in Admarker fumes, showering in gauche, pastel dust around our noses (at least, that’s what we told the RA).

This gift is perfect for the art school attendee or alum in your life.  Witty humor runs rampant throughout, and several of the scenes had me thinking “oh boy… I remember doing that!”

Starring Max Minghella, the sexy Sophia Miles, and John Malkovich.

Buy it from the CDF store for you and yours.

Nissan aims to become industry’s ‘technology leader,’
with target of offering 15 new innovations every year

Nissan has a 10-year business strategy to redefine itself as the auto industry’s “technology leader.”
Starting in 2009 – according to the company’s senior leader, Carlos Ghosn – the company will crank out 15 new technologies every year. Near-future systems planned by Nissan include a system that can detect alcohol in a driver’s body by analyzing his/her perspiration; a system to determine and counteract drowsy driving; and a passive, steering-correction system that restores a swerving vehicle into its proper lane of travel.
Nissan is boosting its staffing at an advanced technology center in Atsugi, Japan. By the end of 2007, it will have 2,000 engineers in place – all working on new ideas.
“We will be known again as a technology leader,” says Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan’s vice president for research and development. According to Yamashita, Nissan will spend US$4.4 billion on research and development in 2007, up from US$1.8 billion in 2000.
One future innovation from Nissan is an all-electric car, which could be made available for the United States market by 2012. (Newsday-New York)

This sounds great and all but it isn’t going to get me to by a Nissan any time sooner. Consumers want technolgy and features that they can really benefit from. Not that you don’t benefit from being protected from falling asleep, but it isn’t something you can brag about. Good to hear they are pumping some money into R&D.

We all love to remember our favorites, food, drinks, girls, and cars. Be nostalgic with the car design yearbooks. You can now go back 6 years to see your favorite concepts cars and see what ones have made it to the streets. Pick one or all 6 right here at the fetish shop.

Yes, we already know we can’t count. There are actually 20 days left before Christmas, We’re designers, not mathematicians. So, we’ve decided to make it up to you by showcasing what other arteests are like, to further back up our inability to count.

Simon Schama’s Power of Art is an excellent DVD set that details the lives of several well-known (and somewhat depressed) artists. Ever wanted to know what was behind some of the greatest Van Gogh paintings? Well, we all know there was absinthe involved, but there was also plenty of ideas and themes that were important too.

Check it out in our shop, and get mighty inspired.

In developing new products you are constantly thinking, what is next? What will drive the next craze. For instance crossover’s right now are fueled by baby boomers wanting a easier vehicle to get in and out of, but still wanting the functionality of an suv. When the baby boomers (how do I make this sound right) stop being the influential buyers, what or who will span the next surge?

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