Korean automotive companies aren’t necessarily known for their design prowess (yet).  That could all change with the introduction of the Kia Forte.

Your first impression will probably sound like this: “Hey, isn’t that a Honda/Subaru front end with a Mazda/Nissan/other OEM name body?”  Yeah, it probably is.  But, Kia has managed to do it very well, culminating in a product that can change the consumer’s mind about the little company.

Since we initially only have exterior images to look at, we’ll crit this.

Read on for the full crit/examination of the car…

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This week, Alfa took the wraps off of its highly-anticipated production car, the Me Too MiTo.  How does this little baby stack up to competition from Mini and the Fiat 500?

First and foremost, the vehicle  won’t be overly powerful.  While a 6-speed manual will be a fun necessity that the vehicle brings, it will only come at 78-, 120-, and 155-hp variety of engines.  Hey, it’s a small car… not a racer.

How do the aesthetics hold up?  Read on for the full crit…

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Recently, we at CDf  have been making the rounds at various art & design schools for their annual shows, often fondly remembering the days when we “used to design cool cars”.  We’ve been ogling vehicle designs, sketches, models… secretly critiquing, and always wondering if the student concepts could foretell the future design direction of some giant automotive OEM.

While not a said gaint OEM, Local Motors has emerged as a way for students, designers, and enthusiasts to create compelling vehicle designs that may one day actually make it to market as an LM product.  Utlizing a crowd-sourcing concept, LM has created a community (heavily designer-centered… yay!) where individuals submit work to their pre-defined competitions (such as the recently completed California Off Road Machine).  The winning design receives a monetary award, with the possibility to sell the concept to LM for an additional sum.  We will do a full deep-dive of Local Motors very soon.

To find out how you can enter the latest competition, and to see entries from the previous competiton, read on!

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We sure fetish some hot sketches, so here are some new ones of the V-Dub Scirocco. It is bad enough that we are not getting it here in the states, they don’t have to tease us with more images of it. There are some rumors running around that the new North American manufacturing plant may have room to build the Scirocco. So there is a chance…..

These are some great old school sketches. No digital color here, just good old markers and pastels. When is the last time you used those?

Enjoy the sketches after the jump… Read more

Is this the Buick Invicta? Spotted last night in beautiful Michigan, the silhouette certainly has that Nu-Buick flavor, and it may be the same car we saw several months back. Back then we thought it was a Caddy, but couldn’t be sure. One telling feature may be the wheels (follow the link) on the low-profile tires.

Help us determine what it is, and win a no-prize!

Second photo after the break . Read more

Fuel sucks right now, cramping everyone’s driving habits and cutting into my beer money. So hey, lets downsize. Trouble is that there is not many options when it comes to a well designed, stylish fuel sipper. The new Mini Cooper Clubman takes all the great things about Mini and makes them better….err bigger in some directions.

Check out the best small car….. Read more

With gas on rise and pay checks not, everyone is looking for some way to save a buck. We all know how cars just drain your money, but we love them so much we keep paying. Damn these expensive fetishes. Here is a list of the best cars for your money put out by CNN Money.com.

Best Small Car - Mini Cooper

Best Fuel Miser - Toyota Prius

Best for Small Families - Toyota Avalon

Best for Big Families - Chevrolet Tahoe

Best for Midlife Crisis - Chevrolet Corvette

Of all of these the only one I would consider buying is the Mini Cooper. I recently had a chance to test drive the new Mini Cooper Clubman S and I must say I am in love…….

We have noticed that accessories from the OEM’s are on the rise. Scion really got things going, but they are held only to the Scion brand making it pretty limited. Mini has also done a great job of offering many ways to personalize your ride. Now it is GM’s turn and they are going all out covering every brand. GM has created an entire studio dedicated to making their vehicles look even better.

They hope consumers will come back to the dealer to see what new accessories are out for their vehicles. I don’t know of too many people who will go to the dealership unless they have to. It is kind of like having a kid who enjoys going to the dentist.

Anyway, here is a video showing some of what they do and how they do it.

If you are like us the whole anticipation of these muscle cars is getting old. We have seen them for years with no changes and they still are not on the road. I would say that it is already time for a redesign but this one hasn’t changed since the ’70’s. On another note, I was able to spend a few minutes with a salt covered Dodge Challenger SRT8 and check it out a little more closely.

Here is what I found… Read more

Geneva is here, and that effectively correlates to us looking at a slew of brand new vehicles (and losing valuable designer beauty sleep). Toyota graced us with the production debut of the iQ, its new small-car.

What did we think of this styling exercise-in-a-dento-box? Read on for the scoop!

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