Car Design News visited Drive, the UK's leading digital development studio, to get a better understanding of how design consultancies operate, the types of project work they do, and the unique value they offer to their clients. More...

Today, more so than ever before, there is a common perception that leather is the material of choice for a car’s soft furnishings. Designers have little alternative but to specify this material for any upper-premium to luxury car. There is, however, one particular exception to this rule: Alcantara. More...

In the hierarchy of car design the exterior of a powerful sports car is usually regarded as the highest level whilst the design of some of the smaller functional components tends to sit at the bottom. But even for companies not obviously dependant on sexy curves to help them make money, design is increasingly being recognised as a critical ingredient for commercial success. More...

A recent Business Week article stated that "never before has design been so vital to an auto maker's success, maybe even to its survival". Much of the reason for this is the close parity in quality between different brands and the general high quality of new cars; according to J.D. Power, vehicle quality has improved 24% in the past five years. This situation is well recognized... More...

Within almost every automotive design department throughout the world, their comes a time when a junior designer is dispatched to find a picture of some new model's tail lamp, the side view of a particular class leading competitor or examples of several new cars' colour and trim packages. Whilst looking at the competition is not necessarily a healthy way of finding ideas, it is... More...