By now, it’s clear that being environment friendly is not enough. Delivering the message properly is also a major requirement.

It should therefore not be much of a surprise for anyone that Eurobest’s winning print campaign for the year of 2007 went to Contrapunto - a Spanish advertising agency from Madrid for their innovative Smart ForTwo campaign.

Smart ForTwo is a micro compact car by DaimlerChrysler designed primarily for urban use in European cities.

With 0.6L, 0.7L (petrol) and 0.8L (diesel) engines their are quite a few car models with lower carbon footprint but perhaps none with more creative advertising agents. Read more »

So after finally hoping on the Facebook-bandwagon, we decided to check up on how Mallory McMorrow’s Mazda3 concept was coming along.

After shaping and molding the clay on the LA show floor for over 10 days, the 2018 Mazda3 was finally displayed. Overall, it’s cues tie in nicely with the “flow” theme crafted by Franz von Holzhausen and his team who helped McMorrow hone her design.

We think it’s a step in the right direction, particularly from an undergrad, and we’re hopeful that the 21-year old industrial design student hits the ground running once she has her degree in hand. Read more »

Lamborghini’s pushing to ring up 3,000 sales per year, about 500 more than they currently move. Were they to drop a new Miura, revived LM002, or some other new model, they’d likely reach that target without any problem.

Lambo Capo Rupert Stadler isn’t in favor of spending the considerable development dollars it would take to bring a new model to market.

Before coming out with a new car, it’s more prudent for Lamborghini to sell its capacity of Murcielagos and Gallardos first. Read more »

It’s been a while since we got a fresh batch of Bugatti Veyron Spider/Targa rumors, but Autogespot has ended the lull with inside sources claiming that a prototype of the open-air supercar is already on the road and that sales will begin next year.

Apparently, the only downside to lopping off the roof on a car capable of hitting 400 km/h (248 mph) is that aero restrictions are going to limit the speed to a pedestrian 340 km/h (211 mph).

We can sense your disappointment, but that’s not even the worst of it. Read more »

Remember when the Lexus LS 600h was on the way, and there was head-scratching aplenty about the $100K+ price and the delay? At the time, Lexus said it only planned to sell 2,000 of the hybrid cruisers per year, and that they already had orders for 1,650 of them.

Then the car came out, and in spite of being treated rather unkindly by the motoring press and boasting a less-than-stellar MPG improvement, it has sold 6,093 worldwide through October. The car only went on sale in July.

Lexus calls the car the “progressive person’s alternative.” The New York Times called the car the “new standard for automotive hyperbole.” Read more »

The Pope’s got himself a new ride, and boy is it, uh, white. Mercedes announced today that they have given his Holiness a highly-customized G500. Like previous Popemobiles, the G500 has a folding windscreen, and handrails and steps in the rear for entry.

The Vaticanmysitc white interior matches the Vaticanmystic white exterior which, we assume, matches the Pope’s Vaticanmystic white robes.

Mercedes says the topless G500 will be the Pope’s fair weather car and the S-Class in the Vatican garage can be summoned for less sunny driving. Read more »

Pontiac released the pricing details on the 2009 Vibe today, and when the wagon/CUV hits dealers this February you’ll be able to drive off in the base model for $15,895 (including destination fee) – a significant drop from the ‘08 model’s $17,395 cost of entry.

The all-wheel-drive equipped Vibe will come in at just under $20k at $19,495, while the GT model is priced at $19,895. Both the GT and AWD versions come with the Toyota-sourced 158 hp 2.4-liter inline four.

Not a bad deal, especially considering that all models come standard with four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, StabiliTrak traction control, OnStar and six airbags. Read more »