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First Place design by Eduard Cret. Second Place Design by Emily Bryson. Third Place Design by Jinho So. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) named three high school students last Friday as winners of the 2018 Drive For Design contest, a competition sponsored by the automaker's U.S. Product Design Office.

Photo: Mazda media website. Mazda announced Monday that they have added two new awards to their trophy shelf this week, this time winning accolades in the performance and design categories. Kelley Blue Book selected Mazda for two 2018 Brand Image Awards: “Best Performance Brand” and “Best Car Styling Brand.” This is Mazda’s second year in a row as the winner of “Best Car Styling Brand” award, while the marque is a first-time winner in the “Best Performance Brand category.

Sixth-generation Camaro. Photo: GM media website. Don't get me wrong. The current generation Chevrolet Camaro is a nice car. It's a fast car and more than meets all of the requirements to carry the mantle of the grand tradition of pony cars that it comes from. First-generation Camaro: Photo: GM media website. If someone offered me a new Camaro for free, I would gleefully accept it. And I would keep it and drive it for many happy miles and years, rather than sell it.  And yet, since the fifth-generation Camaro first came out for the 2010 model year, and continuing into the the current generation that launched in 2016, something has always just bothered me. And now, after taking a really good look at a fifth-generation Camaro yesterday, I think I more clearly understand why. To frame up my explanation, allow me to indulge in a cliche and quote "Webster's," because there are two terms that explain my impression of the last two Camaro generations. Both of those terms ...

A 2016  Buick Regal with a nice rear, photographed in traffic earlier this week. Yes, we're Buick fans around here—fans especially of much of what came from the marque from the 50s and earlier through the mid 20-oughts.

If you know any high schoolers with artistic talent and a passion for cars, the Drive for Design competition, organized by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), could be a door-opening opportunity. The FCA US Product Design Office is looking for aspiring young artists with a passion for automotive design to participate in the 2018 Drive for Design contest. Returning for the sixth consecutive year, the Drive for Design contest challenges all U.S. high school students in grades 10-12 to design a Jeep® Wrangler for the year 2030. The FCA design team also is continuing its partnership with EyesOn Design and Lawrence Technological University for this year’s contest. “The Drive for Design contest is a unique competition designed to help expose young artists to the various career opportunities in automotive design,” said Mark Trostle, Head of Performance, Passenger Car and Utility Vehicle Design, FCA – North America. “This year, we are offering aspiring designers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity t...

Left: 1954 Chrysler Ghia Thomas Special. Photo by "Mr. Choppers" (posted to Wikipedia).  Right: 2018 Ford Fusion (Photo: Ford media website). Are you excited by the car designs you’re seeing today? Or are the lineups, by and large, getting tiresome—because everything seems more and more alike? The sad truth is that, today, with some notable exceptions, many models within a given category—sedans, crossovers, SUVs, even sports coupes—are tending to look dishearteningly similar. To those of us who appreciate the breathtaking looks from the heyday of car design (which, for us, was roughly from the 1950s through perhaps the mid-1970s), the current generation of look-alike fastback sedans, for example, is sad to behold.

Current Lineup Bewilders with Strong Performance, Head-Scratching Styling                Clockwise from Top Left (all from 2017 model year): Jaguar XE, Ford Fusion, Jaguar F-Type, and Ford Mustang. Notice the styling similarities? Collage was assembled from photos from the Jaguar and Ford media sites. I have to admit some bias here, because I grew up around Jaguars from the 50s and 60s. My older brother owned several. The ones I remember best were an XK-140 coupe and a 340 sedan. No, I wasn't from a wealthy family. I'm the son of a teacher, and our standard of living was barely middle class.