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Register now for the 2013 Interior Motives Design Awards ceremony

Registration is now open to attend the glamorous Interior Motives Design Awards 2013 ceremony at Moon 13 (formerly The Cocoon Club) in Frankfurt on 9 September, the eve of the first Frankfurt motor show press day. The finalists will be revealed in front of some of the most influential figures in car design, while partygoers will be able to view the projects in person and relax over a drink and food with their colleagues. Awards will be given in the following eight categories: Best eco interior Best use of technology Best innovative interior Best ergonomics Best conceptual interior Best production interior Best conceptual exterior Best artistic visualization The winner of each category receives $500 in prize money, and one student (or group of students) will walk away with the accolade of Interior Motives Student Designer of the Year, which carries with it a prize of $5,000.

Ford Escort returns – for China: Shanghai Motor Show

The Ford Escort Concept has been built by Ford with the aim of taking a sizeable chunk of China’s compact saloon market – estimated at 5.5 million sales a year – and looks remarkably production viable and far from ‘budget’. Escort is a badge China knows – there are plenty of old Escorts floating around Chinese roads – so it’s a sensible move by Ford to revive a badge that already resonates as a compact, affordable saloon with Chinese car buyers. This new Escort gets a proper version of Ford’s latest design language – including the Aston Martin grill – and has good lines and strong detail including jeweled headlights with the lucky Chinese ’8′ discernible ; it looks entirely cohesive and nothing like a Focus with a boot grafted on.

Huntsman U-Box concept explores use of carbon materials

If you attended our Car Design Night at this year's Geneva motor show, you may well have seen the U-Box concept vehicle parked outside the entrance. Developed by Huntsman Advanced Materials, this 'last mile' delivery vehicle is a showcase of the company's composite materials expertise. "The D3 Group [based in Paris] designed the car and also came up with the idea of 'last-mile delivery'," explains Harald Wiedemann, Vice President of Huntsman Advanced Materials (EMEAI).