Auto News 5

When you first start up the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo Convertible in cold weather, there is a persistent beeping as the outside temperature display below the speedometer flashes a snowflake logo to alert the driver. Many cars flash similar warnings when it’s cold out, but this alert seems even more urgent in our Beetle droptop, as if the car itself knows that it’s being driven outside of its comfort zone.

Infiniti is playing up its Formula One connection with a special concept version of the 2014 Infiniti Q50 called the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept. Named after the Eau Rouge corner at the Spa-Francorchamps Formula One course in Belgium, the Q50 Eau Rouge Concept will debut at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show and attempts to bring some of Infiniti’s motorsports experience into a road car.

Just ahead of the car's public debut today, we sat down with 2015 Ford Mustang chief engineer Dave Pericak to learn more about what makes the new car tick. Road test editor Chris Nelson got the inside scoop on all things 2015 Mustang from the engineer himself.

Ford Design did the right thing: keeping some classic identity markers from the first Mustang but not reiterating every detail cue, as several previous versions did. Not as linear as the original, this one’s notably less puffy -- “fat” might be a better descriptor -- than the current car. Carefully sculpted, it’s much better looking in reality than in photos. We think you’ll really like it when you see it on the street, whatever your prior favorite variant. Unmistakably Mustang, this new model is clean, and it’s almost infinitely superior mechanically -- a proud, worthy swan song for Ford design chief J Mays.