The Volkswagen Passat CC four-door coupé model has won the "red dot Design Award 2009 - Best of the Best" after having recently received the Australian International Design Award.

At the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Alfa Romeo - which is celebrating its 99th anniversary - will have on display the 8C Spider, several iconic racing cars from the past and two dream cars designed by Bertone: the 1968 Carabo and the 1976 Navajo.

Motorcity Europe has announced a series of intermediate and advanced intensive automotive design seminars, which will be held at the company's studio in Cologne, Germany, during July and August 2009. They are open to students, professionals and even non-designers.

Ken Okuyama Design Co. Ltd has opened its new Design Center in Irvine, California, in the same facility previously owned by Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design. It will serve as a creative center and for the development of small production vehicles.

Germany-based Braunschweig University of Art (HBK) University has announced its first Master Course in Transportation Design, that will start from next winter semester 2009-10. The application deadline is 15 August 2009.

The Dino Rosa is a design study of a compact sportscar inspired by the 1967 Dino 246 GT. Designed by Paolo Rosa, it is on display as a 1:10 scale model at the "Dreaming the Automobile" Exhibition hosted by the Museo dell'Automobile Bonfanti-Vimar in the Veneto region, Italy.

Rinspeed has introduced its Official Fine Graphic Art Collection, based on the link between car design, automotive culture and graphic art. The first fine art prints available include a series which pays homage to the 100th anniversary of Futurism.

Italian design house Torino Design and UK-based global development partner MIRA have signed a collaboration agreement targeted at providing design, development and certification services to automakers.

At the Laval Virtual Exhibition - a conference on Virtual Reality - Renault has presented R-Screen, a 3D viewer developed in conjunction with French Clarté which features a large-scale projection display that enables users to walk around a virtual vehicle.

Derek Jenkins, former Chief of Design for Volkswagen North America, has been appointed Design Director by Mazda North American Operations. He will develop advanced ideas for the company's future models.