I know someone who got a degree in design from Stanford around human-machine interface. Talk about writing your own check. Especially if you're going into the automotive business. Where car-interior design used to be solely about considerations like where the door handle should be and what textures are more conducive to inner peace, and how the dials should look, it is now about data, communication, and entertainment - the virtual worlds beckoning from the screens and dials of the connected car. It's what the car can give you, and how much of it you actually want. It's about how much …

Volvo is moving on several fronts here in the U.S. as it becomes a truly global carmaker. The company, which has manufacturing in Europe, and China, is soon to be the newest import car maker to open manufacturing operations in the American south, joining brands like Nissan, BMW, VW, Kia, Toyota, Honda, and Mercedes-Benz.

One clear message from April U.S. automotive sales numbers: cars that aren't cars are moving off lots a lot faster than cars that are. Yes, with SUV's on the move, it feels like the late '90s all over again. Well, almost. Back then, SUVs were actually trucks with a different hat: they were a two-box setup on a pickup-truck ladder frame. Today, SUV pretty much means a crossover, a unibody vehicle that is basically a car. Which means today's SUV is more fuel efficient. Make that way, way more fuel-efficient, thanks to new materials, new engine configurations, and new powertrain …