100+ Years of British Car-Making at the MINI Oxford Plant

We interview three employees whose families have a long history with the carmaker

by Michael Frank In an age when automakers are suddenly front and center in potential trade wars, it’s important to take a step back and realize that these companies—regardless of where they manufacture—employ human beings. The impacts of trade disputes will affect the bottom lines of companies, and those impacts will most hurt the people who’ve given their lives to the carmakers. This isn’t just …

Interview: Kevin Hunter, President of Toyota’s Calty Design Research

We talk cars and design process with the head of California's original car design center

For the last decade Kevin Hunter has been the president of Calty—Toyota’s design research center in Newport Beach—but he’s worked there for nearly 35 years. When Calty opened its doors in 1973, it was the first Southern California-based design center for any major auto manufacturer and the beginning of a deeper recognition that the California market is both important and distinctive. Calty employs 100 designers …

Test Drive: 2017 Subaru Impreza

Updated talent and understated charm yield an unexpectedly good ride

If you didn’t know any better, you might think the Subaru Impreza is simply another five-passenger sedan, with a five-door hatch variant that slots into the crowded, entry-level segment of the compact class. But, if you’ve awaited the all-new fifth-generation model, you’ll know this quiet charmer comes from extraordinary genes, is affordably priced starting at just over $18K, has standard all-wheel drive, and gets up …