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 …

“Short Journeys” Film Series

Subtly branded films that highlight the car's features with universal, human stories

Sponsored by Cadillac

Directed by Dutch-born Sam de Jong, a new film series entitled “Short Journeys” includes four shorts that each focus on very human relationships—with the world around us, our loved ones, and ourselves. In a first for Cadillac, these films were produced for the auto legend, yet (unlike so much brand-geared content) work as standalone pieces that contain universal themes for those living and working in …