Autoblog

Click above for gallery of the Euro-spec Honda Accord

Honda's Euro-spec Accord Tourer (a.k.a. wagon) has taken home the the 51st international Red Dot Award for high quality design, marking the third time that Honda has managed to win this award. Back in 2001, the S2000 brought home the trophy and in 2006, it was the current-generation Civic nabbing the honor. The Red Dot Award for design is a big deal in international circles, and while there are awards for products in 11 categories, there's only one Transportation award. Honda winning three times, including two-in-a-row, is remarkable.

While our Accord is a different animal entirely, the Euro-model Accord is available here, albeit in sedan form only, as the 2009 Acura TSX. It's amazing that an award-winning design as classy and elegantly understated as that of the European Accord could share so much in common with the polarizing lines of the redesigned 2009 Acura TSX.



[Source: Car Pages]

The Mercedes-Benz R-Class has received the prestigious Red Dot Design Award from the North Rhineland-Westphalia Design Center.

The R-Class was deemed worthy of the honor because, according to Peter Pfeiffer, head of design at the MB Technical Center, it creates "a visual association between the concepts of space, dynamism, emotion and speed."

Translated, that means that Mercedes was able to make a six-seater people mover that does not scream, "BOOOORING!" at pedestrians when it drives by. To be fair, the R-Class "grand sports tourer" (don't call it a minivan ... Dr. Z will frown at you) is quite attractive. Based on the number of them this writer sees on the road daily, it would appear that the buying/leasing public thinks it's pretty neat-looking as well.

Mercedes goes on to point out that the R-Class form incorporates design elements seen across the company's passenger car range. They use the dead-sexy CLS as a basis of comparison, which seems preposterous at first. A quick study of some side-by-side photos, however, shows that while the two vehicles are very different, they really do share elements that illustrate the family ties.

This is especially evident in the shape of the side glass, but becomes even more apparent in smaller details that are easily missed upon casual inspection. This meticulous effort to tie dramatically different vehicle types together is admirable, and shows just how much work Mercedes puts into its design. On a personal level, you may not like what you see on some models, but the sense of direction behind it is has now been made abundantly clear.

(Photos, press release after the jump)

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]