DEARBORN, MI—Ford’s latest vehicles will be quieter thanks to a new testing method called aeroacoustic mobile wind tunnel testing.

CHATTANOOGA, TN—Volkswagen has begun the process of hiring 130 engineers and technicians to staff the automaker’s new R&D center here, which will be fully operational by 2017.

The late novelist John Le Carré once said, “A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” As it turns out, what was good advice for spies is equally good for manufacturing and design engineers.

DETROIT—Engineers behind the Chevrolet Corvette, Cadillac CTS, GMC Sierra and Buick Enclave are learning on dealership sales floors and in service bays what customers like and dislike about the cars and trucks they helped create.

BOSTON—GrabCAD, an online community for sharing CAD expertise, is sponsing a contest to design a steering wheel for a supersonic car. A $1,000 prize will be awarded to the winning entry. Designs must be submitted by Jan. 31.

DETROIT—As consumers clamor for better fuel economy, suppliers and automakers are trying to reclaim some of the lost thermal energy produced by a vehicle’s engine.

DETROIT—Next to the wheel, it’s one automotive component that dates back to the horse-drawn carriage era, and it’s about to go the way of the buggy whip. The front bench seat, once a fixture among large American cars, will be headed for oblivion when the final 2013 Chevrolet Impala rolls off the assembly line in the coming months.