Mini Vision concept: what does it say about the brand's future?

The sight of Mini design head Anders Warming presenting a holographic, 3D projection of the Mini Vision concept as if appearing in his own cartoon was certainly a new one on us, but it captured the quirky, slightly left-field image the subsidiary of BMW Group has cultivated since its relaunch 13 years ago. As the 'Vision' tag suggests, this is billed as a marker of intent for the brand's future design direction rather than a pre-production teaser of the new Mini hatchback (Cooper in most markets) we'll see later this year. However if the third-generation 'new' Mini doesn't look remarkably similar we'd be amazed, such is the level of productionized detailing on this purely digital model.

How well is Ferrari really doing? Results analysed

Ferrari seems to be holding up well in the global recession, according to figures announced this week. Its market share is up, consolidated revenues fell just 7% in 2009 and overall operating profit stood at a juicy €245m. Not a bad performance in the biggest economic downturn for generations.Ferrari operates in the upper echelons of the premium sports car market: serious stuff with at least 450bhp and a minimum €140,000 price tag.

Peugeot RCZ View Top: It’s an RCZ with a Venetian blind for a roof

Magna Steyr is showcasing its technology with the Peugeot RCZ View Top Concept featuring a roof made of folding glass panels. The USP of the RCZ is its Zagato-esque double-bubble glass roof, a daring (and expensive)  design feature for a modestly priced production car. But what the double-bubble roof does is give a little bit of extra headroom in the back of the RCZ which makes it just about useable for vertically challenged passengers.