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Plans for Smart’s three-seat sports car uncovered in patent drawings

Mercedes-Benz is developing a three-seat sports car for Smart. Depicted here in a series of European patent-application sketches obtained by AutoWeek, the radical new sports car forms part of an extended range of new Smart models planned for introduction by the middle of the next decade, including a more conventional four-seater to be produced in cooperation with Renault. Mercedes-Benz is reacting to increased competition from Toyota in the form of the iQ and the impending arrival of similar urban-based offerings from premium-brand rivals Audi and BMW.

Holt Ware becomes Design Director at GM-PATAC

Holt Ware has been appointed to design director at GM's Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) joint venture in Shanghai, China. He replaces Friedhelm Engler who has since relocated to Germany to lead the Advanced Design Studio, a position vacated by Anthony Lo earlier this year. Ware's new role at GM-PATAC puts him in charge of designers and modelers working in China's leading automotive engineering and design facility.

Electric BMW 1 Series Concept ActiveE Revealed

The BMW 1 Series ActiveE Concept BMW are ramping up their foray in to electric cars with the reveal of the BMW 1 Series Concept ActiveE which will show at the Detroit Motor Show in January, and takes the company a step further along the electric car line than the MINI E. The starting point for public trials of BMW’s i-Project (for ‘Public Trials’ read ‘We’ll get the punters to suss the problems’) was the front wheel drive MINI E which is out playing on the roads in a limited lease programme in the UK, Germany and the US. The programme has not been without problems including charging issues and poor range, but BMW are quite upfront about this being about seeing how the electric cars work in the real world.