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Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi appointed president of Lexus

Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi will be the first designer to sit on the company's board of directors when his appointment comes into effect on 1 April. Fukuichi will retain his position as global head of design for the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands and will join the board after the general shareholders' meeting. His influence on Toyota's design direction over the last few years has been noticeable, particularly with Lexus, as the company strives to make its traditionally very conservative products a little more exciting.

New Toyota Avenis (2012) at Frankfurt plus new Prius family and 2012 Yaris

2012 Toyota Avensis - teased ahead of Frankfurt 2011 As Frankfurt draws close its Toyota’s turn to reveal their 2011 offerings at the show, which will include the 2012 facelift Toyota Avensis. The new Avensis is the only Toyota at Frankfurt we haven’t already seen, and Toyota hasn’t done much more than send us the teaser photo you see at the top. But we do know Toyota re claiming the 2012 Avensis is the ‘Most expensive mid-life facelift’ they have ever undertaken.

Mini, Airstream collaborate on concept for Italian show

One of the last things we expect to see is a Mini towing around a 22-foot Airstream trailer, but that's exactly what will be on display in Milan, Italy, at the Salone del Mobile show in April. The one-off concept brings together the two iconic brands to produce a combination that surely will please beachgoers. For a modern styling touch, the duo tapped furniture producers Republic of Fritz Hansen to work its magic on the Cooper S Clubman tow car and the Airstream trailer.