05/09 Gmc Envoy Airbag Wheel on 2040-parts.com

Who's Where: Martin Smith to retire, succeeded by Joel Piaskowski as Ford Europe head of design

Martin Smith, head of Ford of Europe design for the last 10 years, will retire at the end of this year, before which he will work on a project to study the future direction of the company's global design direction. He will be replaced by current head of strategic concepts group, Joel Piaskowski on 1 July. Smith (64) first joined Ford back in 2004, leaving General Motors as director of design for Opel/Vauxhall.

Renaultsport Clio (2012) surprises Goodwood

Renault surprised festivalgoers at Goodwood over the weekend when it sent the new 2013 Renaultsport Clio up the hill. The prototype hot Clio appeared twice at the Festival of Speed, driven by chief operating officer Carlos Tavares. Renaultsport Clio at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012 The go-faster Clio was still wearing its prototype disguise when it went up the hill late on Friday and Saturday, as the crowds were thinning.

Real UK car sales ‘have halved’ in November 2008

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 02 December 2008 09:58 The United Kingdom’s car market is in freefall, CAR has learned. Although official registration figures won’t be released until later this week, we can reveal that retail sales slumped by 45% in November 2008. It’s a crucial metric, retail registrations being actual sales to real people – as opposed to bulk-buy fleet deals to businesses (which are also down).