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Bernie Ecclestone wants Saab – Spyker make new bid

Bernie Ecclestone is behind the Genii bid for Saab I think if we tried really hard we could be doing at least one story a day on the saga that is the sale of Saab by GM. There’s no point re-hashing the history – if you read here regularly you’ll have had your fill of the story that’s more like a Soap Opera than a business deal, but if you want all the back stories just look under Saab. But now – at the 11th hour – we have two new bits to add to the story.

BMW announces DesignWorksUSA studio and ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai

BMW has opened both a DesignWorks studio and a ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai, China, as a means of gathering information and insight into the Chinese market as the company looks to increase its presence in Asia. Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design, said, "Creating this foothold for both BMW Group Design and DesignworksUSA in Shanghai is of great importance from both strategic and creative standpoints." President of BMW Group DesignWorksUSA Laurenz Schaffer said, "Our new studio in Shanghai places DesignworksUSA at the epicenter of the most rapidly growing and influential consumer market in the world and provides an indispensable resource for shaping our global perspectives for clients." The new studio will perform functions including product, transportation, automotive, environmental and interaction design; color, material and finish design; design communication, research and strategy as well as sustainability consulting. Designers from DesignworksUSA studio in Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore will supplement a local design team.

Hyundai loses top U.S. designer

Hyundai's North American design chief, Joel Piaskowski, left the automaker on Dec. 31. Piaskowski is credited as the main designer for the Hyundai Genesis sedan and coupe.