1963 Impala Rear Center Panel on 2040-parts.com

Video: Buick's lead color and trim designer, Heather Scalf on the new Encore SUV

Buick's lead color and trim designer, Heather Scalf, talks us through the Buick Encore's interior as part of General Motors' ‘Faces of GM' series of short videos. The video series, which recently featured CDN and GM's joint interactive design contest, offers an insight into the lives and duties of the team at GM. Unveiled at the 2012 NAIAS, the Encore is a compact SUV that must fit into the Buick house style of mature luxury despite is relatively small size.

Exclusive: Laurens van den Acker to replace Patrick le Quément at Renault

The wheels of change are continuing to turn within the automotive design industry, with yet another new appointment being made at the director level. According to industry insiders, Laurens van den Acker is set become the new Design Director at Renault when Patrick le Quément retires later this year. One of the most pre-eminent car designers in the world, Patrick le Quément began his design career at Simca, worked at Ford for 17 years and did a brief stint at Volkswagen before taking the top design job at Renault.

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.