Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.

Vauxhall: Ellesmere Port plant saved – 700 new jobs created

Vauxhall Ellesmere Port - Saved General Motors is to keep Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port open, move to three shift working and create 700 new jobs. The overcapacity of mainstream car manufacture in Europe as the market becomes ever more polarised between premium and budget cars – squeezing the middle – means car maker having to rationalise their output. Many thought that could mean the end of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port as GM sought to stem its European losses (around £2 billion in the last three years), especially as it is easier to close plants and lay off workers in the UK than in mainland Europe.

Design Services: Majenta Academy

Established in May 2007, the Majenta Academy has continued its drive this year to provide design graduates with the hands-on 3D computer-aided design skills required to succeed in the commercial world. Majenta Solutions, one of Europe's leading IT infrastructure solutions providers, has training facilities in Barcelona, London and Gothenburg that are specifically created to help bridge the gap between university education and the wider industry. It also provides professional training in digital design to many of the major automotive and product design companies in Northern Europe, including Nokia, Hyundai/Kia, Bentley, Jaguar/Land Rover, McLaren, Nissan, Electrolux and Samsung.