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Citroën designers: Design students have 'golden opportunity'

Today's car design students "have got a fantastic opportunity in a very different world," say Citroën designers. Though the automotive industry has been suffering in many regions in the current economic climate, the next generation of car designers "have got a fantastic opportunity," says Andrew Cowell, Senior Design Manager at Citroën, in conversation with Car Design News at the Royal College of Art, London. "The industry will evolve quite a lot, and these guys (the students on the postgraduate Vehicle Design course) will come out into a very different world." "They'll start in a very interesting period", says Alexandre Malval, Citroën Design Director and himself a graduate from the RCA course.

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.

Seat Ibiza (2008): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 02 April 2008 13:06 Seat's new Ibiza - unveiled today - spearheads a new model offensive from the Spanish company. The Barcelonan bosses hope that more and improved models will transform the brand from a bit-part player within the VW empire to a major manufacturer producing nearly a million cars a year.The new Ibiza certainly looks the part. These first pictures confirm that it will become one of the sleekest superminis around, as hinted at in the Bocanegra concept at last month's Geneva motor show.