Luc Donckerwolke appointed as Seat Design Director

Belgian designer Luc Donckerwolke will be appointed as Seat Design Director, starting next month. Donckerwolke moves within the Audi Brand Group to replace Walter De'Silva who retains his position as the group's Director of Design. In his new position, Donckerwolke will also take over the Spanish company's Design Centre, currently run by Steve Lewis who is moving on to assume new responsibilies within the Audi Brand Group.

Coventry University design graduates develop iconic youth car

Three graduates from the Coventry University MA Automotive Design course have created an iconic vehicle for the year 2020. Kazunori Inomota, Edward Stubbs and Mujammil Khan-Muztar designed the Rebel concept, a project that began in March this year, to incorporate aspects of Japanese 'Harajuku' gangs - where teenagers create their own fashion to deliberately try to stand out from their peers - and Toyota's youth-oriented Scion brand. Drawing styling cues from the Scion xB and the Ford SYNus concept unveiled at the 2005 NAIAS in Detroit, the Rebel concept is about social interaction, functionality, and the relationship buyers have with personalized products.

Drayson Racing and Michelin compete for EV record

Drayson Racing Technologies and Michelin are joining forces to make a run at the FIA World Electric Land Speed Record on Tuesday with the Drayson B12 69/EV prototype. In addition to a record attempt this will be a real-world test for the car, which will also compete in the 2014 FIA Formula E Championship. The car was originally powered by a 5.5-liter biofuel Judd engine, but it has now been converted to full electric drive.