Renault turn central London in to a full-size Scalextric for the Zoe EV (video)

The Renault Zoe Scalextric cars turn on to the Embankment Even those who have never driven an electric car probably have if we count childhood exploits with Scalextric; hand-grip controllers clenched in hand seeing how fast you can go before your car tips off in a bend. So Renault decided it would be a good idea to create a full-size Scalextric track in central London, modify a pair of Renault Zoe EVs to slot in to the newly fabricated track and blat the cars round the 1.9 mile track in London controlled by competition winners from a helicopter hovering overhead. The race sees the two Zoes go head-to-head on the Scalextric track, starting out on the South Bank by the London Eye, over Westminster Bridge, past the Houses of Parliament, down the Embankment, up The Strand, over Waterloo Bridge, round the IMAX and finishing alongside the Thames at the finish line.

Ken Ma appointed VP Design at Chang'an

Former Shanghai Automotive Technical Center (SATC) design director Ken Ma joined Changan Automobile Group as vice president of the firm's Engineering Research Center late last year. Ma's new role puts him in charge of the Group's global design department, reporting directly to Changan group chairman LiuPin Xu on all design matters. But the move also effectively places him in the highest design position at any mainstream automotive company in China – a breakthrough for the country's automotive design industry.

2011 LA Design Challenge entries revealed

As the Los Angeles Auto Show rapidly approaches, the 8th international Design Challenge has been announced. Inviting studios from across the globe to compete, previous years have seen concepts created for environmentally conscious briefs that called for sub-1000lb vehicles through to ‘Motorsport 2025' concepts that reinterpreted motor racing in the semi-distant future. This year sees six design studios turning to the silver screen and creating the next ‘A-list automobile', those being: Honda Research and Development Americas, Inc; Hyundai Design North America; Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America inc.