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Concept Car of the Week: Fiat Ecobasic

This week we're celebrating if not the most glamorous then certainly one of the most relevant concept of the last decade, the Fiat Ecobasic. The car was first shown at the 2004 Geneva motor show as Fiat investigated how to replace Giugiaro's ancient but brilliantly utilitarian Panda. The brief was: cheap to produce, cheap to own and friendly to the environment.

2015 Honda Civic Type R previewed ahead of Geneva

The 2015 Honda Civic Type R Concept (pictured) previewed ahead of a Geneva debut The next Honda Civic Type R isn’t due to arrive until 2015, but Honda are taking a Type R Concept to the Geneva Motor Show next month and are previewing that with a design sketch of the new Type R (above). The Type R at Geneva will be a concept – and as such subject to some slightly OTT elements – but if the production Type R is anywhere near as dramatic as this concept it will look more like a track car set loose on the streets than a road car. A comically big back wing blends in to the Type R’s rear lights, the Type R’s wide track is incorporated with huge wheelarches, there’s a big diffuser in the back bumper and two sets of twin exhaust tail pipes.

Motorcity Europe launches design seminars

UK-based independent design studio Motorcity Europe (MCE) has launched a series of two- and five-day training seminars aimed at broadening the skills, experience and job prospects of anyone working - or looking to work - within the field of automotive design. Held at Motorcity Europe’s design studio in Cologne, Germany, the seminars will see well-known design professionals instruct on a range of design techniques, including sketching and visualizing, clay and digital modelling, portfolio improvement, presentation skills, creative thinking, and automotive and product design business strategies. These seminars are open to students, graduates, design professionals and even non-designers seeking to gain experience in the field.