Good Ideas Salon, Tokyo

To discuss ‘pure living' as a concept, Nissan and trends company PSFK hosted the Good Ideas Salon in Tokyo on 20 October 2009; a moderated conversation between International and local guests explored how pure living manifests itself in design, technology, urban living and transportation. Panelist Marc Alt, founder of Marc Alt + Partners, a strategic agency dedicated to sustainability and social innovation, began the Salon discussion stating that, "Companies and individuals need to understand what it means to be green in their daily lifestyle choices. Sustainability is not just about creating energy-efficient resources, but being more efficient in how we use these resources.

Italian supercar makers halt production after second earthquake

Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini on Tuesday suspended production after an earthquake killed at least 10 people in northern Italy where their factories are located. The three luxury sports car makers said their factories were not damaged in the quake but they had sent workers home. "All the workers and employees have been allowed to join their families" Ferrari said on its Twitter account.

Bedford Autodrome to get Ariel Atoms for 2012

Corporate track-days at the Bedford Autodrome will get lairier in 2012 - Somerset-based Ariel has announced it’ll supply ten cars for the PalmerSport track-day events next year. Stopping short of the unhinged Atom V8, the PalmerSport-spec cars get the normally aspirated 245bhp Civic Type-R engine, and some key changes to set it aside from the Joe-Public Atom. The Palmer-spec car will get a Sadev paddle-shift sequential gearbox, which swaps ratios in 60 milliseconds, whilst some choice chassis mods optimise the Atom for its full-time track-toy brief.