Pininfarina adds product-development director

Starting on Dec. 1, Andrea Maria Benedetto will serve as Italian car-design firm Pininfarina S.p.A.'s product-development director. Benedetto, who last served as the vice president of body and chassis function in the research and development division of Toyota Motor Europe, will organize engineering and R&D activities.

Yanfeng Visteon to unveil Glide concept car at Car Design Night Beijing

Yanfeng Visteon is set to reveal its Glide project at Car Design News' Car Design Night in Beijing on 23 April, the evening of the first Beijing auto show press day. The project was developed with fashionable individuals within densely populated Chinese cities in mind, with its approach specifically inspired by Chinese fashion. Yanfeng Visteon, a Tier 1 supplier, describes the vehicle as a response to the question, "What are the unique cultural and design elements to define 'premium' and 'sportiness'?" Check back on Monday for further details of Yanfeng Visteon's answer to its question.

Range Rover Hybrids press ahead on Silk Trail route to Mumbai

A trio of Range Rover Hybrid prototypes is well on its way to India on a 9,950-mile endurance drive through 12 countries. Land Rover is following the old Silk Trail to the east, but while it took ancient merchants months to complete the route, the Land Rover Hybrid team will be doing it in just 53 days. The Silk Trail is a historical network of trade routes which connected Asia with Europe and the Mediterranean, and got its name from the Chinese silk which was a lucrative trade item well into the 14th century.