Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

'Father of the iPod' Tony Fadell joins Autoweek Design Forum

Join Autoweek as we present top designers from inside and outside the auto industry during the 2012 Autoweek Design Forum. This year's event, themed "Designing for Today's Consumer," features presentations by: -- Max Wolff, Design Director, Lincoln -- Clay Dean, Director, North America Advanced Design, and Cadillac Brand Champion, Cadillac -- Peter Schreyer, Chief Design Officer, Kia -- Peter Horbury, Senior Vice President, Design, Geely Group -- Tony Fadell, Founder and CEO, Nest, and "Father of the iPod" The Design Forum will be held at the College for Creative Studies A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education in Detroit.

Renault Alpine A110-50

As we reported earlier this week, the Renault Alpine A110-50 prototype will be shown at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix this weekend. Designed by Yann Jarsalle and Concept and Show Car Director Axel Breun the A110-50 effectively relaunches the historic Alpine brand despite being essentially a reworked version of the Renault-branded DeZir concept unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. As well as the addition of various Alpine design cues – the stylized yellow spot lamp pods, central hood flute and blue and orange colorway – the car is built on the platform of the RenaultSport Megane Trophy racecar and so therefore requires cooling provisions for its mid-mounted engine.

New Mercedes B-Class (2012) exterior photo leaks

2012 Mercedes B-Class - it's the one on the left (click for bigger image) We did wonder if Mercedes were trying to keep exterior photos of the 2012 Mercedes B-Class under wraps until it launches at Frankfurt next month. Not much chance of that now the first official exterior photo has leaked out. In case you’re wondering, the 2012 B-Class is on the left, with the 2008 B-Class on the right.