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Akio Toyoda waves family flag, heir makes crisis personal challenge

The reclusive Akio Toyoda is taking the rare step of waving the family flag, as the scion to Toyota Motor Corp.’s founding dynasty tries to steer the world’s largest car company out of a spiraling safety crisis. In testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, President Toyoda pursues a rare personal tack on the emergency, saying “my name is on every car.” “As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name,” Toyoda says in prepared comments circulated ahead of Wednesday’s committee hearing in Washington. “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well.” The intimate reflection is a departure for Toyoda, who has spent most of his career sidestepping public discussion of his lineage.

UP Design Vittoria concept

Former I.DE.A styling manger, Umberto Palermo, unveiled his Victoria concept at the 2012 Qatar motor show. Responsible for both the institute's ERA and Sofia concepts, Palermo has now set up his own design consultancy, UP Design. The Vittoria concept has classical front-engined, rear-wheel drive proportions with a long hood and cab rearward layout.

First Sight: Twin’Z: Renault x Ross Lovegrove

Among the many car brand-related unveils within Milan Design Week, Renault was the only marque to actually launch a fully-fledged concept car. Car Design News spoke exclusively to its technical project manager Minh Au Truong and design superstar collaborator Ross Lovegrove to find out more about this much-hyped vehicle. When the news leaked that Renault would be teaming up with product design royalty Ross Lovegrove on a concept car to be revealed at Milan Design Week, to say this reviewer and the staff at Car Design News HQ were "a bit excited" would probably be an understatement.