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Designer insights: highlights of Auto Design Prague 2014

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, might not seem the most obvious choice for an automotive design conference. But when one considers the country's history of innovation in the arts and architecture, its long-lived automotive marques like Tatra and Skoda, and Prague's central location in Europe, it makes perfect sense. Conference speakers included the program design director for Citroën DS, Ivo Groen; Volvo vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar advanced design director, Julian Thomson; Gert Hildebrand, head of design for Qoros; and Johann Lemercier, program manager at Ferrari design.

Honda cuts 800 jobs at Swindon Plant

Honda is cutting 800 jobs at its Swindon Plant as demand for cars across Europe weakens and moving to a single shift system. We’ve not had a huge amount of bad news in the UK car industry for some time, but Honda’s decision to cut 800 jobs at its Swindon Plant is a tough pill to swallow for the workforce. Honda blames ‘Sustained conditions of low demand’ in Europe for the swathing cuts in its workforce in the, but believes the move is necessary to protect the long-term future of Swindon.

Skoda Octavia vRS to hit 200mph at Bonneville

The Skoda Octavia vRS - Bonneville bound. Skoda has come a very long way since Volkswagen rescued it from the ignominy of the communist era, and restored the pride to the Czech car maker. But even though the Skoda of today is now a mainstream maker of quality cars, things haven’t changed so much that they are about to launch a 200mph Skoda, or at least not one you can pop to your local Skoda dealers and get a VAT-free deal on.