Pocketsquare to premiere Panasonic's driver-focussed HMI interior concept at NAIAS

Erstwhile GM interior design chief David Lyon, alongside former GM engineer Nina Mital and ex-Ford designer Gary Braddock – the three members of new Michigan-based design consultancy Pocketsquare – will have the first fruits of their new venture displayed at the NAIAS in Detroit in the form of Panasonic's advanced interior design concept. The interior makes use of Panasonic's new range of head-up displays and smart clusters to reduce driver distraction in advance of the latest proposed NHTSA legislation. The system is said to exceed these measures by as much as 35 per cent.

Porsche – the boss goes

Porsche boss Wendelin Wiedeking quits Well, Wendelin Wiedeking is not just any old suit, but the man credited with taking Porsche from an ailing, one-model car maker to the cash-cow it became. But Wendelin has become a victim of his own success – and the current economic woes. At any other time in the last decade, Wendelin’s plans to swallow VW would have worked.

Fisker gets funding for Karma & NINA

The Fisker Karma - should move to market quickly with new funding But late yesterday the DOE in the US approved loans to Fisker of $528 million (around £323 million). That should help. The loan is aiming to secure production of a plug-in hybrid in the US, which probably means the lower cost car Fisker has been talking about for some time.