Cockpit Utility Light Removed From A New Bell Helicopter. 721-1058-101 on 2040-parts.com

BMW are rolling out their ‘BMW Genius’ programme across UK dealers

Even when you’re immersed in the latest car news day in and day out, it’s often quite tough to keep up with the new technologies car makers are offering, so many buyers must struggle to know exactly what their options are. That should be a job for the car salesman, but most car salesmen only worry about explaining how good the deal is and how it’s better than any other deal, so buyers often come away with a car that doesn’t fit their needs as well as it could. But with fewer new car buyers really wrapped up in performance and dynamics and more interested in the tech behind the wheels, BMW has been trying out an idea borrowed from Apple Stores by employing ’BMW Geniuses’ at 10 of their UK dealerships to explain the advantages of much of their technology to customers.

Toyota announces winners in design competition (w/ Video)

Toyota has announced the winners of a sponsored design competition hosted by London's Royal College of Art. Based on the theme of ‘Intelligent Urban Living', the winners include a simple but effective vertical storage system to keep bikes out of reach of thieves and a keyboard display that makes life easier for two-fingered typists. Inspired by the design of Toyota's innovative iQ city car, which addresses many of the challenges of modern city living with its compact dimensions, the contest generated inspiration that gave a new twist to some familiar household objects and produced innovations to make modern life easier and more environmentally responsible.

JAC Vision IV concept (w/ Gallery)

JAC revealed this four-door Vision IV concept at the Beijing Motor Show.  Designed by JAC's Turin-based design team, the concept showcases both a hybrid powertrain and a new A-segment chassis that houses a lithium ion battery in the center tunnel. The styling is meant to convey both a sense of 'natural electricity' and the fluid, natural strokes of Chinese calligraphy. Read more about the concept's design in our 2010 Beijing Motor Show Highlights and see more photos and sketches in the gallery below.