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Scuola Politecnica di Design announces Chris Bangle workshop

Italy’s Scuola Politecnica di Design has announced a seven-day workshop with former BMW Group design boss Chris Bangle at its campus in Milan. Themed ‘Future Personal Emotional Mobility’ and scheduled to run from 18 to 24 September 2009, the workshop invites design degree graduates and experienced car designers to take part in a project to create a new breed of sustainable shared transportation for the year 2050. Based on the concept that the mass migration of people from the countryside to cities will in the future create even more social, economic and ecological differences between population zones, this event will see attendees work closely with Bangle towards designing systems that engage on an emotional as well as an economic level, satisfying the personal transportation needs – and desires – of a disparate global population while minimising impact on the environment.

Call for stronger penalties for texting drivers

DRIVERS convicted of causing death by dangerous driving should be given stronger and more consistent penalties, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists has said. An IAM analysis of eleven recent prosecutions involving mobile and smartphone use revealed that the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is four-and-a-half years in prison and a disqualification from driving for seven years. In all of the cases analysed, the convicted drivers were found to have lost their concentration due to using their mobile phone.

New Toyota FT-1 and FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo Concept revealed

The new Toyota FT-1 Concept (pictured) will debut at Pebble Beach At the Detroit Motor Show in January, the impressive Toyota FT-1 Concept was revealed, with the general concensus being that it pointed firmly at a future Toyota Supra. And that thought is reinforced with the arrival of a new FT-1 Concept, ahead of a debut at Pebble Beach – and a ‘virtual’ FT-1 Concept in the guise of the Toyota FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo Concept. The new FT-1 Concept comes complete with a new graphite paint job, but perhaps the more interesting aspect is that the interior now looks more upmarket and more appealing.