Early Triumph T120 Tr6 6t Outer Primary Cover, Bonneville, 50 on 2040-parts.com

Ford resurrects Vignale name in an attempt to add premiumness to mainstream models

Ford is resurrecting the name of renowned Italian design house Vignale in an attempt to bring its mainstream models up market in Europe. Of course this isn't Ford's first experience of using a defunct carrozzeria for its range-topping models – remember Ghia? The first of these new models will be the Mondeo, which will appear with Vignale badging, lashings of chrome and quilted leather in Frankfurt next week.

Volvo to skip Tokyo Motor Show

Volvo, the Swedish unit of Ford Motor Co., will not participate in the Tokyo Motor Show this fall. "We have evaluated our participation at motor shows for 2009 to see how we can make the most out of our resources, and this year we decided not to participate at Tokyo," Volvo spokeswoman Maria Bohlin said today in an e-mail. Ford Motor Co.

BMW DesignworksUSA Metro Inspiro

DesignworksUSA, the global design consultancy of BMW, has created its vision of the Metro system. Commissioned by Siemens in the summer of 2010, the BMW Group subsidiary developed the design of the new Metro Inspiro – a further chapter in the long-standing cooperation of the two partners. The Metro Inspiro assignment tasked the design team to live up to the increased demands on travel comfort and spatial perception, optimize transport capacities and provide regional public transportation services with additional possibilities for individualization.