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General Motors Europe opens new Design Center

Being a car designer is often percieved as a glamourous occupation, but few people realise that this typically means working in some of the least inspiring places. Wolfsburg, Detroit and Birmingham are just a few of the locations that are home to some of the largest populations of car designers around the world. GM Europe's location in Russelsheim, Germany is also one of the less glamourous locations but the new design center building opened this week aims to redress the otherwise rather industrial feel of the place where tomorrow's Opels and Saabs are created.

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.

Subaru BRZ: Subaru UK release details – stripped down model available

Subaru will offer a stripped down version of the BRZ in the UK Subaru UK has revealed that the UK version of the Subaru BRZ will come in three versions, including a ‘Stripped Down’ option. The Subaru BRZ will come in three versions when it arrives in the UK, say Subaru UK, with an entry-level ‘Stripped-Down’ version for those who want to tweak their BRZ to suit or for track events. The top spec Subaru BRZ will come with 17″ alloys, torque sensing limited slip diff, Climate, LED running lights, a plethora of air bags and MP3 connectivity.