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The Future Role of the Vehicle Designer

The vehicle design department at the Royal College of Art hosted the second in a series of five lectures looking at the future of the profession last week. Moving on from the previous week's topic of sustainability, this debate explored the future roles and responsibilities of the vehicle designer. Head of department Dale Harrow began by posing the question "Is it time to rethink – do we still need the car?" Although still relevant, Harrow's ultimate answer to this was that the profession was about to see marked change, with the end to an era where "designers are locked behind closed doors in studios".

McLaren P1 concept

The McLaren P1 concept – the company's flagship hypercar model – will make its world debut at the Paris motor show next week ahead of the production model some time next year. These first images reveal an exterior that's more expressive in its surfacing and graphics than the existing MP4-12C, with a particular motif made of McLaren's 'tick' logo through the DRG. Its bodywork also appears to be layered over the underlying carbon structure that appears around the nose, rear and door panel, which hint at the diagonal bar that ran through the F1's doors, although here it dives downwards rather than creating a wedge.

Volkswagen prices limited-edition Beetle GSR

Volkswagen is bringing back the yellow-and-black Beetle GSR for 2014, more than 40 years after the “Yellow Black Racer” (Gelb Schwarzer Renner) debuted for the first time. That car had around 50 hp; the new one will eclipse that by just a little bit. On sale today, the Beetle GSR will use VW's turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI engine making 210 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.