Car Designers Blackmailed

A London court has found former design student Guy Lloyd-Parker guilty of blackmailing US car designers. The London College of Fashion graduate had claimed that 95 car design sketches were stolen from him by two college lecturers in 1994, eventually resurfacing as final designs in the form of the Audi TT, BMW Z3, Mazda RX-8 and the Volvo XC90. Lloyd-Parker, having failed to successfully sue the college, began sending menacing letters to California-based Volvo Design Director Geza Loczi, former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, and ex-Mazda designer Tsutomu Matano demanding £90,000.

Fiat launches Abarth 595 Turismo & Abarth 595 Competizione

Fiat has re-jigged the Abarth 500 range in the UK with the launch of the Abarth 595 Turismo & Abarth 595 Competizione. Fiat really does make something of a pickle of its Abarth models and their names. Take the Abarth 500, for example.

2014 Mazda 3 five-door revealed

Mazda has gained a fair amount of traction with its fuel-efficient Skyactiv technology, which was first fully implemented in production on the CX-5 compact crossover, followed by the 2014 Mazda 6 midsize sedan. However, unlike the CX-5 and 6, the Mazda 3, the company's best-selling vehicle, only enjoyed a mild Skyactiv makeover for the 2012 model year with the 2.0-liter Skyactiv engine and transmissions being made available on the second-generation model. This meant the 3 would have to wait until an all-new generation debuted to enjoy the entire suite of Skyactiv equipment, including the lighter-weight chassis, body and suspension.