Mercruiser Pre Alpha Trim Rear Anchor Pin on 2040-parts.com

Video: Peter Schreyer on premium proportion

Kia has released a short film featuring Peter Schreyer that provides an insight into the world of premium car design in which he explains the importance of proportion. In the presentation, Schreyer sketches the company's new K9 sedan, describing how a rear-wheel drive platform affects the car's design, with its generous wheelbase, short front overhang and the 'prestige distance' between the center of the front wheel and the A-pillar. Related stories: Interview: Peter Schreyer, Chief of Design, Kia

The world’s roads cover an area the size of India

The world's roads cover an area the size of India Canadian scientist Felix Pharand has mapped the world’s roads, flights and railways showing the man-made changes on earth – The Anthropocene. If you look at a photo of earth from space it’s easy to think that what you see is how it’s always been. But the planet has changed more in the last 100 years – thanks to man – than ever before.

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".