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2012 MINI Coupe: Almost there

MINI Coupe Spy - Looks ready to go It’s heading towards two years since MINI revealed the MINI Coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009. Along with its twin the MINI Roadster. Respectively they were MINI Concepts #984 and 985.

BMW i3 EV revealed. It’s clever, but it’s not exactly pretty

The BMW i3 electric city car (pictured) has been officially revealed The BMW i3 – the first of BMW’s production ‘i’ electric cars – has finally been revealed at events in London, New York and Beijing as BMW plots its course to bring a premium electric city car to the world. Looking much like the original Mega City Concept, the i3 debuts a number of innovations from BMW – which are very clever – but it also debuts perhaps the worst looking BMW we’ve ever seen, with its incongruous lines, bulging bonnet, odd shapes on the flanks and slab-backed rear view. But what underpins the i3 is clever indeed, with a lightweight inner body made from carbon fibre and carbon fibre reinforced body panels providing the skin, all conspiring to make the i3 light – 1195kg, despite 25 per cent or so of that being batteries – and very rigid.

CCS launches MFA degree programs

The College for Creative Studies in Michigan, USA, is set to launch new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs in Design and Transportation Design. The new courses, which launch in Fall 2009, will give students a broad scope of skills and experience in 2D and 3D design, and will include a basic study in business that will take place at the University of Michigan's respected Stephen M Ross School of Business. CCS says that this will equip graduates with the tools required to implement concepts and make strategic decisions - increasingly important parts of a 21st century car designer's skillset.