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CES opens with fewer big wheels, including carmakers

There are some grumblings that the annual CES is becoming less relevant in this era of 24-hour news and instant globalization of information on the internet. And you can make a good argument that the relevance of the world's largest consumer electronics show is at least evolving, for carmakers as well as for other industry giants. It has always been an industry only show, with no public -- the “consumers” in "consumer electronics" -- allowed.

Dacia ‘Twingo’ planned as sub £5,000 entry-level Dacia

The current Ranault Twingo (pictured) looks set to live on as the new Dacia Twingo The new Renault Twingo – which shares its underpinnings with the next Smart – arrived at the Geneva Motor Show last week, and it looks an appealing and impressive city runaround. With 3-cylinder engines, rear wheel drive and decent looks, the Twingo looks to have a decent chance of making sensible sales this side of the Channel as the budget alternative to the next Smart Car, which will be basically the same under the skin. But those plans may go a bit awry if a report from Auto Bild is accurate, as Dacia appear to be preparing to take the current Twingo and turn it in to a budget offering for the Dacia range.

ENG Automotive Design Summit 2005

 A sunny Stockholm was the venue for the 3rd Automotive Design Summit organised by European Networking Group (ENG) and this year the event, for the first time, was supported by Car Design News. The summit took place April 18-19 in the stylish Clarion Hotel in the heart of Stockholm, close to the 'Gamla Stan' or old town, and was enjoyed by around sixty delegates from the international automotive design community. The two-day summit opened with an interesting introduction by Sebastien Rosel, Product Manager from Dassault Systemes on the new Catia V5 software.