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Ford's NA Design Director aims to shorten product lifecycles

Peter Horbury, Ford Motor Company North America Design Director, has told Automotive News he intends to shorten product lifecycles at the ailing company from an average five years to three years starting this decade. "We feel there is no value in minor changes but a huge value in major changes," Horbury told the industry weekly. Ford needs to ensure that buyers continue visiting showrooms as the giant automaker struggles to retain market share.

Video: Gordon Wagener on the Mercedes Concept Style Coupe

Mercedes-Benz has released a short video in which Head of Design Gordon Wagener presents the new Concept Style Coupe. The Concept Style Coupe, officially introduced at the recent Beijing auto show, was first seen at the Avant/Garde festival prior to Beijing in an unusual move for the brand. "In this case we thought the car was so progressive and avant-gardistic that we decided to put it here into this art show," says Wagener.

UPDATED: Honda hints at new European advanced design studio

On the eve of the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda Design's Creative Director, Toshinobu Minami, announced that the company is looking to once again open a design facility in Europe. The announcement came during a presentation at the R&D Center in Waco, just outside the Japanese capital and, while not confirmed, Minami-san strongly hinted that the UK would be a likely candidate to play host to Honda's revitalized European design operations. He cited the country's existing manufacturing and administration facilities, as well as a wealth of new talent from the Royal College of Art in particular.