Ford is developing a virtual child to improve safety research

Researchers at Ford have started constructing a "virtual" six-year-old child that will help them research future safety devices. It will take years to build the complex, multilayer digital dummy, Ford said on Thursday. And the finished computer model won't be used for vehicle validation or crash testing.

VW Golf GTI Cabriolet unveiled

The 2012 VW Golf GTI Cabrio unveiled - but it won't arrive until summer's over Ahead of a debut at the Geneva Motor Show we get the first details and photos of the new Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet. Volkswagen has left it a bit late in the model life of the current Golf to deliver the VW Golf GTI Cabriolet, but better late than never. With 207bhp and 207lb/ft of torque the GTI Cabrio can whip to 62mph in 7.3 seconds and on to 147mph.

VW Taigun Compact SUV heading for production

It was a good-looking and appealing effort from VW to tap in to the very compact SUV market, with a real family look (a Tiguan on a boil wash), peppy little 3-cylinder 1.0 litre engine delivering 108bhp and a 0-62mph of 9.2 seconds (with 60mpg economy) and enough room to carry stuff and people thanks to an extra 50mm in the wheelbase compared to the Up! Now it looks like the Taigun is heading for production after VW’s Chief designer, Klaus Bishoff, told Autoexpress that he deeply believed the Taigun would be heading for VW showrooms very soon, and could be sold in the UK and Europe as well as in emerging markets. So you can add the Taigun to the list of VW’s SUV offerings, and with new versions of the Tiguan and Touareg (perhaps based on the CrossBlue Concept) and a Polo based SUV on the way too, it looks like VW are covering all the bases.