Renault Kangoo ZE electric concept at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 15 September 2009 12:00 This is the Renault Kangoo ZE, just unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. It’s a preview of the Kangoo-based electric commercial vehicle that Renault will sell from 2011. That white paint is practical – it’s heat-reflective and helps to prevent temperature fluctuations, as does the Thermos-style double-layer bodywork.

Lincoln opens first dedicated design studio for 40 years

Ford has opened the first dedicated Lincoln design center for 40 years in Dearborn, Michigan, as part of its ongoing brand reinvention. Last August Ford announced it would be creating the studio for its luxury brand as well as increasing spending, giving it unique interiors and powertrains in an effort to differentiate it from the core Ford offerings. The Lincoln Design Studio has been built on the campus of Ford's Product Development center and houses designers, sculptors, modelers and engineers who make up part of a larger Lincoln Product Development team that will create four new Lincoln vehicles by 2015.

How CATIA for Creative Designers helps to keep Recaro in the hot seat

Dassault Systèmes' latest release, CATIA for Creative Designers, is a software solution that bundles applications to help designers imagine, create, share and experience their product designs, virtually. Johnson Controls division Keiper, is using Dassault Systèmes' latest CATIA software in the design process of its new Recaro vehicle seating systems. Mathias Gischke, Head of the Style and Surfaces department at Johnson Controls' Technical Center in Kaiserslautern, says: "13 years ago we decided to use ICEM Surf, the Class-A leading software at the time.