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Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

Who's Where: Simon Cox appointed design director, Infiniti Design London

Infiniti has recruited Simon Cox as design director at its Infiniti Design London studio, which is currently Nissan Design Europe. He will report directly to Infiniti executive design director Alfonso Albaisa. The new appointment comes as Infiniti attempts to evolve its design strategy by establishing new dedicated design studios, of which the London Paddington studio is the first.

New Audi Q7 (2013) to shed weight. But no Audi Q9 planned.

The 2013 Audi Q7 will be much lighter than the current Q7 The Audi Q7 was rather late to the SUV party of the noughties, not hitting the road until 2005. That meant the Q7 had a bit of an edge when it launched, as it was newer than its competition, but it also means the Q7 is still soldiering on when its competition has already launched newer, shinier models. But Audi are working on fixing that, and fixing the biggest criticism of the Q7 in the process – its sheer weight and size.