Ford reports record $1.7 billion profit

Ford Motor Co. reported record third-quarter profits on Tuesday, raised its production forecast and said it will speed up steps to cut its debt. Ford's $1.7 billion in net income was up from $997 million a year earlier.

Aston Martin Shop – at the Nurburgring

Aston Martin has opened a 2500 sq ft shop at the Nurburgring selling accessories and trinkets And now Aston Martin has decided it’s time to play shopkeeper, so they have opened up a new merchandise store at the Nurburgring. And they’re in good company, as both Nissan and Ferrari have recently done the same. But this is as much about the Nurburgring’s intention of becoming a leisure and business centre as it is about being a sales refuge for beleaguered car makers.

Interior Motives Design Conference 2005

Patrick le Quement, Senior Vice President, Corporate Design, Renault made the opening address in which he remarked that "the most profound change I and my team have made is the investment in interior design". He took the audience through a succinct overview of the recent history of Renault design and how far it has evolved from being 'the art of dressing up the hunchback' as a senior Renault manager remarked several decades ago. One of the interesting Renault Design processes he talked about was its 'Trends Missions' where groups of four or five designers make trips into creative areas adjacent to car design for a few days to explore, research and bring back to the studio valuable insight that enriches the design group as a whole and informs the many issues and tasks being grappled with, one of the most important at the moment being defining 'what is Renault'.