Aston Martin's Launch Edition Cygnets (2011)

Production of the Aston Martin Cygnet begins in just a few months' time, and the sports car company has announced two special editions to celebrate the launch of its new city car. According to Aston Martin, the Cygnet Launch Edition White and Cygnet Launch Edition Black are being built to ‘exemplify the highly bespoke nature of this unique car.’ Are we alone in spotting the irony of building a run of identical vehicles to highlight the customisable nature of the Cygnet? The Cygnet Launch Edition White is supposed to be about serenity, with Snow White paint, white diamond-turned alloy wheels, and white Aston badges on the outside, and white leather on the inside.

RCA Tata 'Space' project

First year students at the Royal College of Art in London, UK, presented their interpretations of a small Tata that boasted internationally appealing Indian character. Following on from the Indica and Nano small cars, the project aimed to call out existing typologies for the brand and create an innovative and internationally relevant product. The brief also aimed to build on – and assist – Tata's fast-track development to be a leading small car global brand by building on the brand's extensive portfolio beyond the automotive sector.

2016 Ford Focus RS hits the Nurburgring (video)

2016 Ford Focus RS hits the Nurburgring One car Ford has failed to produce in the latest Focus is the Focus RS, but that is set to change with plans for a new range-topping Focus RS hitting Ford’s showrooms in 2016, a year before the current Focus is due for an update. So it’s no surprise to see Ford starting to blat the new Focus RS round the Nurburgring – albeit using a Focus ST as a mule for the RS’s powertrain – ahead of a probable reveal late in 2015. Almost certainly powering the new Focus RS is the 2.3 litre EcoBoost from the new Ford Mustang, which gets 304bhp in the Mustang but which is expected to get as much as 345bhp in the new RS – as much as the old Focus RS500 managed.