Standard Motor Products Cpa44 Choke Pulloff (carbureted) on 2040-parts.com

Jaguar Land Rover profits up 34 per cent to £1.5 billion

Just four years after Tata took over what looked like a basket case in Jaguar Land Rover, profits have hit £1.5 billion. It’s become the norm for Jaguar Land Rover to report ever improving profits and sales, but the news that JLR made profits of £1.5 billion in the year to end of March 2012 is still amazing. Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata four years ago as it unwound its faltering luxury car brands, and as recently as 2009 JLR were almost begging for government help to keep going.

Lilana Nicoghosian brings fashion and product inspiration to CGT Automotive

CGT supplies cutting-edge synthetics to most major OEMs in the auto industry. In her role as design manager, CGT global automotive division, former Ford color and trim designer Lilana Nicoghosian brings a wealth of experience and insight to the company's drive to provide customers with modern, tactile materials inspired by the worlds of fashion and product design. This mood board was created by Nicoghosian as part of a bi-annual design show that she presents to major OEM design studios around the world.

Who's Where: Martin Smith to retire, succeeded by Joel Piaskowski as Ford Europe head of design

Martin Smith, head of Ford of Europe design for the last 10 years, will retire at the end of this year, before which he will work on a project to study the future direction of the company's global design direction. He will be replaced by current head of strategic concepts group, Joel Piaskowski on 1 July. Smith (64) first joined Ford back in 2004, leaving General Motors as director of design for Opel/Vauxhall.