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Ford Ka

These are the first images of the all-new Ford Ka, set to be unveiled at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show in October. This is the first redesign since the original Ford Ka - widely considered to be an automotive design icon - was launched at the 1996 Paris Motor Show. Back then, the Ka was praised for its 'New Edge' styling, helping Ford sell 1.4 million vehicles over its 12-year life.

Smart Forspeed concept signals new design direction

Smart will unveil a new concept at the forthcoming Geneva motor show that signals a new design direction, hints at future product and confirms parent company Daimler's renewed commitment to the brand. Car Design News was granted early access to the concept, baptized Forspeed, at a secret photography studio in Stuttgart last week and heard the head of advanced design, Steffen Kohl, explain how the two-seat, electric-powered vehicle prefaces design themes in both the next Fortwo and the revived Forfour, which will be launched in 2014. "The fullness of this concept's exterior surfaces is important and will be reflected in future production models," said Kohl, "Smart will still be short, spacey, agile, and with wheels at the corners of the car, but with an added sporty and emotional design and without losing all the brand's iconic elements like its ‘plastic fantastic' aspect and the safe and hi-tech modular tridion shell assembled with all these changeable body parts.

Traffic delays 'to last weeks'

DRIVERS at the beginning of the summer holiday getaway are being warned of weeks of delays on the roads. The first major jams will be on Friday July 25, and the five Saturdays that follow, starting July 26 and ending August 23, are expected to be the most congested days of the summer. From traffic information company Inrix, the warnings included forecasts that hour-long journeys on Friday could take up to 90 minutes.