Suzuki Lapin 2014 Heather Blow Motor [0867900] on 2040-parts.com

Design Services: Ficosa International

In the hierarchy of car design the exterior of a powerful sports car is usually regarded as the highest level whilst the design of some of the smaller functional components tends to sit at the bottom. But even for companies not obviously dependant on sexy curves to help them make money, design is increasingly being recognised as a critical ingredient for commercial success. Whilst most large suppliers have grown their design capability over the last decade, few have truly embraced the potential of having a focus on Design within their corporate strategy.

Brilliance

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 09 March 2007 09:19 Low key but not for long It’s not often a manufacturer unveils three new cars on its stand but Brilliance JinBei Automobile did just that. Not that you’d notice – sandwiched in between a number of specialist marques with unpronounceable names, the European debut of the BS6 and BS4 saloons and BC3 coupe (above) didn't attract too many camera flashguns. But make no mistake, Brilliance will, we predict, be an automotive household name 10 years from now.

2012 Volvo V40: Now the video leaks

Now its the turn of video of the 2012 Volvo V40 to leak out After many leaks of photos of the new 2012 Volvo V40, this afternoon we get the first new V40 video too. We’ve already run one story on the new Volvo V40 today, with a fairly comprehensive set of photos of Volvo’s new baby estate car leaking out before its launch at Geneva in just a few days. Now we get the new V40 on video after what appears to be Volvo’s launch promo for the V40 turned up on YouTube.