Suzuki Wagon R 2006 Driver Seat [5570500] on 2040-parts.com

UK car production tops 1.5 million

THE NUMBER of cars built in the UK topped 1.5 million last year, the highest for six years, amid what's being called "surging" demand at home and abroad. Production increased by 3.1% in 2013, with analysts predicting that output would reach record levels of around two million by 2017. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the UK was set to become the third largest car manufacturer in Europe after Germany and Spain.

Jaguar’s Mike O’Driscoll calls it a day

Mike O'Driscoll, Jaguar's M.D., is to retire in march 2011. Jaguar’s Managing Director Mike O’Driscoll has been a Jaguar man for longer than he probably cares to remember. In fact he joined Jaguar Rover Triumph (as it then was) as long ago as 1975, when he was a young business student.

CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition winners announced at NAIAS

The winners of the CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition have been announced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Following a guided tour of the auto show with the GM design team, the finalists gathered on the GMC stand in Cobo Hall where Mark Adams and Ken Parkinson – heads of design for Cadillac & Buick, and Chevrolet & GMC respectively – were joined by Car Design News' Editor Owen Ready to present the winners of each brand's competition brief. Joining them on stage were the mentors from GM's design teams who interacted with the entrants throughout the competition to critique and help develop their work, making this a truly unique contest.