Renault puts a price on the 2012 Twingo Facelift

2012 Renault Twingo costs £10,350 The facelift for the 2012 Renault Twingo debuted at Frankfurt, and Renault has now put a price on their new baby – £10,350. The facelift for the 2012 Renault Twingo is not the most comprehensive overhaul you’ll eve see in a car, consisting mainly of a new nose reflecting more current Renault design, a tiny tweak round the back and a few new colour options. But then the 2012 Twingo is really just a stop-gap until a SMART-based Twingo arrives – probably in 2013 – and as such does its job; making the Twingo look a bit fresher.

Steve Mattin appointed Design Director at Volvo Cars

 Volvo Car Corporation has appointed British designer Steve Mattin as Vice President and Design Director, who joins the company on 1 May following a long career at DaimlerChrysler, where he is currently Senior Design Manager with several major design projects under his responsibility. Steve Mattin is well respected in the automotive design community, and has a real passion for premium cars, which he has proved during his 17 years at DaimlerChrysler. Steve will report to Volvo Cars President and CEO, Hans-Olov Olsson as well as J Mays, group vice president of Design and Chief Creative Officer of Ford Motor Company.

Lotus to build Ethos mini with Proton, Elan delayed

Lotus today confirmed it will build its city car concept - with help from parent firm Proton - but the Elan sports car has been put on ice. The new Lotus city car will be called the Ethos, continuing a long tradition of E-names for products from Hethel. The Lotus city car is go Chief executive Dany Bahar said the city car would be on sale in early 2014.