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Akio Toyoda: Toyota's top car guy has a lifelong driving passion

As Akio Toyoda climbed the ranks at the automaker his grandfather had founded, many Toyota Motor Corp. managers treated the scion with kid gloves. Not Hiromu Naruse.

Lincoln MKC – it’s an upmarket Ford Kuga: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

Ford has revealed the Lincoln MKC Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, a titivated upmarket offering based on the Ford Kuga. Despite strong sales on the other side of the Pond, Ford is struggling in Europe – just like every other mainstream car brand – and they’re probably ruing the day they decided to unravel their Premier Auto Group, selling off Aston Martin, Volvo and – their biggest mistake – Jaguar Land Rover. Which means that if Ford want to get back in to the – potentially very profitable – realm of premium cars again they’re stuck with doing it with one of their ‘brands’.

First Sight: Mini

The first 'New' Mini was launched just five years ago, replacing the original Mini that had changed only in detail since its 1959 debut. Designed by Frank Stephenson, now head of design at Fiat, the current design has been a sales success and most significantly has been very influential in demonstrating how small cars need not be explicitly functionalist, smaller versions of larger car types or feel cheap. The new 'New' Mini, designed under the direction of Gert Hildebrand at Mini, is announced today with exterior design by Marcus Syring, interior design by Marc Girard and colour and trim design by Annette Baumeister.