2013 Mazda3 MPS & revised Mazda 3 range prices

Mazda has revealed the 2013 Mazda3 MPS hot hatch and announced it is adding the Tamura and Venture to the standard range. The 2013 Mazda3 MPS gets some small titivations (although you do need to look quite hard – there’s even fewer changes than the regular 2012 Mazda3) with some new tail light graphics, a new gunmetal finish for the 18″ alloys and a black Mica finish for the trim at the bottom of the back bumper, door mirrors and inner roof spoiler. Fortunately, Mazda has kept the peppy 2.3 litre turbo petrol that offers 256bhp and can scuttle the little Mazda to 62mph in 6.1 seconds.

Exclusive: Pierre Castinel resigns from Head of Design role at Tata

Tata's Head of Design, Pierre Castinel, has resigned from his post to accept a position at PSA, Car Design News has learned. Castinel was originally hired to develop the design direction and form a brand identity for Tata's full line of vehicles, including cars, pickups, SUVs, MPVs, trucks and buses, but things haven't been going well at the Indian automaker. According to insiders, Tata closed Castinel's design studio in the British midlands last year, forcing the UK-based team to move into the automaker's engineering center in Warwickshire.

Nissan ESFLOW: Electric Sports Car

Nissan ESFLOW Electric Sports Car As Tesla has already proved, if you throw enough money at it, employ enough publicists (including self-publicists) and string enough laptop batteries together, you can make an electric sports car. And, because of the lightness of construct and instant torque of an electric motor, you can make it sprint to 60mph in pretty short shrift. Whether, with all the lard that comes with  thousands of laptop batteries, you can make it go round corners properly… Which has obviously inspired Nissan to send the LEAF and the 370Z off to conjugate somewhere suitable, with orders to deliver up the resulting oxymoron – an electric sports car – to the Geneva Motor Show.