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Video: Chris Bangle delivers “Empowerment: Design without Designers” talk at Creative Mornings/London

Chris Bangle – the undisputed front man of car design – needs little introduction, so the prospect of the former BMW Design Director and now founder of Chris Bangle Associates giving a talk in our home town of London was too good to pass up. His presentation (which you can watch in full in the video to the left) touched on his time at BMW, but was more focused on the idea of empowering others to create: "design without you in the middle", as Bangle says. From the story of the co-creation of the staircase in his Italian studio to the idea of encouraging people to think about their culture when designing, his philosophies transcend disciplines.

VW, Audi cars recalled to fix fuel-injection system defect

Volkswagen AG is recalling 168,275 VW and Audi models with diesel engines because of a defect in the fuel injection system that could cause fuel leaks, possibly creating fire hazards. The recall affects certain 2009-12 Jetta mid-sized sedans and wagons, and some 2010-12 Golf compacts, federal regulators said Thursday. Some 2010-2012 Audi A3 models also are affected, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site.

Meet the 214-mpg Volkswagen Twin-Up concept

Ahead of a Tokyo motor show debut, VW is showing off the Twin-Up concept. Essentially an advanced version of the company's entry-level Up supermini, the Twin-Up runs a modified version of the plug-in diesel-electric hybrid driveline used in the high-tech XL1 for spectacular claimed combined consumption of 214 mpg on the Euro combined cycle along with a zero-emissions electric range of 31 miles. The Twin-Up name alludes to the new car's twin drive sources.