Toyota teases Muppets Super Bowl spot

Former NFL player and current "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor Terry Crews will appear in Toyota's Highlander-focused Super Bowl ad. The automaker released a teaser spot today, referencing the Coen Brothers and featuring the Muppets' famed dilapidated bus, a fanciful tour vehicle in the vein of Ken Kesey's Furthur or the Partridge Family's Mondrian-esque Chevy. (RIP, Dave Madden.) It's safe to assume that some manner of madcap mayhem will ensue upon the arrival of the rest of the Muppet crew, but for now, all we get is a shot of pianist Rowlf buckling himself in sans invitation.

Renault Formula E racer (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

Formula E, the new elite racing series for electric single-seaters, has got the FIA’s backing, confirmed the major cities that will host the races, and now we've finally seen the crucial racecar. This is the Spark-Renault SRT_01E, a joint project developed between Renaultsport and Spark Racing Technology (SRT) which has just been unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. There’s also been input from F1 legends Williams and McLaren, plus Dallara (which builds all the cars for the IndyCar series in the US).

Designer insights: highlights of Auto Design Prague 2014

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, might not seem the most obvious choice for an automotive design conference. But when one considers the country's history of innovation in the arts and architecture, its long-lived automotive marques like Tatra and Skoda, and Prague's central location in Europe, it makes perfect sense. Conference speakers included the program design director for Citroën DS, Ivo Groen; Volvo vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar advanced design director, Julian Thomson; Gert Hildebrand, head of design for Qoros; and Johann Lemercier, program manager at Ferrari design.