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BMW announces DesignWorksUSA studio and ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai

BMW has opened both a DesignWorks studio and a ConnectedDrive lab in Shanghai, China, as a means of gathering information and insight into the Chinese market as the company looks to increase its presence in Asia. Adrian van Hooydonk, Director BMW Group Design, said, "Creating this foothold for both BMW Group Design and DesignworksUSA in Shanghai is of great importance from both strategic and creative standpoints." President of BMW Group DesignWorksUSA Laurenz Schaffer said, "Our new studio in Shanghai places DesignworksUSA at the epicenter of the most rapidly growing and influential consumer market in the world and provides an indispensable resource for shaping our global perspectives for clients." The new studio will perform functions including product, transportation, automotive, environmental and interaction design; color, material and finish design; design communication, research and strategy as well as sustainability consulting. Designers from DesignworksUSA studio in Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore will supplement a local design team.

Threat to rural road maintenance

TOTAL ROAD CLOSURES may be necessary as the extreme winter weather has left councils struggling to maintain routes, according to a local government chief. One council - Cornwall - said it was being "starved of resources" and was considering stopping maintenance of rural roads. But the Department for Transport said billions of pounds were being provided for local highways maintenance and it was the responsibility of authorities to cope with severe weather.

AT&T Labs and Carnegie Mellon develop GPS-enabled haptic steering wheel

AT&T Labs and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new GPS-enabled steering wheel prototype that incporporates haptic technology. For those who need a quick refresher, haptic technology is a feedback system that uses vibrations to provide alerts, for example vibrating mobile 'phones or your games console controller. Here the tech is used to alert drivers when navigation maneuvers are approaching, with the steering wheel syncing with GPS-enabled computer systems.