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Chris Bangle begins work with Changan Automobile on its design strategy and methodology

Chris Bangle is to consult with Changan Automobile to help develop its design strategy and processes in his first official automotive project since leaving BMW in 2009. Bangle – through his company Chris Bangle Associates (CBA) – will work with Changan's team in its European design center in Turin, Italy, reporting to design director Chen Zheng. And while his role will be linked to the brand's Chinese products, his focus will be on the design team's methodologies and philosophy; its management and its process of critique, rather than the hands-on design of its products.

Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid revealed ahead of Geneva debut

The VW Golf GTE Plug-in (pictured) debuts at Geneva If you like a quite warm VW Golf with a petrol engine, VW has that covered with the Golf GTI, and if you’d rather burn oil you can do that too with the Golf GTD. But now there’s a third way – the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. Combining a 1.4 litre TSI turbo petrol with 148bhp and a 101bhp electric motor, the Golf GTE manages a combined output of 201bhp, enough to get to 62mph in 7.6 seconds and return official economy figures of 157mpg and emissions of a paltry 35g/km.

Hyundai ix35 FCEV production starts – & previews the ix35 facelift?

Hyundai has started production of the ix35 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle which perhaps previews the facelift for the ix35. We revealed last year that Hyundai were pushing ahead with their hydrogen fuel cell cars (and eschewing battery EVs in the process) with plans to start rolling the Hyundai ix35 FCEV off the production line by the end of 2012. That plan slipped just a little, but the first ix35 FCEV has now rolled of the production line in Korea (pictured above) as Hyundai work towards full scale production of the ix35 FCEV by 2015.