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Joel Piaskowski becomes Director of Exterior Design at Ford North America

Joel Piaskowski is set to become Ford's North American Director of Exterior Design. He will be filling the position previously vacated by Moray Callum, who was promoted to Executive Director for Ford Americas design when Peter Horbury went back to head up Volvo's design efforts earlier this year. "I'm very much looking forward to working with the team at Ford," Piaskowski told Car Design News.

Second new London taxi of 2014 unveiled

LONDONERS had better prepare themselves for another new generation of taxi, just days after Nissan confirmed its own assault on the Black Cab market. The plug-in hybrid Fraser-Nash Range Extended Electric Metrocab is capable of more than 75mpg and less than 50g/km of CO2, and is expected to cost no more than a current Hackney carriage. The company says the vehicle could save cabbies £30 to £40 per day in running costs and can go longer between fill-ups.

Top Gear: Rowan Atkinson, Jaguar XKR-S & Caravan Trains

Rowan Atkinson is on Top Gear - without his McLaren F1 (above) This weekend’s edition of Top Gear is the usual mix of daftness and octane, but the big news – after making overtures since the start of new Top Gear to make it happen – is the appearance of Rowan Atkinson as a Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. Rowan is not just a major petrolhead, but majorly publicity shy. Which you would think is an oxymoron for a professional entertainer, but it seems Rowan is much more comfortable occupying the skin of a character he’s created than his own, particularly in public.