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Citroën designers: Design students have 'golden opportunity'

Today's car design students "have got a fantastic opportunity in a very different world," say Citroën designers. Though the automotive industry has been suffering in many regions in the current economic climate, the next generation of car designers "have got a fantastic opportunity," says Andrew Cowell, Senior Design Manager at Citroën, in conversation with Car Design News at the Royal College of Art, London. "The industry will evolve quite a lot, and these guys (the students on the postgraduate Vehicle Design course) will come out into a very different world." "They'll start in a very interesting period", says Alexandre Malval, Citroën Design Director and himself a graduate from the RCA course.

Nissan Leaf electric vehicle headed for U.S. market in 2010

Nissan has taken the wraps off its production-bound electric vehicle, named Leaf, that is plans to sell in Japan, the United States and Europe. The Leaf seats five and measures 175 inches long--about the same size as a Versa sedan. It uses an 80-kilowatt AC electric motor and draws from a laminated lithium-ion battery pack--the same type of batteries used by cellular telephones and laptop computers.

Fuel prices 'rising again'

THE AUTUMN dip in petrol prices failed to stimulate sales and the cost of filling up is rising again, according to the AA. Drivers in small market and coastal towns are particularly suffering from high prices, with the dearest petrol found in East Anglia and Wales, the AA said. It added that between mid November and mid December, the average UK price of petrol rose from 130.44p a litre to 131.17p, while diesel increased from 137.78p to 138.61p.