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Marc Girard appointed head of Interior Design at BMW Cars

Marc Girard starts his new job as head of the Interior Design department at BMW Automobiles today, taking over the post previously held by Michael Ninic who died unexpectedly last year. His appointment also alleviates some of the pressure put on Adrian van Hooydonk, who has effectively been managing both exterior and interior design departments for BMW Cars as well as acclimatizing to his new role as design director of the BMW Group following Chris Bangle's departure last month. A BMW Group designer for the last 15 years, French-born Girard was most recently team leader for Interior Design at BMW Automobiles, having been promoted from the position of head of interior design at MINI - a role he filled from 2004 to 2006.

Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

Ford Ka

These are the first images of the all-new Ford Ka, set to be unveiled at the forthcoming Paris Motor Show in October. This is the first redesign since the original Ford Ka - widely considered to be an automotive design icon - was launched at the 1996 Paris Motor Show. Back then, the Ka was praised for its 'New Edge' styling, helping Ford sell 1.4 million vehicles over its 12-year life.