Fiat Panda Aria and Grande Punto Abarth SS concepts

By Guy Bird Motor Shows 17 September 2007 02:50 Aria goes green, Abarth gets sporty, 500 goes large… Fiat’s signature white stand featured both ends of the car spectrum: From the eco Panda Aria concept to a new even sportier version of the Grande Punto, the Abarth SS prototype. It arguably had the best show stand gimmick at Frankfurt too – a giant Fiat 500 model the size of a two-storey building housing a monorail on which punters could ride life-size 500 cars around its innards – entered through the giant 500’s wheel arch. Anyway… what about this eco Panda thingy… Oh yes, the Fiat Aria ‘concept’ is subtle like that.

Nissan launches UK Clay Modeling Apprentice Program

Nissan has launched a Clay Modeling Apprentice Program in the UK, designed to recruit skilled clay modelers to boost the UK's position in global vehicle design. Business Secretary Vince Cable and Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer were present at the launch – held at Nissan's London-based European Design Center – of a scheme that aims to address the national shortage of clay modelers. Palmer explains, "Clay modeling is an integral part of the design process and vital in helping the design team visualize ideas.

2013 Hyundai ix35 Facelift revealed

We have the first picture of the facelift for the 2013 Hyundai ix35 – which will debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Although it’s a small facelift. We’ve been expecting a facelift for the Hyundai ix35 to appear before Geneva, especially after we spotted an ix35 FCEV floating around in Korea last year with a new, more convincing nose.