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Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi appointed president of Lexus

Toyota's global design chief Tokuo Fukuichi will be the first designer to sit on the company's board of directors when his appointment comes into effect on 1 April. Fukuichi will retain his position as global head of design for the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands and will join the board after the general shareholders' meeting. His influence on Toyota's design direction over the last few years has been noticeable, particularly with Lexus, as the company strives to make its traditionally very conservative products a little more exciting.

Volkswagen Scirocco unveiled

By Mark Nichol First Official Pictures 03 March 2008 20:00 VW has finally taken the wraps off the new Scirocco, 15 years after killing off the last generation coupe. Due to be officially unveiled at Geneva 2008, the Golf-based Scirocco has a pleasingly similar exterior to the Iroc concept shown at the 2006 Paris Motor Show, although the concept’s space-age interior has, predictably, undergone the full production watering-down. How cynical.

UK car production tops 1.5 million

THE NUMBER of cars built in the UK topped 1.5 million last year, the highest for six years, amid what's being called "surging" demand at home and abroad. Production increased by 3.1% in 2013, with analysts predicting that output would reach record levels of around two million by 2017. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the UK was set to become the third largest car manufacturer in Europe after Germany and Spain.