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News watch June 2012: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Friday 29 June 2012• As predicted, BMW and Toyota today announced the next stage of their cooperation to jointly develop powertrains, lightweight technologies, fuel-cells and future platforms (BMW and Toyota)• Today's announcement follows the initial agreement signed in December 2011; in March 2012, BMW and Toyota signed a binding agreement to work together on lithium-ion battery research and for Munich to supply Toyota with diesel engines from 2014 • Now Toyota and BMW have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the electrification of car powertrains, research into lightweight technologies, develop fuel-cells and to consider future vehicle architectures – 'for a sports car, for example'• Renault will cut 300 jobs at its Flins plant near Paris, it announced today. The factory builds the Clio and is preparing for the new Zoe ZE too (Automotive News Europe)• Ford has warned its pre-tax operating profit in the second quarter will be 'substantially lower' than before.

VW XL1 SEV to take on the hillclimb at Goodwood Festival of Speed

The super frugal – and super slippery – VW XL1 (pictured) will take on the Goodwood hillclimb Visitors to the Goodwood Festival of Speed can spend endless hours watching a seemingly endless precession of supercars take on the hillclimb. But one supercar this year will be a bit different. Volkswagen are taking their super slippery, super frugal supercar – the VW XL1 SEV – to Goodwood next month and are planning on taking it up the hillclimb in the capable hands of former F1 champion Jacky Ickx.

Tony Williams-Kenny announced as Design Director, SAIC Motor

Tony Williams-Kenny has been announced as the new global Design Director of Chinese automaker, SAIC Motor.  During his previous role as Design Director for SAIC Motor, UK, Williams-Kenny worked on various Roewe products, as well as being responsible for designing a new generation of MG models including the MG3, MG6 and MG Zero – the first concept car from the brand since 1985. When interviewed by CDN last year, we asked him how important design is in the company: "For me it's obvious SAIC gets the need for design and the need for a strong brand design relationship," he answered. "We have a really good review group at senior management level too, who actually want to be involved in design reviews and the decision making process." After gaining an MA in Automotive Design and a BA (Hons) in Transport Design from Coventry University in the UK in 1998, Kenny joined Mitsubishi Europe Design in Trebur, Germany as a designer.