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Designer insights: highlights of Auto Design Prague 2014

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, might not seem the most obvious choice for an automotive design conference. But when one considers the country's history of innovation in the arts and architecture, its long-lived automotive marques like Tatra and Skoda, and Prague's central location in Europe, it makes perfect sense. Conference speakers included the program design director for Citroën DS, Ivo Groen; Volvo vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar advanced design director, Julian Thomson; Gert Hildebrand, head of design for Qoros; and Johann Lemercier, program manager at Ferrari design.

Jaguar Land Rover reports record sales and profits for 2012/2013

Jaguar Land Rover – record sales, revenue and profits Tata must be thanking their lucky stars they took a punt on Jaguar Land Rover 5 years ago when the rest of the car world thought they were a bit of a lost dog, because it’s now JLR that are the shining star in the Tata group, with Tata motor sales languishing in troubled waters. JLR has reported record figures for the 2012/2013 year, with vehicle sales hitting 374,636 (up 22 per cent), revenue up at £15.8 billion (up 17 per cent) and pre-tax profits at £1.675 billion (up 11 per cent) on the back of continuing success for all models – and especially the Evoque – and the launch of more new models to offer great promise for even better figures in 2013/2014. This models have included the new Range Rover, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake, new 4WD versions of the XJ and XF (although not for the UK) and new engine options too.

Mercedes-Benz unveils 'golf cart of the future' design study

Designed at its Carlsbad studio in California, Mercedes-Benz presented its ‘Vision Golf Cart' to the golfing world during this year's Open Championship in Scotland. Having called upon car fans and followers of the sport to submit their ideas for a future Mercedes buggy, a jury then went about sifting through all the submissions until they found the best entries. Electrically driven and powered by a battery kept continuously charged by solar panels on the roof, the buggy is controlled by a joystick mounted on the center console allowing either passenger to drive.