Who's Where: Fabio Filippini appointed Design Director at Pininfarina

Famed Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina will soon welcome a new Design Director into the fold. Fabio Filippini, an Italian who has worked in France, Japan and Spain, will join the design house from April 1 2011, filling the roll previously vacated by Lowie Vermeersch late last year. Fabio Filippini joins Pininfarina from his previous role as Vice President of Interiors at Renault Design.

Volkswagen Golf R 400 sounds like it means business (video)

The VW Golf R 400 (pictured) on the move in Vienna The Volkswagen Golf R Concept arrived at the Beijing Motor Show recently, and it looked pretty much production-ready. So it was no huge surprise when we got news that the Golf R 400 is going in to production – although probably in limited numbers with a big price tag – and there seems to be more than a fighting chance it will actually get more than the 395 bhp (400 PS) the concept has. But even if the R 400 only comes with 395 bhp, it promises to out-do the current hot hatch champion – the Mercedes A45 AMG – with a 0-62mph of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 174mph, with all its power being put down to all four wheels through VW’s 4MOTION.

New Kia Flagship Showroom in West London

With Kia sales growing strongly in the UK, Kia are building a new flagship showroom in West London next to the A4 and M4. Just like sister car maker Hyundai, Kia’s offerings are becoming more credible with every new model and in a clear sign of the ever-rising confidence from the Koreans, Kia is planning a big new flagship showroom in West London. The new Kia showroom – which will sit alongside the A4 and M4 in Brentford, key car showroom territory – will consist of four floors, a curved facade with a ‘floating’ upper showroom with multi-level parking for visitors, and extend to a rather large 41,237 sq ft.