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Ford improves top design on its 2015 Mustang convertible

Ford revealed details on its forthcoming 2015 Mustang convertible, whose top features several highly welcome improvements over the outgoing model’s, making it quieter, more compact and easier to operate. Though Ford continues to call the cloth top a two-layer design, it now sports a 10-mm thick cushion between the twill covering and the headliner layer, serving as both insulation and sound deadening. Ford says with the top up, the cabin is almost as quiet as the coupe’s on the road.

Jag designers light up London’s Clerkenwell Design Week

Clerkenwell Design Week might not mean much to car designers more used to motor shows like Tokyo or Geneva. But the five-year-old event is fast becoming a fixture in the broader design calendar, and has been sponsored by Jaguar for the past four years for good reason. In simple terms, Jaguar wants to be seen (and respected) beyond the automotive realm: "We want to connect with other designers and have our designers learn from designers in other fields," advanced design director Julian Thomson told Car Design News.

Who's Where: James Hope appointed Director of Design at Chery Motors

James Hope has been appointed Corporate Director of Design at Chery Motors, the Chinese state-owned carmaker. He joins Chery from General Motors, where he held the position of Assistant Chief Designer since February 2008. Hope took up his new position on 16 January, based in Chery's Shanghai satellite studio from where he will report directly to Chen Anning, Chery's Head of Product Development.