Oxygen Sensor-oe Style Denso 234-4012 on 2040-parts.com

Lorenzo Ramaciotti to head Chrysler and Lancia design

Lorenzo Ramaciotti, current head of design at Fiat Group, has been tasked with leading the design of future Chrysler and Lancia products in a bid to more than double the sales figures of the newly collaborated brands. The 63-year-old former Pininfarina designer – credited to some of the most beautiful Italian machinery of the modern era – has been asked by Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat and Chrysler Group LLC, to create a common styling language for the two brands that wouldn't look out of place in Detroit or Milan. Ramaciotti has made it clear that badge-engineering isn't going to be the future for the two brands and is hoping to inject a unique, but global flavor, into the two brands.

Infiniti to build new Mercedes A Class based model in UK

The new Infiniti premium hatch, based on the underpinnings of the new Mercedes A Class and looking like the Etherea Concept, will be built in the UK. Infiniti announced only yesterday that it is introducing a new nomenclature for its cars (Q for saloons/coupes and QX for SUVs/Crossovers) and all new cars will come with a Q at the beginning followed by a number to denote its hierarchy in the Infiniti range. Where exactly that leaves the name of the new ‘baby’ Infiniti, we’re not exactly sure (Q30 or Q40 seems the most likely), but we are pretty sure what it will look like and what will be under the skin.

GM closes UK Advanced Design Studio

CDN has learnt that General Motors is closing its UK Advanced Design Studio as part of its ongoing restructuring program. Clay Dean, GM's executive director of advanced global design and Cadillac's brand director, arrived at the studio on 4 August to announce the closure to staff. The UK studio, which opened in 1999, was predominantly involved in the creation of Cadillac concept cars and was originally planned to be a short-term confidential operation as the smallest of GM's design studios.