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First Dacia Duster SUVs leave India bound for the UK

The first Dacia Duster SUVs built in RHD for the UK market left India this morning to help satisfy Renault’s growing order book for the Duster. With the sort of response the Duster has received in the UK – with prices for the entry-level Duster starting at just £9k – Renault are no doubt wishing they’d brought the Duster to the UK sooner. But such was the demand for the Duster in mainland Europe and emerging markets that they just couldn’t get production of RHD Dusters organised for the UK until now, when Renault’s plant at Oragadam, near Chennai in India, finally managed to satisfy its home market demand sufficiently to leave enough capacity for RHD cars bound for the UK and Ireland to roll off the production line.

Fiat 500C Prices announced – and the UK gets it first!

Fiat has announced UK Car Prices for the 500C - and the UK is the first in Europe to get the 500C [ad#ad-1] Fiat, on something of a roll at the moment, revealed the latest version of the terrific Fiat 500 – the convertible Fiat 500C – at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, and has now revealed prices for the UK. The Fiat 500C will be on the roads by the Summer in the UK – ahead of anywhere in Europe, including Italy – and will no doubt prove to be as successful as its tin-topped siblings. Starting point for the 500C is £11,300, rising to £14,100 for the high-spec ‘Lounge’ version.

Pocketsquare to premiere Panasonic's driver-focussed HMI interior concept at NAIAS

Erstwhile GM interior design chief David Lyon, alongside former GM engineer Nina Mital and ex-Ford designer Gary Braddock – the three members of new Michigan-based design consultancy Pocketsquare – will have the first fruits of their new venture displayed at the NAIAS in Detroit in the form of Panasonic's advanced interior design concept. The interior makes use of Panasonic's new range of head-up displays and smart clusters to reduce driver distraction in advance of the latest proposed NHTSA legislation. The system is said to exceed these measures by as much as 35 per cent.