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Formula 1 2012: The Cars [w/video]

Nine of the 12 Formula 1 teams have released images and details of their cars for the 2012 World Championship as the first day of pre-season testing draws to a close at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Motor sport may fall slightly outside of Car Design News' usual remit, but the big story this year is the new 'stepped nose', which all teams bar McLaren have introduced to comply with new safety regulations, much to the chagrin of aestheticists. And with designers such as Daniel Simon (he produced the livery for HRT last season) and Peter Stevens (most notable for the Brabham cars of the 1980s) involved with the sport over the years, it's always interesting to check out the season's new machines.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class concept

The A-Class concept from Mercedes-Benz is set to make its debut at both the Shanghai and New York auto shows later this month. A distinctively aggressive development over the outgoing model, the A-Class concept is said to draw on the 'defined edges and free interplay of surfaces' first demonstrated with the F800 Style. The taught muscularity of other Mercedes models is also translated onto the show car.

Peugeot 2008 Concept

Peugeot will unveil its new 2008 Concept at next week's Paris motor show, developed by design teams in Paris, Shanghai and Sao Paolo. The automaker has confirmed that the 2008 will go into production; first in France, then China and then Brazil as a global product. It comes after Peugeot displayed its Urban Crossover concept at this year's Beijing auto show, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the 2008.  The 2008 concept, which measures 4,140mm long and 1,730mm wide, is painted matte fluorescent yellow with dark chrome surrounding the now-familar floating grille and the air inlets integrated into the fender.