SAIC Leaf concept

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) will unveil this futuristic concept at next week's Beijing motor show. Called the Leaf, the new concept has no relation to Nissan's concept car shown in Tokyo last year. It is a much more fanciful two-seat concept car whose design is entirely open to the elements, and it also features a slew of environmentally-friendly technologies.

Mercedes-Benz reveals new S-class interior

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the interior for its next-generation S-class in a series of darkly lit photographs aimed at emphasizing the car's ambience. While appearing similar to current models in a number of key areas, the cabin of the flagship Mercedes-Benz sedan has been redesigned in a bid to provide it with added levels of luxury, comfort, space and new multimedia functions. Key among developments is a new dashboard with horizontal architecture and ambient lighting to accentuate its width.

Huntsman U-Box concept explores use of carbon materials

If you attended our Car Design Night at this year's Geneva motor show, you may well have seen the U-Box concept vehicle parked outside the entrance. Developed by Huntsman Advanced Materials, this 'last mile' delivery vehicle is a showcase of the company's composite materials expertise. "The D3 Group [based in Paris] designed the car and also came up with the idea of 'last-mile delivery'," explains Harald Wiedemann, Vice President of Huntsman Advanced Materials (EMEAI).