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Modern cars are notoriously hard to judge from press pictures and, judging by the new car standing in front of me, the Ferrari California, is no different.

There are aspects of the car which are unusual – the rear deck is high and so the rear elevation is remarkably deep and aggressive.

Luc Donckerwolke, boss of Seat design and before that the man behind Lamborghini, recently told me: “If we [designers] do our tasks, we can create a clean conscience for car buyers and change the way people live with cars.” 

This was in reply to a question about how he thinks car designers will have to react to environmental pressures.

Donckerwolke’s response was an unexpected one, as I have always assumed that engineering was the main answer to the environmental questions. Yet, when you think about what makes a car sell, the only conclusion is that Seat’s design guru is right. As he says, “Designers are the ambassadors of a new era – a way of living.”

Engineering clearly paves a way for the essential new fuel solutions, but cars sell mainly because they are a practical means of transport that has become essential to modern lifestyles.

Land Rover's latest incarnation of the Defender will certainly get heads turning... and quite possibly a few stomachs. I saw the SVX soft-top at the Geneva motor show and instantly felt that the Defender’s timeless concept - the flat panels, front and rear beam axles, minimal electrics and hose-clean interior – had been Islingtonised. It’s like finding your local pig farmer has taken to wearing high heels, a tiara and pearls.

Just been driving Renault’s latest Clio 197 Cup, in poverty specification but with black lacquered alloys, red brake calipers (both these signaling the Cup chassis) a tailgate wing that would be the envy of a model plane maker and some rather sexy extractor vents let into the front wings.

It’s painted white, too, which makes the wheels and vents look all the more dramatic - amazing how these detail changes like this get the car stared at by young blokes.

It’s the wing vents that got me into auto trivia mode though, as I found myself wondering when the trend for extracting air from the front wheel-arches kicked off. Probably at least half a century ago, in fact, with the 1958 Aston Martin DB4 wearing those now famous twin slots in its front wings, Aston sensibly persisting with this pretty individual trademark all the way to today.

I may be mercifully free of children, but that hasn't stopped them having a creeping influence on my territory. Stealthily, the 'opinions' of children are increasingly influencing car design. And the new Meriva is a high watermark for this trend. 

One of the reasons the Renault Scenic was such a smash hit when it was launched over a decade ago, was that back bench, hyper-territorial children each got their own seat. And the occupants of the third row of seats in a new Discovery get their ownlidded cubbyhole and stereo controls. Both are understandable inclusions to try and keep the peace when the whole family is onboard.

But when Nissan was designing the UK-built Note MPV it carried out some of its 'customer' research in the primary schools of Milton Keynes. And what did the celebrity-addled little dears want? Tinted rear windows, just like they have on the telly.

But it's the new Meriva that really takes the turkey twizzler.

According to Ford’s big bosses, nearly as many people inside the company voted to drop the Fiesta name from the new supermini as wanted to keep it. In the end, the decision to stick with the Fiesta name — and apply it to all versions around the world — was taken because it was simply too valuable to chuck away. Research throughout the car’s 32-year life has consistently established that it has happy, positive associations. And it has appeared on some 12 million car since 1976, which is no mean achievement either. 

In the flesh, the car more than justifies its slightly prosaic name. Ford has literally built the highly rated Verve concept car it first showed at Frankfurt last year. The new three-door pictured (we’ll see the five-door in Geneva in a couple of weeks) is very close indeed to the concept, except that it now has doors with window-frames, plus a centre pillar for its body — and none the worse for that. Ford design boss Martin Smith (who was at Opel-Vauxhall during while the well-liked Corsa was created) says he has seen production cars disappoint at launch after their earlier concept studies were well received, and wanted to avoid such a thing with Fiesta.