Acdelco 336-1849 Remanufactured Starter on 2040-parts.com

BMW X6 ActiveHybrid & BMW 7 Series ActiveHybrid at Frankfurt

Production versions of the BMW 7 Series & X6 ActiveHybrid will show at Frankfurt The Concepts for the ActiveHybrids were originally shown in 2008, and the production models are expected to be pretty much the same. They are in effect ‘Mild’ Hybrids, using a 20hp electric motor – with an additional 155lb/ft of torque – to add efficiency to the 4.4 litre twin-turbo V8. The electric motor will be fitted in the transmission housing and replaces stuff like the alternator and starter.

Renault Zoe EV: Price from £18k plus £70 a month battery lease

Price and specifications revealed for the Renault Zoe EV which will start at £18k for the Zoe Expression plus an extra £70 a month for battery lease. The Nissan LEAF may be the best-selling electric car in the world, but it’s still an insignificant speck on the car sales landscape. But Nissan hope sales of electric cars will get a boost with the more ‘affordable’ Renault Zoe EV.

Vauxhall DROPS Lifetime Warranty – quietly during the Paris Motor Show news rush

Vauxhall DROPS Lifetime Warranty Vauxhall trumpeted the arrival of a Lifetime Warranty for all their new cars 4 years ago, a move that was designed to show confidence in their cars and tackle the substantial warranties on new cars offered by companies like Hyundai and Kia. But now, in a lesson doubtless learned from ‘bad news’ burying in politics, Vauxhall has revealed they’re dropping the Lifetime Warranty from 2015, no doubt hoping it won’t make headlines in the middle of the news rush from the Paris Motor Show. So now, instead of a lifetime warranty (which was really only for 100,000 miles) buyers of new Vauxhalls will get a fairly bog-standard 60,000 mile/3 year warranty.