Arctiva 4.5" Vinyl Decal Gray on 2040-parts.com

Fisker to face Congressional committee probe

Henrik Fisker's congressional testimony on Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will paint the automaker he founded as a victim of "a confluence of events" and as a still-salvageable enterprise. Fisker, who resigned from Fisker Automotive on March 13, is among the automaker and government representatives scheduled to appear before Congress to answer questions regarding $193 million in Department of Energy loans made to the company. Fisker Automotive has appeared to be on the brink of filing for bankruptcy for the past few weeks.

Hot seats: from design to delivery [sponsored]

As the user demands on car interiors are increasingly influenced by their growing design consciousness, so suppliers like Lear strive to bring better-engineered seating to satisfy. 2013 was another big year for Lear, as Jeanette Puig-Pey, its global fabric & leather design manager, enthuses: "At our ‘Design2Perform' event we celebrated the unveiling of our brand new collection, with special emphasis on color and texture and our TeXstyle Enhance product, perfect for customization. Laser etching is part of this offering, it is exclusive to Lear Corporation and can be used to add refined design elements to cloth and leather." A mix of fabric and leather in seating is not new but is often seen by the consumer as a cheaper alternative to full leather.

Chevrolet Volt prices announced

GM has revealed that the Volt hybrid could cost $33,500 (£21,000) in the US after government tax credits, making it nearly £2000 cheaper than Nissan’s Leaf electric car. The Volt’s List price is $41,000 (£26,300) but qualifies for a subsidy thanks to its low emissions. A basic Volt comes with Bluetooth and sat-nav but buyers can add leather seats and steering wheel, heated seats, rear camera, polished wheels and park assist.