Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

'Transport poverty' rising - RAC

THE LEAST WELL-OFF families are slipping further into "transport poverty", according to an RAC Foundation survey. The poorest car-owning households spent at least 31% of their disposable incomes on buying and running a vehicle in 2012, the foundation said, up from 27% the year before. The figures, based on data obtained from the Office for National Statistics, showed that in 2012 the poorest families had a maximum weekly expenditure of £167, of which £51.40 went on a car.

Renault Clio Expression Eco: A perfect commuter car

Renault Clio Expression Eco - makes any electric car seem profligate We hear so much about how electric cars make the perfect commuter car. They can manage to do a fifty or sixty mile round trip a day, don’t need a tax disc and – for those going in to London every day – there’s no congestion charge to pay. There’s also the negligible cost of electricity to charge the car (for now, at least) and the zero emissions at the point of use.

The Designers, Pt6 – Laurens van den Acker, Renault

Car Design News launched its first-ever Car Design Review yearbook at the Geneva Motor Show, featuring the award-winning Production Car and Concept Car Designs of 2013. If you're interested in buying a copy of the 160-page yearbook this interview appears in, alongside trend reports, bespoke car design infographics and a special feature on Marcello Gandini, our inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Car Design Review can be purchased here. Name Laurens van den AckerRole VP design, Renault GroupAge, nationality 48, DutchLocation Paris, FranceEducation Delft University of Technology, Holland "I hope 2013 was the end of the crisis in Europe.