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

Best Western Hotels rolling out EV charging points in the UK

We’re electric car sceptics – or at least sceptical about their ability to replace the ICE car as our principal form of personal transport – although EVs do have their place as runarounds in urban areas, where their limited range isn’t really a factor. But taking your EV off for a weekend jaunt does pose logistical problems when the average range is probably no more than 80 miles, and something worth making the effort for a weekend away is almost always going to be further away than that. But a bit of smart marketing by Best Western Hotels – a group of 270 or so independently run hotels round the UK – means EV drivers will soon be able to plot their weekend away on the basis of Best Western Hotels en route, with Best Western planning on fitting EV charging points in their car parks, with half their hotels having free charging points by September.

CAR interviews new Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker (2009)

By Guy Bird Motor Industry 15 October 2009 10:29 CAR: How did you get the top design job at Renault? LvdA: From what I’ve been told [outgoing design boss] Patrick le Quément was asked to come up with three candidates, two internal and one external, and somehow I bubbled to the top of the external candidates. I think the criteria included international experience, being relatively young and having a good record.

Audi RS7: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

The new Audi RS7 has been revealed at the Detroit Auto Show complete with the 552bhp 4.0 litre V8 from the new Audi RS6 Avant. With the same 552bhp 4.0 litre V8 the new RS6 Avant gets, the 2013 RS7  has permanent 4WD and can get to 62mph in the same blistering time as the RS6 Avant – 3.9 seconds – and on to a top speed of 155mph. That is unless you specify the Dynamic or Dynamic Plus package and then the RS7 can hit either 174mph or 189mph.