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

Exclusive: Laurens van den Acker to replace Patrick le Quément at Renault

The wheels of change are continuing to turn within the automotive design industry, with yet another new appointment being made at the director level. According to industry insiders, Laurens van den Acker is set become the new Design Director at Renault when Patrick le Quément retires later this year. One of the most pre-eminent car designers in the world, Patrick le Quément began his design career at Simca, worked at Ford for 17 years and did a brief stint at Volkswagen before taking the top design job at Renault.

2012 Saab 9-3 Convertible: Last 26 RHD cars up for grabs

Saab 9-3 Convertible – Last 26 RHD cars up for grabs The last 26 RHD Saab 9-3 Convertible models – hand finished in Sweden – are now for sale in the UK from £22,750. Back in March – at the same time we reported the Saab Museum had re-opened – we were also able to report that ANA, the Saab dealers in Trollhatten, have bought up the part-made cars left on the Saab production line and were going to finish them off and put them up for sale. Fortunately for UK Saab lovers, 26 of those cars were RHD Saab 9-3 Convertibles - including the very last limited edition Saab 9-3 Independence – and they have now found their way to the UK and are up for grabs.

Video: Behind-the-scenes at the CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition 2013 awards ceremony

The 2013 edition of the CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition saw the largest number of participants and entries ever, and produced an outstanding standard of work. In this video, filmed at the awards ceremony that took place at the North American International Auto Show, judges explain the competition structure and the benefits that both GM and the students get from the experience. Winning students also reveal how participating in the competition provided a platform for them to launch their careers and gain exposure to the world's biggest carmakers.