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

Renault puts a price on the 2012 Twingo Facelift

2012 Renault Twingo costs £10,350 The facelift for the 2012 Renault Twingo debuted at Frankfurt, and Renault has now put a price on their new baby – £10,350. The facelift for the 2012 Renault Twingo is not the most comprehensive overhaul you’ll eve see in a car, consisting mainly of a new nose reflecting more current Renault design, a tiny tweak round the back and a few new colour options. But then the 2012 Twingo is really just a stop-gap until a SMART-based Twingo arrives – probably in 2013 – and as such does its job; making the Twingo look a bit fresher.

Want to see the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake ahead of the pack?

The new Jaguar XF Sportbrake is heading in to Jaguar showrooms next month, but Scottish Jaguar dealers Taggarts are ahead of the game. In fact, the first XF Sportbrakes are due to turn up in dealer showrooms next month, but Taggarts Jaguar has jumped the pack a bit with a couple of special reveals of the XF Sportbrake for its customers – and prospective customers – ahead of that mid-November date. So if you’re a Jaguar fan – or even if you aren’t – you should pop along to Taggarts in Motherwell on 23rd October or Taggarts in Glasgow on 22nd October to see what the new XF Sportbrake has to offer.

The Future Role of the Vehicle Designer

The vehicle design department at the Royal College of Art hosted the second in a series of five lectures looking at the future of the profession last week. Moving on from the previous week's topic of sustainability, this debate explored the future roles and responsibilities of the vehicle designer. Head of department Dale Harrow began by posing the question "Is it time to rethink – do we still need the car?" Although still relevant, Harrow's ultimate answer to this was that the profession was about to see marked change, with the end to an era where "designers are locked behind closed doors in studios".