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.

Royal College of Art Degree Show 2010

Car Design News made its annual pilgrimage to Kensington Gore in central London for the opening of the prestigious Transport Design exhibition. Fifteen students graduated from the course this year all of whose work was viewed by a number of RCA alumni including Patrick Le Quément, David Wilkie and Peter Stevens. As with many of the college exhibitions this year, there was a clear emphasis on sustainability and the reinvention of the paradigms of ‘luxury' and ‘sportiness'.

BMW X5 (F15)

This is the new, third generation BMW X5, the biggest-selling SUV in its segment with over 1.3 million sold since the first was launched in 1999. While the previous versions have sat more in the high-riding wagon space (BMW prefers to call them Sports Activity Vehicles), this latest F15 model appears to have shifted closer to a more traditional SUV, appearing taller and less ‘squat', certainly than the car it replaces. This is partly due to the DLO, which dips down behind the A-pillar, creating a deep window.