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.

Lada X-Ray

Russian automaker AvtoVaz has unveiled the Lada XRAY concept at the Moscow motor show. It's the first concept to emerge from under the direction of AvtoVaz's new design chief, Steve Mattin. Previously Design Director of Volvo, Mattin has a strong history with the SUV breed – it was under his direction that the XC60 was developed while at Volvo, while in his role prior to that at Mercedes-Benz, he also worked on the ML-Class.

Heifer fuel

Unlike most people, when Michael Doyle drives past a herd of cattle grazing in a field, he doesn't see future tenderloins or T-bones. He sees fuel. The company Doyle co-owns, North Star Biofuels, is about to start production of biodiesel at a new $15 million, 20,000-square-foot plant in Watsonville, Calif., about 60 miles south of San Francisco.