Balancer/pulley Assy Platinum# 2625005 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.

White is the most popular car color

White is the most popular vehicle color in the world, followed by black and silver, according to car-paint supplier PPG Industries. In North America, white was first, making up 20 percent of the 2011-model-year cars. Silver was second at 19 percent, then black at 18 percent, gray at 15 percent, red and blue tied at 9 percent, naturals such as brown, tan and gold at 7 percent, green at 2 percent and other colors at 1 percent.

EPA calls for lower-sulfur gasoline

The EPA proposed a package of rules Friday that includes cleaner gasoline and stricter limits on pollution from the tailpipes of cars, despite objections from the oil industry. The rules, known as Tier 3, have been supported by car companies because they would bring U.S. standards into alignment with those of California, where gasoline must have a lower sulfur content to help reduce tailpipe emissions.