Gates K080859 Serpentine Belt on 2040-parts.com

SEAT Altea Copa & Altea XL Copa Editions launched. Price from £16,425

The SEAT Altea Copa and Altea XL Copa Editions have been launched by SEAT with more equipment for no more money. The SEAT Altea has been with us for a very long time and is not quite as enticing as it once was as a sporty take on a compact MPV – based on the SEAT Leon with a higher roofline and slightly raised suspension  – so SEAT are launching the Altea Copa (and Altea XL Copa) to try and breathe a bit of life in to Altea sales. In the process of launching the Altea Copa, SEAT are also simplifying the Altea range a bit by dropping the ‘S Emocion trim along with the 1.4 litre 85 PS and 1.4 TSI litre 125 PS petrol engines, which leaves three engines to choose from in the Altea range - 1.2 TSI 105 PS, 1.6 TDI 105 PS, and 2.0 TDI 140 PS.

Could Michelin’s Active Wheel truly transform the car?

Cars today have evolved and been refined to an extraordinary degree, but carmakers – and car designers – are still always looking for ‘the next big thing'. Yet despite a myriad of recent technical innovations, ask the man on the street what is the problem with cars of today, and he'll likely reply along the lines of "they all look the same". Mass production processes, packaging requirements and safety and regulatory constraints are just a few of the reasons why it is hard to make a car that looks truly different.

TVR sold

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 22 February 2007 10:30 Russian businessman Nikolai Smolenski is back in charge of the failed TVR business - and looks set to move production abroad. The deal was announced on Thursday evening, after the administrators PKF Partners struck a deal with Smolenski to buy TVR's assets for an undisclosed sum, thought to be in excess of £2m. The Russian businessman bought TVR in 2004 for around £15m, but sales stalled and the Blackpool factory crashed into administration at Christmas time.