Nismo Wheel Nut Set 7 Square 50mm (long Type) 20 Pieces 40220-rn805 F/s Ems on 2040-parts.com

Interior Motives Design Awards 2013 judges decide shortlist

The shortlist of potential winners in the 2013 Interior Motives Design Awards has been announced, and can be viewed here. This year's competition saw a record number of entries submitted: some 198 projects from 28 schools spread across 19 different countries. From this pool of contenders, each of our distinguished jury panel was asked to nominate their top three in each of the eight categories in contention.

Acura RDX

The second-generation Acura RDX crossover has grown up both physically and metaphorically, with a sleeker and more elegant aesthetic than the model it replaces. Gone is the previous model's upright stance, replaced by a more stretched, longer, lower profile. Its face houses swooping headlamps that pull back deep into the fenders.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.