Nissan Tiida 2005 Hood [7210500] on 2040-parts.com

Insurance shake-up

By Richard Yarrow Motoring Issues 02 March 2007 09:14 4x4 drivers to pay more for insurance The biggest shake-up in Britain’s car insurance for 15 years is to take place – and 4x4 drivers are facing policy price hikes. That’s because for the first time a vehicle’s weight is to be taken into account when its group rating is calculated. The move means heavier cars such as SUVs will suffer.

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.

Alfa Romeo 4C Spider (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 04 March 2014 09:00 This is the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. The powertrain is identical to the 4C we know and love: a 237bhp turbo’d four-pot that can hurl the 4C to 62mph in 4.5sec and over 155mph flat out. So, let’s concentrate on what’s new… You get a soft-top roof to cover the Spider’s cabin, which now features more exposed carbonfibre.