Prelude 1989 Antenna 479906 on 2040-parts.com

Renault 4 Ever design competition

DesignBoom has teamed up with Renault to create a unique design competition. With the Renault 4 entering its 50th year, the aim of the competition is to redesign and recreate the classic R4. The free-to-enter competition is open to anyone, not just design students and professionals.

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

GM expands recall for deadly ignition issue

GM is expanding its ignition recall from earlier this month to include 2003-2007 model year Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevy HHRs and 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky models. The total number of cars affected in the U.S. has reached 1,367,146.