Proline Alloy Chrome Center Cap C-601-1 on 2040-parts.com

Part-worn tyre sales under the microscope again

SALES of part-worn tyres are about to hit the agenda again following a study from charity TyreSafe that found 98% of potentially dangerous part-worn tyres were being sold illegally. As a result the organisation has stepped up to take part in the forthcoming Trading Standards conference at the end of June, after a successful trial last year. Running for three days from 30th June at the Harrogate International Centre, the event is the biggest gathering of trading standards officers and enforcement professionals in the UK.

Karmann files for insolvency

Karmann, the century-old German coachbuilder synonymous with cabrios and the famous 1950s Karmann Ghia, has filed for insolvency. The company made the move Wednesday in Germany in response to a dramatic decline in revenue, an inability to pay for its massive layoff plan and the worldwide economic crisis. The North American operations, which make convertible tops for Detroit car companies and Volkswagen, are not affected, a spokesman said.

Lotus Evora 414E Range Extender EV moves forward

The Lotus Evora 414E – a Lotus Engineering range extender hybrid project – is still moving ahead with dynamic and durability testing now underway. On the surface the Evora 414E looked like every other Evora, but under the skin sat the first version of a Lotus range-extender platform with a pair of electric motors and a small, 3-cylinder range-extender engine promising impressive performance and economy. Despite the reveal of the 414E at Geneva in 2010, there’s not been a huge amount of news on Lotus pushing forward with the project, or at least not until we got the Infiniti Emerg-E Concept at Geneva this year that turned out to be underpinned by the Evora 414E platform.