Purolator A25148 on 2040-parts.com

Seat unveils electric Altea, Leon plug-in hybrid (2011)

Seat has unveiled a pair of prototype electric cars to underline its commitment to EVs: the Altea XL Electric Ecomotive full electric car and the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive plug-in hybrid. Martorell has also confirmed plans to build hybrids in 2015 and electric cars from 2016. They'll be designed, developed and manufactured in Spain, as the VW group devolves green car centres of excellence away from Germany.

First Sight: Twin’Z: Renault x Ross Lovegrove

Among the many car brand-related unveils within Milan Design Week, Renault was the only marque to actually launch a fully-fledged concept car. Car Design News spoke exclusively to its technical project manager Minh Au Truong and design superstar collaborator Ross Lovegrove to find out more about this much-hyped vehicle. When the news leaked that Renault would be teaming up with product design royalty Ross Lovegrove on a concept car to be revealed at Milan Design Week, to say this reviewer and the staff at Car Design News HQ were "a bit excited" would probably be an understatement.

Child car smoking ban moves closer

A BAN ON SMOKING in cars with children present has moved a step closer after peers inflicted a defeat on the Government in the House of Lords. Campaigners welcomed the result of the Lords vote, claiming a ban would protect half-a-million children who were exposed to second-hand smoke in cars every week. Although the successful Labour amendment to the Children and Families Bill does not directly ban smoking in cars with children in them, it backs the principle of making it an offence.