Vance And Hines 26043 Big Radius 2:2 Chr on 2040-parts.com

2012 Renault Scenic / Grand Scenic facelift

Renault Scenic & Grand Scenic get a facelift for 2012 Renault has tweaked the Scenic and Grand Scenic for 2012 with a mild styling facelift, trim changes and two new engines. The Renault Scenic (and Grand Scenic, too) were really the first in the race to fill a niche for comfortable, versatile transport for ferrying your brood and their stuff. Not completely French-soft in ride – but far more comfortable than most later rivals – and quite well built, the Scenic – with its Megane roots – offers a better than average combination of handling and grip, even if it is a bit compromised by its height.

Fuel-tank probe rekindles old issue

The placement of fuel tanks on passenger vehicles has changed over the past three decades, and for good reason. Automakers gradually have repositioned the tank to an area in front of the rear axle, generally below the rear passenger seat. Statistically speaking, the tank in that location is less vulnerable in a high-speed, rear-end crash than in the previous location--between the rear bumper and axle.

Who's Where: Ken Okuyama parts company with Pininfarina

Pininfarina, the Turin, Italy-based automotive styling house, has announced that its design director, Ken Okuyama, has left the company. In a tersely-worded statement Pininfarina said, "The Company's decision comes as a result of the various external activities Ken Okuyama was carrying out beyond his responsibilities within Pininfarina." Ken Okuyama had been Design Director at Pininfarina since July 2005. During this time, Okuyama's most high-profile work was the Maserati Birdcage prototype, created to celebrate 75th anniversary of the Italian styling house.