Vion Series A100 Quartz Clock With Sector Radio Silent Radio 125mm on 2040-parts.com

Renault Zoe EV gets cheaper – but only if you hardly use it

Renault Zoe EV (pictured) battery lease dropes to £45 a month The Renault ZOE eEV is one of the most affordable electric cars in the UK, with prices from £13,345 (after tax-payer bribe) plus a monthly cost for leasing the batteries from Renault. A bit like buying an ICE car and paying a monthly lease for the engine. But despite the Zoe’s ‘affordable EV’ tag, Renault has not had overwhelming success with the Zoe in the UK since it arrived last year, so they’ve come up with some new incentives to get car buyers to opt for their electric supermini.

Aston Martin DB9 4WD Plug-in Hybrid revealed by Bosch (video)

Bosch has built a plug-in hybrid Aston Martin DB9 We’ve always believed one of the best uses for hybrid powertrains is to provide extra performance on high-end cars, something Bosh has demonstrated by fitting the Aston Martin DB9 with a hybrid setup. The hybrid DB9 hasn’t been built to preview a production hybrid DB9 (although it probably should) but to demonstrate what Bosch can do with an existing car. Aston Martin donated the DB9 to Bosch for the hybrid project, and Bosh has fitted the DB9 with three electric motors – one at each front wheel and one next to the Aston’s V12 – which gives the DB9 something in the region of an extra 250bhp to play with.

SPD and Volkswagen Group launch new program

The Scuola Politecnica di Design and Volkswagen Group Design are continuing their partnership on the Transportation and Car Design Masters by offering a program including scholarships and employment opportunities for the very best candidates. This project focuses on the theme of sustainable urban mobility as interpreted by Audi and Skoda. 20 million people are expected to visit Expo 2015 in Milan leading to congestion problems, and so VW Group wants to see a vehicle that is connected to the brand's concept of ‘freedom, versatility, and swift transport'.