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Renault Twizy Lab Design contest winners

The winners of Renault Z.E's Twizy Lab Design contest have been announced. The competition, which called for new and original concept designs for the Renault ZE Twizy's plastic body panels, was won by Maria Rosaria. Her submission, 'Candy', explores the use of multiple colors spread over a the Twizy's main panels, turning them into an artist's canvas.

Alfa Romeo 4C

The production version of the Alfa Romeo 4C will make its debut at next month's Geneva motor show, two years after the concept appeared. Largely unchanged from the prototype, the 4C retains its mid-engined layout, short and wide proportions (less than 4,000mm long, 2,000mm wide, 1,180mm high and a 2,400mm wheelbase) and broadly similar surfacing. The changes appear to be more focused around productionized details.

The scramble for scarce tires

North American automakers are struggling with a nagging shortage of tires, caused in part by tire plant closings and rising demand for low-volume specialty tires. Automakers are paying much higher prices -- double-digit percentage increases from a year ago -- as tire makers gain pricing power. "We have been bombarded from every side for additional tires, and we can't keep up," said David O'Donnell, Continental Tire's vice president of original equipment in the Americas.