Kawasaki 1100 Stx Di 2000-2003 Solas Concord Stainless Impeller Kg-cd-12/18 on 2040-parts.com

CAR interviews Renault’s electric car chief Thierry Koskas (2011)

CAR recently had dinner with the head of Renault’s electric car programme, Thierry Koskas. We grilled him on the finer points of Renault’s ambitious EV plans, asked him how on earth Renault will make money on it and probed him for the truth on the espionage scandal. Read on for our interview with Renault’s EV boss.

Lotus Exige S (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

This is the new Lotus Exige S, just unveiled by CEO Dany Bahar at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. And it might not be the sort of Lotus Exige you were expecting: this new S model now runs the supercharged 3.5-litre V6 from the Evora S, meaning it not only boasts 35% more power than before, but it is also 191kg heavier. Lotus Exige S: the spec Lotus’s long-held mantra has been ‘add lightness’, but Bahar’s future plans call for models to rival the 458, the California and the Rapide, essentially bigger cars with bigger engines.

Skoda confirms two new models

Skoda Vision D at Geneva - Skoda's new design direction It’s now got to the point with Skoda where the skip-on-wheels reputation of the ’70s and ’80s – and even the ‘Cheap’ VW tag of the ’90s and ’00s – has been completely eclipsed by the perception of Skoda as quite simply the maker of some crackingly good cars. Cars like the brilliant little Skoda Fabia vRS – which we’d take over the Polo GTI (much more character) – and the equally brilliant Skoda Yeti which, although it might not quite live up to Clarkson’s recent tongue-in-cheek assertion as the best car in the world is, nonetheless, exceptionally good. That change in perception is clear in the confident model range on offer from Skoda and the clever way in which it’s marketed.