Optima Batteries 8014-045 Yellowtop; Deep Cycle Battery on 2040-parts.com

Electric car world record on single charge – but it’s pointless

The Japanese Electric Vehicle Club did 632 miles in this Electric Daihatsu Mira Van When car endurance records are set they feel relevant only if they are real-world records. Records set by a car you can buy doing something you could do. A bit like Tom Ford’s run to Munich and back in a BMW 320d ED last week when he managed over 1,000 miles on a single standard tank of fuel.

Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy revealed

Meet the hottest Renaultsport Megane ever – the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy, which Renault hopes will eat the SEAT Leon Cupra for breakfast around the infamous Nurburgring test track. Packing, you guessed it, 275hp, the 275 Trophy has an extra 10hp over the standard Megane Renaultsport. Exact performance figures are still to be confirmed but Renault tells us the Trophy will return 37.7mpg, with peak power from its twin-turbocharged engine coming at 5,500rpm.

Brazilian VW design director Luiz Veiga celebrates the Beetle in art exhibition

Earlier this month ‘Luiz Veiga: Tempos de Fusca' (Beetle Times) opened at the small OMA gallery in Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. This exhibition proves not only a celebration of the Volkswagen icon, but also an opportunity to learn a little more about one of its exhibitors – Volkswagen Brazil's design director Luiz Veiga. Car Design News attended the opening at OMA – located not far from the VW plant – to talk with Veiga about art and design.