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.

Volvo City Safe means lower insurance preniums for Volvo drivers

Volvo’s City safe has reduced insurance premiums for Volvo owners Volvo are on a mission to ensure that no one dies or is seriously injured in a Volvo by 2020, and that means more and more clever technology to protect Volvo drivers from the dangers of driving. One of those technologies is Volvo’s City Safe, a low speed (up to 31mph) collision avoidance system, that uses a laser at the top of the windscreen to monitor traffic and will automatically brake the car if its senses no reaction from the driver when a collision is imminent. So good is City Safe that Thatcham – the people who set insurance groups for cars – has decided Volvos fitted with City Safe should be rated in a lower group.

Durheimer succeeds Paefgen at Bentley, Bugatti

Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer has been named the new head of Bentley and Bugatti to replace Franz-Josef Paefgen, who is retiring. Durheimer, 52, also becomes head of motorsports for the Volkswagen Group, beginning in February. Paefgen, 64, has lead Bentley since 2002 and Bugatti since 2007.