Subaru Vivio 1996 Power Window Switch [2261900] on 2040-parts.com

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.

BMW i8 Winter testing (video)

The BMW i8 is caught on video cold weather testing We have video of the BMW i8 winter testing in deep snow, in what looks to be a a much closer to production i8. The BMW i8 has been floating around for nearly three years as BMW’s nod to an eco future for supercars. Starting with the Vision EfficientDynamics concept we saw back in 2009, BMW went on to reveal their ‘i’ Brand and reveal the  BMW i8 last summer. With the i8 not likely to hit showrooms until late 2013 or early 2014, BMW are out doing what car makers do and testing their new cars in extreme weather, this time it’s cold weather testing and footage of the i8 frolicking with the snow ploughs.

Ford design chief J Mays retires, replaced by Moray Callum

J Mays, Ford Motor Co.'s global design chief and one of the last senior executives remaining from the Jacques Nasser era, is retiring from the company along with two other veteran senior executives. Moray Callum, 58, design director for Ford in North America, will replace Mays, 59, the automaker said in a statement today. Also retiring after long Ford careers are Jim Tetreault, 57, vice president of North American manufacturing, and Martin Mulloy, vice president of labor relations.