Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Are new car sales figures a fantasy?

A recent report from Germany claimed up to 30 per cent of new car sales were a fiction. Could the same be true in the UK? Despite the recession – and the lack of finance deals for a huge number of potential customers – new car sales in the UK seem to be rising inexorably.

General Motors fires back at Volkswagen

General Motors issued a terse response this week to published comments by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who suggested to the German press that Opel could be sold to a Chinese competitor. Detroit-based GM called Winterkorn's comments “regrettable” and accused him of “fanning speculation.” Opel was nearly sold to Magna and Russian investors in the wake of GM's 2009 bankruptcy. But then-CEO Ed Whitacre and the corporate board reversed that decision, igniting controversy from German political and labor leaders who have long chafed under American oversight.

Peugeot 508 (w/ Gallery)

The new Peugeot 508, previewed by the 5byPeugeot Geneva show car earlier this year, is the replacement for the D-segment 407 and the larger E-segment 607. The 508 retains many of the design themes of the concept: a more restrained grille outline, diving headlamp graphic and embossed lion emblem surface convey a similar DRG. The sedan's three-light DLO is also intact as is the trunk lid's unusually high-set trim highlight, although the taillamps have lost their body color inserts.