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

Planning continues for driverless cars

OFFICIALS in California have been looking to the future as they bid to legislate for the arrival of hi-tech driver-less cars. A law passed in 2012 set a deadline of the end of this year for the state's Department of Motor Vehicles to decide how to legally integrate the so-called autonomous vehicles - which were once the stuff of science fiction but could be commercially available by the end of the decade. The latest talks on the matter among roads officials focused on how the vehicles will record actions so the data can be used to reconstruct an accident in an effort to trace the cause.

Congestion charge to rise by 15%

THE LONDON congestion charge is to rise from £10 a day to £11.50; a sudden 15% increase. The increase, the first since 2011, will take effect from June 16, Transport for London (TfL) has said, although the rate for those on the auto-pay system, and also for fleet customers, will be £10.50 per day. TfL said that customer improvements will be introduced next year, including direct debit payments for auto pay customers, online discount applications, and easier NHS patients and staff reimbursement.

Mini Paceman

Mini has presented its latest model, the Paceman, as it ventures into a new vehicle class. Appearing – almost to the millimeter, bar colour and trim detailing – to be the Paceman concept seen at NAIAS 2011 in Detroit, the Paceman Sports Activity Coupe features many traditional Mini design cues. Where it moves away from them, it is in keeping the new-style squared off front lamps of the Countryman (with which it shares a front end up to the base of the windscreen) and a roofline which tapers down much more than we've seen in any previous ‘new' Mini before.