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

Could Michelin’s Active Wheel truly transform the car?

Cars today have evolved and been refined to an extraordinary degree, but carmakers – and car designers – are still always looking for ‘the next big thing'. Yet despite a myriad of recent technical innovations, ask the man on the street what is the problem with cars of today, and he'll likely reply along the lines of "they all look the same". Mass production processes, packaging requirements and safety and regulatory constraints are just a few of the reasons why it is hard to make a car that looks truly different.

Limited-production Audi A1 quattro has monster power to all four wheels

Audi is poised to take the supercompact class by storm with a wild 252-hp, all-wheel-drive version of the A1. To be produced in a limited run of just 333 cars, the A1 quattro harks back to Audi's rallying heyday of the 1980s. It has aggressive, competition-based styling, a turbocharged engine and the latest in all-wheel-drive technology, together with a heavily reworked interior boasting all of the sporting accoutrements to back up its impressive mechanical specification.

LCV VALUES DEFY POOR CONDITIONS

AN INCREASE in demand for four-wheel drive light commercial vehicles saw LCV values rise during December 2010, according to new figures from British Car Auctions. After reaching a low-point in November, the cold weather inspired a £37, or 0.9 per cent, rise in average LCV values to £4,067. Values were also boosted by a 25 per cent decline in the number of vehicles that came to auction during the month.