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

Videos: Chris Bangle shares his views on design and the future of car design

Chris Bangle is a man that needs no introduction on these pages. Both revered and castigated, Bangle's work has undoubtedly been influential for a generation of designers. His unconventional practices – employed at a time when design was still largely segregated from other departments during the development process – yielded many avantgarde and contentious designs, but Bangle's fundamental understanding of the design process, creative vision and desire for change can never be cast in doubt. While Bangle shares his views on the future of the car in the video to the right, the video to the left provides an insight into the former BMW design chief's thought processes and gives us a glimpse into his home and studio in the Piedmont region of northern Italy.

AA warns of 'exceptional' bank holiday traffic

THIS YEAR’S Whitsun Bank Holiday is likely to be one of the busiest on the roads in recent years as it coincides with the start of half term for many families, according to the AA and traffic information specialist Trafficmaster. As schools in England and Wales take their half-term break during the last week of May, coinciding with the Late Spring Bank Holiday on Monday, 26th May, traffic is likely to be exceptionally busy on main trunk routes. Although the weather presents a potentially mixed picture for the bank holiday weekend, the AA estimates that up to 17 million cars could be on Britain’s roads.

Vauxhall & Opel could merge with Peugeot Citroen.

GM Europe (Opel and Vauxhall) could extend their deal with PSA (Peugeot Citroen) with a Joint Venture or merger. When GM Europe and PSA announced they were forming an alliance earlier this year, we asked if this was an admission that the mainstream car market in Europe had changed forever, and an alliance between Opel, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen was the only way to keep the brands viable. But we did also question what use a projected annual saving of €2 billion by sharing suppliers and co-developing platforms would be to PSA and GM considering their woeful losses.