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

Peugeot 308 R heading for production

It looks like the Peugeot 308 R (pictured) is heading for production With the Peugeot RCZ R managing to go from range-topping performance concept to production, it seemed likely Peugeot was aiming at producing a new range of performance cars. And it seems the next could be the Peugeot 308 R. Arriving at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept, the 308 R comes with a strange two-tone paint job (meant to evoke the Peugeot Onyx Concept), but with far more to offer than just a paint job that makes it look a different car at the back than the front.

AA Survey says 40% of UK roads are in a ‘Terrible’ state

40% of our roads are in a ‘Terrible’ state We all moan about how bad the UK’s roads are after several years of extreme weather and even more years of underinvestment in road repairs. Now the AA has revealed that a survey of 29,911 of their members reveals that 40 per cent of local roads are considered to be in a ‘Terrible’ state, 34 per cent of main roads the same and just 11 per cent of local roads considered ‘Excellent’. None of which will come as a surprise to Cars UK readers; we get endless emails on the subject from disgruntled readers bemoaning the dangerous state of our roads and asking what can be done.

Volkswagen XL1

This, remarkably, is the production version of the Volkswagen XL1, the most fuel-efficient production car in the world, a car we'll see in Geneva in a little over a week. Barely changed from the concept version shown at the Qatar motor show two years ago, the production XL1 is the first production result of VW's 1-liter project – to design a car that uses less than 1l/100km (282.5mpg imperial) – that started with the lozenge-shaped, tandem-seat 2003 1L and the later L1 of 2009. The XL1 actually beats that by sipping just 0.9 liters with CO2 emissions of 21g/km.