New Car Sales Accelerating Ahead

IT’S GOOD news in the new car market as the latest figures from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal registrations already outstripping those of 2012 with one month of the year still to go. A total of 159,581 new cars were registered in November - a 7% rise on the figure for November 2012. Last month's figures took the year-so-far total to 2,111,819 - a 9.9% rise on the January-November 2012 total and already in excess of the year-end 2012 figure of 2.04 million.

Ford prototype seat measures your heart rate

Ford continues its foray into health and wellness with a car that can monitor the driver's heart activity. Research engineers in Germany have developed a prototype seat with six sensors that can monitor the heart's electric impulses through clothes and give an early warning as to whether a driver should seek medical attention because of irregularities. Drivers who have cardiovascular disease are 23 percent more likely to be involved in a car accident.

SMALL CARS DOMINATE USED CAR SALES

SMALL, FUEL-EFFICIENT cars continue to be the most appealing to used car buyers, research shows. The figures from Experian, the global information service, demonstrated that 285,962 used Ford Fiestas were sold last year making it Britain’s best selling used car in 2010. Even though overall sales for the Fiesta were lower than in 2009 there was more of a pronounced drop in sales of Vauxhall's Corsa, which came in second place to the Fiesta.