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European car sales show signs of resurgence

New car sales in both France and Spain have risen for the fifth month in a row to January 2014, showing signs the European car market is on the up. The news is positive for Europe’s automotive sector, which has been in decline for six years. On Bing: see pictures of new cars for 2014 Find out how much a used car costs on Auto Trader Alongside the relative success in France and Spain – two of the biggest hit regions for new car sales following the global economic downturn – Italy also recorded positive results for new vehicle registrations.

Ford future products: New vehicles get lighter, faster and move upscale

Ford Motor Co.'s future-product focus is on improved fuel economy by making its vehicles smaller and engines lighter without sacrificing performance, safety or luxury. It also wants to push the Ford brand more upscale to capture customers orphaned by the shutdown of the Mercury brand, and to attract new buyers with more product offerings. Ford has said 90 percent of its North American nameplates will be available with direct-injection turbocharged EcoBoost engines as standard equipment or as an option by 2013.

September sales hint at improvement

A 10 percent increase in new-vehicle sales in September is sparking optimism that the year will have a strong finish. And analysts say that deals might get better over the next few months as Toyota and Honda finally recover from shortages caused by the earthquake that hit Japan in March. Those brands might increase spending on incentives to woo buyers back into their showrooms.