Beijing Auto Show 2014 – the 15 cars that really matter

With somewhere around 90 world debuts, the Beijing motor show certainly had the numbers – if not the organization – to live up to its billing as one of the world's most important auto shows. The back-story to these figures however is that the majority of these unveils were of lightly-revised versions of existing models – from facelifts to localized versions of cars already on sale in other markets. That's not to say there was nothing of interest to see inside the maze of halls at the China Exhibition Center.

SEAT Leon Cupra R at Frankfurt

SEAT are bringing the 265bhp SEAT Leon Cupra R to Frankfurt The 265bhp 4-pot turbo in the Cupra R produces 265 bhp, and manages to polish off the 0-060mph sprint in 6 seconds, and on to 155mph. But it’s no sluggard on the economy front, achieving almost 35mph average. The Cupra R comes shod with a set of 19″ alloys, which hide a formidable set of 17″ discs (16″ at the back).

FCA issues warning on logbook loans

VULNERABLE people who use their car as security to take out a loan are finding themselves squeezed even harder financially and even threatened, the City regulator has found. The Financial Conduct Authority warned it will put firms offering logbook loans out of action if they do not "dramatically" improve their standards, after finding evidence of poor behaviour including little or no affordability checks being carried out and some applicants being encouraged to manipulate details of their income. It said lenders are failing to properly spell out exactly how expensive such debts will be, with the true cost often masked by an emphasis on "low" weekly repayments and key terms and conditions buried in small print.