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Car production increases again

THE SOCIETY of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said UK manufacturers built 91,282 cars in August, up 16.2%, or 12,705, on the same period in 2012, leaving year-to-date volumes 3.1% ahead of 2012, at 984,545. The figures showed 20,298 cars were made for the home market this year, up 21.1%, while 70,984 were for export, up 14.8%. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "The past 12-months has been one of the most productive since late 2008." Samuel Tombs, of consultancy Capital Economics, said the CBI figures showed the manufacturing sector "continuing to go from strength to strength".

1975 JC Whitney catalog: A bonanza of aftermarket Volkswagen goodies

Back before there was the Internet, or even big car-parts chain stores, there was the JC Whitney catalog. Printed on cheap, pulpy paper and featuring tens of thousands of tiny, hand-drawn illustrations, these thick books gave me many hours of enjoyment in the early 1980s, as I fantasized about how I'd modify my incredibly sketchy and hooptified '58 Beetle. Now I've picked up a 1975 JC Whitney catalog, and the Volkswagen section is even better than I remembered!

What's New - June 2005

Mercedes-Benz Bionic concept The Bionic showcases the potential of bionics for automobile development, and is inspired by the boxfish(!) In DaimlerChrysler's words: "Despite its boxy, cube-shaped body, this tropical fish is in fact outstandingly streamlined and therefore represents an aerodynamic ideal". This 4240mm long car that seats four has a Cd value of just 0.19 which, in combination with light-weight construction and an advanced diesel powertrain, gives 20% lower fuel consumption and up to 80% lower nitrogen oxide emissions. This reduction in NO2 is achieved by spraying 'AdBlue', an aqueous urea solution, into the exhaust system in precisely metered quantities to convert the nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen and water, so even if it looks like it should, it shouldn't smell fishy...