2006 Ford Taurus 78702 Miles Automatic Transmission 2517281 on 2040-parts.com

New car sales in UK still growing – up 14.8% April 2013. Driven by PPI Claims?

It is quite hard to fathom just how UK new car sales (well, registrations) continue to rise inexorably against a backdrop of otherwise stagnant economic activity, but they do. April 2013 has seen a total of 163,357 new car registrations, up a huge 14.8 per cent on April 2012 and the best figure since 2008, and these sales figures are not being driven by fleet buyers but by private motorists – private sector registrations grew by 32.3 per cent in April and are up by 15.2 per cent year to date. Not surprisingly, it’s the Superminis that are performing strongly – although all sectors are showing a rise – and it’s the Ford Fiesta that continues to be the best seller in the UK with sales of over 8,000 in April and over 42,000 so far in 2013, and the rise of superminis has also seen an increase in sales of petrol-engined cars thanks to the wave of small capacity, frugal petrol options.

The truly awful finally get recognition at Concours d'LeMons

Finally, the Phantom Hurst Edition Pacer gets the respect that has so long eluded it. Ditto the Kate Jackson edition Bobcat/Pinto thing. And custom vans, remember them?

Honda Gear Concept turns up in Montreal

The Honda Gear Concept has been revealed at the Montreal Motor Show this week, a small urban runaround aimed at young car buyers. Just to the north of the Detroit Show, there’s another motor show going on in Montreal, not that anyone expected anything of much interest to appear at the much smaller Montreal Motor Show. But it has.