87-90 Jeep Wrangler 4.2 Puegeot Ba10 5 Speed Transmission Mount Bracket Yj1 on 2040-parts.com

New car sales accelerate again

NEW CAR SALES could be back to pre-recession levels by the end of this year after a good start to 2014. Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there were 176,820 new vehicles registered in April - an 8.2% rise on the same month last year. Last month's figure took the total for the year so far to 864,942 - a 12.5% increase on the first four months of 2013.

Tax-return car deals

Automakers are offering cut-rate financing, cash back and lease deals just as our income-tax-refund checks are coming in the mail. These timely tax-return car deals are paired with the necessity for automakers to make room on dealer lots for all-new models. (See the Cadillac CTS deals.) Here, we break down some of the incentives being offered this month.

Lexus NX compact SUV production starts – first UK deliveries October 2014

The first Lexus NX rolls off the production line We’re not entirely sure the new Lexus NX – revealed in production guise at the Beijing Motor Show in April - will be one of the most driver-focused compact SUVs, but it is a car that should see Lexus sales rise considerably. And the NX is now starting to roll off the production line at Lexus’s Miyata plant in Japan, and Lexus say they already have 6,500 orders for the NX in Japan, and a more modest 350 in the UK. The big seller in the UK – in the absence of a diesel NX – will be the NX 300h with its hybrid setup of a 2.5 litre petrol engine, electric motor and CVT gearbox, but despite promises of good economy (55.4mpg) the real world economy is likely to be significantly less, although its high headline economy will help BIK rates for business buyers.