Acerbis Side Panels White 2084560002 on 2040-parts.com

UK New car sales hit 394,806 in March 2013

The latest figures from the SMMT show that new car registrations in the UK in March 2013 hit 394,806, up 5.9 per cent over March 2012. The seemingly inexorable rise in new car registrations in the UK is continuing, with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reporting sales in March 2013 up 5.9 per cent on March 2012, with a total of 394,086 cars registered. These figures mean that new car registrations have grown for thirteen consecutive month and are now at their highest level since the Government introduced the Scrappage scheme in 2010 to try and breathe new life in to the market and encourage buyers to opt for low emission cars.

Skoda confirms two new models

Skoda Vision D at Geneva - Skoda's new design direction It’s now got to the point with Skoda where the skip-on-wheels reputation of the ’70s and ’80s – and even the ‘Cheap’ VW tag of the ’90s and ’00s – has been completely eclipsed by the perception of Skoda as quite simply the maker of some crackingly good cars. Cars like the brilliant little Skoda Fabia vRS – which we’d take over the Polo GTI (much more character) – and the equally brilliant Skoda Yeti which, although it might not quite live up to Clarkson’s recent tongue-in-cheek assertion as the best car in the world is, nonetheless, exceptionally good. That change in perception is clear in the confident model range on offer from Skoda and the clever way in which it’s marketed.

Honda back in F1 as engine supplier to McLaren from 2015

We reported that Honda were looking likely to be heading back in to F1 as engine supplier to McLaren nearly two years ago, and this morning Honda has confirmed they have formed a joint project with McLaren to supply engines and energy recovery systems to McLaren from 2015 in a joint project with the McLaren team becoming McLaren Honda. The new F1 partnership revives a very successful period for McLaren when it last used Honda engines and Prost and Senna dominated F1 with Honda powered McLarens, and fits in nicely with Honda’s return to making supercars with the new Honda NSX. Formula One engines will drop to a 1.6 litre V6 in 2015 – with a turbo – and it will be very easy for parallels to be drawn with the V6 hybrid plant Honda are using on the new NSX, which is going to do its credibility no harm whatsoever.