New Kia launches Focus and Golf attack

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 15 August 2006 09:00 Europe's fastest growing car brand – Kia – is finally wading into Europe's biggest market with a serious contender. But with a joke of a name: the Cee'd. Kia claims the five-door hatchback will be the most spacious car in the C-segment, where it will do battle with the VW Golf, Ford Focus et al.

Skoda Octavia (2013): first official pictures

This is the new 2013 Skoda Octavia. For its third generation, the Octavia gets its cleanest, most efficient engines yet and the full gamut of tech upgrades available on the new Mk7 Golf - all wrapped up in a more sober, Czech-style package. The new Octavia is also lighter than the old car and, with the arrival of the mid-sized Rapid, has grown from family hatch proportions to fight the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia.

USED CAR PRICES FIRMER THAN IN SUMMER

USED CAR prices were firmer across most sectors between September and November than the previous 3 months, according to the used car pricing experts, CAP. The CAP Used Car Price Index also reveals an increase in values for 4x4s over the period while convertibles are hitting the doldrums. A reduction in the number of used cars available overall, at the benchmark 3 year old point, is helping to keep prices relatively stable in most cases.