Bmw E32 Right Passenger Rear Window Lifter Regulator W/ Motor & Latch 8147532 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.

GM transplants Chevrolet Volt technology into the Cadillac ELR hybrid

One of the headliners of the 2009 Detroit auto show, the Cadillac Converj concept, will become production reality. Cadillac confirmed some details on Wednesday afternoon and said that the coupe will be called the ELR. It will use a T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack, and a generator kicks on to extend range, similar to the Chevrolet Volt.

Seat IBL concept car (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

Seat is sometimes described as Spain's answer to Alfa Romeo. And if that's the case, then the new Seat IBL concept car is surely a 159-influenced take on what future Seat road cars could look like. The IBL concept is another ideas car from Seat – an exploration of what to expect from future models.