Center Dash Climate Control/radio Bezel on 2040-parts.com

New car sales up by 3% on 2013

ANOTHER RISE in new car sales in February has meant purchases have increased every month for two years. A total of 68,736 vehicles were registered last month - a 3% rise on the total for February 2013, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Sales for the first two months of this year have totalled 223,298 - a 6.1% rise on the total for the first two months of 2013 SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said the two years of continuous growth was "a real endorsement of consumer confidence and the attractiveness of the new car market".

Concept Car of the Week: Citroën C-Metisse (2006)

Citroen was on a roll back in 2006, in terms of its production cars such as the C4 and C6, but most notably in advanced design. The previous 'C-' range of concepts that started in 2002 with the C-Airdream, swiftly followed by the C-Airlounge and C-Sportlounge. But there's a feeling that the this fourth car in the series was the one that showed the PSA design team at its flamboyant best.

Is the V8 a dying breed? Auto engineers expect more turbos, smaller engines

The V8 engine, a symbol of power and prestige for more than a century, is looking more and more like an endangered species. A panel of powertrain experts speaking on Tuesday at the 2009 SAE World Congress painted a bleak picture for big engines in this era of tightening emission standards and volatile fuel prices. But smaller engines will not mean drivers have to give up performance.