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UK new car registrations: 20 months of growth

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has once again increased its new car forecast for 2013. The news comes off the back of the 20th consecutive month of growth, with new car registrations up 4% in October. Last month’s total of 157,314 registrations brings the total to 1,952,238 in 2013 so far, leading the SMMT to up its forecast from 2.22 million to 2.25 million.

Lamborghini Jota spotted

The Lamborghini Jota snapped on the Autobahn The last news we had on the Lamborghini Jota - Lambo’s replacement for the now quite ancient Murcielago – was a pointless tease for the Jota sent to us in July by Lamborghini with a photo of a Lamborghini bonnet in half shadow replete with Lamborghini badge. Oh, and the highly original strapline: Coming Soon… Which we knew. We’ve been reporting on the Jota for quite some time (and on the halo Lamborghini we expect it to spawn – the Lamborghini Urus) so there are likely no huge surprises – except just how it’s going to look.

Bentley Hybrid setup works across Bentley’s range of engines

You’ll be able to have a hybrid powertrain across Bentley’s range of engines With car makers increasingly hidebound by ever more stringent economy targets, even makers of the world’s most expensive, luxury cars are having to play ball. Which explains why Bentley has decided to go the hybrid route for their cars, with the debut of the Bentley Hybrid, a Mulsanne with the 6¾ litre V8 under the bonnet aided by an electric motor and a bank of batteries, at the Beijing Motor Show. It seems the Bentley hybrid solution – which is claimed to increase power by 25 per cent and improve emissions and economy by 70 per cent – is very similar to that used across the VW Group range, with an electric motor between the engine and transmission fed by a bank of batteries.