Dodge Challenger Side Bamper Light on 2040-parts.com

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.

Autoweek in review: What you might have missed

Word broke this week that the next generation of the Ford Mustang, due in 2014, will have a design similar to the Evos concept shown at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. It's a move away from the retro styling that the pony car has had since 2005. Dodge revealed prices for the Dart, which is expected to go on sale in June.

2014 Subaru XV – less choice, more refinement

The 2014 Subaru XV (pictured) gets a bit of a tweak The Subaru XV arrived in the UK in 2012, and it’s a perfectly able and reasonably-priced compact crossover from Subaru. But within a year of launching the XV Subaru decided to inject a bit more appeal in to the XV with a price cut of £2,300 across the range and now, not more than six months later, they’re fiddling with the XV range again. The 2.0 litre petrol XV gets new valve-train components to cut engine noise and revised suspension, with extra soundproofing improving NVH levels across the range, a revised power steering system for added stability and feel  and thicker and reshaped suspension lower arm and extra reinforcement around the base of the A-Pillar for better crash performance.