Dorman 711-321 Chrome Wheel Locks M12- 1.50 Standard Mag Wheels on 2040-parts.com

Manufacturers report 2013 sales boom

CAR MANUFACTURERS are reporting strong surges in sales for 2013, with one mainstream brand up by more than 55%. So far Ford, Vauxhall, Skoda, MG, Lexus, Renault, Audi and Mercedes have all reported excellent sales performance, with Mercedes having passed the 100,000 registrations per year mark for the first time in the UK. Largely thanks to the introduction of the Dacia brand this year, the Renault Group has seen a 55.3% rise in sales, to 63,319 units.

IFR Aspid

The Aspid is a new sports car from a new car company that has just made its international debut at the British Motor Show. The UK is the biggest single European market for small sports cars, and the Aspid also has British genes in its typology that clearly stems from the Lotus Super Seven. Technical highlights of the car include an extruded aluminum chassis weighing a mere 75kg clothed in carbon fiber, a two-liter supercharged engine with 400PS, an overall weight of 700kg, and headline performance figures of 0-100mph in 5.9 seconds.

Nissan raises Leaf prices, adds retail markets

Nissan North America said Tuesday that it will add $2,420 to the price of the base model of its hard-to-get, slow-to-build electric Leaf sedan. Compared to 2011 model year's $33,630 base price, including delivery, the 2012 model will begin at $36,050. The car's upper-grade SL model will sell for $38,100, an increase of $3,530 over 2011.