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.

England to ban car park cameras?

Static cameras and ‘spy cars’ fitted with video surveillance equipment could be banned in England following communities secretary Eric Pickle’s statement that he wanted to “rein in over-zealous and unfair rules.” The government isn’t looking to eradicate parking enforcement altogether, however. The coalition stated that traffic wardens armed with cameras would be able to carry out the task instead, potentially at a reduced cost to the state over the current setup. On Bing: see pictures of the craziest double-yellow lines If drivers could stop on double yellow lines, parking chaos would ensue These fixed cameras and moving camera cars have issued more than £301 million worth of fines in over 10 million separate cases during the past five years, according to the Conservative party.

Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes W196R F1 car sells for £19.6 million (video)

Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes W196R F1 (pictured) sells for £19 million The Goodwood Festival of Speed is all about cars and performance, but it’s not just cars on the ground and on the hillclimb. Goodwood is a Mecca for wealthy petrolheads as well as those who can only lust after the finest motoring metal – classic and current – so it’s a sensible place to run an auction for high-end cars. And you can’t get much more ‘high-emd- – at least in terms of value – than Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1954 Mercedes W196R Formula One car which went under the hammer yesterday at Bonham’s Goodwood auction, and reached a world record auction price of £19,601,500 (including premium – £17.5m before).