Jaguar S-type Sedan 1998 Auto Dealer Brochure/ Book on 2040-parts.com

UK new car registrations up again in July

New car registrations in the UK have risen for the fifth month running, with a total of 143,884 new cars registered in July 2012. The UK is continuing to buck the European trend with new car registrations up by 9.3 per cent in July (2102) to 143,884 according to new figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That figure is the largest sales volume of 2012 and is the fifth month in a row that new car registrations have risen, despite economic woes and the Eurozone crisis, and brings registrations in 2012 to 1,201,564 so far, leading the SMMT to increase their prediction for 2012 sales upwards to 1.97 million.

2014 Suzuki Swift SZ-L Special Edition launches

The 2014 Suzuki Wift SZ-L (pictured) comes in blue or black metallic We know why car makers churn out special editions, and they can be a great buy if the extras they boast float your boat. But do we have to get the same ‘special edition’ name badge every couple of years? ‘Black’ and ‘White’ editions abound from almost every car maker and, although Suzuki may not have gone that route with the Swift SZ-L Special Edition, it’s the exact same ‘Special Edition’ name they used just a few years ago.

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Concept at Tokyo

The Mitsubishi PX-MiEV Concept - a hybrid crossover The ‘PX’ bit of the name is Mitsubishi’s code for Plug-in Hybrid Crossover (saves a bit of room on the boot lid), so the PX-MiEV gets a 1.6 litre 4-pot to drive the front wheels together with an electric motor. An additional electric motor is used to power the rear wheels when circumstances dictate. The PX-MiEV can also run for up to 30 miles in EV mode, after which it turns in to a hybrid to drive and recharge the batteries.