Laclede Alpine Sport #2323 Snow Tire Chain Suv & Lt. Truck New 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.

Mobility Ventures builds dealer network for its wheelchair-accessible vehicles

Mobility Ventures LLC, the current builder of the MV-1, says it has now signed more than 50 dealers. The MV-1 is the only American-built vehicle designed from the ground up for people with mobility challenges; it meets or exceeds the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines as well as all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Last year, the original designer and builder of the MV-1 -- the Vehicle Production Group LLC -- was acquired by South Bend, Ind.-based AM General.

One Lap of the Web: 'Blower' Bentleys, Abarth history and a Checker taxi-camper

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- When it comes to high-dollar collector cars, provenance is everything.