Larson Boats 310 Cabrio Logo Gold Genuine Factory Decal on 2040-parts.com

Happy Christmas to all CAR magazine readers!

Here's wishing all CAR magazine and online readers a very happy Christmas. Thanks for your support in 2012 - we're grateful for your contributions and posts, insightful letters and forum blogs over the past year. CAR Online will continue to operate over the Christmas period, so come back daily for more motoring news, reviews, blogs and scoops over the next week.

UK 2011 car sales analysis: winners and losers

The UK car market fell 4.4% in 2011 to its worst year for at least a decade. Brits bought 1,941,253 vehicles last year as private motorists put off that new car purchase and stuck with their existing wheels or went secondhand. Retail sales took the brunt of the fall, with a 14% collapse on 2010's figures.

Mazda MX-5 Miata

For only the fourth time since the first was introduced 25 years ago - when it reignited the small sports car market - there's a new Mazda MX-5 Miata. Mazda's aim this time was to strip away much of the bulk that had accumulated over the years, recapturing the essence of a compact, light and affordable roadster. The subtext is that the MX-5 Miata has become a car more often bought by women in their 60s, rather than the young males it was originally intended for.