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UK car production down 20%

CAR PRODUCTION slowed a little last month, according to official figures. A total of 133,730 cars were made in the UK in February - 2.7% fewer than in February 2013, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. Cars made for the export market rose 3.5% last month, but manufacturing for the home market was down 20.8%.

Mazda 3 hatchback (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Mazda 3 is back: lighter, more eco-friendly and supposedly better to drive than ever, promises Mazda. Brought up-to-date with Mazda’s new ‘Kodo’ design style from the 6 saloon and CX-5 crossover, the new Mazda 3 is a handsome hatchback, and boasts a far superior cabin to its predecessor. Is that enough to shoehorn buyers out of the VW Golf and Ford Focus? Get the full CAR story here.

Vauxhall DROPS Lifetime Warranty – quietly during the Paris Motor Show news rush

Vauxhall DROPS Lifetime Warranty Vauxhall trumpeted the arrival of a Lifetime Warranty for all their new cars 4 years ago, a move that was designed to show confidence in their cars and tackle the substantial warranties on new cars offered by companies like Hyundai and Kia. But now, in a lesson doubtless learned from ‘bad news’ burying in politics, Vauxhall has revealed they’re dropping the Lifetime Warranty from 2015, no doubt hoping it won’t make headlines in the middle of the news rush from the Paris Motor Show. So now, instead of a lifetime warranty (which was really only for 100,000 miles) buyers of new Vauxhalls will get a fairly bog-standard 60,000 mile/3 year warranty.