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European car sales down 9.6% Jan 2013. VW Golf sales down 17.8%

Car sales in Europe continue to decline with sales down 9.6% in January 2013 and the top-selling VW Golf down by 17.8%. In fact, the UK was the only top five market to increase sales, with Germany down 8.6 per cent, France down 15.1 per cent, Italy down 17.6 per cent and Spain 9.2 per cent. Other notable drops included the Netherlands which saw a huge drop of 30.4 per cent, partly driven by tighter emission boundaries on company car taxation.

No M4 relief road 'before 2020'

A "RELIEF ROAD" for the M4 in south Wales is unlikely to be constructed before 2020, a leading transport expert has told Welsh Assembly Members. A new stretch of motorway south of Newport could be back on the cards after the UK ministers announced the possibility of Welsh Government borrowing the money needed for the scheme. However the re-emergence of proposals to ease traffic on Wales' heavily congested western gateway prompted fierce debate during a committee hearing in the Senedd.

56% of drivers 'underestimated car expense'

MORE THAN half of people who have bought a second-hand car in the last two years have found it more expensive to run than they expected, according to a Government-backed body. Some 56% of motorists said that total cost, including maintenance, repairs, insurance and fuel had turned out to be higher than anticipated and one in five drivers (20%) have resorted to going into debt just to keep their vehicle on the road, the Money Advice Service (MAS) found. One in four (26%) of the 3,000 people surveyed who have bought a second-hand car since 2012 now has regrets about their purchase, with many of them saying they had not worked out whether it was really affordable or that the purchase price was too much in the first place.