Willie & Max , Saddlebag Comfort Cushion on 2040-parts.com

New car sales surge again

NEW CAR sales have risen again in September thanks to rapid growth in demand from private buyers, according to statistics released today. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said that a rise of 16.7% in the private sector helped to drive a ‘super September’ that saw overall sales rise by almost 11% over the same month last year. The new 63 registration plate has helped drive customers to showrooms across the country, with the latest breed of fuel-efficient, smooth and quiet petrol engines selling particularly strongly.

British team, trusty Fiat Panda set new Africa run record

The Fiat Panda driving team consisting of British rally drivers Philip Young and Paul Brace arrived in London today, setting a new record time for the 10,000-mile Cape Town, South Africa to London run in the process. With their time of 10 days, 13 hours and 30 minutes, the team managed to break two records: one for the Cape Town to London run and one for the run between the two cities (in either direction). The former previously stood at 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes, while the latter was 11 days, 14 hours and 11 minutes.

Volkswagen CrossBlue SUV Concept: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

Volkswagen has revealed a new SUV concept – the VW Crossblue – at the Detroit Auto show, previewing a new 7-seat SUV for North America. But this particular VW SUV isn’t heading to a VW showroom near you, instead it’s designed to accommodate seven full-size Americans (well, six in the concept and seven in the production version) in an SUV that will be bigger than the Touareg, but less costly. Sitting on the (obviously very flexible, considering the size of the CrossBlue) MQB platform that underpins the Golf, the CrossBlue looks like it’s probably a stretched version of the next generation Tiguan, complete with VWs new SUV design language featuring a less flowing style with more angular lines and a blunt, statement nose.