Economy

Bus and coach registrations increased for a third consecutive month in March, rising 15%.
Significant growth for both purpose-built buses and coaches, as a result of the March plate change with operators investing in new vehicles.
Purpose-built buses rose 111.2% to 340 units in March, purpose-built coaches 36% to 223 units.

Record month with nearly half a million, 492,774, cars registered in March, up 6.0% on last year.
Fleet market continues to drive growth, highlighting confidence of British businesses‎.
Contribution to economy and job creation from UK automotive underscores need for consistent policies to let the sector flourish‎.

Honda has announced that it will invest £200 million into its flagship manufacturing centre in Swindon, making the UK the global production hub for the next generation Civic five-door. The funding will help Honda implement new, advanced production technologies and processes and safeguard thousands of UK jobs.

New research commissioned by SMMT has found the development of connected and autonomous vehicles will help generate 320,000 jobs in the UK, delivering huge benefits to society and the economy. In the first ever comprehensive analysis of the UK opportunities provided by this new technology, KPMG has found that these new vehicles will deliver a £51 billion boost to the UK economy and reduce serious road traffic accidents by more than 25,000 a year by 2030.

More than 250,000 UK cars built in first two months of 2015, nearly 130,000 in February.
Number of cars produced for the domestic market up 21.1% to 33,813 units.
Market positive with UK manufacturers poised to see return on billions of pounds worth of investment.

British cars are being made with more British-sourced parts as the UK automotive industry’s renaissance continues apace, new research reveals. Figures from a new Automotive Council report show that domestic component makers sold 19% more products to UK vehicle producers last year than in 2013.

Global passenger vehicle sales were up sharply once again at the end of the year (up 5.1%), lifting the growth rate for the year to 4.6%

Engine manufacturing output returns to growth, up 6.7% in December.
Output falls 6.2% over the year, following retooling at a number of facilities.
Outlook bright thanks to major investments into UK engine manufacturing.

1,528,148 cars manufactured in the UK in 2014 – a 1.2% increase on the previous year and the best year since 2007.
Strongest December in a decade saw 108,721 cars produced, up 27.1% on December 2013.
Growth comes despite challenges in some export markets.
Output for the UK market matched the growth in overall UK registrations, rising 8.0%.

The latest Renault Twingo was officially launched last year to a huge media buzz. Its rear-engined platform, evocative styling and iconic name have already captured the imagination of many a car enthusiast. However, the Twingo’s critical acclaim should come as no surprise; Renault has over eight decades of experience in making small, economical cars. Here’s what makes its small cars great.