HERE ARE the most interesting and talked-about stories over the past five days, collated and summarised by us.

Monday, December 12

BENTLEY released details of a new addition to its GT range – the V8. The 4.0-litre, twin turbo variant debuts next year.

VAUXHALL’S managing director, Duncan Aldred, will now also take on the role of chairman from January 1, 2012. Read more

BMW can finally take the fight to the Mercedes CLS with the 6 Series Gran Coupe. The four-door 6 appears next year, probably with a £2k premium over the 6 Series Coupe.

MOTORS.CO.UK reported that a competition on its Facebook page resulted in a rise in the number of fans of more than 300 per cent. Read more

Tuesday, December 13

SUZUKI returns to the hot hatch market with its new Swift Sport priced from £13,500. The 136bhp hatch is on sale in January.

LOGISTICS firm FedEx has partnered Nissan to trial the electric NV200 prototype small van.

NOVEMBER saw auction house BCA pass the landmark of 100k sales online – one month sooner than in 2010.

SUPERMARKET bank Sainsbury’s expects there to be more than 260,000 crashes this winter.

Wednesday, November 14

SKODA has produced 1.5 million second-generation Octavias. The landmark car was a Greenline II Estate.

THE sole remaining General Lee Dodge Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard is up for auction in California. Guide price? £40k.

AUDI has released a new ‘lead-in’ diesel version of the Q7. The 201bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel emits 189g/km and returns 39.2mpg.

STEPHEN FRY has become the latest ‘celebrity’ to lend his voice to sat-navs. He’s available on TomTom for £7.99.

Thursday, November 15

MERCEDES has revealed its new SL. Made almost entirely out of aluminium, the new car will go on sale in July.

NEW car finance sales increased by six per cent in October compared to the same month in 2010. Read more

UK CAR production rose by 8.5 per cent in November, says the SMMT, and was up 6.1 per cent over the first 11 months of 2011.

THE closure of local DVLA offices could provide an opportunity for dealers, the SMMT’s Paul Everitt told us. Read more

Friday, November 16

PORSCHE has launched a competition allowing wannabe 911 owners to win their dream car via the firm’s new configurator.

CHEVROLET has named its top technician of 2011. W H Brand’s Luke Parlett has won the award. Read more

ONLY 225 examples of VW’s special edition Caravelle Edition 25 will be made available in the UK. It’s on sale now priced from £44,995.

MYSTERY shopping firm Douglas Stafford has been awarded quality management certification. Read more