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

Monday 10 December

Mini kicked off a new finance promotion with some clever new marketing – hiring Coopers in central London for 26p per hour. Read more.

Nottingham auto park hit the rocks – with reports suggesting that they could have headed into administration. Read more.

Japanese and Korean markets are expected to hit a ‘fuel cell boom’, a report said. Read more.

Fiat gave out prices for its new Fiat 500L – the larger version of its chic city car – starting from £14,995

 

Tuesday 11 December

Skoda showed off its brand new Octavia – fitting in with the company’s new look, as premiered by the Rapid.

VCars began using ContactAtOnce! live chat software – allowing customers to contact dealers directly from adverts. Read more.

Drive Assist UK – and its Nottingham Auto Group subsidiary – was confirmed as having entered into administration. Read more.

Solera holdings purchased vehicle history supplier CarweB – joining provenance check firm HPI in its portfolio. Read more.

 

Wednesday 12 December

Consumer car finance is becoming more important than ever – with a reported 70 per cent of new car sales relying on the solutions. Read more.

Honda reached the top of the advert charts – as YouTube revealed that its ‘spark’ ad for the Civic was the most popular automotive commercial for UK users. Read more.

Jaguar Land Rover began eyeing up new production facilities – not in China, but Saudi Arabia – as its premium range expands.

 

Thursday 13 December

Vehicle manufacturing in the UK rose again in November, SMMT figures revealed – with engines remaining our biggest export. Read more.

Mercedes-Benz released pictures of its face-lifted E-Class range – revealing its brand new, LED-headlight-adorned front end.

Vertu purchased one of troubled dealer group Nidd Vale’s assets – a Vauxhall dealer located on Leeds road, Harrogate. Read more.

 

Friday 14 December

Cambria ‘performed in line with expectations’ over the last financial year, figures and a release from the company revealed. Read more.

Glass’s managing editor of the last 11 years announced his intentions to leave, saying that he’s excited to see what the future will hold. Read more.

The traditional tax disc could be set to be scrapped, it was announced – as a government report looks at streamlining the company.

Freezing weather has caused a nine per cent surge in car accidents, according to a report by Accident Exchange.