DRIVE TALKING

What’s hot on the road

2013 IS LUCKY FOR SOME

THE new split-year registration system continues to drive midsummer sales to new highs. From the start of July to July 20, some 7,866 cars bearing 132 plates were sold, compared with 2,236 in the same period last year. Ford was the top-selling brand and the Focus was the best-selling individual model.

TAKE A SEAT... IN NOVEMBER

THE all-new SEAT Leon Sports Tourer will arrive in dealerships in November, offering up to 1,470 litres of luggage space with the rear seats folded. It boasts sporty good looks and a range of petrol and diesel engines ranging from 1.2 to 2.0-litre and horsepower from 84 to 182bhp. Prices have yet to be announced.

BENTLEY’S €900M SUV PLAN

BENTLEY has confirmed it will soon start building a new SUV for sale from 2016. The car will be produced at the Crewe works in the north of England and will create an estimated 1,000 new jobs. Bentley, part of the Volkswagen Group, will invest the best part of €900million in the plant and in the development of the new model.

MAZDA GOES CROSS-COUNTRY

THE latest incarnation of the Mazda3 will take an unusual route from the Hiroshima manufacturing site to the Frankfurt Motor Show — by travelling overland. The 15,000km trip begins next weekend and will take a month to finish. You can follow the progress of the eight cars involved on mazdaroute3.eu.