The UK Professional Drivers Association (PDA) has created a new charity aimed at helping vocational drivers.

Steve Parrish, the former truck and motorcycle racing champion, will be patron for the Professional Drivers Foundation.

Mr Parrish said that he was pleased to help a charity aimed at people such as HGV drivers, who he called the lifeline of the UK, having had a few accidents in his time on the circuit.

The charity will provide advice and financial support for professional drivers who need help, Mr Parrish hopes.

Pat Nicholson, PDA founder, said: "The foundation was formed primarily for the welfare of lorry drivers. It is not a well-paid industry, and entails long hours with many of the workforce being away four nights a week and sleeping in their vehicles."

The PDA aims to help those who are recently qualified to drive vocationally with their first job by providing them specialist knowledge.

More Britons are taking advantage of the benefits of buying cars online, according to research carried out by consumer publication Which? Car.

Studies found that purchasing online is proving popular partly because it is subject to the Distance Selling Regulations, which provide buyers with a seven-day period after delivery in which they can reject the car and receive a complete refund.

Richard Headland, editor at the publication, commented: "Not only can buyers find bargain prices online – without haggling with a salesperson – they have better legal rights too. The web has thrown down the gauntlet to traditional bricks-and-mortar car dealerships."

The study found that while just five per cent of Which? members surveyed bought their last car online, 18 per cent said they are likely to do so in future.

New car registrations rose by 29.8 per cent in January, an increase in the market for a seventh successive month.

Car manufacturer Ford sold 22,128 cars in January, signifying a strong start 2010.

The figures are a five per cent increase on the same month last year and 6,122 sales ahead of its nearest rival firm.

Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus were the first and second best sellers respectively in the UK market, with sales driven by extended scrappage scheme incentives, and the company took 15.7 per cent of January vehicle purchases overall.

Nigel Sharp, Ford Britain managing director, commented that 2010 will present the company with challenges but the group has the vehicles and expertise to maintain a strong sales momentum.

"We have further enhanced Ford’s offer by paying this year’s VAT rise and look forward to new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy models on sale this spring," he said.

This month the S-MAX and Galaxy won awards in the Best Mini-MPV and Best MPV categories respectively at the 2010 BusinessCar Awards.

The latest official figures show that people are continuing to use their mobile phones while driving, and the Institute of Advanced Motorists has offered advice on combating the problem.

The proportion of drivers using their phones has increased to 1.4 per cent from 1.1 per cent since September 2008, according to official statistics.

IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig highlighted that, despite the many warnings, drivers are continuing to use mobile phones while on the road.

High profile, consistent policing and driver education are the ways to improve the situation, he commented.

"Deaths and injuries linked to mobile phone use wreck lives and are completely avoidable. The majority of road users deserve to be protected from an irresponsible and selfish minority and enforcement is, in our view, the key weapon against them," he added.

Earlier this week the Department for Transport launched its new THINK! Campaign to highlight how deadly not wearing a seat belt can be.

Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium has been fitted with new luxury pitch-side seats thanks to the team’s official car supplier, Citroen.

The 40 seats are made from leather and come with sporty, figure-hugging contours along with both Arsenal’s crest and the new Citroen logo.

Loughborough’s Auto-kit international has designed the seats and the company’s commercial director Martin Mangat said that it was a pleasure to install the seats.

Since 2008 Citroen has provided C5, C4 Picasso and Berlingo Multispace models for Arsenal players, management, coaches and staff.

The club has also made use of Citroen LCVs which have been used to take training equipment to Arsenal’s various matches around the country.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "We are delighted with the new Citroen dugout seats, which are a real improvement and very much in keeping with the overall stadium design."

Ex Formula 1 star Kimi Raikkonen will compete for Citroen in the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship which starts on February 12th in Sweden.

Car manufacturer Nissan has reported a 17 per cent increase in year-on-year sales in Europe this January.

The firm has shifted almost 43,000 vehicles on the continent and has seen its market share climb by a further 3.2 per cent, continuing its average monthly growth of around three per cent.

Despite the substantial increase in sales, the firm said volumes were still 25 per cent down on 2005 levels – however, sales were in line with the company’s projections.

Vice-president of sales operations at Nissan Europe Bernard Loire said: "Our market share of 3.2 per cent is the highest we have achieved since January 2009; this was a great result from all our teams in Europe."

"The outlook for 2010 is still uncertain in many markets but several major economies are coming out of recession and forecasting some growth this year, resulting in continuing strong demand for models such as Qashqai," he added.

Nissan’s Qashqai has proved massively popular and the firm is set to create 400 jobs at its Sunderland plant to cope with the high demand.

Car manufacturer Toyota has announced that it has received no reports of braking faults with its third-generation Prius in Europe and the UK since August of last year.

The firm said that while a number of Japanese and North American customers had contacted the company about issues with the new model’s brakes, there have been no accidents or injuries as a result.

Customers in the regions have complained that the brakes feel inconsistent when they are gradually applied and the anti-lock braking system is activated.

Managing director of Toyota GB Miguel Fonseca said: "We can assure Prius owners that no safety issue has been identified with the braking system fitted to their cars, and that no problems have been reported by customers in the UK or Europe.

"With safety as our main concern, Toyota will continue to investigate thoroughly any problems that are reported."

Toyota is expecting to incur substantial costs as a result of the safety recall.

The Peugeot ECO CUP – a 1,000km ‘eco race’ – is receiving entries from European motorists eager to become the continent’s most efficient drivers.

Seventy-two drivers from 18 countries will drive in four categories from Paris to Geneva. The winners will be the most fuel-efficient and will receive Peugeot cars.

The manufacturer will have a tough job on its hands to pick the final 72 from the 10,000 or so entries which are piling in for the event.

British drivers are currently lagging behind the French and Spanish in terms of entries with the latter being the most eager having recorded 1,500 entries thus far.

Jon Goodman, managing director of Peugeot UK, said: "Come on you Brits, let’s get away from the potholes for a few days and show Europe we are the greenest drivers. After all, average speeds on Britain’s motorways mean we’re already used to optimising our speed for the best fuel consumption."

The French company recently announced that its 308 CC will have added "six appeal" thanks to a new 1.6 litre 156 bhp Euro 5 THP turbo-charged petrol engine.

Internationally acclaimed artist Jeff Koons is set to create a new work involving BMW cars.

The sculptor will become the latest in a long line of artists to get involved in with the BMW Art Car project.

Speaking from his studio in New York, Mr Koons, who is famed for his giant reproductions of everyday objects, said: "I always thought it would be an honour to work on a BMW Art Car, I look forward to participating in a tradition set forth by such great artists as Calder, Lichtenstein, Stella, and Warhol."

Further details of the new project are sketchy, but BMW said the Koons Art Car will be revealed later this year.

The artist’s work will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the BMW Art Car programme.

Artists have been turning BMW cars into art since 1975, and the resulting works have been exhibited across the globe, including at the Louvre, the Guggenheim Museums, and the Shanghai Art Museum.

In 1999, Pablo Picasso’s signature was used to promote the Citroen Xsara Picasso.

The Citroen C1 ev-ie will incorporate a new high-capacity lithium-ion battery developed by Europe’s largest independent battery manufacturer Axeon.

UK-based Electric Car Corporation will be tasked with building the new battery and Axeon is hoping to supply between 300 and 500 of the devices to Citroen over the course of the next 12 months.

Axeon, which is based in Dundee, is a specialist in batteries designed for commercial and industrial applications, but its core business is buoyed by the supply of lithium-ion technology to the automotive sector.

Chief executive officer of Axeon Lawrence Berns said: "We are delighted to be working with the Electric Car Corporation.

"This agreement is an endorsement of our technology development plans, further underlining our capabilities in the battery sector and our dominant position in the market, allowing us to capitalise on opportunities and continue to grow the company."

Another player entering the hybrid car fray is Audi, which announced last year that 2010 will see it introduce its first mixed-fuel vehicle – the Q5.