British Car Auctions (BCA) has created a new stock locator to help those buying used cars.

According to the BCA, with around 13,000 vehicles registered for sale on the company’s website at any given time, the new locator, called Auction View, ensures car enthusiast find exactly what they are looking for.

Tim Naylor, PR manager atBCA, said: "Our new website takes all the legwork out of finding a used car.

"With Auction View, you can search by location or nationwide to find out when and where the car you want is being offered for sale. It makes planning a day at the auctions much simpler."

A shopping list of used vehicles is generated with each search and details of mileage, service history and age are included for each car – as well as images of the vehicle.

There is also a jargon buster to help new users understand trade terminology.

Recent research by PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown that demand for cars will fall slightly in the coming year.

According to the firm’s Autofacts report, car manufacturers will shift around 1.9 million vehicles in the coming year.

December saw an increase in the value of used cars sold.

According to figures released by British Car Auctions, the price of cars sold in December was £6,188 – a rise of £185 compared to November’s figure of £5,903.

Communications director at the group Tony Gannon commented: "If the economy continues to recover, that will give consumers the confidence to change their car. There is a view that we are on an upward curve, but it looks to be very gradual and protracted."

He added that while January is likely to bring a further uplift in activity, sustained price rises over a number of months – such as those seen in 2009 – are unlikely to be repeated.

The organisation went on to say that values remain ahead year-on-year by £1,352, a rise of 27.9 per cent.

Earlier this week, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders revealed that new car registrations completed through the scrappage scheme are heading towards 290,000.

A scale model of the winning design in Autocar’s Hot Hatch 2020 competition has been created by modellers working at automaker Ford.

The Hot Hatch 2020 Design Competition opened in January last year and was won by Coventry transport design student Minwoo Hwang.

His creation has been turned from drawings into a physical design over the last several weeks by clay modellers working at Ford.

Paul Wraith, an experienced Ford designer who worked on the project, commented: "Things that may look good on paper or a computer screen won’t necessarily look good when you turn them into a scale or full-size model."

He added that Minwoo had to make compromises along the way, but described his design changes as intelligent and said he offers an interesting take on how hot hatch design may evolve in the future.

Earlier this week, Ford announced it will absorb the VAT increase imposed by the government during January.

This year will be one of major change for the auto service and repair sector in the UK, according to regulatory body Motor Codes.

The group has announced it is embarking on a consumer awareness campaign with support from the Department for Transport.

Director of the service Chris Mason said that the initiative ensures every motorist in Britain can find a reputable, honest garage that charges fairly and has conscientious and competent staff

He added that its aim is to ensure that consumers receive high-quality service and are never ripped-off.

Motor Codes currently looks for garages, vehicle manufacturers and extended warranty administrators to achieve these standards.

The group aims to provide drivers with a list of trustworthy garages and currently has over 6,200 businesses on its subscriber base.

Transport minister Paul Clark has welcomed the success of Motor Codes, saying he was encouraged by the level of support it has received from the industry so far.

Kimi Raikkonen has begun his preparation for the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship in earnest, test driving the Citroen he will use for the championship.

The 2007 Formula 1 World Champion drove the Citroen C4 WRC for around 50 km on a gravel track close to the manufacturers Satory workshops in Paris.

Raikkonen quit Formula 1 in November to take up rallying. The new season will get underway on February 12th in Sweden.

The 30-year-old is Citroen’s most recent addition to its junior team and will compete in the Arctic Lapland Rally on January 28th as a warm up for the World Rally Championship next month.

He said: "It was good to try out a few different things; I was very interested to see how the car reacted when you changed some of the settings."

"Now, I’m really keen to get back behind the wheel of the C4 again," he added.

The Wildcat off road range has been launched online by car manufacturer Qt.

Three new models have been released on Qt’s new Wildcat website.

Qt says that its top-of-the-range 500DKR is for serious contenders for international honours. It comes equipped with a Jaguar V8 engine and recently placed third in the 3,000 km, seven-day Pharaons Rally event held in Egypt’s Western Desert in October with various Wildcats taking the first three places.

The 400NSR is a mid-range vehicle built with a range of options of engines and suspensions for a variety of competitors from entry level amateurs to professionals.

Starting the range is the 300STR – a street legal model with optional extras such as a golf club compartment and hi-fi.

Qt’s Dave Marsh said: "It’s been quite an adventure, taking this project on but with the improvements we have made in just about all departments – particularly the chassis dynamics, where the drivability has been improved no end – it looks like it’s all beginning to pay off."

Two Liverpool high school students have won a national motor competition.

The Headlight competition – part of a new initiative developed by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) along with specialist teachers through the National Schools Partnership – aims to improve motor industry interest among those studying business-related courses.

Students had to market a car focusing on brand, product and promotion.

Peri Meadows, one of the winning students, said: "It’s great that as well as enjoying a prize ourselves, by winning the minibus, we had also won a prize that can be used by the whole school too."

Head of professional development at the IMI highlighted that the motor industry is not just for technically-minded individuals and offers plenty of opportunities in areas such as sales, management, marketing, human resources, finance and administration.

North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) recently held an amateur photography contest which included a new category for electric vehicles, reflecting the changing direction of the industry.

In the run up to its 2010 European launch, Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric car has been voted the Ecobest vehicle 2009 by the AUTOBEST Jury.

The award, which will be presented at a ceremony in Moscow, reflects Mitsubishi’s efforts in developing electric technology and taking it to the emerging markets of Europe.

AUTOBEST president Ilja Seliktar said: "For us is a great pride to award i-MiEV. There are many statements in this exciting sector coming from almost any manufacturer. But – so far – Mitsubishi is the only one with a real EV for any customer."

The motoring organisation for Europe’s emerging markets was founded in Romania in 2000 and its jury includes media representatives from Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and the Ukraine.

The i-MiEV was used in London mayor Boris Johnson’s eco-motoring promotion at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Ford has revealed its ‘distinctive’ and ‘innovative’ new S-MAX model at the Brussels Motorshow.

It has been released alongside the manufacturer’s new Galaxy and both have new designs and features.

The vehicles are the first to come with the Ford EcoBoost SCTi engine which offers new levels of performance and fuel efficiency to petrol engines which the manufacturer says will offer improved efficiency, lower emissions and better performance feel.

They also come equipped with a new Blind Spot Information System, designed to improve safety and comfort.

Jorg Beyer, vehicle line director for Large and Luxury Vehicles at Ford of Europe, said: "The sheer number of milestones we have delivered with the new Ford S-MAX and Galaxy in terms of vehicle design, powertrain technology and features is big enough to make you think they are all-new vehicles."

Ford is offering its customers some "relief from the cold" by announcing its decision to pay for the recent VAT increase on cars bought until March.

This year’s crop of new eco cars offers drivers a range of new technological innovations designed to maximise performance, it has been revealed.

Automotive magazine WhatGreenCar has unveiled its list of the best environmentally-friendly vehicles for 2010, two of which are fully electric, two that are petrol-hybrid, one which is a ‘plug-in hybrid’, and at least three that boast the latest Gasoline Direct Engine (GDI) or EcoBoost turbocharger/direct injection technology.

The publication has highlighted the Peugeot iOn electric, Nissan LEAF electric and Toyota Plug-in Prius hybrid as the three most energy-efficient vehicles of 2010.

Dr Ben Lane, managing editor of WhatGreenCar, commented: "While it may be confusing for consumers trying to choose a new car, with so many technologies on offer, there’s no doubt that manufacturers are fully engaged with the challenge of designing, and more importantly selling, greener and ultra-green cars."

Last week, research from automotive expert Glass’s Guide suggested that the wide range of car models on the market is confusing UK consumers.