Peugeot sales increased by a massive 70.8 per cent in February 2010 compared with the previous year’s figures.

The brand has attributed this rise, in its bicentenary year, largely to the success of the scrappage scheme.

Lead-selling cars in the Peugeot range are the 107, 207 and 308, which seem to reflect the growing trend of motorists moving towards smaller, more efficient cars.

The rise in sales was also boosted by early sales of its award winning 3008 crossover model, voted What? Car Car of the Year 2010, and the 5008 MPV.

Peugeot also increased its market share to 5.56 per cent, significantly higher than those of rival manufacturers such as Nissan.

The manufacturer believes the combination of its quality, desirability, economy and low emissions have helped the brand fare well this year and that the scrappage scheme has just provided an extra boost to sales.

March sees the end of the government-funded scheme, which has been in force since May last year, and was implemented to provide a short-term solution to flagging new car sales.

Europcar has pre-ordered 500 electric cars from Renault to be in major European cities from the latter part of 2011.

Already committed to protecting the environment, the rental car company is Renault’s principal short-term rental partner in Europe.

The partnership agreement was signed recently at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in order to promote zero-emission mobility.

Renault will be launching a three-car Z.E. range, including a family four-door saloon and a small city car, next year.

The cars all feature three different ways of recharging them. They can use standard charging, which takes six to eight hours, fast charging takes around 20 to 30 minutes and quick-drop charging, which is intended to top-up the battery.

All the cars will be fitted with an intelligent system that not only advises the driver of how low the battery is but will also give information about the nearest recharging or battery exchange stations, which will be around the UK from January 2011 thanks to the government Plugged-in Places scheme.

Renault aims to be the market leader in terms of innovative electric car technology, and this deal with Europcar is a further boost towards reaching its target.

Volvo saw an increase in registrations and its market share this February compared with February 2009.

February 2010 registrations rose 90 per cent over last year, with 1,378 in the month.

Last year, the brand recorded a 1.33 per cent market share, which has increased to a 2.01 per cent share this year.

All models in the Volvo range have performed significantly better in registrations than last year with the XC90 seven-seat SUV noting a registration increase of 202 per cent compared with 2009 and an even higher rise from the S80 model with a 278 per cent increase.

Volvo expects to continue this positive trend in sales when it launches its all-new S60 model in showrooms this summer.

The brand has an entire range of economical, more environmentally-friendly models called DRIVe cars.

These are designed to reduce carbon emissions from the cars, bringing all of the DRIVe diesel-powered cars below the target guideline amount of 120g/km that the European Union hopes to achieve by 2012.

Nissan in Europe has reported a four per cent increase in sales on last February’s figure.

It has also gained a 2.9 per cent market share of the total industry volume (TIV) of cars compared with last year.

In the UK, the TIV rose by 25 per cent and other western European countries saw similar increases, including Spain with a 45 per cent rise.

The increased TIVs in western Europe compared to eastern Europe have been attributed to the effects of government scrappage schemes in many countries.

Year-on-year sales for Nissan’s popular Micra model are up 44 per cent on last year’s sales.

At the Geneva Motor Show this week, Nissan unveiled its fourth generation Micra.

The new model features stop-start technology, fitted as standard in Europe, which reduces its CO2 emissions by six per cent to an impressive level of 95g/km. It will be on sale across Europe from this autumn.

Geneva Motor Show saw the world debut of the Aston Martin special edition models V12 Vantage Carbon Black Edition and the DBS UB-2010.

Aston Martin, which was founded in 1914, also showcased its new bespoke service, Work Service Tailored.

The service focuses on changing colours and accessories on its models according to individual customer preference and specifications.

The first V12 Vantage special edition has added understated flair to the model with bespoke carbon black metallic paint applied by 50 hours of hand painting.

It boasts the iconic Aston Martin side strake made from carbon fibre backed with black mesh and front parking sensors, normally an optional extra, as standard.

Commemorating the ten-year anniversary of Dr. Ulrich Bez as CEO of the company, the UB-2010 is part of a limited run of only 40 cars, 20 coupes and 20 Volantes.

Each special edition UB-2010 has been specified personally by Dr Bez and features a unique Azurite black paint finish.

All the cars will have sill plaques signed by the CEO as well as a final inspection plate when he has personally checked all 40 of the models.

The new Mazda6 range is going on sale early in order to meet the high demand from retail and fleet customers.

Petrol versions of the range will be in UK showrooms from mid-March and diesel models will be available from May.

The 19-car range has upgraded interior and exterior styling and technical enhancements that improve fuel economy by up to 6.4 per cent and reduce carbon emissions by up to 6.1 per cent.

Buyers can make significant savings on models as they feature lower fuel consumption and the cars are in a lower Road Fund Licence band. On-road prices for the cars range from £16,990 to £23,445.

Among the cleanest and most economical in its class, the Mazda6 boasts low CO2 emissions starting from just 138g/km in the diesel 2.2 litre hatchback.

What? Car awarded the Mazda6 Family Car and Estate Car of the Year 2010, based upon its performance, reliability and affordability.

An announcement from motor industry chiefs is expected to say that car sales rose sharply last month compared with those in February 2009, it has been reported.

This time last year the car industry was struggling with the effects of the economic downturn with reduced production due to low demand.

In February 2009, new car sales were down 21.9 per cent on the same month in 2008 with no increase in sales noted until July 2009, according to the Press Association.

The impact of the scrappage scheme led to the first monthly rise in 15 months, the news provider said.

With the scheme due to end at the end of this month, the chiefs are expected to warn that the industry is not completely out of trouble yet.

The government-funded scheme was introduced in an attempt to provide a short-term boost to the automotive industry.

In January, car production in the UK increased by 64.8 per cent on last year’s figures, the highest rise recorded in more than 30 years, and this was attributed largely to the scrappage scheme.

A new Smart fortwo limited edition, based on the 2010 passion model, is set for sale in the UK.

The edition, urbanstyle, will be limited to a 230 coupe production in the country, with 160 featuring the mhd engine and 70 with the turbocharged one.

A special order only cabriolet edition will also be available to buyers.

The edition urbanstyle is billed to be both sporty and contemporary, with heated leather seats and an integrated audio and navigation system boasting a 5.8 inch touch screen and iPod/USB connectivity.

Featuring in-car technology rarely seen in this sector of the market, the edition urbanstyle is "very much a modern design statement", said Dermot Kelly, managing director of Mercedes-Benz cars UK.

Prices for the Smart fortwo edition urbanstyle start from £11,495.

Which? Car recently found in a poll for Best Visibility that the Smart fortwo car was the best for motorists.

Cars were awarded test points out of 100 based on their visibility according to a number of criteria and the fortwo coupe came out top.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed government plans to focus less narrowly on its congestion charge policy and look instead to a wider range of schemes.

Alternative schemes to tackle congestion, improve safety and reduce CO2 emissions are supported by the trade body FTA, but it hopes the taxpayer will not have to pay lots towards it and that small local businesses are not affected by any new plans.

Previously, councils had to seek investment funding for initiatives tackling congestion from the Transport Innovation Fund, which required the introduction of local road pricing to qualify for the money.

Now, the government has opted for Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) investment, meaning councils can implement plans to combat excessive congestion without charging road users.

Currently, drivers entering the Congestion Charge Zone in London pay from £8 per day for the privilege.

There are certain exemptions and discounts available and vehicles producing low CO2 emissions enter the zone at a discounted rate as the charge was intended to reduce carbon emissions in the capital as well as traffic.

The Toyota Verso has received the maximum five-star rating in the 2010 Euro NCAP safety performance test programme.

It was the only car to be awarded the rating in the latest Euro NCAP testing, which provides both drivers and the automotive industry with an independent assessment of the safety performance of some of Europe’s most popular cars.

The Verso was tested at the same time as four other new cars on the market, the Kia Venga, Citroen Nemo, Nissan Cube and Seat Exeo.

New Euro NCAP regulations were introduced in 2009 as the first part of a three step programme, which will introduce further and more stringent crash testing in 2010 and 2012.

Cars are rated on how protective they are in different situations, such as when there is adult occupancy, child occupancy, pedestrian impact and safety assistance.

Their scores have to meet certain threshold amounts in order to obtain the five stars.

In 2009, three Toyota models, the iQ, Avensis and Prius, all received the five-star rating.