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Road test editor Natalie Neff fielded your questions

Who holds the keys to the AutoWeek kingdom? Well, at least the keys for the test cars? That would be road test editor Natalie Neff.

Car production increases again

THE SOCIETY of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said UK manufacturers built 91,282 cars in August, up 16.2%, or 12,705, on the same period in 2012, leaving year-to-date volumes 3.1% ahead of 2012, at 984,545. The figures showed 20,298 cars were made for the home market this year, up 21.1%, while 70,984 were for export, up 14.8%. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "The past 12-months has been one of the most productive since late 2008." Samuel Tombs, of consultancy Capital Economics, said the CBI figures showed the manufacturing sector "continuing to go from strength to strength".

Iowa distributes thumb bands imprinted with ‘TXTING KILLS'

Thumb bands that read “TXTNG KILLS” have been making their way around the state of Iowa, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bands--which are meant to serve as a reminder to avoid texting while driving--have been distributed at events such as the Iowa State Fair and the Iowa-Iowa State college football game. “A lot of people want them for their kids,” Courtney Greene, spokeswoman for Iowa's Department of Public Safety, told the Wall Street Journal.