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Volvo celebrates the seatbelt’s golden anniversary

By Freddie Fulton Motor Industry 12 August 2009 10:11 Today marks the 50th anniversary of the three-point seatbelt. It was patented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin in 1959, but the Swedes magnanimously opened up the tech to other car makers as they saw the real-world safety benefit of seatbelts in all cars. The design was so effective that in Germany the patent registrars listed it in the top eight inventions which have made an impact from 1885 to 1985.

Holden VF Commodore Calais V Concept

Holden has unveiled its new Calais V luxury sports concept, previewing the future design director of the carmaker's VF Commodore, which will be sold in the US as the Chevrolet SS. The halo car of GM's Australian arm is a clear evolution of the outgoing model, with an emphasis on greater percieved quality in order to appeal on a global scale. "You'll notice that the hood is more prominent, with a centre crease that emphasises performance potential and two raking spears sweeping in from the A-pillars," says Richard Ferlazzo Holden Chief Designer - Creative Design.

Record new car sales anticipated

RECORD new car sales are expected for 2013 after last month's figures showed another strong increase. A total of 157,314 new cars were registered in October - a 4% rise on October last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. The October rise - the 20th successive monthly increase - took the year-so-far total to just over 1.95 million, a 10.2% rise on January-October last year.