Daihatsu Opti 1998 Rear Left Door Assembly [0013400] on 2040-parts.com

Auto sales top 14.4 million in 2012

U.S. light-vehicle sales--led by Volkswagen, BMW and Honda--jumped 9 percent in December, pushing the seasonally adjusted sales rate above 15.3 million for the second consecutive month and helping the industry finish 2012 on a high note. Automakers sold 14.49 million light vehicles in the U.S.

OFFICIAL: Spyker B6 Venator Spyder debut at Salon Prive – but you knew that

The Spyker B6 Venator Spyder (pictured) will get a UK debut at Salon Prive It’s amazing how much noise Victor Muller can make for his Spyker projects, even though we’ve seen nothing of real substance from Spyker since the Aileron. But we have seen the B6 Venator – even if it is entirely someone else’s car under the skin – and as we revealed back in July, the open-topped version of the Venator – the Spyker B6 Venator Spyder – got its first reveal at Pebble Beach earlier this month. The Venator Spyder is now heading for a proper public debt at Geneva, but as we exclusively reported back in June (well, we reported the whisper on the grapevine) Victor Muller is heading for a lobster and Champagne weekend at Salon Prive first to show the Venator Spyder.

2011 Volkswagen Jettas to be sold for $5,995 each--really

Volkswagen is selling three 2011 Jettas through Gilt Groupe for $5,995--slashing the “1” from the usual $15,995 starting price. One car will be sold at noon Eastern time for three days starting on Dec. 15 in the flash sale.