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The best 14-plate new car deals

If you're in the market for a new car you'll probably know that the new 14-plate registration numbers come into effect on 1 March. The plate-change is likely to result in an increase in sales, and if you're planning to buy a new car soon it's essential that you head to the showroom or online broker site as well prepared as possible. To make the process easier we've lined up 10 of the best new cars on sale, and found the best deals, discounts and finance offers available.

Ford Focus ST & Fiesta ST get official power upgrades

Ford Focus ST & Fiesta ST (pictured) get Mountune power upgrades There’a a big after-market for tuning cars to deliver more power without wrecking economy or reliability, so it makes sense for car makers to get in on the act if they can. So Ford have teamed up again with Mountune (just as they did a few years ago to offer you 345bhp in your Focus RS) to offer performance upgrades for both the latest Focus ST and the Fiesta ST. The tuning package for the Focus ST boosts power to 271bhp – up from the stock power of 246bhp – and the 0-62mph time drops to under 6 seconds, half a second quicker than the normally tuned car.

CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition winners announced at NAIAS

The winners of the CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition have been announced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Following a guided tour of the auto show with the GM design team, the finalists gathered on the GMC stand in Cobo Hall where Mark Adams and Ken Parkinson – heads of design for Cadillac & Buick, and Chevrolet & GMC respectively – were joined by Car Design News' Editor Owen Ready to present the winners of each brand's competition brief. Joining them on stage were the mentors from GM's design teams who interacted with the entrants throughout the competition to critique and help develop their work, making this a truly unique contest.