Looking good for car industry as new reg looms

The other big trend to keep an eye on is that alternatively-fuelled vehicle registrations are up 51.3 per cent to 23,337 units year-to-date. The market's on track for 2.4 million new car registrations in 2014, which is up more than six per cent on last year. So what's going to be making up the bulk of those sales? Here's the new and the interesting.

When discussing the heavy hitters of the UK car market it's hard to look beyond Ford's Focus, now refreshed for 2014.

To be honest, the Focus didn't feel as if it needed too much remedial work done, but the latest updates give it a better-looking face, a more user-friendly interior, more efficient engines and some suspension tweaks that aim to remind us what made it great in the first place.

Volkswagen has also brought something new to the sector with its Golf SV. Sometimes more is just better and if you've ever got out of a Volkswagen Golf feeling you could do with a bit more space, the answer is right here in the chiselled form of the SV. It's not the most committed of five-seat SUVs but there is more space in the back than you get with a regular five-door Golf hatch.

Toyota's Yaris also gets an extensive wash and brush up, Europeanised with sharper styling, a better quality interior, retuned suspension, superior refinement and tweaks to improve efficiency across the board. What was already a class act just became genuinely hard to overlook.

Another car that's tough to ignore is the latest Nissan Juke. If you need a car that blends into the background look somewhere else. The Juke has sold like hot cakes and the latest update keeps the design extreme but adds smarter technology, cleaner engines and more personalisation options.

Peugeot recently launched the 108 supermini (pictured) which is already selling well.

And Citroën C4 Cactus supermini-MPV looks unlike any other vehicle on the roads thanks to its Airbump side cladding and a whole host of other bold details.

Under the skin it's much the same as a C3, which isn't quite so avant-garde, but as a comfortable and simple city scoot it has much to commend it. Urban drivers will also love the new MINI five-door. With a longer wheelbase, class competitive luggage space, room for grown-ups in the back and a range of punchy but economical engines, this one looks to have the sort of strong all-round game to guarantee huge sales.

The latest Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate is well worth a look, with more legroom in the rear, a slick interior, the option of air suspension but a modest 490 litres of boot capacity – a paltry five-litre improvement over its predecessor. That's about par for this class of car, but if luggage capacity is important you'll need to trade up to the E-Class or look at an option with a more proletarian badge on the bonnet.

Looking for something with ultra-low running costs but still retains some class? With hybrid and electric cars catching the eye, it's tempting to think that the humble diesel engine might have had its day. Volvo disagrees and with its stunning V40 D4, it's easy to see why.

Where else can you get 190PS of diesel muscle combined with emissions of just 99g/km? Nowhere. It's a true one-off.

Our final quartet might not rack up big sales, but they're worth taking note of. The 610PS Lamborghini Huracán inherits a modified version of the Gallardo's 5.2-litre V10 engine but virtually everything else is new. A carbon/aluminium chassis, a twin-clutch transmission, a more flexible all-wheel drive system and smarter electronics to keep you tied to the road are just some of the highlights.

Porsche's GTS versions of the Boxster and Cayman are also that little bit quicker and better equipped than the stock S versions. Think of them as GT3-lite.

BMW has been making big waves with its electric vehicle plans and while the BMW i3 isn't going to provoke a massive swing to electric vehicles in the UK, as a boutique suburban scoot it may well find a profitable niche.

It's offered as a pure electric model or with a tiny 'range extender' auxiliary petrol motor added to keep you motoring when the battery depletes.

Like BMW, Land Rover has fast tracked itself from a conservative company into a dynamic global brand.

At its heart are cars like the latest Range Rover Sport Hybrid. Most hybrid SUVs to date have looked a bit overpriced and underdone when compared to their diesel brethren.

Not this one. Not by a long chalk.