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Top Gear tops iPlayer most watched list of 2013

Rex The BBC's flagship motoring programme Top Gear dominated the most popular shows watched on the iPlayer on-demand service in 2013, new figures reveal. The Africa Special part one was the single most watched programme, with 3,422,000 views last year, the BBC said. More and more people are watching programmes on catch-up via their computers, tablets or phones: a record three billion shows were streamed on iPlayer in 2013, a rise of 33% on the previous year.

German new car sales drop 11 per cent – pre-reg accounts for 33.5 per cent

New car sales in Germany dropped by 11 per cent in September with pre-reg cars accounting for over a third of all sales. That drop of 11 per cent in Germany is despite deep discount offers – an average of 12.2 per cent in September – with even the previously invincible Mercedes and VW having to offer discounts of up to €3k, despite which VW’s sales fell by 20 per cent in Germany and Mercedes by 12 per cent. What’s perhaps most interesting about the decline in car sales in Germany is the number of pre-reg cars sold (pre reg cars are cars registered by dealers to hit sales targets and then sold at a discount of up to 25 per cent).

New Skoda Octavia vRS costs from £22,990

New Skoda Octavia vRS (pictured) costs from £22,990 Skoda’s take on the VW Golf GTI – the Skoda Octavia vRS – was revealed last month ahead of its debut today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and now we know it will costs from £22,990. For your £22,990 you’ll get the Octavia vRS with the 2.0 litre TSI engine delivering 217bhp and 0-62mph of 6.8 seconds. Pay a bit more (£23,260) for the diesel (why would you want to do that?) and you’ll get 181bhp from the 2.0 litre TDI and get to 62mph in 8.1 seconds.