Job losses at Vauxhall's two UK plants will total 354, according to proposals outlined by owner General Motors (GM). Under the plans, all these jobs would go at the carmaker's Luton plant, and there would be no job losses at its Ellesmere Port plant. On Wednesday, GM said it would cut 9,000 jobs across Europe as part of its restructuring plans, … [Read more...]
Can non-main dealer servicing be a false economy?
November 26, 2009 By 1 Comment
During an economic cool off the focus of most buyers’ attention will be on value for money, making cost savings and generally obtaining the best all round package. It is no wonder that, with the inevitably large financial outlay associated with car buying, that these factors now come powerfully into play. Deciding what is a cost saving and what, … [Read more...]
Autoquake appoint Dermot Halpin as new CEO
November 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Autoquake.com (www.autoquake.com), the UK’s largest online used car retailer, today announced that former president of Expedia Europe Dermot Halpin has joined Autoquake.com as its CEO. Whilst at Expedia, Dermot had overall responsibility for Expedia Europe, which included the Expedia, Hotels.com and Expedia Private Label businesses. Expedia … [Read more...]
Koenigsegg pulls out of Saab deal
November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The sale of General Motors' Swedish unit Saab has been called off after the would-be buyer pulled out of the deal. Swedish sportscar maker Koenigsegg said it had "come to the painful and difficult conclusion" that it could no longer carry out the acquisition. Saab spokesman Eric Geers said the company was disappointed by the development. "We had … [Read more...]
Toyota attempts to finally cure pedal fault
November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Toyota says it will make changes to the accelerator pedals on 3.8 million already recalled vehicles in the US. In September, the car giant advised drivers to remove their floor mats after it warned the pedals could become jammed under it and the alteration, in which dealers will shorten the accelerator pedals while Toyota develops a replacement, is … [Read more...]
GM to keep all German Opel plants open
November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
General Motors has said that it will not be closing any of Opel's four plants in Germany as part of its restructuring plans. The US carmaker also said it would be cutting between 9,000 and 9,500 jobs in Europe, slightly fewer than the 10,000 it had originally estimated but it gave no details about Opel and Vauxhall plants outside … [Read more...]
Disgraced MG Rover chiefs bank an extra £11m
November 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The five disgraced former directors of failed carmaker MG Rover are to receive an £11 million-plus payout. Their windfall will bring to £42m the amount of money they have extracted from the collapsed company in one of Britain's biggest business scandals. The five - John Towers, Nick Stephenson, John Edwards, Peter Beale and Kevin Howe - … [Read more...]
HPI asks whether dealers have lost their appetite for scrappage
November 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
At a time when no news is good news, dealers should be pleased to hear that the government has boosted the scrappage scheme by £100million, offering retailers another chance to lure customers back to the forecourt. HPI's Prospect Leads offers dealers a cost-effective way to get the best out of the scrappage scheme and renew their enthusiasm for … [Read more...]
Industry leaders discuss UK’s automotive future
November 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The future of the UK motor industry is being discussed today (24 November) by more than 120 industry leaders, government and stakeholders at the first Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) International Automotive Summit at the QEII Centre in Westminster. "The SMMT Summit provides industry with a unique and valuable opportunity to … [Read more...]
Volkswagen to increase production
November 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Volkswagen (VW), Europe's biggest car company, has announced plans to invest 26bn euros ($28.5bn; £15.8bn) over the next three years to boost production. It will also invest 4.4bn euros in China through joint ventures. The firm has said it plans to overtake Toyota as the world's biggest carmaker by 2018. VW executives also signed contracts … [Read more...]
Serman reviews the new Lexus LFA supercar
November 22, 2009 By 1 Comment
The country is bankrupt the streets are flooded, the government’s corrupt and the nights are drawing in but it's the weekend so what better time for a supercar review? This time “Serman” get’s his hands on the new Lexus LFA and takes it for a spin around the Nurburgring GP circuit. What is it? The Lexus LFA is the Japanese firms' … [Read more...]
Decline in car output rate smallest this year
November 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
UK car production fell by 6.7% in October amounting to 106,400 cars. Compared with a year earlier this represents the smallest annual decline of the year, figures just released by SMMT have shown. The continuing impact of the government's scrappage scheme and a recovery in global markets is helping to drive production, the SMMT said. But it … [Read more...]
Cost is biggest cause of couple conflicts when buying a car
November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Couples argue more about the price when buying a car together, than any other purchasing consideration. Research by online used car retailer Carsite.co.uk, found that in more than one in four cases (25.7%), money was the number one reason for getting into a dispute with their partner over what car to buy. Second most frequent cause for … [Read more...]
Latest falls complete prestige sector “price correction”
November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Last month's fall in trade prices for prestige-brand used cars should allay growing concerns amongst dealers about unsustainably-high prices, suggests Glass's. "This decline had to happen but the trade had grown nervous about the timing and extent of the price falls," comments Richard Crosthwaite, Prestige Car Editor at Glass's. "We believe prices … [Read more...]
£5 gallon looms again as petrol rises 26% in 12 months
November 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Petrol prices are set to soar past 110p a litre - £5 a gallon - in the run-up to Christmas, according to industry experts. It means that forecourt petrol prices will be at their highest since September last year and signals a 16% rise since the start of 2009. And drivers will suffer further price rise misery on January 1, 2010 when pump … [Read more...]
Vauxhall job cuts may not be as bad as first feared
November 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
General Motors' head of operations in Europe has suggested job losses at its two Vauxhall factories in the UK may not be as bad as initially feared. Nick Reilly met Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and the Unite union. It was the first face-to-face meeting between GM bosses and ministers since the US firm decided not to sell Opel, including … [Read more...]
Cost of motoring for Britain’s 30 million drivers falls 5%
November 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The cost of motoring for Britain's 30 million drivers has fallen 5% (£123) in 2009 to £2,219, according to RAC's annual Cost of Motoring Index. Despite this small reduction, an RAC poll revealed that eight out of 10 cash-strapped motorists still believe that the cost of running their car has risen. And in response nearly half of those surveyed … [Read more...]
PSA Peugeot Citroen moves into car rental to gain market share
November 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
PSA Peugeot Citroen is to offer prepaid cars by the day to young city dwellers as part of the French motor company's drive to regain market share and enhance the appeal of its brands with consumers and investors. The new business, branded Mu, is to be launched in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam this winter and will reach Britain before the … [Read more...]
New talks set on Vauxhall future
November 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Opel chief Nick Reilly, General Motors' head of operations in Europe, is set to hold meetings with Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Unite head Tony Woodley. It is the first face-to-face meeting between GM bosses and ministers since the US firm decided not to sell Opel. GM has indicated it plans to cut about 10,000 jobs in Europe and Lord … [Read more...]
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