There is no denying Toyota have been associated with some very depressing headlines lately, and let’s face it a driver being reported as being unable to stop his car because of an alleged fault and subsequently dying as a result is pretty much as about as bad as it gets. We can only begin to imagine the pain and heartache of the people … [Read more...]
Let’s hope the accelerator doesn’t get stuck on the Toyota recall bandwagon
February 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
VW get in on the recall act
February 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
VW is recalling close to 200,000 cars in Brazil because of a rear wheel problem. The company wants to determine whether rear wheel bearings are sufficiently greased on the Brazilian made “Novo Gol” and “Novo Voyage” models made before July 2009 as there is a possibility that a lack of lubrication could cause wheels to lock. In extreme … [Read more...]
Other car makers won’t be enjoying Toyota’s woes
February 10, 2010 By 1 Comment
The expected but unwanted effects of the Toyota recall fiasco (can we call it that?) seem to be kicking in already, and much like the decline of former England captain John Terry the cost to Toyota could be far worse than expected and not just financial. Cars may have thousands of component parts and no matter how much better technology has … [Read more...]
PSA/Peugeot Citroen made more than a billion euro loss in 2009
February 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
French car manufacturer PSA/Peugeot Citroen has reported a 1.16bn euro ($1.6bn; £1.02bn) loss for 2009. However despite the massive loss there was some good news in the figures in that although there was a loss of 962m euros in the first six months of the year, they only lost 199m euros in the second half thanks to the effect of the scrappage … [Read more...]
Honda widens airbag recall
February 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Honda has added 437,700 cars, mainly in North America, to its existing global safety recall over airbag inflation problems. It broadens a recall announced in late 2008 for less than 4,000 Accord and Civic sedans, then expanded in mid-2009 to cover another 510,000 vehicles. The latest announcement also covers Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and … [Read more...]
Scrappage registrations pass 315,000 units
February 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The total number of cars and light vans registered through the scrappage scheme up to the end of January has passed 315,000 units. In january 25,846 new cars were registered through the scrappage scheme making up 17.8% of the month’s total. Average CO2 emissions of a car bought through the scheme was 133.3g/km, almost 10% below the overall new … [Read more...]
Toyota to recall nearly half a million hybrid vehicles
February 9, 2010 By 1 Comment
Brake problems have forced Toyota to announce the recall of nearly half a million hybrid vehicles worldwide, including its latest 3rd generation Prius model built before 27 January 2010. This includes more than 200,000 Prius cars sold in Japan and 8,500 cars in the UK. "We have decided to recall as we regard safety for our customers as our … [Read more...]
Toyota recalls, fly by wire and too much technology
February 9, 2010 By 3 Comments
If there is one thing that has changed beyond all recognition since I started out in this business nearly thirty years ago, it’s the amount of electronic wizardry now fitted as standard to modern cars. Much of it, in my opinion is very necessary but some of it increasingly is totally unnecessary. Worse still, we don’t even have a choice. … [Read more...]
More people buying cars online
February 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
According to research carried out by Which? Car, shopping for cars online is becoming more popular and this means you're more likely to secure a bigger discount and you'll also have added legal protection. Which? Car surveyed the car market for 14 popular new cars and found all but two of them to be cheaper online, and many of them substantially … [Read more...]
Bargain of the Week – Mini Cooper
February 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A guy was talking to me the other day and asked my advice, which can be dangerous, about what car to buy next. He was looking for something easy to drive, compact, cheap to insure and had a little 'fizz'. I could have reeled off a right old list of nonsense but instead of naming the usual suspects I took his email address and went off to have a … [Read more...]
January 2010 new car registration figures
February 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Car market up 29.8 percent in January, despite the recent cold snap and the return of VAT to 17.5 percent. The figures continue to be boosted by the scrappage scheme as it accounted for 17.8 percent of registrations. The market was already down 30.9% in January 2009 on the year before. · New car registrations rose by 29.8% in January … [Read more...]
Toyota to recall 180,865 vehicles in the UK
February 3, 2010 By 3 Comments
Toyota is recalling 180,865 vehicles in the UK as part of a global recall operation to fix a sticking accelerator problem. The car maker said models including the Yaris and the Corolla were affected but the number of incidents was “small”. The seven models recalled are the Aygo, iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Verso, and Avensis and cover … [Read more...]
More bad news for Toyota after braking problems with 3rd generation Prius
February 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Toyota, who are already trying to cope with recalls totalling 8.1 million vehicles on 5 separate continents, have been ordered by Japan's Ministry of Transportation to investigate a sudden increase in consumer complaints about braking problems in its popular third-generation Prius hybrid vehicle. The Japanese car manufacturer has received … [Read more...]
The changing face of car brand loyalty in an economic downturn
February 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Residual value, or to be more precise resale value, are talked about only by dealers who sell cars with great residuals, the others tend to do a bit of sweeping under the carpet and certain other features about a product are expressed during a sales pitch instead. Quality is not necessarily a factor in defining whether a car has a good sell on … [Read more...]
European car markets continue to be buoyed by scrappage incentives
February 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Scrapping schemes continue to revitalise the European car market, which managed a fall of just 1.6 percent in 2009 sales, despite a slump sparked by the economic crisis. Car sales rose strongly in France, Italy and Spain in January thanks to government scrapping incentives, but car makers will soon face the uncertainty of subsidies running out … [Read more...]
German new car registrations down 4.2 percent in January
February 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New car registrations in Germany fell in January for the second month in a row, bucking the trend in other major European markets where sales are growing thanks to government incentives. The VDIK foreign carmakers association said registrations fell 4.2 percent on January 2009 to 181,500 vehicles, the weakest monthly total since German … [Read more...]
Ease up on the rigid sales process or risk driving buyers away
February 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A sales process is not unique to car retailing; there are many examples of direct selling where there will be a laser focussed approach to ensuring prospective customers are being handled to the satisfaction of the business management. In recent years, however, the following of “a process” has started to become slightly fanatical in the car … [Read more...]
Complaints about used car dealers up 8 percent in 2009
February 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Government-funded advice service Consumer Direct has revealed that complaints about second-hand cars bought from independent dealers has topped the list of concerns for the fourth year running. In total, Consumer Direct received 50,790 complaints about second-hand cars bought from independent dealers, up by 8% on the previous year. … [Read more...]
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