There is cautious optimism in the car business at present and it is continuing to be well founded. Wholesale prices are stable and are expected to climb, conversions at the auctions are generally in the high 90% and values continue to rise and long may it continue. Of course as we all know making predictions with regard to car retailing, or … [Read more...]
VW profits down 80 percent in 2009
March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Europe's biggest carmaker, VW, saw net profits fall 80% last year to 960m euros. Operating profits also fell 71% from a year earlier to 1.9bn euros, and revenues fell 8% to 105bn euros. But global sales rose 1.3% to 6.3 million vehicles, thanks to a 36.7% jump in deliveries to China. Deliveries to the German car market also rose 17.6% last … [Read more...]
New car C02 emissions down by biggest ever margin
March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The average CO2 emissions for new cars fell by their biggest ever margin in 2009 according to the annual New Car CO2 Report released today by the SMMT. The average new car sold in the UK in 2009 emitted just 149.5g/km of CO2, which is down 5.4% on the 2008 figure and 21.2% better than the 1997 base level. The rate of reduction was the best on … [Read more...]
Car dealers striving for comparison with major high street retailers on customer excellence
March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
In the coming months it will become even more vital for car businesses to meet the expectations of their existing and prospective customers. Most dealers have begun to realise that as competition for customer’s heats up it’s not just about having the best and most sought after products which is important. Along with price, getting value … [Read more...]
Scrappage registrations reach 324,991 units
March 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Figures from the SMMT show that 324,991 new cars were registered through the scrappage scheme by the end of February. Commenting on the data, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said, "The scrappage scheme ends this month and has provided a vital stimulus during a difficult period. The scheme has lifted the market from the lows of early 2009, with … [Read more...]
I want one and, best of all, it’s British!
March 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I gave up driving British cars a long time ago, for a start it was hard to find any that were indeed British, and if you did they were completely and utterly useless as day to day transport, they tended to break down, a lot. When it rained there was a very good chance they would leak, a lot. Even if you did manage to get home on a cold wintery … [Read more...]
Scrappage scheme ends, hard work begins
March 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
March is obviously a busy month for franchised car dealers, and perhaps carries more significance this year given that it coincides with the end of scrappage. There are mixed feelings about what the impact will be when the scrappage scheme finally draws to a close, but if other parts of Europe are anything to go by we are in for tough times. … [Read more...]
Another TVRelaunch on the way
March 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Three years ago TVR closed its doors for the last time and in June 2008, Trevor Wilkinson, the company’s founder passed away, firmly bringing closure to the British marque after 64 years. Up until 2004, when Peter Wheeler had successfully carried the torch, TVR was looking good. When Wheeler sold out, Russian millionaire, Nicolay Smolenski, at … [Read more...]
A rise to 20% VAT would be “a disaster” for the automotive industry
March 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
With the government's scrappage incentive due to expire at the end of March UK car companies are predicting new vehicle sales to fall by as much as 10 per cent in 2010 to between 1.7 and 1.8 million. As well as the end of the scrappage scheme there are other issues which may see sales dip even lower with a rumoured rise in VAT to 20% being the … [Read more...]
February 2010 new car registration figures
March 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Car market up 26.4 percent in February, despite the return of VAT to 17.5 percent. The figures continue to be boosted by the scrappage scheme as it accounted for 19.6 percent of registrations. The market was already down 21.9% in February 2009 on the year before. · New car market climbed 26.4% in February to 68,686 units. · … [Read more...]
Nissan recalls over half a million US vehicles
March 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Nissan has indentified problems with brake pedal pins which come loose and faulty fuel gauges on Titan, Armada, Quest and Infiniti QX56 vehicles built between 2008 and 2010 and as a result is recalling nearly 540,000 pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and minivans, most of which are in the US. Nissan said there had been three instances of … [Read more...]
Ford outsells GM in the US for the first time since 1998
March 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Ford Motor Co reported a jump in US sales of 43% in February, selling more cars than its great rival General Motors who posted a more modest rise of 11.5%. Ford's total sales in February hit 142,285, compared with GM's 141,951. This was the first month that Ford outsold its rival since 1998, when GM's sales were hit by a strike. "The … [Read more...]
GM to recall 1.3 million cars in the US and Canada
March 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A power steering problem linked to 14 crashes in the US has forced General Motors to recall 1.3 million small cars in North America. The models affected are the Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, Pontiac Pursuit and the Pontiac 4 and GM said the fault meant that at low speeds "greater steering effort may be required", but that the cars could still be … [Read more...]
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