As comparisons are being made by some industry commentators to last year’s market, there are many in the trade who consider such comparisons unfounded. Such was the bounce back last year it is possible that we may never see a year like it again. Of course the scrappage scheme helped enormously and impacted greatly on a unique situation but … [Read more...]
Caution pays
June 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
When there is a recession in town, buyers look for bargains and cost savings across the board and especially so when buying cars. Unfortunately in their quest to find a cheap car people often overlook quality issues and the car can turn out to be not quite the cost saving it promised to be. For example with more private buyers visiting car … [Read more...]
Selling a car privately doesn’t have to be a hassle
June 28, 2010 By 1 Comment
Being in the trade for as long as I have means you really have heard it all before, the good, the bad and certainly the ugly. Despite major efforts on behalf all players within the industry, including manufacturers, franchised and independent dealers, there is still a feeling among many car buyers that they are getting a raw deal of some sort. This … [Read more...]
Bargain of the Week – Ferrari 355
June 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
We've been on a small BOTW sabbatical recently but now the summer is pretty much here, we thought we'd kick it off with something a little bit special. We've already had one Ferrari grace our virtual forecourt in the shape of a Mondial but now we’ve chosen another, purely because it is one of the most desirable, and now almost affordable … [Read more...]
Car dealers slow to react as after-sales revenue declines
June 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Franchised car dealers are becoming increasingly concerned about the likes of Kwik Fit and Halfords offering the £99 service. In their eyes the investment in training staff in the latest technological advances and the perception of value added customer service mean that having to compete on price alone is putting them at a disadvantage. … [Read more...]
Has car retailing really changed all that much?
June 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Regular contributor “Serman” begins a series of articles on his time in the trade and the changes (or lack of) that he has witnessed during his time.... I've been in the motor trade nearly twenty years now and having decided quite early on to see out a career in the industry, I have to admit that things haven't really moved on a great deal. … [Read more...]
UK Car Production up 50% In May
June 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Uk car production leaped 54% in May and 62% over the year-to-date, according to new figures from the SMMT. However, the figures are compared to a low base when in the same period last year car manufacturers such as Honda had temporarily suspended production due to lack of demand. A total of 104,365 cars were produced in the UK in May 2010 … [Read more...]
EU new car market drops back further in May
June 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Sales of new cars in the EU dropped 9.3% in May as the effects of government assistance for the automotive industry slipped away and the economic environment remained challenging, according to industry association ACEA. Governments assisted car manufacturers with scrapping incentive schemes that increased demand for new cars, but these have … [Read more...]
Chinese car sales up 26% in may
June 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
China's passenger car sales rose 26% in May, the slowest rate in 2010, preparing the stage for further moderate yet robust growth in the forthcoming months after rapid expansion last year. The rise in the world's largest car market began tapering off in April when vehicle sales went up by 33%, which was roughly 50% of the rate in March, which … [Read more...]
GM to recall 1.5 million vehicles
June 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
GM is to recall 1.5 million vehicles with heated washer-fluid systems following engine fires that occurred even after a 2008 fix on many of the same cars for a similar issue. The recalls, to commence 14th June, will affect 18 2006-2009 Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets, GMCs, Hummers and Saturns models. In August 2008, General Motors recalled … [Read more...]
OFT to look at Zipcar acquisition of Streetcar
June 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The merger deal, that saw US firm Zipcar acquire the UK’s biggest car sharing service Streetcar for a reported $50 million in April, is to be reviewed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The deal had been seen as evidence of Zipcar’s intention to expand into Europe. Up to now, there are in excess of 400,000 Zipcar members throughout the US, … [Read more...]
Audi global sales up 15% in May thanks to China
June 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Audi have revealed that their sales rose 15% in May mainly on the back of increasing consumer demand from china, and forecasted that the new A1 subcompact model will assist it to win more customers in Europe. Deliveries throughout the world increased to 94,900 vehicles up from 82,803 in 2009, while Chinese sales leaped 40% to 17,396 … [Read more...]
Car Makers Premier League – May 2010
June 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment
It’s time once more for the Car Makers Premier League where each and every month we examine the top 20 manufacturers with regard to units registered and see just how they look when compared with the previous month. Who are the Chelsea’s, Man United’s and Arsenal’s at the top and the Portsmouth’s, Burnley’s and Hull’s bringing up the … [Read more...]
CAP needs to “reduce its valuations” as used car prices fall further
June 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Auction4Cars, the UK's fee-free car auction website, believes CAP needs to reduce its valuations further to reflect continued falls in used car values. For the second month in succession, figures from Auction4Cars show average used car values falling again to £2,754 in May (equivalent to an eight per cent drop since January). Whilst … [Read more...]
May 2010 new car registration figures
June 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New car market up 13.5% to 153,095 units in May. There were still some scrappage registrations trickling through accounting for just under 3 percent of registrations. The market was already down 24.8% in May 2009 on the year before. · New car registrations climbed 13.5% in May, marking the eleventh successive monthly rise. · … [Read more...]
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