The number of drivers successfully prosecuted by courts in England and Wales for driving on defective tyres has risen by 14% to more than 4,300 convictions. The information, which relates to 2008, has been released by the Ministry of Justice in response to a parliamentary question by Stoke-on-Trent MP, Tristram Hunt. The figure is a seven year … [Read more...]
MX high five!
September 17, 2010 By 1 Comment
Hearty congratulations to Mazda and in particular the MX-5 on reaching its 100,000th new car sale in the UK twenty years after the first model arrived in British car showrooms, a fantastic milestone for a great little classic. The MX-5 was first unveiled at the Chicago Motor Show in 1989 and arrived in the UK in March 1990. It sold 2,246 units … [Read more...]
Brisk business at the car auctions down to short supply
September 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Although the auctions are doing brisk business at present, there is a feeling that this is mainly down to short supply. There is expected to be a flood of cars later in the month as contract hire and lease cars are de-fleeted, meaning more choice and therefore a cooling of prices on the trade market. Since the end of scrappage the value of small … [Read more...]
As used car complaints rise again OFT warns car buyers what to look out for
September 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The OFT (Office of Fair Trading) has launched a campaign to help people in knowing their rights when it comes to buying a used car from a dealer, as new figures released today reveal another rise in complaints. In the first six months of 2010, the OFT-managed advice service Consumer Direct received just over 38,000 complaints about second hand … [Read more...]
Used car sales suffer slight dip in second quarter
September 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Used car sales dipped by 0.7% year-on-year in the second quarter of this year, according to the latest figures from Experian, but were still ahead of first quarter figures. Experian said this represented the smallest annual drop in sales for two years. Total sales for the quarter, which included private and retail, totalled 1,781,634, a 6.4 per … [Read more...]
BCA reports a rally in used car values in August
September 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
BCA's latest Pulse report shows that the used car market rallied in August with values rising as supply reduced and professional buyers prepared for the busy autumn period. Increases in average values were recorded in the Fleet & Lease and Part-Exchange sectors, although average values decreased in the Nearly-New sector - the latter largely as a … [Read more...]
No more crisis as BMW global sales eclipse 2007 levels
September 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
BMW has surpassed August's global sales volumes for its core brand not just when compared against 2009 but also for 2007 and 2008, underlining just how strong the recovery in the premium car market is. BMW has reported that it sold more cars in China in the 1st 8 months to August than it did for the entirity of 2009. Worldwide sales of BMW … [Read more...]
HPI reveals the Midlands as stolen vehicle hotspot
September 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Car data check company HPI alerts used car buyers to the dangers of buying a stolen vehicle, as it reveals nearly 31 stolen vehicles are uncovered by HPI checks every day, making this a very real threat to unsuspecting car buyers. The latest figures show that, of the vehicles checked with HPI, nearly a third were between 1 and 3 years old. In … [Read more...]
Draft dodgers
September 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
For those of you who thought bankers drafts were as good as cash, think again. It takes up to 5 days for a BD to clear and if it is stolen or a forgery your car can be long gone before the bank or you realise leaving you with no car and no money. In that case what is the point of a bankers draft over a cheque? … [Read more...]
Opposition mounts against plans to change MoT frequency
September 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
UK legislators must not scrap the annual MOT test to fall in line with Europe warns campaign group RoadSafe who reveal the DfT is considering scrapping the UK’s annual test, which commences when a car is 3 years old. Transport Department whip Earl Atlee told the House of Lords in July "We intend to look at the issue of MoT frequencies later … [Read more...]
August 2010 new car registration figures
September 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
New car registrations were 55,305 last month which is down 17.5% from a year ago with the end of the car scrappage scheme and the fragile economy blamed. However, so far this year, new car sales remain 13.2% higher at 1,300,413 units. Registrations fell 17.5% in August to 55,305 units compared with scrappage-fuelled 2009. Decline marks … [Read more...]
Chinese car sales surge as US declines
September 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Car sales in China, now the world's biggest car market, rebounded in August as subsidies for energy-efficient vehicles and a stronger currency spurred demand, while at the same time sales in the USA faltered. Chinese sales rose 55.7% compared to 2009 to 1.21 million vehicles, up from 1 million vehicles in July, the Cabinet's China Automotive … [Read more...]
Driving green could take you into the red
September 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Car makers and their franchised dealer networks are facing a dilemma; they want to sell “green” cars that help the planet and reduce co2 emissions but in reality are still failing to appeal successfully to the majority of the car buying public and are thus still some way from getting buyers to consider them in any great numbers. I … [Read more...]
Kia exceeding expectations
September 1, 2010 By 3 Comments
In the past here on MTI we have tended not to do too many car reviews. This was mainly because we thought the web was awash with them and our contributors preferred to voice their opinion about what they saw as other more pressing matters. Despite this the reviews we have done have all proved popular so we know there is an appetite for them. At … [Read more...]
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