Car Buying Guide
Ford has reported a profit of $6.6bn (£4.1bn) in 2010 - its best performance in more than a decade. Sales volumes climbed by 20% as the US carmaker credited an improving economy for increased demand for its F-Series pickup trucks. Meanwhile, sales by value rose by 3% to $120.9bn. The results represented Ford's second consecutive annual … [Read more...]
I have heard lots of sorry stories over the years about buyers who thought they had nabbed themselves a bargain but which later turned out to be a nightmare. We still hear on an almost daily basis in the trade of well intentioned husbands and partners who think it would be a great idea and a lovely surprise to buy their loved ones a lovely car only … [Read more...]
Hyundai, South Korea's biggest carmaker, has reported record profits for the final three months 2010, due in part to strong overseas sales. Net profits came in at 1.4tn won ($1.3bn; £789m), up by 48% on a year earlier and roughly in line with analysts' expectations while revenue rose by 3.1% to 9.94tn won. Hyundai's sales benefited from … [Read more...]
The dictionary defines “silly” as weak-minded or lacking good sense; stupid foolish or absurd; ridiculous; irrational: a silly idea, foolish, feeble-minded, simple and pitiful. We occasionally see the odd car on our travels up and down the various motorways of this country which make us think “that’s a silly looking car if ever I saw one” … [Read more...]
Japanese car manufacturer Toyota is recalling nearly 19,000 cars in the UK over concerns about possible problems with fuel systems. Toyota revealed hundreds of Toyota Avensis and Lexus IS 250 models could be at risk of fuel leaks and will need to be modified by mechanics, but said there had been no accidents suspected of being linked to the … [Read more...]
Happy 2011. Yep, we're back with another series of Bargain of the Week. OK, so I've had January off, but this particular edition is a personal one and something many parents dread. Our soon to be seventeen year old is getting her very first car and my other half is already snapping with worry. This is also the year where I'm (celebrating?) eighteen … [Read more...]
The Aston Martin Vantage range comes of age with the new V8 Vantage S characterised by a host of new driver-focussed features all designed to push the honed dynamics of the standard Vantage to a new benchmark level. Aston Martin’s own 4.7 litre V8 engine has been engineered to deliver peak power of 430 bhp (436 PS / 321 kW) at 7300 rpm and … [Read more...]
The motoring world is in the midst of a revolution. All motorists are well aware that the cost of fuel seems to be ever increasing, while Moneysupermarket.com recently revealed that the cost of car insurance has risen by 40% in the past year for the average driver. To top all of this off, VAThas risen to 20% which will ultimately place a further … [Read more...]
Toyota have ended 2010 as the world's largest car manufacturer despite suffering a series of recalls and safety issues. The Japanese company's sales reached 8.42 millionunits, just beating General Motors' tally of 8.39 million. Toyota's sales, including truckmaker Hino and carmaker Daihatsu, rose 8% from 2009 due to strong growth in China and … [Read more...]
As usual the auctions are jam packed with buyers pushing prices into no man’s land, even though popular opinion says that this is not due to any pent up retail demand. It is far more likely that trade buyers are looking to restock for the new year and retail customers are looking at the extra choice to see if they can “bag a bargain” at … [Read more...]
As many businesses in the car retail sector wrestle with selling cars to a better educated market, we thought it would be interesting to explore how modern car dealers present themselves to their more knowledgeable clientele. They have to be completely customer centric but at the same time still need to employ traditional selling and closing … [Read more...]
UK car production rose sharply in 2010, with carmakers manufacturing 1.27 million cars, a rise of 27.1% on the previous year, figures show. In the month of December, car production was up 10.6% from a year ago to 94,325, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The annual figures confirm a recovery in the UK car industry … [Read more...]
Aston Martin announces the arrival of the ultimate city car, a Tailor-Fit solution for urban driving in the contemporary metropolis, with two strictly limited Cygnet launch editions. To celebrate the commencement of production, the new Aston Martin Cygnet will be available in two special launch edition models, each exemplifying the highly … [Read more...]
The fact that car dealers all seem to be chasing the same kind of stock, namely high spec, high end and predominately German or Indian cars (by that I obviously mean Jaguar Land Rover) clearly is leading to some mad prices being paid. However if there are customers out there willing to pay then how mad is mad? It is well known - although … [Read more...]
With the help of 13 new models due in 2011, Audi plans to build further on its exceptional 2010 global production and sales figures, which at 1,148,791 cars already equated to an increase in production of 23.4% compared with 2009. Frank Dreves, Member of the Board of Management for Production at AUDI AG announced that production will continue to … [Read more...]
South Korea's Hyundai-Kia group, with its ‘hungry' dealers and showrooms brimming with new products in new segments, eased past Japan’s troubled Toyota in 2010 to take the title of Europe’s Asian sales leader for the very first time. The two Korean car manufacturers sold a combined 620,911 units in the 31-nation EU-EFTA (European Union … [Read more...]
Being part of a merry band of 'insiders' can be quite fun at times and gives us an opportunity to tell tales and give away some trade secrets, and unlike the magic circle we hopefully won’t get thrown out for revealing the more darker examples. We have thankfully not sworn an oath to never disclose tricks and sales techniques, and at the end of … [Read more...]
Do you consider yourself to be an environmentally conscious driver? How about when it comes to buying your next car? Well if you feel your green credentials slipping with the second question then you are not alone. New research has shown that although 85% of motorists would like to do their bit for the environment when buying a new car, … [Read more...]
It’s easy to be dazzled by a shiny exterior or top of the range gadgets when shopping for used cars, but these could prove to be costly distractions, vehicle information expert HPI warns used car buyers. People who fall in love with a vehicle because it has built-in sat-nav, heated seats or mp3 compatibility need to ensure they avoid becoming … [Read more...]
Two thirds of motor manufacturers raised their new car list prices in January in addition to the increases caused by introduction of the 20% VAT rate. The figures are revealed by CAP, the car pricing experts who operate Britain's most comprehensive database of new vehicle prices, options, standard equipment and key technical data. Two out of … [Read more...]
2011 looks set to become the year of the “great deal”. With all the doom and gloom around - and most of us expected to get hit in the pocket one way or another - there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. Car retailers have still got budgets to achieve and staff to pay and in many cases shareholders to appease, so in an industry that … [Read more...]
Surprise surprise! The bad news has only just begun to take effect and already we are hearing stories of many people looking to downsize or sell so they only have one car to maintain. Dealers still don’t seem to be properly geared up to make the process of buying cars from private sources easy enough to appeal to customers. This explains the … [Read more...]
On Monday, BBC journalist Brian Milligan began driving from London to Edinburgh in an all-electric Mini, using only publicly accessible charging locations. While the challenge was promoted by the BBC as aiming to put EV technology and infrastructure to a true test, the nature of the challenge has been criticised and described as being unfair by … [Read more...]
The all-new Ford Focus comes to the UK in March, with a two-model line-up of 5-door hatchback and 5-door estate. With over 1.4 million examples sold in Britain since its launch in 1998, the Ford Focus has become a favourite with consumers for its value, comfort, safety, and for being fun to drive. "We are very excited about introducing the … [Read more...]
Ford, Fiat and Toyota led a 9th consecutive monthly drop in European car sales as mass-market car manufacturers continued to suffer from the conclusion of various government backed car scrappage schemes. In December registrations fell 26% compared with 2009 for Ford, while Fiat's sales dropped 19% and Toyota's fell 9%, in figures released by … [Read more...]
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