February 10, 2012

VW Amarok – basic but still a wolf

amarok250

I have been driving my new VW Amarok for about 2 months and today I have decided to tell you all about it. Let me start by saying that reviewing cars is not my usual forte but the bods at MTI want a good truck story as winter sets in and as they found out I’d recently got one they asked me what I thought of it, so here goes. If you know … [Read more...]

European car sales up 12.9 percent in January

Passenger car sales in the EU member states rose 12.9 percent in January, as the effects of scrapping incentive schemes boosted demand, according to European carmakers' association ACEA. However as the various European scrappage incentives draw to a close many are forecasting a drop of around 10 percent in the European car market for the full … [Read more...]

Snow joke as the weather decimates car sales events

Just when we thought it was safe to get life back to normal it decided to snow again. The forecourts were just beginning to thaw out and customers were once again able to actually read the sticker prices when the corpulent dark grey skies re-opened and dumped more misery upon a fledgling year of car retailing. BCA Blackbushe was so snowed in and … [Read more...]

October 2009 new car sales figures

The official figures are in for October 2009 and are they're up 31.6% with 168,942 units being registered. Obviously the scrappage scheme is still having a massive impact, but with the market in October last year already depressed and down 23% on the year before is it really having the impact that people were hoping for? · New car … [Read more...]

The changing face of the modern car buyer

Not only are today’s car buyers changing the way they find the car they will ultimately purchase, but they have also changed their attitudes towards the actual process of buying that car. It is no longer the men who have the exclusive right to make the choosing and buying decisions. Although women have long had an influence in the decision … [Read more...]

Your first deal is your best and this one’s a cracker!

Many sales people will have been celebrating the end of a successful September campaign with a pint or two or three. Most franchised dealers seemed to have had a somewhat positive result and even the premium brands, which have not had scrappage to rely on, have fared reasonably well. So successful for some car makers has the scrappage scheme … [Read more...]

Never judge a book by its cover

People, in general, cannot help forming an opinion about something or someone without necessarily finding out all the information or giving someone a chance first. It’s human nature I suppose and first impressions are what many of us … [Read more...]

Nissan, Mercedes and BMW doing well without scrappage

Just a bit of a “heads up” regarding the new car registration figures and the scrappage scheme. According to the SMMT the scrappage incentive accounted for 16,848 of the 67,006 new car registrations in August which in turn led to a shade under six percent rise year on year. Remove the scrappage cars, which are in the most part small, economical … [Read more...]

VW Tiguan – The People’s Reviewer – Final voting

After nearly two months of heats which have seen the “People’s Reviewers” test drive the Volkswagen Tiguan across the length and breadth of the UK it was time for the grand final which brought together … [Read more...]

Scrappage and the 800lb non-compliance gorilla in the room

Champagne corks are popping and backs being loudly slapped as a lot of car makers and their dealers enjoy the undoubted success of the scrappage scheme and the ongoing excitement of an unexpectedly … [Read more...]

VW Tiguan – The People’s Reviewer – Week three – update

In a neck and neck race between Johnny Hindle and Di Coke it’s congratulations to Johnny who has come out on top as the winner of group 2 of the Peoples Reviewer challenge, his towing stunt finally winning over the … [Read more...]

Blue Laguna owner – Just why are Renault doing so badly?

Why is Renault struggling? In the UK particularly their performance of late has been nothing short of disastrous, despite the downturn. Putting the obvious gloomy economics aside Renault has had it hard over the … [Read more...]

General Motors – the price of failure

The fact that there are CEO’s all over the world that have collected fat cat bonuses and built up massive pension pots should not surprise us. What is shocking to the core, however, is that these clever people … [Read more...]

London Mayor urged to look again at congestion charge policy

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson is being challenged by Volvo UK to review the basis of charging for the London Congestion Charging zone. The people at Volvo believe the principle of hybrid cars being … [Read more...]

Decent used cars simply cost too much

I popped my head around the auction last week for the first time is 3 months, I’ve attended auctions every week for the past 10 years, sometimes every day, so my forced sabbatical has taken some getting … [Read more...]

Car finance – The rise of the PCP

The business of finance is becoming more important to the long term profitability of car dealers and with traditional finance packages such as HP and personal loans leaving buyers of new and used cars susceptible … [Read more...]

The fall of the independents – dispatch from the front-line

The days of the independent retail car showroom are numbered and have been way before the appearance of the brown shoots of this recession. Though it’s not the only reason, the starting point for most people looking … [Read more...]

Ford to cut 850 workers

Between 400 and 500 of the posts are to go at the Transit plant in Southampton. The firm said it hoped the losses would be met through voluntary redundancies. Bosses will also renegotiate a recent pay deal struck at the south coast site and have postponed a decision on the future Transit production at the plant. … [Read more...]

Broken hearted canine

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Japan’s new car sales plunge to lowest in 37 years

Yet more evidence of the truly global nature of the motor trade meltdown as the Japan Automobile Dealers Association reveals that January's new vehicle sales in Japan fell to the lowest level for 37 years as the wide-spread economic crisis battered consumer confidence. Domestic sales of new vehicles in Japan declined 27.9 percent in January from a … [Read more...]

Inside the car auction – let the bidding commence

car-auction

The car auction is one of the few ‘open cry’ markets that are left, gone are the days of the city bear pits where stocks were traded by young men screaming orders across an already noisy and seemingly disordered forum. … [Read more...]

Advantage may swing back to the independents

independent

In difficult times the more entrepreneurial amongst us will look for that niche that will bring success whilst the rest of the world worries about what’s gone by. In uncertain times we can be all be certain of one thing; somewhere … [Read more...]

Selling cars online – Fiat goes all the way

Fiat is dipping its toes in the water by launching its special edition 500by diesel model, exclusively for on-line retail sale. Customers will get the chance to spec the car order it, track its progress and make the final payment. … [Read more...]

In 2009 the customer has to come first

2009-customer

With Christmas fast approaching, be prepared for several postcards and envelopes to drop on your mat, and not just the ones with snow and baubles on. This year probably more than ever the Christmas promotion, which for most dealers starts just after Boxing Day … [Read more...]

Government u-turn on car tax

Hot on the tails of our article about the car business in this country needing a bit of help from the government comes the news today that the Government’s plan to increase vehicle duty appears to have been delayed for a year. "Changes in the budget meant from next year all cars which had been on the road since 2001 would face above inflation … [Read more...]