Bernd Pischetsrieder, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, has been elected President of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association for the year 2004.
Continuing the new product range expansion which will see a Saab-badged Subaru launched in the US under the 9-2X badge next summer, Saab is to launch a 4x4 9-7X medium-size SUV at the April 2004 New York Auto Show.
Citroën UK has announced the promotion of Simon Monahan from Retail Group Director to Sales Director, replacing Dave Coop who becomes Network Development Director.
Commenting on the OFT's threat of a full investigation of the car warranty market, Duncan McClure Fisher, managing director of Warranty Direct said yesterday: "Precedence shows that franchised dealers and manufacturers fail to heed 'advisory' comment from the authorities. I expect the threat of a full investigation under EU competition law from the OFT will become reality in due course."
The 'Driving Ambitions' study released by The GM Card linked to rebates on Vauxhall cars shows that over half (51 per cent) of drivers aged 17-22 year old think the style, make and model of a car is the most important factor when it comes to buying a car- and one in twenty admitted that the colour of a car is their main consideration.
The RMI's chief executive Matthew Carrington has welcomed the OFT's study of warranty restrictions on servicing by the franchise sector.
The SMMT says it is continuing work with the OFT to clarify the details in a New Car Code of Practice to be launched next year.
The Office of Fair Trading has called on car manufacturers and franchised dealers to lift restrictions on where new cars may be serviced while under warranty, and to improve the provision of information to customers on the terms and conditions of their warranties. If servicing restrictions remain, the OFT will consider launching a formal investigation under European competition law.
PSA Peugeot Citro'n, Ricardo UK Ltd and QinetiQ have revealed plans for their £3m Low Carbon Car project, codenamed EFFICIENT-C, to develop a C-segment passenger car capable of ultra-low CO2 emissions while delivering competitive performance and refinement.
The judge presiding over the case brought against DaimlerChrysler by former Chrysler shareholder Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. suspended proceedings yesterday after fresh evidence was discovered by DaimlerChrysler's lawyers. It came from a former Chrysler CFO who had been due to take the witness stand today.
Pathlore Software Corporation and John Matchett Ltd. (JML), Pathlore's European distributor, have announced that DaimlerChrysler UK will use the Ohio firm's learning-management system (LMS) to support the UK retailer network.
Daihatsu has named its 'Dealers of the Year 2003', after 12 months that saw the arrival of five new models and first-half December registrations 100% up on the same period of last year.
Fiat Auto (UK) has just announced prices for its all-new Panda range, which goes on sale in the UK on Saturday 17 January, starting at £6,295 OTR.
PT Cruiser was the model that stirred up interest in the Chrysler brand again.
Residua value penalties imposed by used car trade buyers on independently serviced fleet cars can still be outweighed by the savings from avoiding main dealer costs, says CAP Black Book research
Amicus members at Land Rover's plant in Solihull will start industrial action in a week's time, beginning with a continuous ban on overtime commencing on Monday 22nd December.
The Korea Times has reported that the creditor banks of Ssangyong Motor have selected the Nanxing Group of China, not GM, as the 'priority negotiator' for the sale of the Rexton 4x4 manufacturer.
Smart expects to double UK sales with its forthcoming Forfour supermini. The car goes on sale next September, by which time the company expects to have 76 UK dealers, all of them wholly-owned by DaimlerChrysler UK.
Inchcape plc has announced that trading in a number of its markets has been more favourable than anticipated, while the group's UK operations are trading broadly in line with expectations. Negotiations over Inchcape's claim for about £30m of overpaid VAT are expected to be concluded shortly.
The Amicus union says its members at Land Rover's Solihull plant have voted approximately 60% to 40% in support of strike action over the company's pay offer of 6.5% over two years, and the TGWU and GMB members at Land Rover have also voted in support of strike action.
Following a suspension of car production for three days in November, MG Rover is halting output for a Christmas shutdown three days earlier than planned. Production workers are to be reassigned to stock-taking.
Showing an increase of 35.04% from a year ago, China's total vehicle output hit 4,005,300 units during the first 11 months of the year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Passenger cars continued to be the biggest growth engine, with output surging by 83.74% year-on-year to 1,801,100 units.
ACEA described November's European market as stablising, with 1,046,147 new registrations representing 1.1% decline, with one fewer selling day than the same month a year ago in several major EU markets.
Honda expects its Civic to be the best-selling British-built compact car this year.
Only three per cent of independent garages have applied to manufacturers to become approved repairers, according to a new survey.
Fintrade Technologies, the alloy wheels specialist, is to stop UK production at its factory in Kent, making 180 workers redundant.
Independent vehicle inspection service, Used Car Checks is offering tailored packages for the motor trade as Used Car Checks Inspected. The firm is estimating it will check between 10,000 and 20,000 cars a year in its first two years, and eventually expects to be inspecting up to 1000 a week.
Bodyshops will now be able to source all their paint from the Morelli Group after the UK's largest independent distributor snapped up rival firm Car Paints Group for an undisclosed sum.
Accident solutions provider the Helphire Group increased turnover by 34 per cent in the third quarter of 2003, compared to the same period last year. Gross profit also increased by 44.6 per cent to £14.2m.
Richard Tomkins has resigned as head of Sun Diagnostics in the UK after more than 20 years in the job. His departure appears to have taken Sun by surprise – no official statement has been issued – although a spokesman confirms that the company has begun the process of recruiting a new director.
