July registrations were on track for a new record as AM went to press, up 14.5 per cent and totalling 147,231 units with six sales days left, compared with 128,601 over the same monthly period in 2001. The result is in contrast to June, when sales stalled by 3.7 per cent year-on-year, ending 20 months of growth.
Ryland Group this week formally rejected Guinness Peat's £35.6m indicative offer as an “opportunistic bid” that “significantly undervalues” the company and its prospects.
AM's autumn conference 'The future is here: how tomorrow's cars will reinvent automotive retailing' - will be staged at the British International Motor Show on Thursday, October 24.
Guessing which component would fail next used to be part of the Alfa Romeo owning experience. Now it's a matter of anticipating which bits of Alfa's parent company will drop off. Because, while Fiat Auto appears to be coming apart at the seams, the Alfa brand has at last got the build quality its heritage deserves.
Little-known investment specialist CVC Capital Partners is set to become one of the biggest players in the British aftermarket with the acquisition of Halfords, and the expected cut-price purchase of Kwik-Fit from Ford.
Alan Bowkett will be appointed Lex Service chairman when Sir Trevor Chinn retires at the end of the year. Bowkett joins the board as deputy chairman next month.
Vauxhall has started piloting a finance and insurance programme in conjunction with Car Care Plan which it believes will help dealers boost F&I profits.
Harley-Davidson is to open a new flagship dealership at the end of the year on the site of a former Mercedes-Benz outlet axed under the DaimlerChrysler retailer network revisions.
Independent parts supplier Motaquip is strengthening its support for factors and expanding its product programme in a bid to raise sales and attract new business.
AM and Sewells Information and Research will stage two contrasting conferences covering different aspects of the relationship between carmakers and franchised dealers.
Reed Automotive, the specialist designer and manufacturer of automotive exterior lighting systems, is restructuring its business in preparation for a major growth drive.
Proton UK has dismissed press reports claiming dealers will be selling Lotus cars alongside its own models within two years, but admits it is looking to weed out the worst performing retailers.
DaimlerChrysler UK is looking to incorporate Smart as its small car division after holding the company at arms' length for much of its two-year existence.
Courtesy cars are set to become an even greater cost burden to bodyshops as experts claim the current highly-competitive lease rates are not sustainable.
Thatcham has turned up the heat on the issue of non-original parts use in accident repairs by hinting that manufacturers who attempt to stifle competition through predatory pricing could be hit by higher group ratings on parts.
European Union competition commissioner Mario Monti believes manufacturers' stranglehold over their dealer networks will be loosened under the revised block exemption regulations, leading to increased competition and greater price harmonisation.
The Government is launching a major crackdown on fraudsters who “hijack” automotive companies. Corporate identity theft happens when cheats take over a company by telling Companies House the firm's directors have resigned.
Private US-based investors have purchased clutch systems manufacturer Automotive Products UK, formerly AP Borg & Beck, in a multi-million pound deal.
Carlyle Finance has launched a plan aimed at homeowners aged above 55 as it bids to fill a perceived gap in the market place.
Saab expects more than a third of its UK dealer network to gain Unlimited partner status in time for the launch of its crucial 9-3 saloon at the end of September. The new retail concept has been pioneered in Britain and is expected to provide a benchmark for Vauxhall and other General Motors' brands.
The current Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat Punto compete on equal terms in the value stakes. On 00X, a Corsa 1.2 16v Club three-door with 30,000 miles starts at around £4,500; a better-equipped 1.2 16v GLS five-door is £5,500 at 15,000 miles.
Hyundai's curvy Coupe from 1996 was its first car with attractive styling. It's a value alternative to the Fiat Coupe and Ford Cougar.
TRW Automotive's European aftermarket division is to clarify future development plans at September's Automechanika in the wake of its US parent company's sale to rival Northrop Grumman Corporation, maker of the Stealth bomber.
Parts distributor Camberley Auto Factors has expanded its network to 28 outlets with the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, of Capital Motor Supplies, in Crawley, Sussex.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is urging carmakers to focus on interactive activities to draw more visitors to this year's British International motor show at the NEC, Birmingham, October 23-November 3. It hopes to exceed the 600,000 visitors that visited the past two events.
A Liverpool-based tyre retailer has been given a one-year conditional discharge and fined £1399 for illegal fly-tipping after a year-long investigation by the Environment Agency, police and rival tyre outlets.
The UK is still one of the most attractive places to build cars, despite remaining outside the Eurozone, new research suggests.
Franchised dealers face growing competition from independent garages for service and repair work on newer cars as leading supplier Delphi Automotive Systems steps up its support for the aftermarket.
