testing 20th may 02
Moves to curb consumer spending have forced the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to revise its full year estimate of new car registrations downwards by 50,000 units to 2.4 million. The revision comes despite a record April which made the UK the second largest new car market in Europe.
New car user-chooser favourites Golf Mk 4 GTi and Audi A3 1.8 T Sport are top used choices, too.
High-spec turbodiesel people carriers are more sought after than petrol versions. In addition most buyers want the extra flexibility of three rows of seats.
Warranty Holdings is preparing an appeal against a tax bill of £8m-£10m after a Customs & Excise tribunal found the group responsible for “irregular recovery” of VAT on vehicle repairs.
Lookers has launched an internet-based company that will sell new cars in a strategic alliance with Morrisons supermarkets.
Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn is in line to replace Louis Schweitzer as Renault chief executive - reward for his successful achievement in turning around the Japanese carmaker. Schweitzer has nominated Ghosn as chief executive, which requires ratification by the Renault board, when he gives up the post in 2005. He will stay as chairman.
Mercedes-Benz has opened a £4m flagship operation in Exeter to retail its own brand and Smart cars - the latter from a facility named Smart Box. The City West Country site was funded by City Motor Holdings and took 100 days to build.
DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai Motor Company and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have formed a joint venture to develop a family of in-line four cylinder petrol engines. The range of aluminium units -1.8, 2.0 and 2.4-litres - will be used in Hyundai models from 2004 and Chrysler/Mitsubishi cars by 2005. The aluminium design is expected to enhance fuel efficiency and provide improved performance.
Matthew Carrington, the former Conservative MP for the London borough of Fulham, has been revealed as the new chief executive of the Retail Motor Industry Federation. He joins the association on Monday, but will not take up the new role until present chief executive David Evans retires at the end of September. The two men will work side-by-side while Evans, who is likely to retain a consultancy role, guides the RMI through the block exemption changes.<
Late 1990s Mercedes C-class and BMW 3-series saloons are highly regarded stepping stones to quality car ownership.
Biggest rivals to the Ford Focus include the dull but talented Astra and the spacious new generation five-door Honda Civic.
The Ford Puma and Vauxhall Tigra redefined the mini-coupe in the mid-90s. Both were based on superminis (Fiesta and Corsa) with sexier styling and tweaked handling.
<B>Ford </B>still dominates the 1801-3500kg sector with its Transit van, though sector sales are down. It sold 14,140 models in the first quarter (2001: 14,734), compared with Mercedes-Benz in second place on 4787 registrations. Ford also leads the sub-1800kg sector, though its year-to-date sales, at 5631, only just nudging out Vauxhall, on 5562, and Citroen, on 4289.<P>
<B>Vans aren't glamorous. But what they lack in style they can make up in substance - and profits, says Stephen Briers.</B><P>
Guinness Peat Group and JO Hambro have acquired a controlling 58.37 per cent stake in Nationwide Accident Repair Services after its board was forced to recommend their improved offer. The two joint venture capitalists are considering two options for Nationwide: dispose of non-profitable centres and install a management team to turnaround the remainder, or completely break up and sell off the 65 bodyshops.
Dealer management systems specialist DCS Automotive, part of the DCS Group, is undergoing extensive restructuring, including job cuts, to provide a solid platform for IT product and service launches planned for next year. Stephen Yapp, appointed DCS Group chief executive a year ago, has been assessing which areas of the business to sell or downsize.
Mercedes-Benz is the second manufacturer to withdraw from this year's Birmingham motor show, although Chrysler, Jeep and Smart will be there. It joins BMW, which announced its decision last year. The company says it has decided to channel resources to other customer events during the year, including equestrian pursuits like the Blenheim horse trials.
Ambitious plans by Ford's Premier Automotive Group to maximise distribution efficiencies in Europe are unlikely to please everyone.The new Common PAG Brands Unit will lead to a network of multi-brand superdealers selling Volvos, Land Rovers and Jaguars - and maybe Aston Martins. National sales organisations for the brands could also be merged into a single PAG operation.
General Motors intends to establish a new sales operation for Daewoo in the UK, casting doubt over the future of the Rickmansworth head office after completing the £277m ($400m) purchase of the South Korean carmaker.
Skoda is on target to crack 40,000 sales in the new car market this year - two years ahead of schedule - as the company transforms customers' perceptions. Its new flagship, ambitiously named Superb, aims to be the final link that finally dispels the old jokes about Skoda quality.
EasyCar, the daily rental firm, has struck a car supply deal with Vauxhall in a move that signals the end of its exclusive contract with Mercedes-Benz. Four hundred Vauxhall Corsas will be available to rent from the EasyCar site at Earl's Court, London from May 28.
Mini is recalling hundreds of cars because of suspension problems. The recall of 600 Mini Coopers and Mini Ones registered in the UK was ordered after technicians discovered ball joints on some models could become loose.
Former Ford European brand manager Ian Twinley has been appointed group chairman at John Grose Group, the East Anglian Ford specialist. He replaces owner John Grose who is retiring after 29 years heading the family-run business.
From Wilmslow in Cheshire to San Juan Capistrano, southern California, via Munich and Paris, Aston Martin is preparing an exclusive global retail network in anticipation of annual production volumes reaching 5000 cars by 2005.
BMW is urging dealers to expand their aftersales facilities or set up satellite operations to absorb mounting demand for servicing and repairs. But the company says it is also prepared to approve independent operations in areas where dealers are not willing to make the necessary investment, as long as they meet its standards of service.
Proton is stepping up its dealer development strategy in preparation for a range of all-new models powered by engines being developed at the company's R&D centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
European Motor Holdings is looking to make several acquisitions this year to strengthen its relationships with key partners including BMW, VW/Audi and Premier Automotive Group brands.It has built up a substantial war chest, which will be boosted this year by an estimated £4m territory release payment from Daimler-Chrysler for terminating EMH's London dealers.
A new internet-based company says it can persuade drivers to opt out of traditional company car schemes by tracking down appropriate new and nearly new vehicles from main dealers.
Automotive retailers are set to face increased demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles because of escalating petrol prices, new research suggests. Independent monitor CarPriceCheck says sales of liquefied petroleum gas vehicles have risen by 31 per cent since the beginning of March.
