DaimlerChrysler UK Ltd has appointed Ewan Ramsay as general manager, Mercedes-Benz passenger car sales.
Renault has issued its second profits warning in five months, saying that operating margins in the second half of this year could fall below the 1.6% level achieved in the first six months of 2001.
Lloyds TSB has started selling new cars online in a service branded Motordirect, offering fleet-level discounts on 35 vehicle marques, including Alfa Romeo, Volkswagen, Ford and Vauxhall, to its customers.
Jac Nasser, who transformed the Ford family business with the acquisitions of Land Rover and Volvo, is under mounting pressure following the company's announcement of a third-quarter loss of £335m.
Success with the new Mondeo and improving sales of Focus across all its variants enabled Ford to recover market share during the first six months of the year. The detailed new car registrations from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal Ford's dominance across several market sectors as it reasserts its position as the top selling brand in the UK.
Pendragon this week opened new Jaguar and Aston Martin outlets in California as the UK's biggest dealer group begins a new relationship with Ford Motor Company.
Carmakers have rejected claims by the RMI that they are bullying dealers into selling their showrooms or signing pre-emption agreements giving them the first right of purchase.
Opel/Vauxhall considered a fresh name for the next, bigger and improved Vectra which is the first model to use Epsilon, General Motors' new global medium-sized platform. Some in the industry believe 'Vectra' should have been dropped.
Visitors to Saab Unlimited showrooms will be met by hosts who will make them aware of the carmaker's heritage. Sales staff will be introduced by the host, a policy already adopted by Toyota.
A row has broken out in Scotland over the handling of DaimlerChrysler's market area review after it handed the western territory to Reg Vardy.
Kia Car UK's ambition of taking 1% of the UK new car market by 2004 is based on thinning the current range and introducing new models.
One Stop Car Shop has closed its two high street offices, in Bournemouth and Chiswick, London, as it shifts focus onto call centres.
Ken Thorne Cars hopes to open two World of Cars used supermarkets in the South-west next year after suffering a setback to its original expansion plans.
The move by Ford 12 months' ago to offer a three-year warranty on new cars, following the trend set in the UK by smaller carmakers, forced volume rivals to take similar action.
Despite a dominant position in the first-fill engine oil market – Texaco supplies more than 60% of cars produced in the UK – the company has struggled to make an impact in the aftersales sector.
Alain Favey, who spearheads Citroen's unprecedented sales growth in the UK, is at 34 already a managing director for the third time. It could just be he's seen as a fast track executive within PSA Peugeot/Citroen.
Vauxhall has denied it is to axe its Omega executive car range following the unveiling of a new, longer, taller and wider Vectra due to go into production early next year.
Ferrari and Maserati UK dealers have launched a recruitment drive to cope with increased business.
Car makers have presented their proposals on how the industry should meet the demands of European legislation aimed at reducing the number of illegally dumped cars.
Manufacturers' sales are proving tough as franchised dealer buyers focus on replenishing sold stock only, says Andrew Shepherd, Manheim Auction's senior group auctioneer
Motor industry marketing company CarsAlive has introduced a 'Find It For Me' service that will identify the right car and pinpoint the appropriate dealer for customers whpo struggle with web searches or do not have the time to wade through the results. CarsAlive will also alert dealers to buyers matched to used cars.
A complete breakdown, by manufacturer and vehicle sector, of new car registrations in the UK in the first half of 2001 using data supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Vauxhall's trade sales' channel, Trade Club, marks its 10th anniversary with a series of offers and incentives designed to provide greater profits potential for the independent aftermarket.
DaimlerChrysler has released third quarter results which exceed its expectations and improves on last year's performance.
"I'm expecting manufacturer passions be stirred by my by belief that drastic rationalisation of LCV model ranges is needed. But no apologies for that, because residuals are critical to everyone and any methods of improving pricing stability are worth considering:" in his first industry comment for AM-online Dave Hill, Cap Red Book senior editor, calls for range rationalisation.
September's light commercial vehicle registrations were up 14.5% year-on-year at 37,175 units, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Renault's new Trafic, built at Luton in a joint venture with Vauxhall, is on sale, undercutting the Vauxhall Vivaro by more than £1,000. Vivaro has been on sale since late summer.
Daihatsu Vehicle Distributors believes it can build on the Hijet's lead in the UK market for microvans with two new body styles. This year, DVD expects Hijet registrations to total 1,500, keeping the Suzuki Carry in second position in the sector.
Vauxhall's Combo enters the expanding small delivery van market next month as a fifth model in the company's LCV line-up.
BMW will expand its Direct fleet service after two successful pilots. The carmaker expects to sell around 500 cars next year through BMW Direct.
