Dixon Motors, parent company of Carnell Motorcycles, has acquired Motorcycle City for £8 million and is predicting the deal will 'kickstart' the two-wheel market currently worth an estimated £2 billion.
##Citroen badge--left## Volkswagen, Citroen and Fiat have reduced the on-the-road prices of their cars by as much as 13%, effective from today.<p>
Vauxhall's Astravan topped the 10,000 sales mark in October, two months earlier than last year. This is an 18.4% improvement in sales on last year. Sales of 818 in October pushed the year-to-date figure up to 10,189 against 8,603 for the same period last year.
Theft of vans is costing the LCV industry millions of pounds a year because manufacturers do not take security as seriously with vans as they do with cars. Anthony Lewis reports.
Fleet managers are saving money by holding on to nearly-new vans, according to Manheim Auctions. Resale prices of 'late and low' LCVs have tumbled with some models dropping in value by more than £1,500 at auction.
A Government taskforce plans to present next summer the findings of an investigation into the consequences of naming and shaming unscrupulous traders.
Auto Trader is predicting a surge in online sales after going live on Telewest Communications' Active Digital cable TV service.
Residual values in the UK have slumped by 9.3% over the past six months, according to the latest Eurotax residuals index, on the back of falling new car prices and widespread oversupply. Stephen Briers reports.
Nearly new car dealers are beginning to shun auctions, preferring to source stock from a wider range of suppliers, according to research from Greenhous Remarketing Services.
Martyn (left)and Paul Carnell are looking to make a successful return to the motor industry with the launch of a £4m used car superstore in Wakefield, West Yorks. Stephen Briers reports on the brothers' plans a year after they left Dixon Motors.
Van owners are enjoying solid residual values, despite the ongoing slump in the car market.
North Eastern Co-op's Priory Motor Group has appointed Tom McVinnie as group general manager, responsible for 27 dealerships following the acquisition of the Herbert Robinson outlets around Cambridge.
Diana Tremblay, former director of General Motors' labour relations unit in Detroit, is the new manufacturing director at Vauxhall's Luton plant. She previously held several senior managerial roles within GM Powertrain.
##Piers--left## For a decade, the AM100 has been the definitive listing of the leading retail motor groups in the UK. In addition to the updated listing of turnovers, we are for the first time publishing a running order of companies based on their ability to produce a successful return on shareholders' funds. Piers Trenear-Thomas, of RSM Robson Rhodes, who produced the analysis, explains its significance.
The turnover of two of the three leading groups in the AM100 show a decline for the year compared with June when the main list was published. We are, though, also looking beneath the skin of the AM100 with the assistance of RSM Robson Rhodes.
##206small--right## Peugeot today announced it was reducing the recommended list prices and improving the specifications of a selection of its new car range, including the newly-launched 607 executive model.
DaimlerChrysler is facing court action in the US from one of its largest shareholders concerning the merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler two years ago.
Audatex is launching the first phase of its internet strategy through a web-based estimating system www.audatex.co.uk.
Mercedes-Benz has vowed to “hunt out unscrupulous dealers” who sell fake parts for its vehicles in the UK. The manufacturer is taking legal action against 20 firms claiming they have infringed intellectual property rights.
Stephen Byers, the Trade and Industry Secretary, has pledged to consider the body repair industry's concerns over what insurance companies describe as anti-competitive activity.
SPX is to quit the UK aftermarket garage business by the end of the year. The company, whose brands include Dieseltune and Wheelforce, will offer its aftermarket operations to other companies.
The Motor Vehicle Repairers Association is challenging a court ruling that an MoT testing station should pay damages to a customer who bought a vehicle with a full certificate though it later needed repair.
CCC International, the European arm of the US motor insurance claims specialist, has announced redundancies at its Peterborough headquarters. The company had recruited ahead of expected growth in the business.
Universal Salvage is producing a guide for insurers and vehicle salvage specialists as a basis of quality assurance for parts re-entering the market.
Small dealer groups can compete more effectively against larger companies if they make good use of advertising online, according to a survey.
Two in three franchised dealerships continue to have difficulties in recruiting technicians/mechanics, and sales executives, according to the 2001 retail motor industry pay guide.
Leading London and South-east dealers could be asked to step into the breach left in the London motor show by major motor manufacturers pulling out.
Bates Motor Group heads a new Automotive Management listing of the top 20 motor retailers in terms of return on shareholders' funds. This month Bates won gold for leading dealer group in the Automotive Management Awards.
Reading between the lines of a 140-page EC report on the working of Regulation 1475/95 reveals a blunt message: motor industry Block Exemption does not work.
