Lloyds TSB plans to keep its Lloyds UDT and Chartered Trust motor finance brands separate “for the foreseeable future”, despite looking for annual £25m savings from the newly combined businesses.
Ford's Focus and Puma are the two most popular models ordered through Virgin Cars which reports 1,500 orders in its first 16 weeks. The total value is put at £22m. Ian Lancaster, Virgin Cars chief executive, said the daily order rate had accelerated to 30 over the past six weeks.
New companies offering aggressively-priced cars online dominated the US National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention in January. Dealers who flocked to Orlando, Florida, heard how CarOrder.com, among others, would revolutionise car selling. But last month CarOrder.com, set up with £65m backing from a Texas software company, became a major casualty as its website closed.
Lookers believes it is starting to reap the benefit from investing £28m in its dealerships over the past 30 months. The group has announced increases of 6% in turnover and 11% in profits during the first six months of this year.
Motorpoint, the used car superstore operator, is reaching potential customers via web cafes in Granada motorway service stations.
Top Ford dealer bosses are putting pressure on the company to cut list prices in an unprecedented show of retail strength. They say the strategy of offering cashbacks on selected models is not attracting customers. One boss said: "We're dying in the showroom."
Findings from two major studies into consumer demands will be presented at Motor retailing 2005, Automotive Management's autumn conference.
New Mondeo is revealed to be a 'big brother' to Focus, adopting 'new edge' styling cues.
Ford's image has again been damaged by the latest developments in the investigation into alleged racism at its Dagenham engine plant in east London. The Commission for Racial Equality has put on hold its inquiry. Ford has given assurances it would comply with stringent conditions for improvements within a tight timetable.
Lada, which unveiled a two-seater roadster concept at Moscow Motor Show, wants to make a come-back in the UK. Spokesman Vladimir Artsykov said: "If anyone can find us a UK importer, we will talk to them."
Motor insurance premiums are set to rise by 25% this year, according to a report by Mintel. The market researcher angered body repairers by blaming much of the increase on "sharply rising" labour rates, combined with high parts costs and personal injury claims.
Volkswagen Group UK has resumed advertising for sponsored retailers as it bids to "improve and ring fence quality operators" for its dealer network. Dale Wyatt, VW's UK development ventures manager, said further opportunities had arisen within the Volkswagen Group - also including the Audi, Skoda and Seat marques - as a result of dealer group mergers and the closure of some loss-making businesses.
National Franchised Dealers Association director Alan Pulham believes Mercedes-Benz's price cuts "could be the first major brick in the prices wall which is coming down". He said the decision by Mercedes to move its entry price below £13,000 was significant. It priced the A-class in competition with Vauxhall Astra and Peugeot 306.
Interleasing is offering to source cars from the Continent to save its customers money. The UK's largest independent contract hire and leasing company is telling fleet managers they can save up to £7,000 a vehicle over a three-year term. More than 300 companies have responded and more than 60 orders have already been placed.
Proton, which owns Lotus, has confirmed talks with Rover about future joint ventures and new model development. The Malaysian carmaker's move could throw a lifeline to Rover which desperately needs a cash-rich partner.
Mercedes-Benz dealers in the South-east say imports from Europe were "threatening the whole infrastructure" of the company in the UK before price cuts were announced. A Mercedes spokesman said around 15% of all new Mercedes registered this year were likely to have come from continental dealers.
Sainsbury's is "dipping a toe in the water" with its Bank Drive finance package for its supermarket shoppers, said Professor Garel Rhys of Cardiff Business School. "Asda had some success selling cars years ago but Sainsbury's might be overtaken by events," said Prof Rhys.
A used car dealer is fighting attempts by BMW Financial Services to claim back a P-registered 328 convertible worth more than £20,000. Tony Gilbert Cars, of Napton, Warwks, took the car in part exchange in March 1999 after an HPI check showed it was 'clean'. In fact the car had been funded on hire purchase with BMW Financial Services.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has called on the Government to oppose the European Commission's clause on car recycling that makes carmakers responsible for funding the scrapping of all vehicles. The End of Life Vehicle directive, announced during the summer, will initially require carmakers to pay "all or a significant part" of the cost of recycling/scrapping cars registered after March 1, 2002.
A 30-year cover-up of vehicle defects has been admitted by Mitsubishi Motors in Japan. The share price dropped on the announcement, designed to put an end to questions about the company's quality control.
Quartic Motor Group has restructured its board of directors as it gears up for expansion following the completion of its three Ford customer market areas in March.
Proton has appointed Mike Unsworth as national sales manager as it prepares for the launch early next year of the GX, described as "the franchise's most significant development for at least half a dozen years".
TWR Jaguar, part of the Sytner Group, has appointed Alex Matschy as general sales manager at the Cumnor Hill, Oxford, dealership. The newly-created position is designed to strengthen TWR Jaguar's management team.
BP Amoco's recent re-branding is likely to have an impact on the marketing of its range of lubricants and a decision about their future is expected by the end of the year. The move to a single brand follows an £80bn series of mergers and acquisitions over the past two years bringing together the former British Petroleum, Amoco Corporation, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and, most recently, Burmah Castrol.
BP has launched a new range of fully synthetic engine oils called BP Visco 7000 0W/40 and 0W/30. Both oils were developed in partnership with VW. The Visco 7000 0W/40 offers greater protection for high performance engines while the 0W/30 oil is for economy motoring.
Dealer groups across the UK are making use of Esso training initiatives to improve staff sales skills and top up on lubricants sales.
Chairman Chris Trotman has pledged "to do business in the right way" after leading a management buy out of Direct Valeting. Mr Trotman won back control of his car preparation business from Direct Auto Services, two years after he sold it to the group. Neither company changed its name.
Managing director Alec Colvin-Smith has appointed two senior managers at North Eastern Land Rover as he looks toward developing other areas of the business, both motor and non-motor related.
Franchised dealers are responsible for a surge in unofficial imports from mainland Europe and Japan as they bid to win back customer confidence with promises of cheaper cars. The British Independent Motor Trade Association predicts that around 140,000 new cars sold in the UK this year will be sourced from mainland Europe.
Mitsubishi Motors UK has completed its internal restructuring programme with the appointment of two general managers and a new director of aftersales.
