Inchcape has raised £24m in three months from sales of non-core UK businesses, but has not set a timescale for disposal of the remaining 44 surplus dealerships.
Vospers Group has expanded its coverage in the south-west of England with the acquisition of Sidwell Motor Company for an undisclosed sum.
Lotus has returned to London after a six-year absence with the addition of the franchise to London Group’s Park Lane showroom.
Carter and Carter has been unsuccessful with its bids to acquire the contract for Phase 1 of Pathways To Work.
The RAC has spent much of the past decade wedged between the establishment AA and the upstart Green Flag, but is now trying to lift its image.
Citroën is offering van operators a selection of extra equipment free of charge during its National Van Fortnight event, starting on July 16.
A Staffordshire dealer who sold 50 new Skodas in 1995 plans an annual total of 800 from two dealerships after acquiring and adapting a 1.2-acre former Pendragon Evans Halshaw site.
Ford has quashed rumours that it is in talks about selling off its Swedish brand Volvo.
UK dealers could be offering customers the same finance and warranty deals on the Fiat 500 as their counterparts in mainland Europe when it goes on sale next January.
Sytner Group will open its Toyota World dealership in Shirley Solihull next month.
Vauxhall dealer Peter Vardy has branched out with BMW. The company has bought the Dunedin BMW and Mini business in Edinburgh from John Martin Group.
Lexus GB has appointed Lucy Allberry and Nigel King to its corporate sales team.
Bodyshops can expect more technical support from Akzo Nobel Sikkens after its latest recruitment drive.
Manufacturer websites have a heavy influence on new car purchases with 85% of car buyers visiting before heading to the showroom.
Unite has demanded to be involved in all stages of Ford’s rumored sale of Jaguar and Land Rover, including any final decisions on who will buy the two British brands.
Mitsubishi has created a new structure for its service plans for new models bought from this month onwards.
Howard Basford, the independent bodyshop group, has launched a £200,000 training initiative to transform its crash repair teams into ‘Super Technicians’.
The Lookers board has said that its franchise dealers have seen a good start to 2007 and is performing in line with the company’s expectations.
The flooding that has hit parts of northern England knocked out the Sheffield bodyshop operated by Just Car Clinics. Water levels around the building in Sutherland Street reached almost 3ft.
A merger of Automotive Skills and the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) was confirmed this week, creating the most comprehensive employer-led training and skills powerhouse the UK’s motor industry has ever seen.
Since fending off the unwanted attentions of Pendragon last year, Lookers has become the darling of the City. It was arguably that drawn-out skirmish which put the company on the City’s radar for the first time.
Nanjing Automobile Corporation UK has appointed its first dealer representatives to handle sales of its reborn MG TF roadster. Twelve dealers have joined the network in the first phase, retailing cars from 13 sites.
Vertu Motors has put more distance between itself and AM100 rival Listers of Coventry with two takeovers within the past fortnight.
Time is running out for entries into the AM/Courland Rising Stars Awards 2007, the event recognising the future stars of the automotive industry.
The UK’s largest motor retailer, Pendragon, has exited Germany 15 years since establishing a foothold in the country.
Glenvarigill, once a leading Scottish dealer group, has been renamed Manor Oak Holdings after five years of downsizing and months of speculation about its future.
Knights BMW and Mini has officially opened the doors to its new Radial Park premises following a £10m investment.
Kings Toyota Hedge End has recruited two new sales executives to cope with demand from customers at the dealership.
General Motors UK has taken back responsibility for sales, marketing, distribution and aftersales for its Cadillac, Corvette and Hummer brands from Pendragon and Kroymans.
The National Franchised Dealers Association, part of the RMIF, is looking for a new head of operations.
