News - Page 1399

Lex Vehicle Leasing maintenance manager Jamie Wiseman has been appointed chairman of the newly established 1Link Service Network User Group.

Motoring with your mother-in-law improves your driving behaviour, according to research by the RAC.

Alex Trotman, the former Ford Motor Company chairman and chief executive officer, who presided over a massive company reorganization and the ascension of Bill Ford Jr. to become the most powerful member of the automaker's ruling family, has died at his home in Yorkshire after a brief illness.

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has announced today that it will build its first Russian car plant in St. Petersburg, in response to the rapid growth and potential of the market.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation has approached MG Rover’s former badge maker to see if it will supply its products.

Glass's has launched a new electronic version of its Guide to Used Car Values for use on palmOne handheld computers.

BMW has told a German industry magazine, Autombilwoche, that it plans to raise productivity by 5% per annum.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has completed the licence for International Motor Industry Events (IMIE) to organise the next British International Motor Show at ExCeL in London's Docklands.

Honda has announced a global increase of 5.1% on operating profit for the year ended March 31, reaching 630.9bn yen (£3,094m).

Caterham has announced that deliveries of its new Seven CSR 260 will start next month and it will be priced at £34,000.

BMW is to launch the new M3 CS Coupe, which is available to order now in the UK, priced at £43,555 on-the-road.

Research in this year’s retail used car market is a mixed picture. A busy December, followed by a slower January, promoted nervousness.

Safe, surefooted Swede

In the aftermath of MG Rover’s financial collapse, I was deep in conversation with a Longbridge supplier. Was his business under threat? No, because he began diversifying his customer base in 1994, when BMW bought Rover.

Administrators have been called in at Gloucester-based Accident Repair Management Services (ARMS) following the loss of its main contract with insurance company Endsleigh.

The Body Repair Industry Campaign (BRIC) is pushing the Office of Fair Trading’s Markets and Policies Initiatives Division to conduct a study into the car body repair sector.

He may be the new managing director of surface refinishing specialist Farecla, but that won’t stop Andy Ducker getting out and meeting his customers.

Bodyshop group Bennett’s (Scotland) has taken the first step of an ambitious expansion plan with its £1.45m acquisition of Edinburgh’s JM Accident Repair Centre, bought from the John Martin Group.

A new service aimed at simplifying the parts order process for body repairers is being rolled out by SEL-Imperial next month.

Ford Motor Company and insurer Norwich Union Insurance have signed to supply Ford drivers with genuine Ford parts when their car requires repair.

Here’s a car to delight Blue Oval dealers: the production version of Ford’s SAV crossover concept.

A troubleshooter has been called in to Karma Cars less than six months after the Watford used car supermarket was launched by Private and Commercial Finance Group.

Lexus, winner of the JD Power customer satisfaction survey for the fifth year running, only narrowly managed to beat Skoda to first place in the most influential rating of automotive consumers.

Two former directors of Finelist, the parts distribution group that failed spectacularly in 2000 with estimated debts of £500m, have been disqualified from being company directors for seven years.

KBA Computer Systems has signed a deal with Finnish company Automaster to bring its dealer management system into the UK.

Edwards Cars and MG Rover Exports have called in PricewaterhouseCoopers as administrators.

Nissan has reported record annual operating profits of 861.16bn yen (£5.5bn) to the end of March, up 4.4% on the year.

Auto Delta, part of independent warehouse distributor GP Automotive, has launched a new brake and clutch hydraulics catalogue.

Kia has expanded their mid-sized MPV line-up with the introduction of the Carens 2.0 petrol GS, priced at £9,995.

Volkswagen is lowering Golf prices and improving specification.