Motor retail finance house GE Capital Woodchester is to centralise its sales administration operation at Leeds.
Thomas Weber, DaimlerChrysler’s director of research, has revealed that Mercedes-Benz will be the first manufacturer to introduce radar systems to its current range in mid-2005.
John Kiff, a director of the International Car Distribution Programme (ICDP) and his brother Robert have entered LE JOG rally in their 1959 VW Beetle Okrasa.
Chancellor Gordon Brown has been urged to introduce a range of measures to combat global warming in his pre-Budget statement next month.
Hyundai has a new-look website totally redesigned and at a new address, www.hyundai.co.uk.
The publication of the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) five year plan, 'Creating wealth from knowledge', has been welcomed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Skoda will boost its range in 2005.
Derek Cook, who runs Virgin Cars, is consulting lawyers over a “completely untrue” allegation on Watchdog, the BBC1 consumer affairs programme, about a separate business.
The FSA says dealers still have time to gain approval to sell insurance products after ‘GI’ Day (general insurance day on January 14, 2005).
Scottish used car retailer Allianze Group has paid £600,000 to acquire the Car Connections website.
BMW GB managing director Jim O’Donnell has blasted the forthcoming FSA regulations as a “complete farce” that will add cost and complication to the insurance market and could force some repairers to close.
Mini retailers can expect delivery waiting times to increase, despite the fact that the Oxford production will squeeze out an additional 15,000 units this year, taking total production to 190,000.
The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring 10% of new cars sold will be low carbon – less than 100g/km CO2 – by 2012.
Lotus is to make about 350 redundancies at its Hethel headquarters after losing a major engineering consultancy project.
Ford dealers are being allowed to give their customers a sneak preview of the new Focus up to a month before it goes on sale.
Morgan’s future is in the spotlight after the recent voluntary liquidation of North London dealer, Libra Motive, and an apparent fall in orders.
Taxes on the most polluting cars are set to rise if the House of Commons Transport committee of MPs gets its way.
A new aftermarket trading group has been formed by Leyland Auto, Mafco and CCS. The group, which aims to bring about greater service and support to customers, will be headed by former FSG man David Callery who is now managing director of Leyland Auto.
Vehicle information provider HPI has extended the reach of its automated HPI Exchange trade used car marketing and stock management service to eBay.co.uk, Britain’s largest online marketplace.
Scottish Nissan and Kia dealer Dicksons of Forres and Inverness has sold its long-established town centre showroom in Forres to housing developers for an undisclosed sum, ahead of relocating into a £750,000 new showroom half a mile away next September.
Mitsubishi Motors is to install MMI Automotive’s Automate dealer management system at its own retail network, replacing the Kalamazoo-UCS system. However it has no plans to force franchised dealers to follow suit.
DriveStyle Convertibles has opened a showroom specialising in new and used roadsters at the same time as becoming the UK’s second outlet for Dutch supercar brand Spyker.
Audi will offer an Avant version of its new A6 next spring to rival models like the Mercedes-Benz E-class estate and the BMW 5-series Touring.
First class aftersales services are key to securing repeat custom – that’s the message to the industry from Toyota, whose Lexus subsidiary came top in the 2004 BBC Top Gear consumer satisfaction survey for the third consecutive year.
The aftermarket is being urged to back just one biennial event in order to cut costs for exhibitors and increase efficiency.
The garage which introduced Saab to the Highlands has changed hands after 24 years. Inverness-based Caberfeidh Motors managing director John Mackenzie has sold his Harbour Road showroom and workshop to the County Saab Group, based in Ayr, which also has a Saab franchise in Milton Keynes.
F&I provider GE Capital Woodchester has announced a programme of restructuring.
Jaguar has been criticised for failing to consult trade unions on plans to reorganize the business and cut 1,150 jobs.
China has seen its automotive industry stall after the latest figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers indicated a monthly drop off in production and sales.
Prices for the new Citroen C4 will start at £11,095 for the three-door 1.4i 16V VT and to £18,395 for the range topping five-door 138hp 2.0HDi Exclusive.
