Retailers and customers have been urged to judge MG Rover on its products and the standards of its service as the company battles persistent media attacks about its finances.
Automotive retailers confused and concerned about how to apply for permission to continue selling insurance-related products from next January will receive little assistance from the Financial Services Agency.
Nigel Ruddock, Ipe Jacob and Ian Carr, partners at Grant Thornton, have been appointed joint administrators of the Oriel Investment Corporation ("ORIC"), including Warranty Holdings, at the request of its directors. ORIC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company.
PSA Pegueot Citroen has started consultations with staff and unions over the planned closure of its fourth shift at Ryton on 23 June.
A Business Week report suggests US dealer group margins are suffering, debts have increased from acquisitions, and stock values are starting to slide.
Exide Technologies has renewed its supplier agreement with Autodistribution International Ltd. (ADI), the largest aftarmarket parts distribution network in Europe.
Automotive logistics group Autologic's turnover dropped 1.3% last year after adjusting for currency effects, though it rose 4.8% to £701.7m in absolute terms. Pre-tax profit from continuing operations fell by 35.4% to £19.9m (2002: £30.8m).
Warranty Direct is launching an 'ECARNOMY' club card whose holders are promised access to discounts from independent garages, repairers and motor insurers. The card also offers deals on selected hotels and leisure facilities.
Finding out that an employee is thieving is a devastating experience. But sooner or later every dealer principal or garage owner has to deal with such an incident. In our experience, the parts department is often where temptation lies.
Peugeot is looking to add up to 40 authorised repairers to its network this year and is pressing franchised dealer to fill the open points.
Poor customer service due to a lack of communication by service receptionists is to blame for many of the 1.2m complaints made last year by drivers to garages, according to new research.
Beware of any trojan horses and protect your own brand
Vauxhall is to replace its Frontera 4x4 with a new compact SUV sourced from its South Korean subsidiary GM Daewoo, while Renault has announced plans to enter the sector with a vehicle produced by its Samsung partner.
The RMI has applied for recognition of its CarWise scheme under the Office of Fair Trading's Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS), which was announced just over a year ago.
Dealers need to cast their sales net wider after a new survey found one in three used car buyers would travel more than 100 miles to get a good car. Carbidder.com, the online used car sales and auction site, says 32% of the 1000 owners surveyed would travel the distance while some would go even further.
Suzuki GB is planning to acquire a site within the M25 that it will leaseback to a franchised dealer, similar to the sponsored retail programmes favoured by VW Group. The UK arm of the Japanese carmaker is waiting for the green light before moving to acquire a site in London.
A £300,000 refurbishment is now complete at Harwoods' Bentley showroom. The Sussex-based firm underwent a complete refurbishment just in time to showcase the new £110k Bentley Continental GT.
Desira, the East Anglia-based motor group, has unveiled a two-tier retail strategy that will see it open multi-franchised sites in small towns and solus franchises in large conurbations as it strives to double turnover.
BMW, the German premium carmaker, is expecting record new car sales and profits this year driven by the introduction of new models and strong registrations for Mini.
Vehicle technician licensing policed by an independent organisation needs to be implemented in order to create a “level playing field” that consumers will take seriously.
Benfield Motor Group, the Yorkshire-based retailer, is to invest £2m relocating its Toyota dealership in Wakefield. The outlet will move from its current home on Leeds Road to new premises on the Silkwood Park business site later this year.
Reg Vardy has opened a new Volkswagen dealership in the Midlands completing its coverage in the market area.
Anyone can set up a car repair business in the UK – can that be right? Considering the complexity of cars, and the consequences if something goes wrong, surely there ought to be some mandatory training before someone can join the sector.
The Body Repair Industry Campaign, BRIC, has condemned the use of the 0870 telephone numbers often quoted by insurers for policyholders and suppliers to contact them on. BRIC points out that these are premium rate numbers and not toll free national ones, with which they are often confused by the general public.
BEN – the motor and allied trades benevolent fund - has opened a Yorkshire office in Bradford; Federal-Mogul Aftermarket UK Ltd has donated space to the charity.
Ford has set up a new network of 115 sales and 95 service locations amongst its 240 sales and 240 service locations.
Carlos Ghosn will oversee Nissan's vital US sales operationfrom the start of next month, taking over from global sales director executive vice president Norio Matsumura, who will head Nissan's domestic Japanese operations.
After Ssangyong's creditor banks said they would look for ways to end China National Bluestar Group's status as the preferred bidder for the financially ailing Korean 4x4 manufacturer if it didn't clarify its final bid price, Bluestar itself has announced it is pulling out of the deal it outlined last week.
The European Commission has adopted higher minimum levels for the recycling and recovery of the components and materials in new vehicles supplied from 2008.
Mergers and acquisitions in motor retailing were worth $689m last year, compared to $2.4bn in 2002, says a new report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
