Bodyshop magazine reported last week that the US paint manufacturer Valspar had announced the takeover of the Dutch refinish supplier De Beer.
Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America (SUVOA) yesterday called on Attorney General John Ashcroft and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to step up intelligence and federal enforcement action against The Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a militant environmental group that took responsibility for destroying vehicles at a Santa Fe, New Mexico Land Rover dealership, and US Forest Service construction equipment
Ford Motor's Mercury is the most under-appreciated of brands on the US market for quality, while Ford's Land Rover is the most over-appreciated, according to a report by Wall Street broker Morgan Stanley.
The German government has been stout in its resistance to the European Commission's calls to dismantle the regulations that block foreign bids for Volkswagen, but an EC spokesperson has said, “We are now planning to go ahead with next step in the procedure”, though the matter has reportedly yet to be formally discussed in Brussels.
Glass's Information Services is calling on the Government to introduce new legislation requiring anyone selling a vehicle to ensure that the purchaser's driving licence number is recorded on the V5 registration documents at the point of sale.
From this week Honda customers will be able to book servicing appointments using a new online facility. Any servicing and repair work for any Honda car can be booked at any one of the company's 190 dealers by visiting Honda's website at www.honda.co.uk, or any Honda dealer website.
2003 saw a year-on-year increase in new members of almost 100% for the Institute of the Motor Industry. There were some 2,000 successful applications during the year, bringing the IMI's total membership to just under 25,000.
Warranty Holdings Group, the troubled warranty provider, has appointed AXA to underwrite its business from January.
Reg Vardy, one of the UK's biggest dealer groups, is planning to become one of Europe's largest automotive retailers – buoyed by sales of more than 200,000 cars in its current financial year.
General Motors Europe president Mike Burns surprised many in the automotive industry last week with the announcement he is moving to become head of leading US parts supplier Dana Corp.
Perrys has taken the first steps towards patching up its relationship with Ford after purchasing two dealerships from Pendragon.
Controversial Government plans to end heavy discounts on green fuels have sent shockwaves through the UK motor industry.
2003 should have been a tumultuous year in the UK aftersales market. The long-awaited changes to block exemption came into force and many of the key changes affected aftersales with the objective of unshackling competition.
Forget Europe and America – the real growth market is South-east Asia. Every global manufacturer is diverting its resources to China and Japan as these two massive markets open up to foreign investment.
During the course of last year our research has revealed improvements in the professionalism and business standards of many used car operations.
An analysis of manufacturers' offers in the retail sector.
In its second annual report recently issued for the period to 31 July 2003 to the BRIC Steering Committee, the campaigning bodyshop organisation levels sharp criticism at the RMI and VBRA, whose merger plans were announced in December.
Effective today, Mitsubishi Motors Europe B.V. (MME) is taking over the distribution of its vehicles in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, following the termination of the distribution agreement with MMC Automobile AG (MAAS), its previous distributor, on December 9th, 2003, in the wake of the collapse of its then owner, the Erb Group.
A new online car wholesaling facility launched today is sourcing new and pre-registered cars from suppliers currently covering over twenty marques.
ReMIT, the training arm of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has appointed its Operations Director, Lee Acton.
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has appointed a new head of aftermarket and used vehicle sales for the independent garage sector.
ACEA Western Europe new registrations for December 2003 totalled 969,787 units, representing a decrease of 1.8 % (- 1.9 % in the EU-15) with respect to December 2002. This drop was mainly due to the significant decrease experienced by three countries (including Italy), while all the other markets showed increases.
Having previously alerted its members that some manufacturers would be reducing their parts margins to their main agents, with an impact on the terms available to body repairers, the VBRA says repairers are now reporting reduced trade discounts.
With its acquisition of two Renault franchises in Edinburgh and Livingston, Reg Vardy plc has become the marque's biggest franchise holder, and edges nearer to its 2005 target of 100 outlets, with a current 84 dealerships across the country.
A judge in the case brought by Kirk Kerkorian against Juergen Schremmp and other DaimlerChrysler executives concluded on Monday that there was no evidence that Daimlerchrysler had deliberately withheld evidence.
Fiat chairman Umberto Agnelli said this week that the group will seek compensation from alliance partner General Motors for the value of the put option to acquire Fiat Auto, which GM recently confirmed it did not intend to exercise.
In what is believed to be first action of its kind, lawsuits were filed this week against Snap-on Tools, Inc. on behalf of wives of former Snap-on franchised tool dealers, alleging they were harmed by the company's "false, fraudulent and misleading representations" that not only led to the collapse of their husbands' franchises, but also resulted in the loss of the wives' own money and family savings.
First Stop, the Bridgestone-backed fast-fit tyre programme, is looking to forge new relationships with independent service garages as it strives to grow its network.
Automotive industry suppliers are losing faith in the world's biggest carmaker, according to a new report. A satisfaction survey published by SupplierBusiness.com claims that suppliers' trust in General Motors has fallen sharply over the last two years.
Bharat Forge, India's largest exporter of vehicle components, has bought German forging company Carl Dan Peddinghhaus (CDP) in a deal with an estimated value of between £15m and £22m.
