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.
Beware of any trojan horses and protect your own brand
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.
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.
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.
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.
MG Rover has declined to comment on reports in Polish and other media that it has submitted a £700m bid for Daewoo-FSO with a view to transferring 75 model assembly there for 2005.
Lexus has the highest approval ratings in the latest annual Sewells Fleet Operators Attitude Survey - for the third year running, both in terms of UK fleet managers' relationship with the national network of centres and with the manufacturer itself.
Local authorities in England and Wales will be asked to publicly justify and regularly review taxi licence restrictions as part of a Government plan to improve service for consumers without centralised control of cab licensing.
International Motors Limited has promoted Nick Pugh to General Manager for Subaru and Isuzu Parts & Accessories.
The proposed Mercedes-Benz Heritage and Technology Centre at Brooklands has been granted detailed planning permission by Elmbridge Borough Council.
According to the latest PwC/eurocarprice.com car price index, average retail car prices in the UK were 3% higher in February than the average for Western Europe, and 4% higher than the average for the euro zone.
Motaquip is renaming its new independent parts retailer support scheme as the Motaquip Partnership Programme; 12 new accounts are planned for this year.
The Dealer Services Group of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP) has bought the Michigan-based Automotive Retail Group (ARG) from Electronic Data Systems for an undisclosed sum.
The 2004 budget will help company van drivers who have no private use, but private use tax will rise, hitting the small market for company double cab pickups.
Chancellor Gordon Brown's announcements yesterday included a three-year freeze of VED and company car tax at present levels, and a six-month freeze of fuel duties, while automated road use charging, planned initially for trucks, has been put off until 2008.
Despite an unpredictable climate the clamour among image-conscious Britons to go 'topless' is pushing convertible values up across all years. The trend is revealed in CAP Black Book, the trade guide to current used car values.
International Motors has acquired Showells (Garages) Ltd of Lye, Stourbridge, which represents all three of IM's Japanese marques, saying, “This strategic investment has been made to develop marketing methods to exploit business opportunities presented by the new Block Exemption regulations.”
Among the winners at Wednesday's 2004 Fleet News awards, attended by more than 1,200 people in London, were Volkswagen, which took four of the top prizes.
Warranty Holdings chief executive Peter Head has left the Ford-owned firm “to pursue other interests”, but WH will not say why.
Valeo has brought its Cibie, Marchal, PJ and SWF products under the umbrella of a new collective brand, 'teamValeo'.
2,500 Fiat workers at the Mirafiori assembly plant will be laid off for two weeks of next month, and a further 840 will be laid off for 10 weeks between 12 April and 20 June.
Lexus GB has restructured its marketing, operations management and aftermarket functions.
As part of the pre-audit review of its maiden annual results, body repair group Just Car Clinics Group plc has identified a 'significant overstatement of trading results' in three of its twelve locations.
