The private-company aftermarket trade organisation MVRA reports it has been contacting other manufacturers in the past six weeks to find out if they plan to follow Ford's lead in cutting repairer discounts. They won't, it says.
The Marketing Director of Kia Motors (UK) Ltd has decided to leave the company, amicably, for personal reasons following its relocation from Tunbridge Wells to Weybridge.
A report in The Guardian of 2 March, which follows recent critical reports on MG Rover financial structures in The Telegraph, claims the four men credited with saving MG Rover have “dismantled the group and created a private empire”.
Responding to its 57% drop in 2003 net profits, Volkswagen is due to detail plans for massive cost savings of €4bn over two years at a 9 March news conference – news that pushed its share price up today.
The European Garage Equipment Association says it has received little satisfaction from the majority of car makers following a circular letter and two reminders it sent them following its talks with the EC's competition authorities last July.
Two Harley-Davidson dealerships in Chesterfield and Nottingham have launched a new no-appointment service operation.
'Robust sales are putting the UK in danger of becoming the 'treasure island' of Europe again for carmakers – this time not because prices are higher than the mainland, but because markets with a strong manufacturing base, such as Germany and France, are underperforming.'
For years, insurers have focused on offering drivers the cheapest premiums as a way of winning business. But a new report suggests they should really be offering better services. A survey of 300 drivers across the UK found that just 33% think price is the most important factor when buying motor insurance while 25% are unhappy with the services they receive. Their biggest complaint is about courtesy cars – usually the lack of one.
Turnover at the UK and international vehicle distributor Inchcape plc increased by 9.6% to £3,855.2m, for 2003. Operating profit before goodwill amortisation and exceptional items rose strongly, by 20.1% in the year, from £117.2m in 2002 to £140.8m in 2003. The resultant operating margins strengthened from 3.3% in 2002 to 3.7% in 2003.
The Financial Times today suggested Hyundai will announced at Geneva today that it plans to build its €1.1bn ($1.3bn) European car plant in Slovakia. The choice had been narrowed to Slovakia vs. Poland, but reports last week said it would be delayed to mid-March.
Porsche announced the precautionary recall of 22,158 of its Cayenne SUV to fix a brake spring that could wear an electrical cable. The recall affects about two-thirds of production to date.
Chrysler Group in the UK has launched an industry-first scheme to provide customers with a Chrysler or Jeep courtesy car comparable with their own vehicle after breakdowns or accidents.
Responding to the open letter of resignation issued on 27 February by 20 members of its Bodyshop Consultative Group members, the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) issued the following response: ”The RMI regrets the decision by these Consultative Group members and is pleased to note that they have not resigned from RMI membership.”
An open letter from members representing some 100 bodyshops was delivered to RMI chief executive Matthew Carrington today, 27 February, and released to media.
With '04'-plated cars due to arrive on UK roads from the start of next month, Glass's has been examining the premium that buyers can expect to pay for the latest nearly-new cars.
A survey by the Alliance & Leicester indicates that while 68% of car buyers shop around to ensure they get the right car, 69% of new or nearly new car buyers didn't shop around for finance.
The latest Alliance & Leicester Car Price Index figures show the price of new cars fell year-on-year by just 0.3% in January, but prices are still roughly 12% lower than they were in January 2000.<
Subaru UK CEO Ed Swatman has publicly attacked Warranty Direct's recent news release suggesting that its Impreza is the most expensive car to repair in the UK.
Vauxhall MasterFit Centres and dealers are gearing up to provide MOT tests for more than 50,000 owners of three-year-old Vauxhall cars and vans stay when their first MOT inspection falls due in March.
The £1.2 million HyTrans 'micro-hybrid' Transit van development project was formally announced today by Transport Minister David Jamieson MP during a visit to Ford's Southampton Transit van assembly plant.
Aftermarket giant Bosch has re-launched its vehicle-servicing 'soft franchise' scheme to help repairers take advantage of the rapidly growing out-of-warranty, three-years-plus vehicle parc.
A new system that enables workshops, motor factors, distributors and parts manufacturers to sell and check products online has been launched by Activant.
Garages issued £1.6bn worth of repair bills last year with the average invoice ranging from £86.49 to £1,623, according to new research.
Strike action at Land Rover's Midlands factory is starting to have negative knock-on effects on the supply chain. Presswork provider Sertec is considering laying off workers as the ban on overtime at the Solihull plant begins to bite.
Williams Liverpool, one of the UK's biggest BMW dealerships, is to open a new aftersales department as part of a £2.3m expansion project on the former Tate & Lyle sugar refinery site it occupies.
Britain's largest independent vehicle bodyshop network is lobbying to raise and monitor industry standards through official certification.
Metrocab, the taxi maker which went into administration in January, could be snapped up by its former directors. Led by Steve Ferris, the company's director of sales and marketing, a consortium of former Metrocab directors, has already put in a bid.
Renault has recorded strong profits on the back of growing new car sales from partner Nissan, as well as demand for the Megane family hatchback. The French carmaker saw net profits rise by 27% year-on- year to £1.69bn. Sales were also up 3.3%, despite a slowdown in some major European markets.
The Office of Fair Trading could step in to block retailer acquisitions if it believes they are anti-competitive, according to senior vehicle manufacturer executives.
