Cars Direct, the online fleet remarketing company plans to double the size of its Fixed Price Stock Locator (FPSL) service over the next 12 months to sell around 10,000 units during 2004.
Dealers got their first glimpse of the new-look Mazda MX-5 when the carmaker took the wraps off a concept car at this month's Tokyo motor show.
The former UK sales representative for Midtronics, the American battery test and management equipment maker, has formed his own company to handle the products.
Former Nidd Vale chairman Richard Jackson will outline the issues facing multi-franchised retailers at the AM Putting Profit Before Turnover conference. The event, on Thursday November 13 at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire, will tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the retail motor industry. Jackson, who now runs Mercedes-Benz of North Yorkshire, will talk to key industry players about his experiences in running a high-profile retail group, including the issues faced and how problems were solved.
Ardal O' Hanlon, star of Father Ted and acclaimed stand-up comedian, will entertain guests at the 2004 AM Awards ceremony.
Carmakers are preventing independent garages from joining authorised repairer networks by making excessive demands in their servicing and repair contracts.
Gilder Group's parts business was opened on a 30,000sq ft site in Sheffield five months ago at a cost of £100,000 in premises, IT and equipment. The VW and Audi dealer's parts division is now on target to achieve annual turnover of £1.5m.
General Motors and Fiat have agreed to delay by one year the date from which their put option starts. That means the option period, under which Fiat can sell its car business to GM, will now run from Jan 2005, until July 2010. <P>
Tenneco Automotive is to close its Walker exhaust system manufacturing plant in Birmingham at the end of the year, blaming a slump in UK sales. The company says the move will help to better match supply with demand.
Fiat retailers will be able to offer their customers supermarket-style loyalty points on sales, servicing and repairs thanks to a new scheme currently on trial in mainland Europe.
Profits for many car manufacturers were down in the first half of 2003, as the European motor industry started to feel the effect of recession and difficult market conditions.
Dealers are confident about raising profits under the revised block exemption rules, despite acknowledging that carmaker control over their businesses is likely to tighten.
Renault Retail Group has not signed up with eBay Motors as reported in AM. Commercial director Simon Herbert is looking at a number of internet-based organisations, but has yet to make a decision.
Warranty Administration Services has launched a new online selling tool. Genesis enables retailers to offer customer-facing quotes and is based on a warranty booklet that has the Plain English Campaign's Crystal Mark.
British dealers are continuing to enjoy booming van sales despite a general slowdown in UK economic growth. Sales of light commercial vehicles are up 15 per cent so far this year (2002 total: 322,255), and most volume-brand commercial vehicle dealers are enjoying brisk business.
Virgin Cars is planning to drop its existing aftersales policy of working with lots of franchised dealers and independent repairers in favour of signing a bulk deal with one national partner.
Renault has taken the first step towards establishing a 50-strong national network of dedicated light commercial vehicle service centres.
The RMI has revealed that CarWise, the official name for the Good Garage scheme, will be expanded to include car retailers and bodyshops.
Component supplier Robert Bosch GmbH is predicting significant growth in demand for radio-based vehicle navigation following the launch of a new low-cost system.
A Government-funded programme is offering garages, bodyshops and repairers free surveys of their energy usage to identify savings.
GMAC, General Motors' finance operation, is to start targeting business beyond its Vauxhall/Opel, Saab and Daewoo brand family.
Former Toyota (GB) aftersales operations general manager David Collins (right) has been appointed aftersales director at Fiat Auto (UK).
Multi-franchised retail group Sytner has introduced an air conditioning and service option for all its service customers at one fixed price, regardless of whichever dealer they visit.
Garages are being targeted by a fax scam operator claiming to be setting up a new UK bodyshop network.
HPI Exchange, the stock publishing system from HPI , has been rolled out to more than 1000 customers since its July launch. The system helps retailers manage and locate vehicle stock in real time.
According to a Midlands paper, Ford has already told the Government of plans to close Brown's Lane - plans Sir Nick Scheele denied at the Tokyo Motor Show.
In its submission to HM Treasury, ahead of the Chancellor's pre-Budget report in December, the SMMT has sounded a word of caution concerning motoring taxes. Amid growing reports of the rising costs of motoring and the importance of reduced CO2 emissions, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders urged the Chancellor not to de-stabilise the trend towards cleaner cars by over-taxing the motorist in the upcoming report.
Figures compiled by firm KPMG and the automotive consultancy Spyder have highlighted the effect of down-sizing by car buyers, and the gap between list and post-discount new car prices.
Vauxhall's VX220 Turbo has take the Performance Car of the Year crown in this year's CAR magazine awards.
Avis Europe today has signed a supply contract with General Motors, which will supply Avis with 350,000 vehicles during the next five years in the “largest fleet agreement in history” on the continent.
