'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.'
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.
Leading European car makers have called on the European Union to make a U-turn on the maze of regulations they claim leaves them at a disadvantage against international rivals.
Audi has officially unveiled its new face by taking the wraps off its new A6. Making its world debut at the Geneva motor show, the new luxury saloon will arrive here in May.
The Volkswagen Group is rolling out a new electronic sales lead management system to its UK franchised dealer network. The system, called e-GoodManners, is an electronic version of the GoodManners sales diary dealers have been using for the last 15 years.
The number of cars with clocked mileages could be reduced if traders placed a higher value on good condition high-mileage used cars, according to the Retail Motor Industry Federation.
Ford will mark its return to the ultra competitive hot-hatch sector when it unveils a high performance version of the Fiesta next month.
The RMI is pressing ahead with plans to launch the CarWise scheme this spring – and will use the Automotive Trade Show at the end of March as a forum for dealers and garage owners to discuss the changes.
Seat is asking its European dealers to spend thousands of pounds upgrading their showrooms to help revamp its corporate image and boost sales. All 125 UK dealers will have to make the investment by the end of August 2005.
Ford's dealer operations director Steve Hood has been named director of marketing in a major reshuffle at the carmaker's UK head offices. In his new role Hood succeeds Peter Fleet, while Morten Hannesbo becomes director sales, replacing Paul Van der Burgh.
