Rising insurance premiums are forcing businesses to operate without Employer Liability Insurance and risk prosecution, says the Retail Motor Industry Federation.
Renault and Nissan have become the first carmakers to offer their UK dealership networks a total waste management programme.
Lookers has become the latest dealer group to boost confidence in the motor retail sector by announcing record results for the six months to the end of June.
Independent collision repair chain Just Car Clinics has announced profits of £210,000 and a turnover of £11.2 million for the nine months up to June 30, 2003.
Retailers have bucked the trend of falling profits over the last 12 months by recording growth for the year to March 2003, new research by Experian reveals.
A Scotland-based online tyre fitter has struck a deal with a major garage chain that gives it more bricks and mortar centres than Kwik-Fit.
Chrysler dealers are to get new- look showrooms and signage as the manufacturer aims to build up its brand reputation in the UK. The new corporate identity sees the traditional blue and white signage replaced by a metallic silver fascia.
The Financial Services Authority has planted a legislative timebomb under the UK's franchised dealer sector, the chairman of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders warranty committee is warning.
The UK's used car sector is in danger as US-style cut-price finance deals start to creep into the market. Full-blown zero per cent deals, so popular in the US, are arriving in the UK with Volkswagen offering deals on new Passats.
Ford is to slash prices for replacement parts in a bid to reduce repair costs and reduce the number of vehicles written off by insurers. Repairers can get up to 31 per cent off collision parts for Escort, Fiesta, Ka, Mondeo and Transit registered between 1989 and 2000.
The Retail Motor Industry Federation has announced plans to merge the Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association into its bodyshop division following months of talks. Due diligence is currently taking place – both boards have already agreed the move – and the merger will be formalised by the end of the year.
Sales of Vauxhall's bi-fuel cars and vans are set to increase by 65 per cent this year. The rise is mainly in the public sector, which accounts for 50 per cent of all Dualfuel model sales, while the retail market has remained relatively quiet.
A newly formed retail group is set to join the exclusive AM100 club next year as it strives for a £100m-plus turnover. Crewe-based Swansway Garages Group has five sites representing Audi, Seat and Volkswagen with a projected turnover of £76m.
Bob Dover, the chairman and chief executive of Jaguar and Land Rover has quit, 12 months after taking the job. Dover's departure comes only a month after Ford of Europe product guru, Martin Leech left the carmaker after huge financial losses.
The Government must push for a common method of measuring customer satisfaction in the motor industry, says a leading carmaker.
More than 8.5 million PSA Peugeot Citroen cars will have HDi turbodiesel engines under their bonnets by the end of 2006.
Peugeot has become the latest car manufacturer to fall victim to the BBC's Watchdog consumer affairs programme.
Volkswagen retailers are offering a zero per cent interest rate to Passat customers who put down a 30 per cent deposit. The package is available to all customers who buy a Passat saloon or estate before the end of the year.
A leading finance house is warning dealers against offering long-term finance.
Dealers sold fewer used cars last year, despite the second hand vehicle market increasing in volume.
Vauxhall is adding a new model to its Meriva range.
ABS, the UK's largest network of independent bodyshops, is having to canvas for new work after one of its major providers revealed plans to establish its own repairer chain.
Repairers will form a new think tank aimed at moulding future estimating services. Glass's Information Services has set up a repair consultative group to shape the next generation of estimating systems.
A Manchester-based vehicle repairer is to lodge an appeal after the High Court ruled that its failure to correct faulty brakes on a van caused a fatal road accident.
Locking nuts used to secure alloy wheels cause problems at more than 10 per cent of all tyre fitments, according to AA Tyre Fit.
Audatex, the provider of repair and claims solutions to the motor industry, says investment in new technologies meant a fall in pre-tax profits from £873,000 to £533,000 over the last 12 months.
Responding to the news that RMI and VBRA are to join together in what seems to be best describes as a 'strategic alliance.' MVRA Managing Director Mike Monaghan said he was unsurprised at this development.
New aftersales contracts receive mixed verdicts from dealers in different German networks in magazine poll.
Flat Blade windshield wipers will arrive on the aftermarket in autumn 2003 through Valeo's independent aftermarket networks, having been hitherto available only in original equipment.
AA members who have had their spare tyre fitted at the roadside by an AA patrol following a puncture or other damage are the targets of a new tele-marketing programme introduced by AA Tyre Fit.
