Phoenix told unions last night it was prepared to give detailed explanations of its financial transactions to any appropriate party. The unions are to take up the offer.
Mazda UK says dealers are opening throughout the UK at an increasing pace to meet the demand from customers to have a dealership or service centre no more than 20 minutes from their house.
Damon Hill and Midlands franchise dealer Nick Whale have completed their acquisition of the Exeter Audi dealership from Inchcape.
For the first time since its addition of the MINI and Rolls Royce brands to its portfolio, BMW Group is appointing separate brand marketing managements to BMW and to each of the newcomers.
Renault UK has opened a new £2m training centre in Nottingham to house its Modern Apprenticeship programme.
The European Commission has presented a proposal for a Directive to make cross-border mergers easier by overcoming obstacles caused by different national laws. It would make such mergers simpler for all companies with share capital, but the Commission says it would be especially useful for small and medium-sized businesses.
Sixt AG, the German rental and leasing group that owns the Sixt-Kenning operation in the UK, recorded EBIT 17.4% higher for the first nine months of this year than a year earlier, at €37.2 million.
Management at the Nissan car plant at Washington in Tyneside are faced with the threat of strike action for the first time in the plants history, says the Amicus-MSF union, over the compulsory re-location of staff from its purchasing department to Cranfield in Bedfordshire.
Transport & General Workers Union officials are to meet executives of MG Rover's holding company Phoenix Venture Holdings today to discuss recently reported financial transactions in the company.
A new consumer guide has been launched giving motorists practical advice on cutting their fuel use for economic and environmental benefits.
The international Car of the Year jury, composed of 58 senior motoring journalists representing 22 European countries, has just voted the new Fiat Panda Car of the Year 2004.
Bentley Motors' 198mph Continental GT coupe has won a special design award, nominated by the jury of The Most Beautiful Car in the World of 2003.
Delphi has acquired Grundig Car InterMedia System GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grundig AG, for approximately €58 million. The purchase price includes €55 million in cash for the stock of the company and assumption of the business's net debt.
Diesel vehicles coming up to three years old may need professional attention to get through their first MOT test, warns the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), which believes motorists may not realise how much attention diesel vehicles require in comparison to petrol-fuelled vehicles.
Large plcs are achieving improved levels of return on capital employed. Piers Trenear-Thomas, Grant Thornton Motor Retail consultant explains their new tactics
The European Commission has published an 11-page 'FAQs' document on the new block exemption.
Total Western European new car registrations in October were just 0.3% down on the same month of 2002 at 1,179,024 units, reports the ACEA.
Analysis by MVRA of its members' use of services shows that its more traditional ones are by far the most sought after.
Daihatsu has embarked on an aggressive new driving school marketing programme, offering savings of up to £1,500 to ADI-registered instructors.
SsangYong UK Cars Ltd (SYUK) has held its first dealer conference to introduce the key personnel behind the company and to discuss its product, sales and marketing plans for 2004 and beyond.
Ford moved rapidly this week to deny rumours it was planning to offload its £84m turnover Warranty Holdings subsidiary, writes Mark Caterall in today's AM magazine.
The Daily Telegraph reports today that last night Martin O'Neill MP, who chairs the trade and industry select committee, said that the MPs would start an investigation of MG Rover parent Phoenix Venture Holdings within the next few months.
The proportion of non-genuine or non-OE parts used in car body repair in the UK, has increased to 22% of all replacement parts used by bodyshops in 2003. Before the announcement of the new BER, the usage of non-OE parts in car repair had been less than 10%.
Welsh Economic Development and Transport Minister Andrew Davies has announced that funding has been approved for the £10 million 'Auto Technium' automotive performance engineering incubator project - and that Ford is to base its Rally Academy in Wales next year.
Porsche AG turned in the highest profit ever recorded in its history during the 2002/03 fiscal year, which closed on July 31, despite the difficult economic climate and the substantial costs incurred for the launch of the Cayenne
Dixon Motors is to launch a management development programme it says will put it “18 months ahead of the competition”. Over 40 managers from a range of disciplines will complete the one-year course which complies with IMI standards.
Kudos Cars has been formed in the North-West to offer wealthy members access to a stable of premium cars for an annual membership. The club will be limited to 100 members only.
The Energy Saving Trust's PowerShift and CleanUp initiatives have funded over 3,300 vehicles in the current financial year, and this should increase to around 8,000 by end of March 2004, compared to last year when 5,000 vehicles received funding. As a result current commitments plus those in the pipeline mean all funds have been allocated for this financial year.
Volvo Car UK has confirmed the three DuPont Performance Coat-ings brands – DuPont Refinish, Spies Hecker and Standox – as preferred business partners for its body and paint network.
This is the new luxury flagship car from Maserati – the Quattroporte – that will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.
