Volkswagen is to recall around 850,000 cars following the discovery of problems with the car's ignition systems. The recall will affect 2001 and 2002 Audi, Skoda, Seat and Volkswagen cars equipped with 1.8-litre turbo, V5, V6 and W8 petrol engines.
The European company car market has seen a major boom in demand for operational leasing products, according to a new report from Datamonitor.
Unions at Vauxhall's Ellesmere engine plant have been informed of a run down in production leading to a possible closure in 2005.
The RMI says the 9.1 per cent downturn in car sales in January should not be taken as an indication of a weakening market.
The industrial unrest which has threatened production at Nissan in Sunderland and Peugeot's Ryton plant may have moved to Honda.
MG Rover may back out of its Warsaw plant purchase plans and invest in Hungary instead.
Lookers has acquired the Taggarts multi-franchise motor retailer in Scotland for £5m cash and the issue of £0.6m Lookers shares. It is the Manchester-based dealer group's first foray into Scotland.
France's Snecma is tipped to purchase Fiat's aeronautics business Fiat Avio – one of the carmaker's pivotal disposals in its restructuring plan.
Abbey National has sold most of its First National consumer credit arm to GE for £848m But the disposal excludes First National Motor Finance.
European Motor Holdings has bought Arriva Group's Stockton BMW dealership for £7.4m cash. The figure includes a goodwill payment of £2.0m.
DaimlerChrysler AG has posted a profit of £111m for the fourth quarter, rebounding from a £25.7m loss a year earlier.
MG Rover has introduced a new guarantee programme to solve its recent parts supply problems – but only for UK buyers of its cars purchased in calendar year 2003.
The Commission for Integrated Transport has launched a website devoted to guiding and helping motorists affected by the forthcoming congestion charge in central London.
The TGWU has called a 24-hour strike at Peugeot's Ryton car plant in Coventry after balloted workers rejected a 7.3 per cent pay offer over two years.
MG Rover is reported to have delivered a February 14 deadline for the conclusion of negotiations to buy Daewoo's factory near Warsaw.
Car transaction prices in January fell by 0.36 per cent according to the latest figures from CarPriceCheck.com.
Vauxhall's used car operation Network Q has announced a record-breaking year. It sold 122,709 cars in 2002 beating a previous high of 119,999 in 1999, up by 22 per cent.
Bodyshop owners carrying out work through intermediaries, such as accident management companies, are advised to review their contracts and procedures to ensure that the "go-between" company has a secure ring-fenced payment procedure.
HRH The Prince of Wales is to visit the BMW Group Oxford Plant to see the MINI production facilities as part of his scheduled visit to Oxfordshire on Wednesday 5 February 2003.
Today is the 20th anniversary of compulsory seat belt use in the UK – and a “road safety milestone” says the SMMT, which is staging a special exhibition to mark the occasion.
US President George W. Bush's major funding proposal for a fuel cell programme – announced in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday – has driven up the price of platinum on world markets.
Published twice a year since 1994, the Castrol Trend Tracker report compares car servicing trends by sector, marque and age of vehicle – all based on regular consumer research. The January 2003 edition is out soon, and is crucial reading for everyone in the motor industry.
BMW is extending its free servicing and maintenance scheme to all new 3 and 5-series diesel models for a limited six-month period.
A Ford car salesman was having a clandestine affair with Wallis Simpson while she was also being wooed by the future King Edward VII.
A new report has emphasised that depreciation should be at the centre of any private car buyer's purchase decision. The Alliance & Leicester's annual car depreciation report cites an average new car depreciation of 22 per cent in the first year and 45.1 per cent after three years.
A women-only motor racing championship is to be launched by Mazda. The series will use Mazda's new RX-8 sports car in the single marque formula which opens with selection trials at UK race circuits during May and June this year.
A verdict on whether or not to import the overtly American Dodge-branded vehicles into the UK as part of Chrysler Corporation's European expansion plan is central to a product onslaught involving 17 new group models and doubling the number of diesel variants by 2005.
A record sales performance in the UK has contributed to the “stabilisation” of the Mitsubishi Motors business in Europe during 2002, the company has reported. And the carmaker is on track to meet its target of returning to profitability by 2004.
Friction specialist Ferodo is responding to the rise in numbers of rally-bred supercars such as the Subaru Impreza Turbo and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo series by launching an all-new DS Performance brake pad.
Vauxhall is to introduce headlights which see round the bend this summer.
