According to Brilliance China News, Brilliance China Automotive Holdings has confirmed that the Liaoning provincial government is in talks to buy control of the van maker.
DaimlerChrysler UK is to build a Heritage and Technology Centre for Mercedes-Benz as part of a rejuventation of the famous Brookland site at Weybridge in Surrey.
Ford in North and South America has recalled 572,795 Focus cars due to concerns over a faulty battery cable. The carmaker says the fault could be linked to engine fires.
A new £1.5m training centre for motor mechanics is set to open in Croydon next year. The centre, being opened by ReMIT, the training arm of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI), will serve light vehicle mechanics and electricians.
The forthcoming Colt small car should represent up to a third of all Mitsubishi's European sales volumes as the carmaker returns to profit in 2003, says a bullish Mitsubishi Motors CEO Rolf Eckrodt.
A nationwide initiative to bring young people into motor retailing and solve the industry's growing skills crisis was launched by the Institute of the Motor Industry this week.
The LPG fuel market will be given an important boost with the launch of a new grant system by the Government
Both company and private car owners are facing a massive rise in servicing costs and insurance premiums because dealers and bodyshops will need to increase wages to solve the recruitment crisis.
Hyundai and DaimlerChrysler's plans for a CV engine-building partnership progressed this week
The world's number one supplier of spark plugs, NGK, has announced its intention to lead the UK glow plug aftermarket.
Bodyshops in major metropolitan areas are warning of massive capacity shortfalls this winter due to the closure of several major repair centres. Many are considering which approved repairer contracts they want to retain over the winter and are looking to discard the unprofitable agreements.
Manufacturers who don't have an online servicing/maintenance booking system could be missing out on a growing market.
The Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association has accused insurers of putting further pressure on bodyshops by failing to accept recommended uplifts for pearlescent paint costs on repair estimates using the Audatex system.
Honda's new Accord has been named Japan's Car of the Year for the third time.
Prices for the new Nissan Micra will start at £7495 for the entry-level 1.0 E three-door while the basic 1.2 S will cost £7995.
Next year's New London Motor Show has been axed following a lack of industry support.
Garages who do not encourage the use of protective clothing at work are putting the lives of their staff and the health of their business in danger, according to a leading industry body.
Rumours that MG Rover's joint venture with China Brilliance is foundering were further fuelled this morning with the news that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has suspended trading in the Chinese carmakers' holding company.
A positive market reaction to the new MINI is the key factor in a 19 per cent rise in car sales in the first 10 months of 2002, BMW has reported. The Munich firm said it had sold 891,100 cars up to the end of October, compared with 750,300 the previous year, while sales in October alone rose nine per cent to 85,300.
Fiat has posted a 21 percent slump in car sales in October on its Italian domestic market.
New harmonised EU rules on credit, designed to protect consumers from borrowing beyond their means, could cause automotive retailers more grief than the latest block exchange revisions, a motor finance house is warning.
The automotive retail industry is facing an impending crisis over staffing levels, according to a new survey.
Aylesbury-based Europa Safety Products has achieved EN149 2001 compliance for its ESP ranges of disposable respiratory products.
Smart is to launch a new range of equipment and accessories next month for owners of the city-coupe and cabrio.
A new tyre condition diagnostic system – transferred straight from the hi-tech world of motor racing – has been launched on the aftermarket.
Snap-on Sun Tech Systems has introduced a new Windows-based software application designed to act as an interface between the Sun PDL 2000 colour graphing scan tool and the recently introduced Nexus diagnostic platform (pictured).
The Fueler EOBD fault-finding system, previously only offered to Ford franchised dealers, is now available to the general aftermarket.
Citroen's 'VAT free' offer has proved so successful – it achieved an all-time record of 10,000 new car sales in October – that the scheme is being extended to the end of this month. Under the sales initiative Citroen offers to pay VAT on the new car price and on the factory-fit options.
In spite of the Motor Show organiser's protestations at Trade secretary Patricia Hewitt's blistering attack on a Motor Show ad as “sexist” and “old-fashioned” an AM vox-pop of showgoers suggest the SMMT should be sending Ms Hewitt a note of thanks.
Dealers piloting Nissan's new fast-fit operation, Nissan Rapid Service – due to be rolled out to the manufacturer's 230 UK outlets from next year – have been reporting booming sales of replacement parts.
