BMW's X5 'sports activity vehicle', on sale from next month's Birmingham motor show, marks the start of an assault on the 4x4 market.
BMW GB believes it can challenge top-of-the-range Mondeo, Passat and Vectra after announcing a price realignment of up to 17%.
Three out of four van drivers have received no formal driver training from their employers, according to research from PHH Vehicle Management.
Renault, enjoying considerable success with its stylish Kangoo van, used last week's Frankfurt commercial vehicle show to unveil two new concept vans.
Mitsubishi Motors has launched a van version of its Shogun Pinin to test demand for a compact 4x4 van, with prices starting from £10,995 for the 'i' and £11,995 for the GLX.
Importer MCL is set to cut around one-third of its Mazda UK's head office staff in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, to reduce costs. A company spokesman said the job losses were “one effect of the current difficult state of the market”.
Ford has upset its dealers by not informing them of a plan to launch an online car sales website at next month's Birmingham motor show.
With the continued heavy reliance of contract hire and leasing companies on large volumes of upper medium vehicles, the fortunes of this sector are key to the performance of their operations.
As we have been predicting, price realignment is now well underway. First to move have been the manufacturers of lower volume,executive and prestigious marques.
CarsDirect Europe boss Kevin Gaskell has questioned the wisdom of Microsoft's sponsorship of the Paris motor show which opens this weekend.
Vauxhall Finance's new national marketing manager Andy Savage is planning to arm retailers with the tools to compete against direct lenders and high street operators for finance business.
Peter Rogers has been given the responsibility of shaping HR Owen's training policy after being appointed director of its new Academy.
Carmakers and franchised dealers have attacked an SMMT decision to allow internet-based Virgin Cars to have a high-profile presence at next month's Birmingham motor show. Dealers are not allowed to exhibit.
Honda UK boss Ken Keir predicts that the new Civic, unveiled at the Paris motor show, will raise its new car sales in the UK to “around 90,000” next year.
Vauxhall and Renault took the wraps off their latest joint venture at the Frankfurt commercial vehicle show. The Vauxhall Vivaro and Renault Trafic (same name but all-new for Renault) will be built at IBC Vehicles in Luton.
BSM, the UK's largest driving school franchise, has reconfirmed its fleet deal with Vauxhall for the new Corsa. It will take 2,500 cars in various specifications every seven months.
BMW has accepted that it should have invested more money on marketing the C1 in the UK after it returned disappointing sales figures.
William Jacks has announced losses of £513,000 on its Chiswick, west London, retail outlet designed to represent Rover, MG and new Mini. Its profit was halved.
September registrations after 20 days' trading were down 9.1% to 230,249 units on the corresponding period last year.
The first evidence of a strong fightback by franchised dealers in the face of internet-related competition comes in a survey by Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGEY).
Volkswagen has given the Passat, launched in 1996, a mid-term makeover to compete with the new Ford Mondeo and Renault Laguna.
Parallel imports in the refinish sector are becoming as big a problem to paint manufacturers as they are to carmakers. Many paint companies remain tight-lipped about just how much these imports affect their business, but one or two company insiders are beginning to raise the alarm that the problem is growing – and dramatically.
Daewoo has enhanced its used car operation with extended warranties and an improved vehicle exchange policy to offer customers a new car buying experience.
Franchised and used car dealers posted significant growth in sales of older models last year, tightening their stranglehold over the private sector.
Auto Trader Interactive is overhauling its core database to handle growing demand from dealers and third party sources wanting to place used cars on the website.
Glass's Information Services has extended its Trader Desk vehicle marketing service for dealers by providing a link to Autopig.com, the online buying/selling service.
Paint manufacturers are beginning to take steps to catch up with the explosion in online trading.
HPI has teamed up with Orange, the mobile phone operator, to launch M-Check, which gives customers access to vehicle information via their phone handset.
Paint companies are offering body repairers backhanders as high as £500,000 in order to secure business, according to industry insiders.
