Vertu Motors reports that its trading performance for the last year will be ahead of current market expectations, with its retail car sales outstripping the national market.
The March market gives dealers the chance to prosper with used car finance alongside loans for 13-plate first registrations, said Karl Werner, MotoNovo Finance head of sales and marketing.
Next month’s arrival of the 13-plate will offer the chance of a surge in showroom loans, and one lender plans targeted campaigns and incentives at a local level.
The 13-plate will boost March sales of new cars to the year’s largest in a month, which means dealer stocks of used units will be swelled by 2013’s biggest influx of part-exchanges.
The boss of dual franchise dealer Charters Group has established a new business exploiting his expertise in property deals.
Group 1 Automotive has acquired Inchcape’s four Ford dealerships for an undisclosed sum.
Edinburgh-based Nissan dealer Alex F Noble has announced the appointment of Stuart Pender as service manager.
Commercial vehicle dealers, both light and heavy, have traditionally been managed and operated by an ‘old guard’ demographic who, unlike their passenger car peers, have brand and dealer loyalty often extending back decades.
Maserati has updated its rear-wheel drive GranTurismo MC Stradale for 2013 with more power and space.
At £840,000 to £1.5 million a piece and limited supply, it’s not surprising the average Bugatti sales executive sells just two cars a year.
Auto Trader has reported a significant increase in new car searches, apparently confirming the rise in private demand noted by the SMMT.
Hyundai has appointed a new dealer for Peterborough.
The Volkswagen Golf GTI will be available to order in the UK from March 26 and first deliveries are expected in June.
Audi is looking to increase its market share beyond 6% this year to over 140,000 units in 2013.
South East-based dealer group SMC Cars has reported increased sales thanks to a three-month retargeting campaign by digital agency GForces.
Nissan has improved the battery range of its Leaf from 109 miles to 124 miles with its next model and production for European units will move to Sunderland in the spring.
Land Rover has developed a new nine-speed automatic transmission for its new models which will help improve fuel economy and carbon emissions output.
Volvo models of the future will feature Active High Beam Control which will mean drivers will always be driving with full beam on but the system features a mechanism that prevents dazzling oncoming drivers.
Representatives from two major Chinese colleges have visited the Institute of the Motor Industry and IMI Awards as part of a 12-day ‘Train the Master Trainer’ programme.
Stoneacre Motor Group has unveiled a new series of television adverts to be shown around popular ITV1 programmes including Emmerdale, Coronation Street, All Star Family Fortunes and the ITV lunchtime and early evening news.
As if proof was needed that even retailers selling to the wealthiest demographic have to work harder in a recession, look at the case of Bentley Motors.
Dealers last year missed out on providing loans, as well as selling cars, because their websites did not work properly for the range of devices used by people making searches.
Many dealer groups have plans to ramp up showroom sales now they are taking a record 70.8% of the total.
Nissan has confirmed that its Nismo performance brand will generate more road cars in the future following the launch of a new HQ and development centre in Yokohama, Japan.
McLaren’s P1 hybrid supercar will be priced from £866,000 when it goes on sale in March across the world.
The Sytner Group has beaten more than 140 approved BMW dealerships across the UK to win the BMW Corporate Sales Dealer of the Year award.
Dealer business confidence is increasing in the UK with a 26.2% improvement for the outlook this year in comparison to 2012.
Aftersales departments need to concentrate on building trust to secure long term profitability, according to Richard Beevers, director of Customer Plus.
Ford has signed a deal with Spotify which will see its future models come with music streaming capabilities which will give customers access to millions of music tracks.
Honda UK has appointed a new managing director following Dave Hodgetts’ promotion to become European Regional Auditor for the Japanese manufacturer.
