The used car market performed surprisingly well during March despite the best efforts of the continued bad weather to disrupt it.
Car buyers are being advised to choose pre-registered diesel cars to avoid an increase in the tax that has seen the price of some of the most popular models in the market go up by more than £300.
Even as ‘diesel demonisation’ and digital buying cause concern, car dealers are driving the search for new profit sources
Franchised car dealers in Derby could be set to share a slice of “a targeted local scrappage scheme” if the local authority’s plans for a Government-backed programme to improve air quality get the green light.
The Government’s mixed messages on diesel emissions has left car buyers uncertain about their next vehicle purchase, a survey carried out by the AA has found.
Jaguar Land Rover’s relationship with its UK car dealer network will change from a “parent-child” to “adult-adult” after two constructive sets of talks with retailers, conceded managing director Jeremy Hicks.
Cox Automotive has said that sales of used diesel vehicles have continued to contrast those of new diesel cars, despite a year-on-year price rise less than a third of those attracted by petrol counterparts.
Development of battery and hybrid technology is moving swiftly as is the public’s perception and reviewing market data on a monthly basis will ensure a clear and accurate understanding of what is a difficult sector starved of data due to low registration volumes.
A landmark ruling that could see cities across Germany ban older diesel-fuelled vehicles from their streets could be set to impact manufacturing and used car residual values in the country.
FCA Group will phase-out production of diesel cars as part of a decision to ditch the fuel completely by 2022, it has been claimed.
Porsche has brought an end to production of its diesel variants after wielding the axe on the Macan S Diesel and Panamera 4S Diesel.
Premium used cars struggled to achieve top values at auction as hammer prices painted a “subdued” picture during January, according to the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA).
The impact of motorists’ shift from diesel to petrol-powered vehicles could create a “culture shock” for used car retailers in two years’ time, the VRA has claimed.
New research by Mazda has revealed that 55% of UK drivers, and almost 60% of European drivers, see a positive future for petrol and diesel engines.
Hybrid vehicles could be the right choice for the majority of UK motorists, according to data from What Car’s What Fuel tool.
The well documented fall in 2017 car sales was of no surprise to those of us in the industry, who have seen first-hand how successive governments have demonised against diesel car owners without offering viable alternatives to replace existing models.
Aston Barclay has reported that sales of diesel-powered ex-fleet cars have reached a two-year high value at its UK auction sites – indicating the fuel still holds appeal to traders and consumers.
The SMMT has increased its forecasted 2018 new car registrations decline from 5.4% to 5.7% in its latest prediction of how the market's performance between now and the end of 2019.
Corporate fleets leading the exodus away from the fuel as more than 59% of the overall fleet sector asserts that it will not replace vehicles with those powered by the once popular fuel-type.
Auto Trader sees used diesel car prices rise by 3% Used diesel car prices rose by 3% as the average price of a used car rose 6% industry-wide, according to Auto Trader’s Retail Price Index. Despite a fall in the share of searches by fuel-type targeting a diesel vehicle, 71% In November 2016, to an annual low of 53% in January, diesel car sales via the online marketplace generated an average value of £14,405 in last month, compared to the £12,775 realised by the average used car sale. The Auto Trader Retail Price Index analyses data from over 500,000 trade used car listings every day, as well as additional dealer forecourt and website data to deliver its monthly statistics. It said that the £777 increase in the value of a diesel car sold via its platform represented “a promising start for used diesel prices” However, petrol saw a more impressive leap in used prices in January, recording an average price of £10,713, which is a £1,733 jump on January 2017 – representing a 10% increase on a like-for-like basis. Online searches for petrol cars, meanwhile, have steadily risen and accounted for 43% in January 2018, compared to just 26% in November 2016. In January 2018 4% of all fuel-related searches were attributed to alternatively fuelled vehicles, which was no movement from December and a 1% increase year-on-on. Comparing the total volume of AFV searches across the year, the number of searches for AFVs on Auto Trader increased 65% between 2016 and 2017, with electric alone recording a huge jump of 84% in searches. Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader’s retailer and consumer product director, said: “With new diesel registrations continuing to tumble, it’s very reassuring to see used diesel prices not only retaining their value, but actually increasing in January. “It’s clear, however, just how harmful the government’s strong anti-diesel stance has been on the automotive industry. “We can see that the misstep in not clarifying the difference between new Euro6 and older vehicles has seriously dampened consumer buying confidence, reflected in both the ongoing fall in new diesel registrations, as well as the searches on our market place.”
