Discounts offered by dealers on diesel cars remain on par with those on petrol models despite dwindling sales, finds new analysis by What Car.
Car dealers reported a 60% decline in demand during March as reaction to political uncertainty over Brexit the introduction of WLTP-related taxation changes caused owners to hold on to their cars for longer.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has expressed concerns that the Government’s six month Brexit extension has extended the current period of uncertainty for the automotive sector.
Over half of car buyers would buy a car without taking a test drive, according to a new Opinium survey of over 2,000 UK drivers.
The fully-electric Nissan Leaf was the fastest selling used car in March, according to Motors.co.uk.
Brexit headwinds have been blamed for an 11% decline in new car purchase enquiries to UK car dealers during March.
Used cars are selling almost 20% faster on Scotland’s forecourts than the UK average of 31 days, according to data published by CarGurus – taking an average 25 days to turn.
Motorpoint Group has said that it expects to report a 6% increase in revenues and a 10% increase in underlying profit before tax in its forthcoming annual financial results to March 31, 2019.
Car consumers have been turning to shorter lease lengths with less money upfront amid Brexit and general new car market uncertainty, new data from Leasing.com suggests.
The Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) has revealed that new business in the point of sale (POS) consumer car finance market increased 2% by volume and 6% by value in February 2019.
Used Hyundai Tucsons left dealer forecourts faster than any other car in March, according to a new report from Indicata.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging specialist Ionity will open the first of 50 planned 350kWh rapid charge stations in the UK next month - with the remaining sites to be added over the next 18 months.
Ford sold more than 9,500 fewer cars during March to top to the table of the month’s biggest registrations decline by volume during the crucial ‘plate change month.
The SMMT has called on Government to bring an end to the threat of a ‘no deal’ Brexit to restore consumer confidence following a 3.4% decline in new car registrations during March.
Car retailers were unable to take advantage of a milder February on their forecourts as profitability statistics published by ASE showed a £19,600 loss during the month – matching 2018’s performance.
Strong demand for used diesel vehicles has resulted in a 5.6% increase in values during Q1 as part of an apparent resurgence in popularity, according to data published by Autorola.
The number of people taking up Apprenticeships in January were 21% down on the same month in 2017, despite showing a 15% year-on-year increase at the start of 2019.
Brexit, a global slowdown and confusion over the future of diesel vehicles have combined to create a crisis of consumer confidence which may have driven 2.4 million motorists away from a new car purchase.
The problem of vehicle clocking is one the rise with one-in-14 cars on UK roads showing “mileage discrepancies”, according to research carried out by Cap HPI.
With Brexit looming and the uncertainty of what that will mean for the industry, it’s fair to say that Q1 2019 has been like no other for UK automotive dealers.
