NEWS

HARRATTS Nissan Sheffield has quadrupled its sales in 2009 and outperformed every other Harratts dealer.
The dealer, which opened in January 2008, recorded a massive 427 percent rise in sales for 2009.
Impressive stuff, said the firm’s directors, given how the UK car industry has contracted by 6 percent in the same period.
Shaun Harratt, MD of [...]

THE Car People is the latest car dealer group to achieve 100 percent completion of the FLA competence test.
In gaining Specialist Automotive Finance status, the firm aims to help promote improved professionalism and expertise when selling car finance.
The Car People’s finance provider, Black Horse, now aims to push the rest of its 10,000 car dealers [...]

FORD yet again leads the way for new car sales with latest February 2010 data giving it another 1-2.
The Fiesta topped the new car sales charts with 3236 units sold. Ford’s Focus was 2nd with 3035 sales.
In 3rd place, but more than 500 units behind, was the Volkswagen Golf with 2586 sales. That was [...]

STRONG February new car sales have been boosted by the extension to the scrappage scheme say dealers.
The RMIF says the decision to extend the scheme into March, coupled with last year’s extra funds for the scheme, means sustained demand has benefited showroom traffic.
Scrappage sales accounted for more than 19 percent of sales in February, with [...]

SALES figures for February have been released and continue to show a scrappage scheme boost.
The market rose by 26.4 percent compared to 2009, with 68,686 new car sales.
Scrappage accounted for 19.6 percent - making February the 8th consecutive month of new car sales growth, said SMMT chief Paul Everitt.
As much of the increase is attributable [...]

DACIA will be introduced to the UK in 2012 with Renault car dealers central to the new brand’s plans.
The budget car line will be sold through Renault UK dealers to ensure maximum economies of scale.
Renault boss Patrick Pelata has made the announcement at the Geneva Motor Show, confirming the much-rumoured expansion of the Dacia brand [...]

TOYOTA is making a concerted effort to reduce its delivery times with the UK taking a leading role.

The firm has been running a ‘Speed Project’ for the past 2 years, with Toyota UK chief Miguel Fonseca playing a leading role in the plan.
Toyota introduced the programme in response to customer feedback over its long lead [...]

KIA has issued a safety notice to owners for its Venga people carrier after suspending delivery to buyers.
The maker has, in testing, discovered the front seatbelt can be damaged by the lower seat mounting rail in a crash.
This means 450 owners who were due to take delivery of their Vengas were told they had to [...]

NEW website UKcarexchange promises dealers higher returns for their unwanted PX stock – and listing on the site is free!
The website utilises a unique ‘price-drop auction’ approach and the concept here is simple: Cars are listed for 14 days and every 24 hours the price drops by a pre-set amount. The idea is that buyers [...]

KIA is launching its new Sportage here in Geneva but doesn’t have a firm idea of when UK dealers will see it!
Left-hand drive production is underway right now – but, such has been the reception of the car, right-hand drive production risks being impacted.
‘We’re currently quoting a delivery ‘range’ of between June and November,’ admitted [...]