NEWS

FORD has sold all 101 UK-bound Focus RS500 models – but dealers will still be able to capitalise. That’s because the blue oval is now offering the RS500 engine upgrade kits as part of a £2k dealer-fit kit. This will enable selected Ford car dealers to ‘create’ 350bhp Focus RS models, using parts developed by [...]

INDEPENDENT car garages have a prime opportunity to win profitable fleet contracts says one expert. Network Automotive reckons extensions to fleet car cycles is leading to many more 4- and 5-year-old company cars. Independents are perfectly placed to take up the reigns of maintaining these motors and ensure firms fulfill Duty Of Care laws without [...]

AA Patrols are to boost their roadside repair success rate thanks to a new data provision initiative. Patrols are now able to get technical and diagnostic information from Autodata. This is the same diagnostic data normally used within the professional workshop environment, and means the AA will be able to complete many more repairs on [...]

HYUNDAI and SEAT continue to showcase new ideas for car buyers with groundbreaking new developments. Innovative Hyundai has introduced a cherished car disposal service for sentimental car owners. Using special ‘Garages of Rest’, the new offer humanely dismantles cars, or bury them in special beauty spots and public parks around the UK. The full burial [...]

FIAT has introduced an efficiency-boosting inventory management system across its Group dealer network. This, says the firm, will help dealers manage parts sales and availability more profitably. The PRIM2 system – Parts Retail Inventory Management – will solve a key dealer problem of obsolescence, promises Fiat Group sales manager John Murray. ‘Our confidence in PRIM2 [...]

CAR dealers should target company car fleets with information about their service offers to drive extra business. The trend towards keeping cars on fleet for longer means some firms may be unaware of the extra maintenance demands required. If they fail to keep close tabs on these, warns software firm CFC Solutions, both condition and [...]

KIA has signed a 5-year deal to use Infomedia’s service quote system in all its authorised car dealer service departments. Already used by UK Kia dealers, the worldwide rollout is a big statement of intended uniformity for the brand. It is, however, not alone in the move. Hyundai, Jaguar and Land Rover also stipulate the [...]

VOLKSWAGEN is the latest brand to launch a fixed price service plan to help retain customers in the network. Retail buyers signing up before the end of the year will pay a one-off fee of £250 for the 3 year plan. Impressively, it covers all models, from the Fox city car to the posh Phaeton. [...]

FRANCHISED car dealers are beating independents when it comes to maximising sales opportunities for car warranties. RAC Warranty says there is huge untapped potential for independent car dealers to sell both more comprehensive and longer-term car warranties. It’s a situation that shouldn’t arise either, says sales and marketing director Ian Simpson: ‘There is no reason [...]

HONDA is launching a new programme to manage car repairs after a customer has an accident. The ‘Honda Accident Repair Programme’ is said to be a unique initiative in the car industry. It is described as raising the benchmark for after-accident customer care, and is headlined by the fact it guarantees a replacement car for [...]

SERVICE plans were one of THE hit revenue streams for car dealers in 2009 with sales booming by 250 percent. What’s more, says The Warranty Group, a similar rate of increase is expected for 2010, too. Director Ian Simpson said service plans were fast gaining momentum. ‘Our view is that 2010 could be the year [...]

CASTROL has confirmed it will be a major sponsor of the FIFA 2010 football World Cup in South Africa. Not only that, it will also sponsor the 2014 World Cup – and has signed up three of the biggest names in football as brand ambassadors, too! Christiano Ronaldo, Alan Shearer and Arsene Wenger have all [...]

CAR owners are ignorant about the service safety of many major mechanical components warns a big charity. Brake carried out a survey that showed 2 in 5 motorists owned up to driving with at least one ‘dangerous’ defect in the past year. Worn tyres, broken lights and incorrect oil or water levels were among the [...]

SHOCK figures reveal that 1 in 5 3-year-old cars fail their very first MOT test with vans leading the listings. The information was revealed under the Freedom of Information Act by a BBC journalist. Cars made in 2004 are the focus of the data, which had their first MOT back in 2007. It revealed the [...]

MERCEDES reports that 40 percent of approved used customers are choosing a flexible pay-monthly deal. This big uptake rate comes just 4 months after the new Mercedes Online Warranty was launched. Car dealers are winning big as a consequence. The firm says that a high proportion of upsales are occurring to customers whose new car [...]

MAZDA is responding to warnings 2010 could be a tough year by helping car dealers maximise profits. Aftersales director Steve Jellis says his area of operation is a strong candidate to make money for dealers. Up to HALF a dealer’s profit can come from aftersales, he says! ‘Mazda has a relatively high proportion of sales [...]

TURBO engines are more likely to break down than non turbo engines, according to shock findings. Warranty Direct has discovered turbo engines have a failure rate of 27.8 percent. Non turbo engines, in comparison, have a failure rate of 11.3 percent. What’s more, turbo engines cost more to fix – the average repair cost is [...]

300 Service Plan champions have been trained by The Warranty Group in quarter 3 alone. The scheme follows a similar programme ran last year – which saw a sales increase of 400 percent! Champions are specially trained to fully explain Service Plan benefits to customers. This approach gives car dealers the ability to fully explain [...]

FORD is launching an initiative that will help car dealers boost aftersales business from older-car owners. Blue oval dealers can now offer a special £99 Ford Value Service, to owners of car 3 years old or more. As an added bonus, the maker is also including a year’s European breakdown recover package, from Ford Assistance, [...]

CAR Dealer Magazine has full results from the 2009 Motor Trade Insider Main Dealer franchise Survey. This, says the firm, is the first such independent test of its kind. And it’s no surprise to discover that, yes, Lexus tops the listings! Based on the same CSI methodology that franchised main dealers have to follow, it [...]