NEWS

SCRAPPAGE will come to an end TODAY as final funds for the successful Government scheme are used up.
The industry-boosting scheme is set to go down in history as a landmark in the UK car dealer world.
Up to 400,000 new car buyers have been helped into new cars, but the significant of the scheme could be [...]

BUSINESS secretary Lord Mandelson has revealed details of a £270m loan that will ‘help secure’ Vauxhall.
The loan package to GME Europe is being made under the Government’s Automotive Assistance Programme.
GME needs the money to secure longer-term investment. A recent guarantee of €1.9bn from GM has, Car Dealer Magazine, ensured the company has the cash to [...]

MINISTERS are to allocate quotas to car makers for the final funds from the scrappage cash pot.

Officials say rebates for less than 82,000 cars remains as the scheme enters its final weeks.
The rationing will be based on brand popularity, said business secretary Lord Mandelson. This, he said, will ensure the scheme runs down smoothly.
‘With limited [...]

LORD Mandelson has pronounced the first Automotive Council meeting last week to be a significant success.

The UK car industry will strengthen its approach to future eco motoring as a consequence, he explained.
As Car Dealer Magazine earlier reported, the Council is already having an effect, following the announcement of a £19 million competition.
‘This investment is another [...]

AUTOMOTIVE Council members have met for the first time to start strengthening industry-Government links.
The inaugural meet kicked off with a big £19 million competition to boost UK low carbon vehicle projects.
Lord Mandelson and Professor Richard Parry Jones are co-chairman of the Council, which aims to secure a UK car industry future.
SMMT top man Paul [...]

MCLAREN F1 designer Gordon Murray is to become deputy chairman of the new Automotive Council.
The announcement by Lord Mandelson sees him sit alongside fellow deputy David Smith of Jaguar Land Rover.
Both will report to joint chairmen Lord Mandelson and Richard Parry Jones. Other Council members include:
Joe Greenwell: Ford
Bill Parfitt: GM
Kenneth Keir: Honda
Trevor Mann: Nissan
Jurgen Hedrich: [...]

VAUXHALL Opel head Nick Reilly will today meet with Lord Mandelson to discuss job cuts and Government aid.
It will be the first face-to-face meeting between Mandelson, Vauxhall and the Unite union since GM US decided not to sell its European arm.
The BBC reports that the meeting comes prior to GM Europe revealing the fate [...]

LORD Mandelson has today unveiled a new Government-backed Automotive Council to support industry.
It has been set up to help everyone in the industry look at long-term challenges.
The announcement is proof of the high importance Government is placing on the UK’s car industry, to help future economic growth. Mandelson sees the switch to green motoring as [...]

GOVERNMENT support is on the table for any new plans to restructure Vauxhall and GM Europe.
Lord Mandelson has today confirmed that he is ‘keen for very early discussions with GM over their plans for the business and how they will affect British plants and workers.
‘I have always said that if the right long term [...]

MINI workers in Oxford welcomed both two future production models and Business secretary Lord Mandelson.

BMW Board member Ian Robertson presented the models to Lord Mandelson, to show the BMW arm’s commitment to the UK.
‘The UK and Oxford remain at the heart of MINI and we are delighted to confirm that these new cars will be [...]