NEWS

SMMT latest figures show the number of cars built in the UK has suffered an 8.9 percent drop.
This is the first fall since October 2009 and comes as European markets phase out scrappage incentive schemes.
Exports for July were down over 10 percent, accounting for 73 percent of homegrown cars. UK car consumption was also down, [...]

CHEVROLET was a surprise faller in official SMMT new car sales figures with a 66 percent decline.
But MD Mark Terry has told Car Dealer Magazine it’s actually nothing to worry about – because the figures tell a misleading story.
Terry told us that it’s actually because of Chevrolet’s new 5 Year Promise deal, which has just [...]

THE Vehicle Remarketing Association has recruited its 35th new member just 5 months after launching.
Enterprise Rent A Car is the latest to join up.
This means the total number of vehicles handled by VRA members now exceeds a key goal of 1.5 million every year!
Representing the £9 billion remarketing sector, interest in the VRA has [...]

RMI director Sue Robinson says boosting car buyer confidence will be key to avoiding a sales plunge.
Latest figures for July show a decline of over 13 percent.
Retail sales have been a big factor in this decline, she said – reflecting the worries people have because of job uncertainty.
Government spending cuts are also causing cutbacks which [...]

FORD has REGAINED its number one in the UK car sales chart, new figures from the SMMT confirm.
According to figures released last week by the SMMT, Ford topped the July sales chart with 18,442 registrations and totaled 176,792 cars registered this year.
July also showed the company increasing its retail car market share to 12.1 [...]

CAR dealers are freeing up more time to spend chasing sales opportunities thanks to online sourcing services.
Being able to secure fresh car stock without leaving the office is proving a big advantage during tough trading conditions, says ecommerce specialist epyx.
The firm’s business development head Ken Trinder says even those who insist on seeing the [...]

BMW dealers Knights are celebrating after a successful year of new car sales so far in 2010.
Both their Stoke and Stafford dealerships have risen from the credit crunch with impressive sales increases of 13 percent year on year.
Operations director of Knights BMW Stoke David Vickers said:  ‘The last year has seen the launch of some [...]

A leading warranty-provider is championing a new training concept to maximize aftersales profits.
The Warranty Group aims to train new aftersales ‘superchampions’ to get the most out of dealer profit potential.
Designed and introduced in 2008 to develop on the successful ‘champion’ concept – which typically achieves a fourfold uplift – the firm has high expectations of [...]

SMMT July new car sales show a big FALL for the first time in a year with registrations down over 13 percent.
Figures just released by the SMMT reveal the market declined 13.2 percent in July 2010 - although the year-to-date total is still up 15.1 percent.
Further falls are expected over the rest of the year, [...]

FORD has revealed it cut short-cycle rental business in June in order to improve the brand’s residual values.
This tallies with the consolidation of Ford sales, that has seen the previous best-selling Fiesta slip to third place in the UK sales charts.
However, thanks to early-year success, the Fiesta remains the UK’s best seller year-to-date, with its [...]