NEWS

SMMT figures for June show new car registrations were up 10.8 percent despite the end of the scrappage scheme. These figures continue to be ahead of SMMT expectations, says the UK car trade body. It means new car registrations remain up by nearly 20 percent in the first half of 2010 – which, says the [...]

KIA is recalling 6585 Picanto models to replace the fuel filler neck due to possible damage from road grit. Some leaks have already occurred, which is why the company is taking action. Dealers will be seeing owners of Picantos built between November 2009-February 2010. The 6585 total is a decent proportion of Picanto sales; 7700 [...]

MINI has contradicted the scrappage rule by posting a sales RISE since the end of the scheme. Observations that the scheme only benefited small cars have been disproven by the British-produced car’s sales. That’s despite MINI introducing a special value-priced First model during the campaign, that aligned prices much more closely with mainstream superminis. UK [...]

9 in 10 scrappage sales were additional ones that did not pull forward further sales, reveals a new Glass’s report. The firm has thus called it ‘one of the most successful ever collaborations between car manufacturers and Government’. Doom-sayers said the scheme would make people who were planning to by a car later in 2010 [...]

EUROPEAN car sales fell 6.7 percent in April as scrappage schemes ended across many nations. Germany’s scrappage scheme ended a while back – Italy’s now has too, meaning both markets have actually started falling. After its recent success, JATO Dynamics says it is Ford that’s been hit. Sales of the blue oval have not only [...]

SCRAPPAGE scheme registrations are almost complete as the SMMT announces its latest update. Total registrations are now 395,500 – tantalisingly close to the 400,000 official total. Cars make up 388,540 of these, with 6959 LCVs also being registered through the scrappage initiative. This follows the ending of the scheme in March. SMMT chief exec Paul [...]

DEALERS are switching to DMS systems to drive additional sales avenues following the end of the scrappage scheme. Innovative solutions are being sought to fill the gap left by scrappage, and DMS mining is a growing trend. Pinewood technology says car dealers are applying lessons learned during the scrappage scheme boom here – where they [...]

RESEARCH into car dealers’ post-scrappage plans has found many car dealers are missing a trick. Now the successful scheme has finished, car dealers must find other ways to incentivise customers into the showrooms – but some are doing this better than others. An rts researcher telephoned 50 dealers posing as a potential scrappage customer, with [...]

SCRAPPAGE is continuing to impact the new car market with total registrations hitting 372,401 cars. This was the figure at the end of March, meaning scrappage still accounted for 12.2 percent of new car registrations. It is good news for the Government, which has been working to ensure no orders get ‘lost’ in the system [...]

CHEVROLET is offering new car buyers a scrappage-like £2k incentive deal for any 6-10 year old motor. Called ‘Switch and Save’, it comes as the official Government scheme ends – and, as Chevrolet points out, is even more generous. Running until June 30, it is offered on all models except the Spark and Matiz city [...]

SCRAPPAGE should be continued reckon nearly 2 in 3 Brit new car buyers in a recent survey. Carmony.co.uk said that well over 70 percent of Brits liked the scheme and understood how it worked. Furthermore, over half reckoned it had the desired effect and had encouraged people to buy a new car during the recession. [...]

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 [...]

HONDA car dealer Kevin Adams has saved an immaculate Porsche from being destroyed under the scrappage scheme. The Brayley Honda sales manager rescued the 70,000-mile coupe from the crusher and has added it to his classic fleet. It was just in the nick of time too, he explained. It was only by chance that he [...]

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt has praised the ‘largely self-funding’ UK scrappage scheme. Today, the scheme draws to a close, after providing what Everitt says was a crucial boost. ‘The Scrappage Incentive Scheme has given a much needed stimulus to the UK motor industry boosting sales and production volumes, protecting thousands of jobs in retail [...]

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 [...]

NISSAN is offering a minimum £2k trade-in deal against any new British-built car as scrappage ends. The new trade-in deal sees eligibility extended to cars 7 years or older – that’s motors registered on or before 31 August 2003. As ever, the deal requires cars to have a valid MOT, and also have been owned [...]

SWAPPAGE schemes continue to grow with Skoda the latest firm to introduce its post-scrappage scheme. ‘Happy Swapping’ is available to buyers of Skodas trading in a 52-plate car or older. This will save them at least £2k, which takes the entry price for the brand down to £7340. Head of Skoda Operations David Ovenden said [...]

MAZDA is launching a simple post-scrappage deal for customers that eliminates the need for a trade-in motor. This, says Mazda director Mark Cameron, ‘ensures anyone who wants to buy a new Mazda can benefit from a great deal’. To remove ‘discrimination’ now scrappage funds have run out, the firm plans to market a range of [...]

SCRAPPAGE incentives drawing to a close could put the car market recovery at risk reports JATO Dynamics. The intelligence firm points to the German car market as evidence of this. Since the end of scrappage scheme, German sales are down 29.8 percent – and the market has AGAIN been outsold by Italy… … which still [...]

VAUXHALL is launching a special series of lower-priced Expression models with cuts of up to £3675. ‘Almost all’ Vauxhall model ranges are now boosted by the lead-in entry-level models, which are badged either Expression or ES. The firm says it is doing it to attract buyers who previously thought Vauxhalls were too expensive. However, it [...]