NEWS

SEAT has never operated more car dealers than it is right now as it warns potential recruits to move fast. Open points for the Spanish brand are now almost all filled, following a series of recent openings. Vertu Motors, for instance, has just paid £500k for GK Motors Derby. Lookers and Arnold Clark have also [...]

VERTU Motors has exchanged contracts to take on SEAT’s Derby car dealer through a trade and assets purchase. The leasehold car dealer is being bought from GK Group Ltd, for a sum not exceeding £750k. This consideration mainly represents vehicle stock, and the deal is expected to be complete by 2 August. It will complement [...]

ASE Dealermatch has just secured Tunbridge Wells Kia and SEAT for Waters Retail Group in a strategic deal. The deal, which was for an undisclosed sum, sees Waters Retail take over the retailers from Humphries & Parks Limited. Humphries & Parks does, however, retain its existing Mitsubishi West Malling business. Waters CEO, Darren Payne, said: [...]

SEAT is the UK’s best Manufacturer Partner according to judges of key new car sales scheme Motability. The award praises everyone who ‘delivers outstanding choice, excellence and customer satisfaction’ to Motability customers. There are more than half a million of them every year – making Motability a prime new car sales avenue. SEAT is thus [...]

SEAT will open in Dundee next month thanks to big new Scottish retail partner Alistair Fleming. The firm will open a large 12-car showroom in Macadam Place on 26 July. Alistair Fleming DP, Tony Samuel, said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing the SEAT brand to Dundee and Perth. ‘SEAT is without doubt one [...]

SEAT says it has helped its dealers buck the recession by consistently growing retail market share. Fleet is next. The firm commands 1.64 percent of the UK market so far in 2010. This is up from 1.5 percent in 2009 and 1.38 percent in 2008 – and, thus far, it has largely been driven by [...]

MERCEDES is the latest firm to have a UK boardroom reshuffle with the appointment of Gary Savage as MD. He will take over from the retiring Dermot Kelly at the end of the month. Coming from the MD role at Citroen UK, Savage is a familiar face in the industry. He has also been a [...]

SEAT car dealers are holding a special Bank Holiday used car event with sharp deals on key nearly-new cars. The SEAT Exeo family saloon is being offered from prices starting at £15,250. This will get used car buyers a 2.0 TDI 143 SE model – with 2 years’ free servicing thrown in for free. 4.9 [...]

GOLDEN Garages inaugural winner Kinghams of Croydon says business is booming after winning the award. The SEAT car dealer reports the visit by Vicki Butler-Henderson has seen it quickly become ‘inundated’ with enquiries! Owner Keith Kingham said: ‘We were obviously thrilled to have won the award. It’s a great honour and a source of real [...]

AN eight second 0-60mph hot hatch isn’t much to write home about these days. But 0-60 in eight seconds and just 119g/km CO2? If someone had suggested that was possible two years ago you’d have said they were having a giraffe. Engine and efficiency technology have come a long way, baby. In combining a 143bhp version [...]

TODAY I’ve been driving Seat’s new range of performance diesels and they’ve taken me a bit by surprise. I love a good hot hatch me. My car ownership history is littered with them – I started motoring life in a Fiesta XR2, then latterly a Citroen Saxo VTR and now have a Focus ST. The [...]

SEAT is looking to bolster its dealer ranks in the UK to 125, Car Dealer can exclusively reveal. The manufacturer, which is currently represented by 110 dealers – added eight sites around the country during 2009, but the marque is pushing for more. A spokesman for the manufacturer told Car Dealer: ‘The net effect last [...]

SEAT is using its Ecomotive range of cars to stimulate its post-scrappage range of incentives. The low-CO2 motors are being promoted with savings of up to £3k at car dealers. Unlike scrappage, though, the offers are open to all car buyers, not just those with old bangers to trade in. Even better, reckons the firm, [...]

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 [...]

MARSHALL Motor Group has confirmed it is the new owner of Leicestershire’s Francis Group of dealers. The group brings further Honda, SEAT and Suzuki franchises to Marshall, across 3 locations throughout Leicestershire. Every single employee from the 105-strong staff role call has been transferred to Marshall. ‘This is a great addition to the Marshall business [...]

MARSHALL Motor Group is continuing its growth by agreeing to acquire more car dealer franchises. The firm has agreed to acquire the four businesses of Leicestershire’s Francis Group. This is in line with Marshall’s stated aim of ‘growing beyond its traditional boundaries’ and brings two more Honda businesses to the Marshall portfolio. Francis Group SEAT [...]

BLADE Motor Group has acquired Bristol SEAT and Skoda for an undisclosed sum in a new deal. The deal signals further strengthening of activity in the car dealer transactional sector. Blade says the two VW Group car dealers will reinforce its portfolio of Volkswagen Group retailers. This relationship goes back years, says MD Mike Flanagan. [...]

JCT600 is expanding in the volume cars arena as well as supercars, with yet another brand new dealer. The firm has opened a new outlet for its Peugeot and SEAT range in Menston. This continues the good news that we brought earlier this week, after the opening of JCT600’s flash new Bentley car dealer in [...]

CAP has ranked the UK’s top used market stars of the past 10 years – with Ford topping the overall list. The Ford Focus is CAP’s official Used Car of the Decade. Judges included many used market experts. They voted unanimously to give the overall prize to the Ford Focus, thanks to it setting ‘new [...]

SEAT Approved used car dealers will see their sources of cars bolstered by a new deal with a big auctioneer. Fleet Auction Group will host 12 closed SEAT car dealer auctions, each trading up to 140 cars. The deal is an expansion of a previous 50:50 contract with Manheim – now, FLAG will host all [...]