NEWS

FORD Fiesta buyers have voted the supermini best car of 2009 by buying it in greater numbers than any other new car.
SMMT figures show the Fiesta is way ahead of the rest, with 117,296 sales.
Bosses at Ford are celebrating further too, as the Focus came out in 2nd place overall in the new car [...]

NEW car sales finished 2009 down 6.4 per cent - but in December sales were up 38.9 per cent.
The figures are a big advance on the worst-case scenario estimates by some at the start of the year.
Totals as low as 1.6 million were spoken of by some – so the SMMT is relatively pleased [...]

SMMT figures show a big rise in UK car production with the number of cars built here last month rising by 15.7 percent.
Boss Paul Everitt said November production saw the FIRST increase since September 2008.
This is a reflection of the ‘positive impact of scrappage schemes and economic stability in a number of major European [...]

SMMT chief Paul Everett has welcomed the Chancellor’s support of new eco car technology.
However, he is now seeking clarity on ‘unclear’ details in the rest of the Pre-Budget Report.
‘2010 is set to be another extremely difficult year for the UK motor industry, as increased VAT and first year VED rates directly impact on consumer demand,’ [...]

SCRAPPAGE registrations have smashed the quarter-million mark after snaring a fifth of November sales.
21.6 percent of motors registered in November were under the scrappage scheme.
This means the impact of it remains huge, said SMMT chief Paul Everitt. ‘Scrappage continues to have a positive impact on vehicle registrations, contributing to the 57.6 percent increase in November’s [...]

THE motor industry has handed Alistair Darling a letter outlining its concerns ahead of his Pre-Budget Report.
The move by the SMMT – ahead of the report on Wednesday – urges the chancellor to continue Government support to ‘safeguard the motor industry recovery’.
In the letter, SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt explains maintaining demand for private vehicles, [...]

FORD once again topped the November new car sales chart with the Fiesta easily beating the next-best.
Which, as luck would have it, was also a Ford – the Focus!
The November performance marks the 9th month in 2009 that the Fiesta has topped the charts. Total Fiesta sales stand at 109,420. Again, the Focus is the [...]

VOLVO says it will become the first premium brand to sell more new cars in 2009 than it did last year.
New car sales to date stand at 31,393… with 2008’s year-long total of 31,655 in clear sight!
This will also see the brand exceed its Q4 sales target of selling more than 10,000 cars… giving [...]

SMMT figures show November car registrations were up 57.6 percent on 2008 levels – in line with 2007 sales.
This has led SMMT chief Paul Everitt to predict the market will exceed 1.975 million units.
Could the 2009 UK new car market thus defy all odds and hit the magic 2 million mark?
So far, the 2009 new [...]

SELF regulation must be accepted by car garages if it is to avoid costly legislation laid down by Government.
This was the theme of discussions in Parliament yesterday, as the self-regulation debate was put before the All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group.
Motor Codes director (and Car Dealer Magazine columnist) Chris Mason made a compelling case for self regulation [...]