Unexpected swings in the share price of European Motor Holdings (EMH) have triggered rumours among analysts and speculators of another major motor dealer takeover bid in the wake of Pendragon's recent landmark purchase of CD Bramall.

At last week's National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) convention in Las Vegas there were two clear messages. First, dealers are putting too much emphasis on new cars when they should be concentrating on making more money from used. Second, the dotcom bubble has not burst; it's set to reinflate.

An analysis of manufacturers' offers in the retail sector.

Tough new regulations will force dealers to improve access to showrooms for disabled people

If you buy something for £100, what do you have to sell it for to make a 25% profit margin? The answer is £133, and definitely not £125. What this simple problem illustrates is the difference between a mark-up and a margin (or profit margin).

These are good times for the used car market. According to the newly established CAP Used Car Performance Index, not only did dealers enjoy better results last year than in 2002, the vast majority expect even better retail sales performance this year.

Hyundai has formed a trade parts club and is to launch a new fast-fit style service package in a major push to increase its aftersales share.

Average retail prices for new cars in the UK rose by 5.2% during the 12 months to January 2004. according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers and eurocarprice.com Index of New Car Prices. It shows that average retail car prices in the UK last month were the same as the average for Western Europe, but 1% higher than the average for the euro zone.

Glass's is partnering with SEL-Imperial, the UK's largest supplier of non-OE vehicle parts to launch an automated bodyshop parts ordering system.

Car owners paid out £1.6bn last year to repair their out-of-manufacturer's-warranty cars, with the average garage bill ranging from £85 to £1,623, according to Warranty Direct. The average bill paid by the firm last year stood at £379.31.

Clocking could be cut if the prejudice against high-mileage second hand vehicles were challenged, according to the RMI, whose suggestion follows a week after CAP Black Book reported that the premiums for low mileage vehicles in the used market were falling.

Making the last owners of cars responsible for disposal and recycling costs under the EU ELV Directive could make Britain's abandoned car problem much worse, according to European Metal Recycling Ltd, which has commissioned a MORI poll on the subject.

Pendragon plc, the AM 100 leader due shortly to complete its agreed acquisition of AM 100 No 2 CD Bramall plc, has reported preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2003.

New registrations in Europe (EU-15 + EFTA) for January 2004 reported by ACEA totalled 1,173,273 units, representing a year-on-year drop of 1.6 %in the EU-15 and Western Europe as a whole.

CO2 emissions from new cars sold in the EU dropped by 10.8% between 1995 and 2002, according to the 4th Annual Report on CO2 Emissions from New Cars, adopted by the EC yesterday.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released performance ratings for tyres used on most of the USA's passenger vehicles.

In a move that responds to recent attacks from consumer bodies on US dealers' F&I practices, the American Financial Services Association has announced that its members will add a new statement to their vehicle financing contracts that tells consumers they may negotiate the APR when they finance a vehicle through a dealership.

The Retail Motor Industry Federation has reached a landmark in its history after constant campaigning helped push membership past the 10,000 mark.

Carmakers will be responsible for disposing of end-of-life vehicles, according to Government proposals unveiled last week. Whitehall wants manufacturers to be responsible for contracting a network of authorised treatment facilities to deal with dismantling and disposal.

DaimlerChrysler will be producing hybrid vehicles within three years, despite reservations about their high cost and long term future, according to Chrysler president and CEO Dieter Zetsche.

Lookers, the UK's eighth biggest dealer group by turnover, is to build a new £4.5m dealership in Birmingham. Located at the Star City entertainment complex just off the M6, the Vauxhall dealership will open in May.

Derek Cook, the newly appointed managing director of Virgin Cars, is planning to open 12 supersites over the next five years as he transforms the business into a volume retailer. Cook is also planning to make inroads into the fleet sector by targeting small businesses.

You can't tell from this winter testing shot, but Citroen's C5 has been given a radical facelift. Every single exterior panel apart from the roof has been dramatically changed. At the rear are new boomerang shaped tail lights, while the headlights are asymmetrical in shape.

Masters of South London, the former Vauxhall franchised dealer group, has been put into administration with debts of more than £1m. Eighty staff have been made redundant across sites at Croydon, Mitcham, Morden, Sanderstead and Dorking, with the majority of redundancies at the Mitcham site.

CarShock, the northern-based car supermarket, is going on the acquisition trail. The firm, which has been the fastest growing car retailer in the UK for the last two consecutive years according to The Sunday Times, is now on the hunt for what it terms 'underperformers'.

Experian is extending its Car Data Check website with Inventory Management, a data extraction, cleansing and enhancement service for dealers.

Outgoing NADA chairman Alan Starling has taken a swipe at the CSI system, calling it “flawed”, and urged carmakers to stop using it as a method to “beat up dealers”.

MG Rover has a tough job to turn around its business, but dealers are confident it is bringing through new product that will succeed.

Triumph, the British motorcycle manufacturer, is looking to attract more car dealers to its network. The Leicestershire-based company wants to add eight new retailers to help boost sales and grow market share.

Renault is planning a major review of its used car scheme. A pilot programme is being implemented this year before a roll-out across the dealer network by the end of 2005.