Following this week's 0.25% rise in the Bank of England's base interest rate, Glass's Market Intelligence Service has calculated a rise to 5% would cost only £2.69 a month more on a three-year £6,000 car loan
Research undertaken by software house epyx's '1link Service Network' suggests that its online service management facility can quadruple the efficiency of fleet maintenance controllers.
DaimlerChrysler made an operating profit of $7.2 billion last year, compared to $8.6 billion in 2002. This figure included Chrysler restructuring expenses of $591 million. Total revenues in 2003 fell by 7% to $171.9 billion, though adjusted for currency translation effects, they increased by 3%.
Dana Corporation has named Michael J. Burns chief executive officer, president and a director of the company. Burns, who has been President of General Motors Europe since 1998, succeeds the late Joe Magliochetti, who died in September 2003.
Thatcham, the insurer-funded Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, has made changes to the online Thatcham Parts Guide related to the derivative match feature, a function that allows searching for selected parts across different vehicle models sold by a given manufacturer.
The Energy Saving Trust, which distributes Powershift grants to incentive the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles, has published a paper suggesting the value of individual grants may be reduced by up to 40% in the next financial year.
Dixon Motors has entered all its South Yorkshire dealerships into the Motor Trade Partnership scheme developed by the region's Trading Standards Service. Similar partnerships operate elsewhere in the UK, but dealer take-up has been patchy.
Robert Barris has been appointed as the new managing director for SYUK Cars Ltd, the importer of SsangYong vehicles. He replaces Peter Ellis, who becomes deputy chairman.
The January 2004 edition of the Castrol Business Services Trend Tracker shows Honda and Toyota dealers achieved the best service retention performance last year. VW, Audi Mercedes and Volvo also gave good accounts of themselves.
Adjusted for seasonal selling patterns, January new registrations in the US were at an annual rate of about 16.1 million, which, with declines in market share by GM and Ford, has affected automotive share prices. Forecasts had expected some 400,000 more sales.
The German ZDK dealer's federation has pronounced unanimously in favour of maintaining the September 2005 date for the abolition of dealer territories under the motor industry new block exemption, after a week of what the organisation describes as sometimes controversial debate.
VW has launched a free air conditoining offer across the Golf Mk 5 range, representing an effective discount of €1,225 or an average 8%, only three and a half months after the model's continental launch.
The OFT is consulting on new guidance for the motor retailers who sell vehicles with no face-to-face contact - such as online, by mail order or by telephone. A mandated cooling-off period is the main concern.
According to Glass's Information Services, sales of most new luxury saloons have fallen back or remained static, losing out to large prestige 4x4s and large prestige saloons.
For the second year running, Interleasing has beaten 22 major leasing companies to come top in APD's 2003 Landmark Post-Sale CSI Survey, while ALD Automotive, named the best company in this year's Landmark Pre-Sale CSI survey, also topped the Pre-Sale CSI chart last year.
Bankers Integration Group (BIG), the developers of BIGFNI, a web-based financial interface that links lenders with dealers, announced the addition of Jacques Nasser, former Ford Motor president and chief operating officer, and Roy Roberts, former General Motors vice president of marketing, as investors at the NADA Convention ending today at Las Vegas.
In his address to the National Automobile Dealers Association's (NADA) 87th Annual Convention & Exposition NADA 2003 Chairman Alan Starling praised the US auto retail industry's progress on ethics and communications over the past year. He said the coming years will be defined by a mutual “respect” between dealers and auto manufacturers, government and media.
Volvo dealers can expect a flurry of new car launches over the next five years as Ford positions the marque as its volume brand within the Premier Automotive Group.
When you're on to a good thing, stick to it. The original Golf-based Octavia is the car that took the Skoda brand out of the bargain basement and made it the smart choice for thinking buyers who want quality, functionality and value for money.
It is doubtful that franchised dealers or carmakers will have been too shocked to discover before Christmas that the Office of Fair Trading was publishing a report criticising the UK service and repair market. The British motor trade has grown accustomed in recent years to attacks from consumer groups.
Land Rover dealers were left counting the cost of strike action
Used car dealers are enjoying good times in Britain, reporting better performance last year than in 2002 and overwhelmingly predicting an even better 2004.
Franchise dealers with manufacturer-approved or specialised body repair facilities could be invited to join accident solutions company ABS' 240-strong repairer network; it believes the recent block exemption changes will make it easier for them.
Honda's consolidated net income for the fiscal third quarter ended December 31, 2003 totalled Y151.0 billion (US$1,410 million), a year-on-year increase of 31.2%.
Proton is also offering a new four-year free servicing offer for new Proton buyers of selected models in the coming two months, alongside a more conventional free winter check at its network's dealerships.
Dealers have less than a year to comply with new insurance regulations or face being unable to sell insurance, warns the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI).
Motorists would back putting all of the £42 billion they currently pay in tax onto fuel, scrapping the tax disc and abandoning plans for future road user charging, says the RAC's latest annual Report on Motoring.
Datamonitor's Business Review newsletter reports that MG Rover has expressed an interest in Slovakia as a potential location for a new €200 million vehicle assembly plant.
The Body Repair Industry Campaign BRIC says it's delighted with the approach adopted by the OFT to the ABI's General Terms of Agreement (GTA) in relation to credit hire arrangements for non-fault drivers. The OFT has given the GTA conditional exemption after changes were made.
UK Skills is encouraging companies and individuals from the automotive industry to enter to enter for this year's National Training Awards, which last year attracted over 1,000 entries.
