The decision by Fiat Auto to launch Alfa Romeo as a solus franchise in the UK will be backed by an ambitious new model programme.
Fiat has been forced to rethink plans to develop the largest MPV range of any European manufacturer.
Mayflower Corporation, the British engineering group, has confirmed plans to buy a European auto body engineering specialist.
Ilkeston Consumer Co-op, the parent company of the Co-op Motor Group, is launching legal action against a former director following the disappearance of £5.3m from company accounts.
General Motors was this week expecting to sign a $400m (£277m) deal part-funded by one of its alliance partners to acquire a controlling 67 per cent stake in Daewoo Motor. Creditors will have 33 per cent ownership. The world's largest carmaker, which posted first-quarter turnover up nine per cent to £30.7bn, will use the South Korean company to tap into south-east Asia, a market with massive potential for foreign vehicle manufacturers.
Toyota and PSA Peugeot Citroen will begin joint production of their new small car at a new factory in the Czech Republic in 2005.
Ford Motor Company has posted its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, though the $800m (£553m) deficit for the Jan-March period was better than expected. Turnover fell six per cent to $39.86bn (£27.55bn). The vehicle manufacturer blames a sales slump in the crucial US market for the poor performance.
BMW will be piling pressure on the Government to ensure zero emission engines are built in Britain.
Richard Lawson Autologistics has launched a refurbishment and remarketing facility for dealers called Inspect and Collect.
Build quality on the Citroen C3, on sale next month, has been criticised by Channel 5 motoring show Fifth Gear after presenters pulled several sections of trim off the car.
Radical reorganisation facing franchised dealers - including a trend to two-tier networks - will be the focal point of AM's spring conference on June 7.
Guinness Peat Group and JO Hambro have today acquired a further 1.25% of Nationwide Accident Repair Services' share capital, taking their stake to 45.98%.
The Body Repair Industry Campaign (BRIC) was due to submit 'unsupressable' findings on anti-competitive practices in the sector to the Office of Fair Trading this week.
A multi-million pound TV, local radio and consumer press publicity campaign is being rolled out by Castrol UK to whet public appetite for its GTX Magnatec engine oil.
The man who brought Delphi's worldwide aftermarket sites and business lines in to one global unit has been appointed president of the company's aftermarket operations.
Vehicle conversion company Gowrings Mobility has installed 25 Rotary brand lifts in its workshop.
North-west retailer Blue Bell BMW has acquired Lookers' dealership in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
Mazda chief executive officer Mark Fields is to replace Wolfgang Reitzle as head of Ford's Premier Automotive Group.
French Bank BNP Paribas has made a £600m bid for Kwik-Fit, the Ford-owned car repair network.
Smith Knight Fay has acquired Toyota dealer Culvers for an undisclosed sum.
CD Bramall is likely to retain the Quicks brand for part of the business after its £40m approved bid is completed next month.
Nationwide Autocentres has paid £4m for Lex Services' 96 Autocentres, just over a year after acquiring 41 sites from the motoring solutions company. Lex has now withdrawn from the repair sector.
Components supplier Bosch claims uptake by carmakers for its new Aerotwin flat bar wiper blade will have a huge impact on the UK aftermarket.
In a mountain to Mohammed move, Atlas Copco has gone on the road with a new range of automotive compressors.
Valeo Distribution UK has launched an all-new locking petrol cap supplement containing 620 applications and a reminder that any vehicle over three years old risks MoT failure if its fuel filler cap is loose-fitting cap or if the seal has perished.
Siemens VDO Automotive has become the first company in the UK to incorporate the Traffic Message Channel service (TMC) into its aftermarket satellite navigation systems.
Factors demanded it - so Delco Remy developed it: the starter and alternator manufacturer has introduced a new installer training package.
American car parts supplier USAutomotive has been appointed the official distributor for the American Racing range of custom wheels.
Dixon Motors has confirmed that it is in talks with an unnamed company about a possible takeover. The company made the announcement after its shares rose steadily last week.
Leading car manufacturers are planning to buy hundreds of dealership freeholds in a move that will redraw Britain's automotive retail landscape. AM has learned that Volkswagen alone wants to purchase 100 freehold contracts from its dealers - mainly in urban locations. Vauxhall, Honda and Toyota are understood to be among other carmakers on the hunt for freeholds.
