American online training specialist CyberCar.com has poached new media director Dave Hawkins from Kalamazoo International.

A pilot servicing loyalty scheme is being launched to customers in seven Renault dealerships.

The Dixon Motor Group is to expand its bodyshop chain of branded Car Clinics this year.

Internet start-up Service4cars.com claims motorists will save up to 25% when booking a service with a franchised dealer through an online service which will also reduce unused workshop capacity.

Alpine, the in-car audio and navigational system manufacturer, will next month be the first company to introduce DVD (Digital Video Disc) navigation in the UK.

Dealers are being urged to focus on maximising sales of warranties, finance and insurance packages.

Autosmart has launched a new service designed to remove the hassle of managing the valeting bay.

Vauxhall has denied speculation that it may offer a three-year warranty on the Agila mini people carrier.

Carmakers, nervous about the release of the Competition Commission report into new car pricing, have been cautious with their finance plans for the second quarter.

Aftermarket companies are rushing to put their products on the internet.

R-M has conceded that it must improve delivery time to the UK following distributor dissatisfaction.

Leading High Street intermediary Hill House Hammond is drafting in staff from around the country to fill the gap left by the collapse of its first response motor claims partner, Motor & Legal Group.

A computerised vehicle scanner is being tested by CarScan at its Edinburgh headquarters.

I recently dug out my old dealership sales log and it was a vivid reminder of how the car retail market has changed in recent years. Every detail of 250 sales a year is recorded, but it wasn't an exercise in nostalgia. I was interested to see how frequently the same customer names cropped up and, sure enough, after three years a large proportion of them did.

The recent events at Rover underline how easily this industry panics. Whatever your personal opinion of Rover, it makes perfectly good cars - even if they cannot be called truly excellent - and it will continue to have a loyal following in the used market for many years.

Polk, the marketing information services supplier, has completed its acquisition of TUP Group which was founded by Virgin Cars chief executive officer Ian Lancaster.

Former Kia head of marketing Gary Elliott has joined the RAC as head of brand management with responsibility for marketing, advertising and research.

Autobytel is stepping up its push into the company car market with relaunched fleet pages and increased emphasis on fleet disposal.

Major carmakers mounted a concerted campaign of preregistration in the last few days of March to boost first-quarter sales figures.

Finance specialist Private & Commercial Finance Group has reported an “encouraging level of interest” from dealers and the public to Carfree, its no-cost used car advertising website launched last month.

Claims that used car dealers are evolving into brokers who buy to a customer's order and take returns on a commission basis have been rejected by industry experts.

Peugeot is preparing a pan-European buyback scheme for its new 607 as it targets the fleet market with promises of strong fleet residual values.

Car superstore group Autolink has opened its third site in the South-east as it plans to “corner the market in affordable cars”.

Motortrade IT firm Dragon 2000 has converted “a good number” of its 400-500 dealership management system users to its business-to-business internet stock locator.

Mitsubishi is to roll out its direct used car sales programme on a national basis as soon as suitable sites for the events can be found.

More than 1,000 dealers have signed up to the 24-hour online car buying facility Cyberlot, according to Manheim Auctions.

Freeserve, the free internet access provider, has launched an online motoring service described as a one-stop shop for UK car buyers.

Denise Kingsmill, who earned a reputation as a tough interrogator during the Commission's nine-month inquiry, said the Competition Commission new car pricing report offered an “objective, thorough and fair” verdict on the industry.

Vauxhall's dealers are the first to feel the effects of the more open competition envisaged by Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers.

Two critical reports claim that the motor industry is overestimating the potential impact of the internet on car retailing.