Former Lucas Service managing director Brian Waters is warning of trouble ahead in the aftermarket after more than two years of industry turmoil and company closures.
The Institute of the Motor Industry has called for automotive servicing and repair technicians to be licensed, rather than the garage.
A Californian company is looking for a UK aftermarket distributor for a new device claimed to offer dramatic reductions in vehicle emissions and improved fuel economy.
Less than three months after its launch, Platinum Batteries is close to signing up its 100th official UK dealer.
Dealer group Glenvarigill has been sold to a management buy-out led by managing director Tim Bartlett and finance director Gavin Manson for an undisclosed sum. The purchase from liqueur firm Drambuie had been expected to be completed by May, but was delayed while funding was finalised.
Fiat Auto chief executive Giancarlo Boschetti has ousted UK managing director Jim Blades, replacing him with his own man Massimo Toso, as he looks to revive flagging sales performance.
Manufacturers must look to control the number of new cars going into the market to ignite interest in used vehicles, according to a leading motor industry expert.
Auto-Online, the high-profile internet-based b2b used car remarketing service, has been saved from administrative receivership by founders Douglas and Karen Rotberg.
Mercedes-Benz USA and its dealers in the New York area are being investigated for alleged price-fixing, according to DaimlerChrysler. The allegations cover 27 Mercedes dealerships in metropolitan New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Seat is urging its dealers to expand capacity, either by investing in larger premises or by taking on more staff and operating shift patterns as it bids to increase UK sales.
British sports car manufacturer AC is back in business after being bought by a Malta-based consortium with backing from Volkswagen Financial Services Australia.
July registrations were on track for a new record as AM went to press, up 14.5 per cent and totalling 147,231 units with six sales days left, compared with 128,601 over the same monthly period in 2001. The result is in contrast to June, when sales stalled by 3.7 per cent year-on-year, ending 20 months of growth.
Ryland Group this week formally rejected Guinness Peat's £35.6m indicative offer as an “opportunistic bid” that “significantly undervalues” the company and its prospects.
AM's autumn conference 'The future is here: how tomorrow's cars will reinvent automotive retailing' - will be staged at the British International Motor Show on Thursday, October 24.
Guessing which component would fail next used to be part of the Alfa Romeo owning experience. Now it's a matter of anticipating which bits of Alfa's parent company will drop off. Because, while Fiat Auto appears to be coming apart at the seams, the Alfa brand has at last got the build quality its heritage deserves.
Little-known investment specialist CVC Capital Partners is set to become one of the biggest players in the British aftermarket with the acquisition of Halfords, and the expected cut-price purchase of Kwik-Fit from Ford.
Alan Bowkett will be appointed Lex Service chairman when Sir Trevor Chinn retires at the end of the year. Bowkett joins the board as deputy chairman next month.
Vauxhall has started piloting a finance and insurance programme in conjunction with Car Care Plan which it believes will help dealers boost F&I profits.
Harley-Davidson is to open a new flagship dealership at the end of the year on the site of a former Mercedes-Benz outlet axed under the DaimlerChrysler retailer network revisions.
Independent parts supplier Motaquip is strengthening its support for factors and expanding its product programme in a bid to raise sales and attract new business.
AM and Sewells Information and Research will stage two contrasting conferences covering different aspects of the relationship between carmakers and franchised dealers.
Reed Automotive, the specialist designer and manufacturer of automotive exterior lighting systems, is restructuring its business in preparation for a major growth drive.
Proton UK has dismissed press reports claiming dealers will be selling Lotus cars alongside its own models within two years, but admits it is looking to weed out the worst performing retailers.
DaimlerChrysler UK is looking to incorporate Smart as its small car division after holding the company at arms' length for much of its two-year existence.
Courtesy cars are set to become an even greater cost burden to bodyshops as experts claim the current highly-competitive lease rates are not sustainable.
Thatcham has turned up the heat on the issue of non-original parts use in accident repairs by hinting that manufacturers who attempt to stifle competition through predatory pricing could be hit by higher group ratings on parts.
European Union competition commissioner Mario Monti believes manufacturers' stranglehold over their dealer networks will be loosened under the revised block exemption regulations, leading to increased competition and greater price harmonisation.
The Government is launching a major crackdown on fraudsters who “hijack” automotive companies. Corporate identity theft happens when cheats take over a company by telling Companies House the firm's directors have resigned.
Private US-based investors have purchased clutch systems manufacturer Automotive Products UK, formerly AP Borg & Beck, in a multi-million pound deal.
