Friday, October 06, 2006
Car importer rapped by OFT
Micronet Showroom, a Nottingham-based car importer, has been rapped by the Office of Fair Trading for failing to supply cars to customers.
Consumers complained to Trading Standards that they had paid for vehicles but were subjected to long delays before receiving them.
Those who tried to obtain a refund found it difficult. The OFT has secured written undertakings from Micronet Showroom agreeing to reimburse all money within thirty days of the cancellation of the contract.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Consumers complained to Trading Standards that they had paid for vehicles but were subjected to long delays before receiving them.
Those who tried to obtain a refund found it difficult. The OFT has secured written undertakings from Micronet Showroom agreeing to reimburse all money within thirty days of the cancellation of the contract.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Daihatsu dealer drive on track
Daihatsu has claimed its dealer recruitment drive is on track as the Japanese compact car brand looks to reach its target of a 145-strong retail network.
Operations director Paul Hegarty said the brand, which currently has 125 dealers, has made 15 new appointments so far this year with ten more in the pipeline.
As part of its recruitment scheme, Daihatsu has appointed Honda’s former head of network development, John Kennedy, as a consultant. Hegarty claimed the brand’s low start-up costs and niche player position were strong drawing cards.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Operations director Paul Hegarty said the brand, which currently has 125 dealers, has made 15 new appointments so far this year with ten more in the pipeline.
As part of its recruitment scheme, Daihatsu has appointed Honda’s former head of network development, John Kennedy, as a consultant. Hegarty claimed the brand’s low start-up costs and niche player position were strong drawing cards.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Scotland bucks falling sales trend
Scotland was the only country in the UK to record a rise in new car sales in September – up 4.42 per cent to 38,821.
Registration s in England were down by just over 1 per cent to 350,090 while the markets in Wales and Northern Ireland declined by 3.5 and 2.4 per cent respectively.
According to the SMMT the Ford Fiesta was the best selling car in England, Northern Ireland and Wales last month but the Vauxhall Astra took top spot in Scotland.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Registration s in England were down by just over 1 per cent to 350,090 while the markets in Wales and Northern Ireland declined by 3.5 and 2.4 per cent respectively.
According to the SMMT the Ford Fiesta was the best selling car in England, Northern Ireland and Wales last month but the Vauxhall Astra took top spot in Scotland.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
RMIF welcomes freeze on interest rates
The RMIF has welcomed the decision by the Bank of England to leave interest rates unchanged.
The trade body said the decision would be welcome news for consumers and provide car dealers with some breathing space.
Sue Robinson, director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association, said: “Car dealers will hopefully enjoy a period of stability in what is still an economically challenging climate.”
DATED: 06.10.06
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The trade body said the decision would be welcome news for consumers and provide car dealers with some breathing space.
Sue Robinson, director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association, said: “Car dealers will hopefully enjoy a period of stability in what is still an economically challenging climate.”
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
GM calls it quits on alliance talks
GM and Renault-Nissan have scrapped talks on a proposed alliance after the GM board decided the move was not in the best interest of its shareholders.
GM’s talks with Renault and Nissan began in July at the urging of billionaire businessman and GM shareholder Kirk Kerkorian and a deadline was set for 15 October.
GM chief executive Rick Wagoner opposed the alliance believing it provided more benefits for Renault-Nissan than the US car maker.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
GM’s talks with Renault and Nissan began in July at the urging of billionaire businessman and GM shareholder Kirk Kerkorian and a deadline was set for 15 October.
GM chief executive Rick Wagoner opposed the alliance believing it provided more benefits for Renault-Nissan than the US car maker.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Renault announces new UK boss
Renault has announced that Philippe Talou-Derible, the UK managing director, is to leave the company.
He will be replaced by Roland Bouchara who has been managing director at Renault South Africa since 2003.
Derible has served as managing director of Renault in the UK since 2001 - having previously headed up Switzerland - and will return to France as commercial director of Renault Sport where part of his brief will be to develop better links between the division and the parent company.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
He will be replaced by Roland Bouchara who has been managing director at Renault South Africa since 2003.
Derible has served as managing director of Renault in the UK since 2001 - having previously headed up Switzerland - and will return to France as commercial director of Renault Sport where part of his brief will be to develop better links between the division and the parent company.
DATED: 06.10.06
FEED: MT
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Rybrook plans acquisition spree
Rybrook Holdings, which emerged last month when Sytner snapped up nine outlets from the Ryland Group, has appointed Henry Whale as managing director.
Whale was formerly development director of Ryland. His father, Peter Whale, Ryland’s former chief executive, has become Rybrook’s chairman.
The new group operates the 12 prestige dealerships not bought from Ryland by Sytner and plans to embark upon a “significant acquisition programme”.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Whale was formerly development director of Ryland. His father, Peter Whale, Ryland’s former chief executive, has become Rybrook’s chairman.
The new group operates the 12 prestige dealerships not bought from Ryland by Sytner and plans to embark upon a “significant acquisition programme”.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Motorpoint claims record September
Car supermarket group Motorpoints claims to have achieved record car sales for its four UK locations during September.
Across the sites in Derby, Burnley, Glasgow and Newport, South Wales, the company said it sold over 3,000 cars.
Regional sales trends were also pinpointed in the Motorpoint figures. The Newport site sold twice the number of cars as the Glasgow and Burnley sites.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Across the sites in Derby, Burnley, Glasgow and Newport, South Wales, the company said it sold over 3,000 cars.
Regional sales trends were also pinpointed in the Motorpoint figures. The Newport site sold twice the number of cars as the Glasgow and Burnley sites.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Ford tops August pre-reg table
Ford topped the pre-registration table in August by some distance, according to the latest SMMT figures.
The blue oval brand pre-registered 194 units during the month with a combined value of £1.4m.
BMW was second in the list, disposing of just five units, followed by Mini and Toyota. In total, vehicles worth a combined figure of £1.6m were disposed of in August.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
The blue oval brand pre-registered 194 units during the month with a combined value of £1.4m.
BMW was second in the list, disposing of just five units, followed by Mini and Toyota. In total, vehicles worth a combined figure of £1.6m were disposed of in August.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
IM Boss questioned over cash for peerages
Bob Edmiston, the head of car importer International Motors, has been questioned by police as part of the cash for peerages investigation.
He is one of several wealthy Tory backers to be contacted as part of the police inquiry. Edmiston was questioned over the £2m loan he agreed with the Conservative Party ahead of last year’s General Election.
The loan circumvented rules that require all donations of £5,000 or above be made public. Edmiston has since converted the loan into a donation.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
He is one of several wealthy Tory backers to be contacted as part of the police inquiry. Edmiston was questioned over the £2m loan he agreed with the Conservative Party ahead of last year’s General Election.
The loan circumvented rules that require all donations of £5,000 or above be made public. Edmiston has since converted the loan into a donation.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Garages facing OFT crackdown
The Office of Fair Trading has warned that garages not meeting service and repair standards face closure as early as January 2007.
The OFT said it plans to begin inspecting both independent and franchised dealers next year with government inspectors cold calling workshops and quizzing quality procedures.
The National Consumer Council has set repairers a deadline of September 2007 to establish a code of practice or face a super complaint.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
The OFT said it plans to begin inspecting both independent and franchised dealers next year with government inspectors cold calling workshops and quizzing quality procedures.
The National Consumer Council has set repairers a deadline of September 2007 to establish a code of practice or face a super complaint.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Nissan confirms alliance deadline
Nissan has confirmed it will conclude its talks with GM and Renault by mid-October over the merits of a three-way alliance.
The firm said the U.S., European and Japanese carmakers have until 15 October to decide on what benefits a tie-up could bring about and analyse how it could improve the shareholder value of each company.
If the three were to team up, it could create an alliance with a quarter of the global market share and a purchasing budget of £66bn.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
The firm said the U.S., European and Japanese carmakers have until 15 October to decide on what benefits a tie-up could bring about and analyse how it could improve the shareholder value of each company.
If the three were to team up, it could create an alliance with a quarter of the global market share and a purchasing budget of £66bn.
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Car premiums on the rise
Average car insurance premiums have crept up this year and are set to continue rising, according to Sainsbury’s Bank.
The bank’s research estimates that it costs around £2,202 a year to keep a car on the road, with insurance the biggest expense after fuel.
The average premium for men is now £492.77 and for women it is £428.92. Drivers aged 25-39 had the biggest rise in premiums in the first half of this year - up 1.37 per cent to an average of £576.11.
DATED 05.10.06
FEED: MT
The bank’s research estimates that it costs around £2,202 a year to keep a car on the road, with insurance the biggest expense after fuel.
The average premium for men is now £492.77 and for women it is £428.92. Drivers aged 25-39 had the biggest rise in premiums in the first half of this year - up 1.37 per cent to an average of £576.11.
DATED 05.10.06
FEED: MT
Interest Rate Announcements
Interest Rate Announcements
Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.75%
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: BoE
Bank of England Maintains Interest Rates at 4.75%
DATED: 05.10.06
FEED: BoE
