F&I Management & Training

BRITAIN and France are to spearhead a campaign to persuade the European Union to cut VAT rates on less environmentally damaging products as part of the fight against climate change - including on low emission cars.The two countries finance ministers plan to press the European Union Commission to cut tax rates on greener products with French president Nicolas Sarkozy saying: ‘It is unfair that a polluting car costs less than a car that does not pollute.’Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the initiative would encourage individuals to be more environmentally responsible. Any reduction would have to be agreed by all 27 member states.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: HC

AN Act of Parliament that will simplify the process of buying and keeping a cherished number plate for a vehicle has received royal assent and has passed into law, thanks to ongoing support by the Cherished Numbers Dealers Association, a part of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF).The Vehicle Registration Marks Act will greatly reduce the potential for fraud. Robert Wicken, CNDA chairman, said: ‘Now the Act has passed into law, consumers and cherished number dealers will get a process that provides more choice and flexibility.’ The Act will lead to a new regime where the keeper can grant retention rights directly to the purchaser. For most transactions this will make the process simpler. The outgoing regime made it possible for bogus sales to take place, where the seller takes the buyer’s money but never provides the plate, or the documentation to renew the retention certificate.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: HC

IN-car laser and speed camera detectors are to be banned under new regulations being drawn up by the Department for Transport.The long expected move, which does not apply to GPS-based systems that warn drivers about the location of fixed speed cameras or mobile speed trap zones, was contained in the 2006 Road Safety Act.Punishment for using such gadgets has yet to be decided but is likely to mean drivers who break the law facing penalty points and fines, possibly three points on their licence and a £60 fine. The change in the law relating to speed trap detectors is expected to come into force by early next year.GPS-based systems will remain legal because the Government believes that motorists will drive more safely if they know where speed cameras are.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: HC

ALL police cars should be fitted with aircraft-style ‘back boxes’ amid concerns over the number of people killed or injured in high-speed pursuits, according to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.Around 40 people die each year and hundreds are injured by police vehicles hitting other cars or pedestrians, while answering emergency calls. Last year, forces in England and Wales paid out about £3.5 million to those injured in crashes with police cars.The Commission believes that ‘black boxes’, which record information such as vehicle speed and braking distances, would help crash investigators determine how a crash occurred and help restore confidence in the police.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: HC

AUDI has unveiled a raft of technological wizardry to curb the amount of climate altering gases its cars emit. Headline improvements will be the arrival of what Audi claims are the cleanest diesels in the world, as well as many new carbon dioxide-reducing measures like stop-start and energy recovery, and development of alternative fuels.Diesel engines will get the option of ‘AdBlue’, an additive that in conjunction with the catalyst helps clean exhaust gases and reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by 90%, allowing Audi diesels to be sold in the US for the first time. Audi has also confirmed these diesels will be available in Europe next summer.Audi is rapidly developing its alternative to BMW’s ‘Efficient Dynamics’ technology, introducing energy-recovering alternators and stop-start to the TDI and TFSI engines in the future. Also in development is a hybrid system for its full-size Q7 4x4.Audi will introduce a fleet-friendly version of its A3, dubbed ‘E’, before the end of 2007. It will average almost 63 mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of 119g/km. To achieve these figures it has a bespoke set of gearbox ratios, tuned aerodynamics and low-resistance tyres.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: HC

THE autumn Pre-Budget Report could see the Government announce company car tax incentives on Euro5 emission compliant diesel cars.Favourable future treatment of Euro5- and Euro6-compliant diesel engines was mentioned in the 2007 Budget report and a Treasury spokesman says that tax breaks for cars and small vans were currently being considered with an eye to a possible announcement in the Pre-Budget Report.A 3% tax incentive on Euro4 diesel company car was introduced and then subsequently ditched a few years ago. The incentive on Euro5 models could be introduced from April 2008.Given that the Euro5 standard is not due until September 2009 for all newly introduced models of car, January 2011 for all new registrations and January 2012 for heavier two-tonne plus MPVs, 4x4s, LCVs and special needs vehicles, it would give an almost three-year window for early-adopting clean diesel drivers.Tougher Euro6 emissions limits have been outlined for 2014 and early-qualifying vehicles can also expect tax breaks.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: HC

PSA Peugeot Citroen has reported a 5.9 per cent rise in revenues in the first half of the year, led by increased vehicle sales, higher prices and an improved product mix.

First half revenues reached 30.82m euros (£20.64m), up from 29.09m euros for the same period in 2006.
Operating profit rose by 22 per cent, helped by an improved operating margin of 2.7 per cent in the first half of 2007 that rose from 2.4 per cent a year ago.
First-half net profit reached 492m euros (£330m), up from 306m euros in the same period in 2006.
Peugeot said it expected a margin for the second half of 2007 of at least 2 per cent, up from 1.6 per cent last year.


DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: MT

The RMI has called on the government to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses.


The trade association’s franchised dealer division has written to Stephen Timms, the new minister for competitiveness, outlining the industry’s concerns ahead of the government’s re-launch of the Small Business Service as the Enterprise Directorate.
“The focus of the government’s new small business strategy must be the reduction of the regulatory burden,” said Sue Robinson, director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association.
“The strategy should focus on making it easier for smaller companies to operate effectively because the level of red tape that businesses routinely face has become far too onerous and needs to be cut back.”

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: MT

BMW has been forced to pull an online Mini advertising campaign after it was found to contravene advertising regulations.

The interactive advert for the new Mini range, which was hosted on a newspaper website, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority following several complaints.
The advert featured a driver accelerating with his head pushed back into his seat, it then continued to show his face beginning to ripple with the g-force caused by the acceleration of the car.
Complainants said the advert promoted irresponsible driving.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: MT

THE MG OWNERS' Club is to become a franchised dealer for Nanjing-MG.
The club, with 50,000-members, operates from purpose-built premises in Swavesey, Cambridgeshire.
The new dealership, to be known as Advantage MG, will operate from the club's premises which currently offers extensive workshop facilities, a large parts supply and distribution service and has a wealth of dedicated expertise in the brand. Now it will add sales of the new MG to its activities.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

SIMON CAFFYN, chief executive of south coast dealer group Caffyns, told the AGM today that steady progress is being made.
"We remain mindful of pressures on consumers as a result of the upward movement in interest rates, which are currently forecast to continue," he said.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

FORD, today, reported a profit of $750m for the second quarter, after seven consecutive quarterly losses.

Revenue for the second quarter came to $44.2bn, up from $41.9bn in the same period last year.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

SOUTH WALES car retailer, J D Cleverly, holder of the Cardiff Audi franchise, has purchased the Bristol Audi franchise from the Lancaster Group for an undisclosed sum.
It follows the group's purchase, in April of Audi dealership, Motor Services (Bath) Ltd, which will relocate to new premises in Peasdown by the end of the year.
The sale more than doubles Cleverly's stake in Audi retail, taking combined capacity to 2,500 new and 1,500 used car sales, and secures 150 jobs at the new outlets.
The three operations will be overseen by Gavin Cleverly who has been promoted to group Audi brand director.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

WARRANTY ADMINISTRATION Services of Lincoln is providing dealers and traders with a profitable, unique insurance to sell .
Cam Belt Cover provides cover for the internal parts contained within the engine and cylinder head (including the casings) if the cam-belt fails. It provides the motorist with up to £1,000 of cover towards the cost of repair or replacement.
The warranty retails at £39.99 and is aimed at those motorists with older cars who are reluctant to spend hundreds of pounds on all-embracing warranties and, therefore, decide to take their chances.
"For these motorists, or for those on a fixed income, the failure of the cam-belt and the resultant damage, is one of the biggest concerns they have in relation to their cars," said managing director, Alan Davison.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

NANJING-MG's all-new franchised dealer network is growing rapidly across most regions of the country.
Following yesterday's exclusive story on AutoWired that Norwich group, Holden, had signed-up to join Luffield and Merritts, ten more outlets have rushed to be in at the beginning of the sales revival of the brand.
On the starting line for MGDealers now signed-up are:
Merritts, Amersham and Aylesbury
Luffield Cars, Loughborough
SMC Group, Hillingdon
Holden, Norwich
Kerridges, Needham Market
Mantles, Royston
Perkins, Rayne
Startins Group, Malvern
Souls, Olney and Milton Keynes
North City Auto's, Chingford
Thomas Day, Fleet (Hampshire)

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

Norfolk retail group joins Nanjing-MG dealers Exclusive
THE HOLDEN GROUP in Norwich is to take on the Nanjing-MG franchise.
The Norfolk group now joins Luffied (Loughbrough) and Merritts (Amersham and Aylesbury) who were the first to take the franchise.
Holden, a former MG Rover dealer, will have a dedicated sales and workshop area for MG at its site in Whiffler Road, alongside its Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge franchises.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

MERCEDES' PRE-TAX profit nearly doubled in the second quarter.
Daimler Chrysler said the Mercedes unit earned $1.65bn in pre-tax profit in the period from sales only marginally up at $17.26bn.
The company did not report results from the Chrysler Group or Chrysler Financial because of their impending sale to Cerberus.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

NET INCOME at Nissan for the fiscal first quarter fell 16% to 92.3bn yen, ($764m) due to a higher tax rate, weaker product mix and higher raw material prices.
Operating profit totalled 148.4bn yen (US $1,228m), down 3.2%.
Globally, Nissan sold a total of 875,000 vehicles in the April-to-June period, up 5.9%.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

The NFDA has written to Stephen Timms, the new minister for competitiveness, saying that the government's new small business strategy must cut red tape.
"The government's new small business strategy should focus on making it easier for smaller companies to operate effectively. The level of red tape that businesses routinely face has become far too onerous, and needs to be cut back."
She said that after consulting with members, a proposal has been compiled highlighting areas where red tape could be reduced and rules simplified.

DATED: 26.07.07

FEED: AW

NEW PREMIUM standards have been introduced at Ford's 170 Accident Repair Centres.
The car-maker said its new vehicle complexity meant repairers needed to be correctly trained and equipped with the latest diagnostic tools to repair them safely.
Models such as the new Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy, for instance, are constructed using higher strength steel and these vehicles are expected to comprise up to 40 per cent of all repair business within three years.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: AW

MASERATI HAS, today, announced its first profit since joining the Fiat Group in 1990.
Its first quarter trading profit was 1m euros. During the same period last year, the car-maker made a 7m euro loss.
In the first 6-months of its current year, Maserati has broken-even compared with a 26m euro loss last year.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: AW

COMPANIES claiming-back advanced corporation tax will be able to claim compound rather than simple interest on the repayments.
Following a landmark House of Lord's decision, it means that repayments of VAT that had been incorrectly levied on demonstrator vehicles could soon be significantly increased.
The House of Lords judgment on Sempra Metals Ltd means that taxpayers previously required to prematurely account for corporation tax are entitled to restitution, calculated by compound interest. The previous system, where compensation was based on simple interest, was found to be in breach of EU law.
The National Franchised Dealers Association has already commissioned, and received, detailed advice from Price Waterhouse Coopers in respect of the different options available to its members to pursue such a claim.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: AW

NISSAN plans to grow its light commercial vehicle business in Europe by 2010 by introducing new products and expanding into new markets.
Brian Carolin, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan Europe, said the company will be introducing competitive new products and enhancing the dealer network, in the UK, Spain, Italy and France.
Van Competency Centres will be established in Nissan car dealerships to ensure that all customers - both individuals and companies - are serviced by professional van personnel during sales and aftersales activities.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: AW

NISSAN DESIGN Europe has, today, revealed an innovative small van concept at its Paddington, London base.
Known as the NV200, it is due to be given its worldwide debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.
Its most striking feature is a storage pod which extends from the van's load area when the vehicle is parked. As the pod is deployed, the now empty load bay is transformed into a mobile office.
The pod is latched inside the load area when the van is being driven.
Upon arrival at its destination, it slides out rearwards to allow easy access to the storage zones. As the pod is withdrawn from the van, the area left behind is transformed into a mobile office.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: AW

BRISTOL Street Motors has appointed ex-Evans Halshaw's Wolverhampton Ford general manager, Chris Hart, as CMA managing director for Stoke-on-Trent Ford CMA. The CMA comprises two dealerships built within the last six months at Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent and a dealership at Stafford. Chris Taylor, the former sales director of Grantham Motor Company, which was acquired by Bristol Street, last month, has been appointed managing director for the Honda business which has outlets in Grantham, Retford, Boston and Lincoln.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: AW

Vauxhall will not be launching an ethanol-powered version of its Vectra replacement next year due to the lack of a coherent plan on alternative fuels from the government.


Although the technology is available company officials will wait for moves from Whitehall that make the petrol alternative more attractive to consumers, claimed GM Europe sales and marketing vice-president and Vauxhall chairman Jonathan Browning.
“Government strategy is woefully lacking in a long-term vision and a coherent plan – it is something the UK needs to step up to in the near future.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: MT

Nissan is planning to ramp up its light commercial vehicle business in Europe within three years by introducing new products and expanding into new markets.

Brian Carolin, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Nissan Europe, said the brand had an established presence in the mature Western markets but it would now consolidate and expand on the continent.
The manufacturer plans to enter the growing Russian market along with other Eastern European markets and Turkey.

DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: MT

Toyota Motor Europe has reported a significant rise in sales over the first half of the year.

TME racked up sales of 661,753 in the January to June period – a year-on-year increase of 14 per cent.
Strong performances from some of its key models helped boost volumes.
The Yaris saw sales rise 11 per cent to 144,549 units, the Corolla Sedan recorded an increase of 69 per cent to 45,267 units and Prius sales rocketed by 53 per cent - reflecting its strong showing in the recent JD Power survey.
Russia was Toyota’s largest European market followed by the UK, which recorded sales of 78,854 units – a year-on-year rise of 10 per cent.


DATED: 24.07.07

FEED: MT