F&I Management & Training

Leading industry groups have criticised London Mayor Ken Livingstone's plans to increase the capital's congestion charge for high emissions vehicles to £25. The plans were unveiled last week and, if approved, would see:
Low-CO2 emitting cars - 100% discount (£0). Includes cars in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) Bands A and B (less than 120g CO2 per km) which also meet Euro4 air quality standard
The majority of cars - VED Bands C, D, E and those in F with emissions up to 225g CO2 per km - will continue to pay exactly the same daily charge as at present - £8
The highest CO2 emitting cars - VED Band G and equivalent vehicles (above 225g CO2 per km), as well as those registered pre March 2001 with engines larger than 3,000 cc, will pay £25 a day.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: AW

Hot on the heels of its success in the emergency sector, Skoda's has released a purpose-built medical car - the 4 x 4 Octavia Scout Paramedic - which made its debut at the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM) exhibition in Swindon on 14 and 15 August. The Octavia Scout Paramedic is Skoda's first purpose-built, fully-operational medical car and has been commissioned as a direct response to the high demand for the Octavia Estate 4x4, launched in the UK last June.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: AW

New car prices in the UK have risen over the year-to-date but at a slower rate than the European average.
Sticker prices in Britain increased by 1.9 per cent compared to an average European rise of 2.1 per cent in the year to July.

Overall, the average price of a new car in the UK is now 1 per cent higher than in the euro currency zone.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: 16.08.07

Nissan will appoint up to 55 commercial vehicle specialists in the next two months to help the firm triple LCV sales by 2010.
Currently all 200 Nissan dealers can sell cars and LCVs but about one in four of these will soon be earmarked to become the firm's first exclusive CV specialists – selling the 3.5-tonne long wheelbase Transit-sized Interstar and small truck Cabstar.

These specialists will also include eight Volvo Truck dealers as part of a new global agreement between the two firms.
Mark Lovett, in charge of Nissan's UK sales and marketing commercial vehicles, told Motor Trader: “We're in the process of visiting existing dealers and hope to have most CV-specialists in place by September.”

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: MT

Google, eBay and Auto Trader all confirmed to speak at EurotaxGlass's event

EurotaxGlass's has announced details of its forthcoming conference, 'The Internet - gaining the competitive advantage', which aims to give automotive retailers a competitive edge in the fast-developing world of digital marketing.
The one-day event, to be held on 8 November 2007 at the NEC in Birmingham, will feature presentations from the world's biggest new media organisations, including Google, eBay and Yahoo!, and some of the leading names in the automotive industry, such as GM Europe, Trader Media Group and Fish4Cars.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: AW

Mini is responding to increased demand for its used cars by appointing a used car development manager.
Dan Pulleyn has taken on the new role with the brand's Cherished scheme as rising sales in the new car market have forced Mini to address its used car strategy.

“The growth in demand for used Mini's is underlined by the fact that in 2006 used car sales were nearly 80 per cent higher than in 2002, which was the first full year of operation for Mini Cherished,” said Pulleyn.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: MT

BMW has avoided a rap over an April Fool’s Day advert that almost backfired.
The advert, which showed BMW introducing a new ‘hands free technology, enabling drivers to communicate warnings and salutations without even lifting a finger’, prompted complaints that it promoted anti-social driving.

Complainants to the Advertising Standards Authority claimed that although the advert was intended to be a joke, its image and sentiment, including the reference ‘lifting a finger’, condoned aggressive driving and encouraged anti-social behaviour.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: MT

Drivers in the UK spent £36.5bn on new and used cars in 2006.
Over the past 10 years spending on vehicles has increased by 28 per cent from £25.4b.

According to Halifax Unsecured Personal Loan's annual review of the cost of motoring, the increase is indicative of the rising number of vehicles on British roads.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: MT

The Institute of the Motor Industry has announced that the 5,000th student has completed its Automotive Technician Accreditation.
Paul Gibbons, who is employed at Charles Braddock, in Sale, Cheshire, achieved the landmark qualification.

To mark the 5,000th milestone, Gibbons was presented with a bottle of champagne and a cheque for £200 by Sarah Sillars, chief executive of the IMI Group of Companies.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: MT

The price differential between petrol and diesel models in the fleet sector disappeared in the second quarter.
Petrol values surged, wiping out the premium that diesels had established, according to British Car Auctions.

BCA: Petrol values surged
BCA said diesel values from fleet and lease sources were on average 5 per cent higher than petrol values throughout 2006.

DATED: 16.08.07

FEED: MT

Car dealers are being urged to prepare for the lucrative shift back to company car ownership that is taking place in the fleet market.
Factors such as duty of care and corporate environmental concerns mean that employers are considering scrapping cash for car and employee ownership schemes and returning to traditional company cars, according to consultancy Network Automotive.


Colin Bruder, Network Automotive managing director, said there had been a gradual erosion dating back more than a decade in mainstream company car business but there were strong indications that the tide was now turning.

DATED: 13.08.07

FEED: MT

The residual values of high emission vehicles could suffer a marked decline if Transport for London’s proposals on increasing the congestion charge receive the go ahead, according to EurotaxGlass’s.
TfL began a consultation last week about wielding a £25 per day charge for 'gas guzzling' vehicles which emit over 225g of CO2 per km. Cars registered before March 2001 with an engine capacity exceeding 3.0 litres would also be charged £25 per day.

“There would be an inevitable and potentially profound impact on the residual values of higher-emissions cars if these proposals come into force,” said Adrian Rushmore, managing editor at EurotaxGlass's.

DATED: 13.08.07

FEED: MT

An LDV van sales specialist is celebrating after winning an award for his improving sales techniques.
James Fairhurst of Norfolk Trucks in Enfield is one of the first sales people to be recognised by LDV's recently launched Maximum Conversion sales training programme. He has been awarded a Tom Tom for his achievements.
The training programme is a continuous sales improvement initiative which is dedicated to improving selling skills, challenging existing sales techniques and delivering on and exceeding customers' expectations.
LDV, which is now part of the GAZ Group, is determined to grow its UK customer base. As part of this growth strategy, the van maker is ensuring that its dealer network provides customers with excellent service in all areas.

DATED: 13.08.07

FEED: AW

A second former boss of the struggling Ford Motor Company has entered the bidding to buy Jaguar and Land Rover, the American vehicle manufacturer's two UK brands it is considering selling.
Sir Nick Scheele, Ford's president and chief operating officer from 2001 to 2005, who also previously had separate spells heading both Jaguar and Land Rover, has joined forces with Ripplewood Holdings - one of six organisations conducting due diligence on the two car brands.
The move pits Sir Nick against Jacques Nasser, who was Ford's chief executive from 1999 to 2001 and leads a separate bid from buy-out group One Equity

DATED: 13.08.07

FEED: AW

The taxpayer-funded inquiry into the collapse of MG Rover has cost more than £9.5 million with no end to the investigation in sight.
Inspectors appointed by the government in May 2005 to inquire into the demise of the carmaker had racked up costs totalling £9.64m by the end of last month.
The bill now exceeds the controversial £6.5m loan granted by the government to MG Rover to allow it to keep trading for a week after it went into administration in April 2005.
When the inquiry was established more than two years ago, the Government said it wanted a report 'as quickly as possible'.
The Department for Business has defended the absence of any deadline for the inspectors to report, saying a target date 'might restrict the depth and thoroughness of their inquiry'.

DATED: 13.08.07

FEED: AW