F&I Management & Training

Vauxhall is extending the Female Buyer Initiative throughout the entire company in 2008, following a successful pilot.
The programme, developed to make dealerships more welcoming places for women, is being pushed forward this year with a series of women's car workshops called Women in the Driving Seat.

The workshops will be hosted in Vauxhall dealerships and focus on the menace of road rage, giving advice on self-protection and defensive driving.

DATED: 06.02.08

FEED: MT

The Institute for the Motor Industry has launched SkillMiles, an awards scheme that give points for supporting training.
The new scheme recognises both financial, time and effort to support training. Businesses can gain four levels of recognition: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.
Once a business or individual is registered via the scheme’s web-site (www.motor.org.uk/skillmiles) they can earn SkillMiles points for particular activities, which are given a value by the IMI, such as participation on working groups or loan of equipment, for example, as well as financial donations.
The IMI said the SkillMiles scheme will demonstrate to the Government that employers and individuals in the automotive retail industry are making valuable contributions to skills development.
The initiative will run alongside the IMI’s ongoing 'proud to be professional' campaign, which promotes the importance of best practice and ethical behaviour in improving the reputation of the industry to consumers.

DATED: 06.02.08

FEED: AM

Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation has appointed one of its vice-presidents in charge of its Volkswagen joint venture, Chen Zhi Xin, as general manager of Nanjing Automobile Corporation.
The new general manager of NAC’s MG division is now Huang Ke Ji, previously general manager at Shanghai GM Dongyue Motors.
Under SAIC's control, Nanjing Automobiles will launch three MG models this year, an MG 3SW estate, the TF roadster, and an MG3 saloon, while a fourth new model is being developed.
The UK’s Longbridge plant will continue to work on the MG cars, beginning with the TF launch in March.

DATED: 06.02.08

FEED: AM

Nine companies listed on AIM have been fined for failures in their websites.
The fines were levied by the London Stock Exchange for not complying with its rule 26 which was introduced in February 2007.
These companies paid a total of £95,000.
They did not hit a deadline of 20 August deadline for posting a website containing all financial details, including the annual report and regulatory news service announcements.
The rule was introduced as part of the exchange’s first rule book for nomads, the nominated advisers responsible for bringing companies to AIM.
Another seven companies were given warning notices for less serious breaches.
All 16 companies – none of which have been named – rapidly improved their websites to comply with the rules.
The maximum fine for breaching the rule is £50,000.

DATED: 06.02.08

FEED: AM

The Renault Retail Group has announced it has exceeded its 2007 targets.
The 25-strong network’s retail market share was up 0.7 per cent year-on-year, with the group now accounting for more than one in five of all Renault vehicles sold in the UK.

Operating margin was also above target and saw the manufacturer-owned business return to profit.

DATED: 04.02.08

FEED: MT

Subaru claims the introduction of the first diesel engine to its line-up could be the most important development in the brand’s 31 year history in the UK.
The 2-litre symmetrical Boxer unit, which dealers will receive in upper-medium Legacy Sports Tourer and Outback models from the end of February, has been a long time coming but is set to transform the 4x4 brand’s sales potential.

The new Forrester SUV, which arrives in petrol form in April, will get the oil burner in September but C-segment Impreza customers will have to wait until December for a diesel option.

DATED: 04.02.08

FEED: MT

Nissan has appointed Paul Willcox as its new UK managing director. He replaces Gary Frigo who returns to Nissan in the US as regional vice president for the North East Region. Both appointments begin at the end of March.

Willcox has been with the brand for 17 years in a number of sales and marketing roles in the UK and Europe. He is currently vice president of marketing for Nissan Europe.Frigo has only been at the helm since April 2006 when he joined from the brand’s US operation.

DATED: 04.02.08

FEED: MT

VOLKSWAGEN has entered the compact SUV sector in the UK with the launch of the Tiguan as it moves towards its goal of achieving 95 per cent market coverage within two years.
The Tiguan comes into the line-up as a little brother to the Touareg off-roader and echoes many of the larger vehicle's visual characteristics and driving versatility.
Rivals
Volkswagen is pitching the Tiguan as a direct rival to the Toyota RAV 4, Honda CRV and Land Rover Freelander – the leaders in a segment that it said accounts for 108,000 sales a year.

DATED: 04.02.08

FEED: MT

Rolls-Royce has appointed a new head of marketing.
Graham Lenden replaces Paul Ferraiolo, who was recently appointed president of the luxury carmaker’s North American operation.

Lenden’s previous position was as head of operations at Aston Martin, where he managed the sales, marketing and aftersales functions for the UK and Asia Pacific regions.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: MT

Chrysler has dropped any possible alliance with Chinese carmaker Chery, favouring a partnership with more experienced manufacturer Nissan instead.
The US giant and Japanese manufacturer are collaborating on the development of a new supermini based on Nissan’s Versa, which will be sold in South America.

The companies have said the subcompact will be sold under limited distribution in 2009.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: MT

Vauxhall and Ford have dominated the business car sales in one of the UK’s largest fleets.
Lex has revealed that among its fleet of 273,503 vehicles last year, cars from Vauxhall, Ford and VW featured seven times in the top ten.

The Vauxhall Astra was the most popular car, closely followed by the Ford Focus and the Vauxhall Vectra in third.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: MT

The vast majority of women believe they are treated differently to men when it comes to researching and buying a car.
According to research by Auto Trader, three quarters of female motorists believe they are treated differently when buying a vehicle and 70 per cent want to be treated the same as men.

The same percentage of women disagree with the stereotype that they don’t know anything about cars and 70 per cent said they did not want to be treated differently to a man when buying a car.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: MT

Mike Whytock, director of Black Horse’s north region, is running the company until a replacement is found for John Woolley who has stepped down after less than two years as managing director, motor and leisure finance.
Woolley, 51 last November, took charge on March 1, 2006, as the latest phase of a long career with Black Horse. He declined to comment on the reasons for his departure, described as “by mutual agreement”. He begins gardening leave on February 1, and leaves at the end of March.
Black Horse, launched in 2000, is the consumer brand of the Lloyds TSB asset finance division, and part of the Lloyds TSB Group. Industry sources understand Lloyds TSB decided a new boss was needed to lead Black Horse at an important time.
Independent finance firms are fighting hard to win back showroom point-of-sale business from supermarkets and other internet lenders.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: AM

Almost 800 new jobs are being created at the Nissan car plant in Sunderland, thanks to the success of the firm's new Qashqai model. More than 130,000 of the small 4X4 vehicles have been sold in Europe since their launch in March 2007. By December 2008, the firm wants to make 400 staff permanent, with the remainder on temporary contracts. About 850 Qashqai's roll off the production line every day. An extra night-shift is now being introduced. Trevor Mann, senior vice president for manufacturing and supply chain management, Nissan Europe, said: "Currently on two shifts, we can produce 200,000 Qashqais per year.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: AW

A high tech, theft-proof £75,000 police car was stolen in Berlin - after officers left it unlocked with the key in the ignition. The special BMW, which features high-tech surveillance equipment and sophisticated electronic locks and immobilisers to make it theft proof, was the pride of the Berlin police force. But it was stolen in the city's Wedding district when two officers jumped out to chase a joy-rider on foot after he had abandoned a stolen car. The criminal got away and when the officers went back they found the expensive BMW gone. The pair are facing disciplinary action. Police chiefs say they have no leads on who may have stolen the car and are still looking for it.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: AW

Jeremy Hicks, director of Audi in the UK, has called for the European Commission’s emissions taxes to be based on fuel use rather than vehicle type.
He said a potential option was for motorists to be taxed “per passenger mile”.

“People should pay for what they emit rather than for what their car can potentially emit,” he said.

DATED: 01.02.08

FEED: MT