F&I Management & Training

In a real coup for the motor industry Chris Humphries, chief executive of the new UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), made the BMW Academy at Wokefield Park the venue for his first employer visit. Ahead of the commission’s official launch, Humphries learned why Ofsted, the schools inspection body, awarded the facility near Reading its highest possible grade for the provision of training and development.

BMW UK invested £17 million in building the academy and it runs a wide variety of technical and management courses for the 150 BMW, Mini and motorcycle dealer-ships around the UK.
UKCES is charged with advising Government on the strategies and policies needed to increase employment, skills and productivity. Humphries said: “The falling birth rate is a big challenge for companies. Competition for young people is going to get tougher and tougher so companies need a good training offer.”

Steve Nash, aftersales director for BMW Group UK, and chairman of the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), said: “When you offer someone a career rather than just a job they are five times more likely to stay with you.”

DATED: 07.04.08

FEED: AM

Renault UK expects its relationship with Pendragon to "go from strength to strength", said commercial operations director Len Curran, responding to industry speculation.
AM has received a number of tip-offs from dealers in the Renault network, saying that the manufacturer was planning to terminate Pendragon’s 11 Renault sites.
Some dealers said they had received information giving this impression from within Renault UK but Curran is insistent there is no truth in the rumours.
By mutual agreement last year, he said, Renault UK and Pendragon agreed to close two “non-profit making sites” in Scotland: at Livingston, West Lothian, and Edinburgh east.

DATED: 07.04.08

FEED: AM

Alfa Romeo wants to double its UK sales by 2010 to 15,000 units.
Christopher Nicoll, Alfa Romeo UK managing director, said there are three reasons why it is achievable: the arrival of its B segment car, Mito, in early 2009; continued momentum of the brand; and confidence being regained by buyers, retailers and Alfa itself.
“The B segment car will have a big impact,” said Nicoll. “We will be a different operation to what we were three years ago. We were a mess back then. Now we are raring to go.”
Back in January 2006 the network was in disarray, with the sales structure the worst in Europe. Alfa Romeo reduced its dealer network by 60%. It now has 48 sites and expects to have 55 by year-end.

DATED: 07.04.08

FEED: AM

Finance and insurance supplier Cardif Pinnacle has acquired a majority shareholding in web-based provider Warranty Direct for an undisclosed sum.
The company continue will act as a stand-alone business from its existing headquarters in Reading, and sell products separately from Cardif Pinnacle.
Cardif Pinnacle declined to comment on values, or whether there were any further acquisitions planned, but AM understands the company is considering other opportunities.
Paul Glen, chief executive of Cardif Pinnacle, said: "The acquisition of Warranty Direct will significantly improve the service and product proposition we can offer to our dealer customers and direct to consumers.
"Our ability to accelerate the expansion of our warranty business is significantly enhanced by this acquisition."

DATED: 07.04.08

FEED: AM

Dealers need to be ready for new consumer protection rules coming into force in May, according to the RMIF's National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA).
The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD), passes into law on May 26 and will harmonise unfair trading laws across all EU Member States. It introduces a general prohibition on traders not to treat consumers unfairly to act as a safety-net for consumer protection legislation.
Unfair commercial practices as defined by the directive include:
Conduct below a level which may be expected towards consumers
Misleading practices, false or deceptive messages, and the omission of important information
Aggressive sales techniques that use harassment, coercion or undue influence
Sue Robinson, NFDA director, said: "Existing rules on consumer protection do not provide a full safeguard for customers, as there are some remaining grey areas which can be exploited by unscrupulous traders.
"The implementation of the directive will enable car dealers to focus their internal consumer relations monitoring. However, the new rules will also mean more administration for dealers to deal with, and will add more work to the existing heavy load borne by Trading Standards officers. There are also some questions on where the burden of proof will lie in disputes."

DATED: 07.04.08

FEED: AM

SsangYong UK is rebuilding its network of dealers in the UK following the gradual reduction of dealers from 50 to 29. Ian Nicholson, SsangYong UK group finance and operations director, told AM that the dealers wanted to leave because "they’ve been through relaunch after relaunch and they can’t go through it again".

Koelliker UK, the newly appointed importer of SsangYong's into the UK, is now embarking on a dealer redevelopment process. Nicholson said: "We’re all grown ups and we're not going to fall out about it, if they want out, we'll shake hands and move on. But they won't get parts, they won’t get warranty work and they won't get any cars." SsangYong UK is looking to recruit new dealers with the right attitude and not necessarily franchised dealers.

DATED: 07.04.08

FEED: AM

Zurich - Following an announcement today that Jonathan Browning, 48, GM Europe vice president, sales, marketing and aftersales and Chairman of Vauxhall Motor Limited, has been appointed GM vice president, global sales, service and marketing, Carl-Peter Forster, GM Group Vice President and President GM Europe, today announced a UK leadership appointment. CW (Bill) Parfitt, 60, Vauxhall Motors Limited managing director, is appointed Vauxhall Chairman, effective June 1, 2008. Bill will also maintain his existing GME sales responsibility for GME Fleet and CV activities.

DATED: 03.04.08

FEED: AW

The RMIF has announced it is in the process of buying back parts of its former training arm Remit from the now defunct Carter and Carter training company.
Remit was only sold by the trade association for £25.5m in May 2006 but it has been able to swoop on the company following Carter & Carter's entry into administration.

In a statement the RMIF said it was in the process of buying back “elements” of Remit and that the administrators for Carter & Carter had agreed to transfer the provision of non-manufacturer apprenticeship programmes.

DATED: 03.04.08

FEED: MT

Pendragon’s board of directors have cashed in their net bonuses for 2007 to rake in a £142,000 pay out.
As part of their remuneration package, which under stock market rules governing plcs must be disclosed to the market, the four directors invested their bonuses for last year in Pendragon ordinary shares, which they then sold on.

Chief executive Trevor Finn sold just over 191,000 shares (less than 0.3 per cent of the group's issued capital) for almost £64,000 and the rest was split between chief operating officer Martin Casha, finance director David Forsyth and company secretary Hilary Sykes.

DATED: 03.04.08

FEED: MT

Toyota has appointed a new dealer development manager in the UK.
Tim Copland has taken on the role and replaces Jon Pollock who moved to the position of general marketing manager last year.

DATED: 03.04.08

FEED: MT

Renault is to give between half and three-quarters of its dealers the chance to drive the smash-hit, high-value Dacia brand into the UK market next year.
After a study identifying potential customers, bosses at the French firm are in the process of choosing which of its 200-strong retail network is best placed to serve them, AM can reveal.
Outlets selected to handle the Romanian brand will need to meet strict criteria covering facilities, management, financial skills and quality – but none will be required to provide heavy funding for the line-up that has been a surprise success across western Europe.
“We will not ask our dealers to make massive investments – all we want is for this brand to have the visual forecourt identity that will allow customers to recognise Dacia is available on site,” said managing director Roland Bouchara.

DATED: 03.04.08

FEED: AM

The European Commission will rule on Tata Motor’s takeover of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford before the end of this month.
Tata said in the notification that the deal did not represent a "significant impediment to effective competition" because the companies' "combined market shares are small."
Tata bought the two British luxury brands for £1.15 billion on March 26.

DATED: 03.04.08

FEED: AM

The Dodge brand has helped give Chrysler dealers their best sales month since the US franchise returned to the UK 15 years ago. The March plate change month generated a total of 4,010 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge sales with the Dodge Caliber emerging as the biggest seller with 710 units sold.

This is the first time the franchise has sold over 4,000 vehicles in a month and follows a tough year for the franchise with Chrysler and Jeep sales both down in 2007.

DATED: 02.04.08

FEED: MT

BMW is to promote its product on social networking sites such as Bebo and MySpace.
It is following a wide variety of businesses from wineries to white goods manufacturers that are now employ such sites as marketing platforms, using them to run forums, competitions and themed events.

It is understood that this year BMW’s internet activity will tie in with wider brand strategies, and that specific, model-related net initiatives will follow from this.
BMW is also considering launching a bespoke television channel as part of a broader digital marketing push, in the process following Audi, which already operates its own TV channel, and has used the recent interest in the original Quattro coupe featured in the recent BBC drama Ashes to Ashes to promote its cars.

DATED: 02.04.08

FEED: MT

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders is to work with elements of the brewing industry to develop ways of cutting the costs and environmental impact of its specialist transport systems. A particular aim is to explore the opportunities offered by technology transfer, as this generally means that ideas can be put to work quickly, with a minimum of expensive and often theoretical research. Already one of the most promising lines of enquiry lies in the transfer of technology and established practice from other parts of the beverage industry. "Specifically, we're looking at the possibility of freeze drying beer, said Robin Dickeson, manager commercial vehicle affairs for the SMMT. "There seem to be some real opportunities here; beer is around 99.5% water, so if we could freeze dry it, deliver powder by road and the water through the normal water mains, we'd have a winner." Freeze drying has successfully delivered excellent coffee for millions of people over nearly half a century. The group believes that small vans could easily deliver the freeze dried equivalent to truck loads of draught beer. This would save huge amounts of increasingly expensive diesel and even more CO2 "Every litre of diesel burnt means over two and a half times its weight in CO2, so the environmental gains of using the existing water transport system, the mains, are very attractive." If the tests are successful following their start next year, Dickeson expects the group to turn its attention to other consumer products with a very high water content. "Wine is a clear candidate too, as one might save the weight of glass bottles as well as the weight of that 99% water content."

DATED: 01.04.08

FEED: AW

Ford has become the first carmaker to offer a ‘prescription windscreen’ with the launch of its new Kuga model. The special windscreen, which will be offered as an optional extra on the new Ford Kuga crossover, will give many drivers the chance to leave their glasses at home.

“Skiers can buy prescription goggles and some divers wear prescription masks, so why should drivers be left out?" said Dr. Rolf Apilo, Ford of Europe's Automotive Lens Specialist.
Individually crafted "This new windscreen will help many drivers to quite literally see the difference." From today, Ford dealerships across the country will be offering free eye tests to anyone ordering a new Ford Kuga. Those who already wear glasses should take them to their dealership for analysis.

Each windscreen will be individually crafted by Dr. Apilo and his team at Ford's Saarlouis plant in Germany. A bi-focal option will also be available and research into prescription mirror technology is also being investigated by the Ford Automotive Lens Specialist Engineers.

DATED: 01.04.08

FEED: MT

The Rover Safety Bicycle is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary by going back into production after Chinese carmaker Yangtze Motors secured the rights to the name.
It is believed the company will approach Nanjing Automotive to see if the two-wheeler can be built at Rover's spiritual home in Longbridge, where the carmaker's first pedal cycle was made in 1908.

“Although car sales in China have rocketed, a lot of people still use bicycles, and the idea of an imported brand has a lot of appeal to lifestyle-conscious cyclists in places like Beijing and Hong Kong,” said Nanjing spokeswoman April Furst. “In recent years the British media hasn't linked the Rover' brand with success, but in China it's a designer label, up there with Gucci and Prada, and we'll be making a strong pitch for the funky. zero-emissions characteristics of the 21st Century Rover Safety Bicycle.”

Nanjing is building British designed version of the Rover 75 car in China but in an example of swapping technologies, the Rover Safety Bicycle is an adaption of a popular Chinese two wheeler, the Hoohee Flyer. “We'll be offering lifestyle accessories including monogrammed bicycle clips, a bicycle pump with a leather-look handle that resembled an MG TF gear knob and for the less self conscious a giant, gold-plated bell called the 'Bling',” said April Furst.

DATED: 01.04.08

FEED: MT