Magazine

Ray Hutton identifies the cars heading for showrooms in 2009 The New Year is a time for predictions but you won’t find many high flyers in the motor industry prepared to say what’s going to happen in 2009. Franz Josef Paefgen, chairman of Bentley, neatly expressed the situation as: “Like driving through fog. You can only see so far ahead.” ...

New aftersales boss, Rory Harvey, aims to increase business to counter fall in new car registrations GM UK and Ireland is gearing up to boost aftersales business in 2009 to counter the fall in new car sales. With over 500 aftersales centres throughout the UK, the group is well-placed to generate additional revenue, claimed Rory Harvey, former managing director of ...

THE government is throwing its weight behind the Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair. Last week consumer minister Gareth Thomas wrote to MPs asking them to contact garages in their constituencies and urging them to sign up to the code, which was launched last year and now has 5,000 garages on board. Thomas urged garages to show ...

FIFTY per cent of motorists are planning to take more care of their car in 2009, planning to follow basic maintenance after neglecting their vehicle and putting off repairs last year, according to a recent survey. Warranty provider Car Care Plan said dealers should expect a surge in car repairs and service work early this year, helping boost revenue in ...

As new and used car sales continue to fall, workshop utilisation will be critical over the course of 2009 With new car and used sales plummeting dealerships have been forced to look harder at other revenue streams to survive. The franchised workshop sector is marginally gaining ground on independents, increasing its aftersales market share by almost one per cent since ...

RMIF urges dealers to invest in training, standards and equipment to win more business this year Last year was a particularly challenging one for the retail motor sector. However, the aftermarket may be in an ideal position to take advantage of growth opportunities in 2009 and develop its already strong base for the future. Investment is the key, as well ...

By using motorsport as a testing ground for commercial products Mobil 1 is able to cut new product develop ment time Mobil, of course, does not recommend drivers treat the motorway like a racetrack, but the products it develops for motor sport do filter down into road use. “Where we’re developing specific racing oils, we’re focused on increasing the power ...

Chelsea business faces legal bill after charging customer for work under warranty A Mercedes-Benz dealer in London has been ordered to pay compensation to a customer after seeking payment for repairs made to a car under warranty. On 21 November at Bromley County Court, DaimlerChrysler Retail (trading as Mercedes-Benz Chelsea) was ordered to pay compensation to Robert Carlyle, 61, of ...

With customers demanding environmentally-friendly cars retailers must learn how to sell them DEALERS need to develop a new marketing approach to entice environmentally concerned customers into showrooms. Manufacturers such as Ford, with its Econetic models and Volkswagen, with its Bluemotion range, are increasingly focusing on the production of lower emission cars but dealers have little experience of promoting models which ...

November market tumbles by 37 per cent as every carmaker sees sales drop NEW car sales tumbled by 37 per cent in November as every brand in the UK recorded a loss, according to the latest figures published by the SMMT. This was the seventh consecutive month of decline for the new car market which is now tracking 11 per ...