News

Tesla has experienced its first decline in vehicle sales in ten years with 1.79 million vehicles in 2024, a 1.1% decline year on year. This downturn occurs amidst increasing competition, particularly from Chinese rival BYD, which has seen its electric vehicle (EV) sales increase significantly. In contrast to Tesla’s performance, BYD sales reached 1.76 million units, up by 12.1% year ...

The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) has joined van manufacturers in calling for a moratorium on the ZEV Mandate for vans. Its commercial vehicle members back van manufacturers who have called for a short-term moratorium of the Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate while welcoming the Government’s announcement, on 24 December 2024, of a consultation seeking industry input on supporting the transition ...

Close Brothers Motor Finance has revealed its list of the most popular cars to finance in 2024. The Volkswagen Golf topped the list, followed by the Ford Fiesta and the Ford Focus. John Cassidy, MD of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: “The continuing challenges facing motorists is reflected in the selection of petrol and diesel vehicles on this list. ...

Family SUVs dominated carwow’s annual new-car interest rankings, with the Kia Sportage topping the list of models configured most frequently. In second place was the Hyundai Tucson, a model built on the same platform as the Sportage. Another family SUV, the Volkswagen Tiguan, claimed the final podium spot for new cars configured most often on Carwow. The highest-placed battery electric ...

Buyers searching online for used cars remained active in the month of December with online traffic outperforming season norms, reported MOTORS. Traditionally, the pre-Christmas period is a slow period but significant activity in the final quarter of 2024 has led to MOTORS reporting its highest ever volume of December online traffic. Lucy Tugby, marketing director of MOTORS, said: “December is ...

Fast-expanding Steer Automotive Group has acquired Accident Repair Centre Group (ARC Group) bodyshop chain in the South West of England. ARC, established in 1991, has grown into a network of repair centres located in Bristol, Chippenham, Weston-Super-Mare and Swindon. The move by Steer is the latest in a string of acquisitions in recent years. The business has approvals from 23 ...

A tougher used car market dented Chapel House’s performance with pre-tax profits down 51.2% to £1.8m on turnover up 4.5% to £117.9m in the year to 30 June 2024. In results posted at Companies House the directors said they were satisfied with the performance of the company and it had reduced costs during the year with streamlined administrative and reporting ...

Vertu Motors has bolstered its board with the appointment of a retail heavy hitter Amanda Cox as an independent non-executive director. Cox is the current chief people officer and stores director at the £1.7bn-turnover homewares retailer Dunelm Group, which has 184 stores and employs 11,000 staff. She previously worked at Asda for 15 years in various human resource roles, latterly ...

TMS Motor Group has acquired Loughborough Kia and strengthened its presence in Leicestershire. Oli Johnson hands over the keys from one family to another. The service offered by Kia Loughborough is now bolstered by the enhanced offerings and greater choice of vehicles from TMS Motor Group. Len Hallows, MD, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Loughborough Kia to the TMS ...

England Rugby player Chandler Cunningham-South collected his £45,000 BYD Seal from Alan Day Motor Group’s BYD New Southgate showroom. Chandler, 21, praised the all-electric vehicle’s smooth and effortless handling. He said: “It drives like a dream, the performance is outstanding, and it’s so easy to handle. It’s like nothing I’ve driven before.” The BYD Seal, a flagship electric sedan, offers ...