Magazine

Alfa Romeo and Fiat in the UK have appointed two new suppliers in a bid to boost quality and efficiency standards across their approved dealer used car remarketing programme. Paragon Fleet Solutions is now responsible for defleeting, refurbishing, storing and transportation of ex-management, demonstration and rental vehicles for the brands. The vehicles are to be distributed to approved dealers and ...

Retailers focussing on used cars must get stock profiling and turnaround right Used car sales have become increasingly important this year because of the slump in the new car market but values are under pressure. HPI’s used car valuations index shows used prices are continuing to slip with year-on-year valuations 24.6 per cent lower in November than in the same ...

Essex Audi has broken new ground to become Motor Trader’s Used Car Retailer of the year Essex Audi not only knows how to make impressive amounts of money by selling impressive numbers of well-prepared cars across one of the most heavily populated parts of the country, but it has also brought new methods and systems to the process. “Essex Audi ...

Leading group looks to offload its software business having axed 75 dealerships Pendragon could be set to sell its profitable software arm in a bid to offset the huge losses it will make this year. Last week the UK’s largest dealer group warned it would plunge £30m into the red in 2008 and would sustain a further £15m hit from ...

Automotive apprenticeships in Northern Ireland are expected to expand with the removal of age limits on joining schemes. Martin Hutchinson, national manager of the IMI in Northern Ireland, said: “It’s not to say we expect adults to go back to school and sit in a classroom with kids to get training – it means that there is the ability for ...

It is a helluva time to be launching a new premium brand but Nissan couldn’t know what was coming when it laid its plans for the European roll-out of Infiniti. Infiniti has an impressive model line-up: the G37 saloon and coupe (rear-wheel drive rivals for the BMW 3-series), the EX37 crossover 4X4 (nearest equivalent: Audi Q5), and the bigger FX37 ...

Spare a thought for Lewis Booth, who until a couple of weeks ago was the relaxed chairman of Ford of Europe and Volvo, and has now been parachuted into Ford’s world headquarters in Dearborn to become chief financial officer, effectively number two to chief executive Alan Mulally. An executive from a rival company joked that taking the financial reins of ...

It is not clear who leaked the story about merger discussions between General Motors and Chrysler. The message fed to the US financial media was that talks had taken place but had been discontinued because of the banking and credit crisis. The implication is that they may be resumed when the economic situation improves. Analysts struggle to see the benefit ...

Dealers are still missing out on aftersales opportunities The state of the economy and accompanying tighter consumer spending could have a dramatic impact on aftersales and servicing, unless dealers redouble their efforts to retain workshop business. Yet some retailers are still failing to recognise that busy service areas provide regular customer contact and an opportunity to improve relationships. Missed revenue ...

Hertfordshire-based Honda business has worked its database to develop aftersales opportunities Four years ago, Crown Honda, in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, was the subject of a management buyout by current co-directors, Tim Dibbs and Lee Monahan. Both men are very much hands-on when it comes to the day-to-day operation of the company, which enjoyed its best ever year in 2007 with ...