News

Suppliers are scrambling to update their systems to allow for the recent motor finance commission judgement made by the Court of Appeal. Some finance firms paused writing more finance as they took on board the surprise ruling. One fast mover is Mad Devs, which updated its iStoreDOCS platform within days of the ruling to enable dealers to upload Finance Commission ...

Big Motoring World is pulling out the stops to source stock as it opened its newest store in Camberley. “The Camberley store has capacity for an additional 800 vehicles and the group has been working over recent months to source additional stock from a wide range of channels including both traditional auctions, direct from consumer and through strategic partnerships,” it ...

Double cab pickups with a payload of one tonne or more will be classed as cars for benefit in kind and capital allowance purposes, greatly increasing the tax cost of these vehicles. That’s the view from tax expert Michelle Malone at accountancy and advisory firm Xeinadin. “Dealers will remember the issues caused when a change in treatment was last proposed, ...

With many motor dealers already experiencing the challenge of increased overheads and squeezed margins, the extent of the changes to Employers NIC and living wage will provide additional unexpected cost pressures for auto retailers. That being said, it was pleasing to see the inclusion of measures to support the uptake and manufacture of electric vehicles in the UK, although some ...

The cost of motor dealers doing business is set to rise as a result of the measures included in the 2024 Budget yesterday. One of the biggest increased costs comes with National Insurance. The rate that employers pay in contributions will rise from 13.8% to 15% on a worker’s earnings from April. Sue Robinson, CEO of the National Franchised Dealers ...

Almost two years after launch Mercedes-Benz is claiming success for its agency model in the UK. In the year to September the brand registered 80,252 cars, an increase of 20% year on year while retail sales rose 29%. The road to agency has been a rocky one for many brands. Ford launched its agency model in the Netherlands as a ...

LSH Auto will welcome three Australian apprentices for a cultural and career development tour. Ray Sorrell, Louis Wade and Adriano Minna will experience a week-long tour of LSH operations next week Each apprentice will see first-hand the differences and similarities between apprenticeships in Australia and the UK and will be able to expand their knowledge and share insights with their ...

JLR is seeing a surge in demand for plug-in hybrid models, with global retail sales for the first half of the financial year up 29% compared to the prior year. It said more customers were using the technology as a stepping stone towards battery electric vehicles (BEV). In the UK, it has seen a 55% growth in PHEV sales in ...

The motor retail sector has given a mixed reception to the Budget with SMMT CEO Mike Hawes lambasting the absence of measures to boost EV sales among retail buyers. “The lack of substantive measures to support the new car market – in particular for electrified vehicles – is hugely disappointing. “We welcome the extension of the Plug-in Van Grant and ...

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the Budget will raise taxes by £40bn as she delivers Labour’s first Autumn Statement in 14 years Reeves confirmed that National Insurance contributions for employers will increase by 1.2% to 15% from April 2025. The minimum wages will rise in April, with rates for over-21s set to go up to £12.21 an hour She announced the ...