One in four UK drivers plan to opt for a hybrid car as their next vehicle purchase, according to research conducted for Close Brothers Motor Finance’s upcoming Britain Under the Bonnet Report. The fifth iteration of the report reveals that the desire to purchase a hybrid vehicle has accelerated to 26% from 21% in 2020. And this is largely stable across age groups, but highest at 28% for those … [Read more...]
Newslines 23 November
Interest in electric vehicles offered online surged by 500% last week as the government announced a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel models from 2030, reports BuyaCar. With electric cars normally representing little more than 300 searches per day, after last week’s announcement that figure shoot up to 1,679 in the 24 hours following but electric cars still have a hill to climb in the face … [Read more...]
Welsh lockdown badly hits car dealers
The firebreak lockdown has wiped 25% off new car sales in Wales, revealed figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. It is a warning to England which has just gone into a month's lockdown as opposed to the fortnight shutdown in Wales which ends on monday after 3,677 new cars were sold by Welsh dealers in the three weeks they could open last month. October new car … [Read more...]
Classics become contemporary as sales boom
Owning, restoring and driving a classic car is a common dream, but it requires significant investment at every stage – in both time and money. Such desirable, high-value vehicles are inevitably also a common target for professional thieves meeting demand for vintage cars and their parts in the UK and across Europe. Stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert, Tracker, is sharing tips to help first-time … [Read more...]
Wales bucks UK trend and buys more cars
New car buyers in Wales have bucked the national trend and registered more models than 12 months ago. Registrations in Wales went up 8.93% in February to 2,610 new cars – 2,396 same time last year – as part of the 79,234 UK total, which was down 2.96% overall. Scotland suffered the steepest droop of 14.75%, Northern Ireland dipped 8.46% and England slipped 2.01%. New car registrations slipped … [Read more...]
New car sales fall is not the full picture
The SMMT figures this morning show a 6.7% fall in new car registrations in October. They do not tell the whole story though, says an industry watcher. Seán Kemple, Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said, ““Disappointing sales figures this month, slightly down once again, point to a lack of confidence among consumers. Larger, more expensive car sales remain low as … [Read more...]
Dealers’ positive view of sales prospects this year
The majority of UK car dealerships are positive about their business prospects for 2017, with 65% expecting growth over the next year, say Close Brothers Motor Finance. Despite many industry figures predicting the sector will contract in 2017, the majority of dealers surveyed monthly by Close Brothers Motor Finance remain resolutely positive about the prospects for their own businesses in the … [Read more...]