February’s figures reinforce the robust performance of the UK automotive sector, maintaining a strong start to 2024 and signalling a nineteenth month of consecutive growth, said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association, commenting on the latest SMMT new passenger car registration figures. In February, a total of 84,886 new cars were registered, an increase of … [Read more...]
Newslines 20 February
A feasibility study will be carried out into reopening a railway station at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan. It would serve the expanding industrial businesses at the former airbase and housing developments but its only a short distance between Rhoose and Llantwit Major halts. Volvo Cars is streamlining and standardising its model names for fully electric cars, in line with ongoing transformation … [Read more...]
Best and worst cars to buy and own
When buying a new car, it’s always worth thinking about the potential resale value and how much it will depreciate over time. Some cars can prove to be very worthy investments, with their value increasing over time, while others may drop quickly in value as soon as they leave the forecourt. Elements such as age, condition, mileage and number of owners are all influencing factors, and there are … [Read more...]
Monte thriller opens 2024 WRC today
The curtain rises on a brand-new FIA World Rally Championship season today as the world’s toughest motorsport series roars back into action at the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo which finishes Sunday. Thirteen rounds await across four continents during the WRC’s 52nd season. Kicking off the new year in style, this week’s famous fixture has attracted a capacity entry of 70 cars. Rallye Monte-Carlo, … [Read more...]
Car makers want more EV incentives for private buyers
The UK new car market has recorded its best year since the pandemic as a strong December up 9.8%, wrapped up the 17th month of consecutive growth. Some 1.903 million new cars reached the road during 2023 – an increase of 17.9%, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. In Wales last year, registrations reached 66,761, a rise of nearly 16% over 2022 and … [Read more...]
BEV charge is running down
The UK new car market grew by 9.5% in November to reach 156,525 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, but there's a slowdown in EV interest among private buyers. In the market’s best November for four years, registrations almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, down just 96 units (-0.1%) on 2019. Registrations in Wales rose 13.7% to 5,467 … [Read more...]
Newslines 4 December
Welsh Government is giving another £6.8M to bus companies in Wales to offset losses and operating costs since the Covid restrictions ended. Operators say falling passenger numbers and rising costs are wiping out profits and making routes unviable and the extra money has been branded as inadquate by Welsh Conservatives Climate Change Minister and Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS who … [Read more...]
Ford Turkey battery plant is a non-starter
Ford and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution have scrapped plans to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Turkey after their local partner Koc Holding withdrew from the project. Koc Holdings said it was pulling out of the deal due to concerns over the rate of EV adoption in Europe and timing of the project in view of the current economic slowdown in the region. The three companies … [Read more...]
Fleet discounts driving slight rise in new car registrations
October’s new car market grew by 14.3% to reach 153,529 registrations, 7.2% above pre-pandemic levels and marking the best performance for the month since 2018, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The 15th month of consecutive growth was driven almost entirely by large fleet registrations, which grew 28.8% to reach 87,479 units. Private demand was stable at 62,915 … [Read more...]
KIA is king but Stellantis is hopeless, say traders
Kia is the best and Stellantis the worst brands to be selling, say car dealers. The NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey was conducted last month and asked franchised dealers questions about the on-going business relationship with their respective manufacturers. It brought 2,531 responses from 32 franchised networks, equating to a joint record response rate of 68%. The 2023 Summer Survey showed a general … [Read more...]