The new, “thin” Brexit deal that is now in effect leaves many unanswered questions that could have serious implications for the UK motor industry, warns the Vehicle Remarketing Association. The trade organisation says that several key points surrounding the future of manufacturing and cross-border movement of vehicles remain vague or undefined. Sam Watkins (right), chair at the VRA, said, “Let’s … [Read more...]
Buyers back in the driving seats
Car buyers are flocking back to showrooms and forecourts, said the National Franchised Dealers Association. Through the findings, NFDA aims to assess the implications of the COVID-19 lockdown on the automotive retail sector and understand how the industry is now recovering. Their survey asked dealers questions about their return to work including the percentage of dealerships that reopened, … [Read more...]
Tradelines 5 August
The car market turned upside down in July, said Sean Kemple, MD of Close Brothers Motor Finance. The bounce back from near-zero sales in April to a 11% uplift in July reflects the momentous release in pent-up demand because there is usually a summer slump, but 2020 has been anything but normal. Right now it’s the used car market where the real growth is taking place, reports Alex Buttle, … [Read more...]
Slow pickup to England’s car sales after lockdown eases
The industry is now one week into the post lockdown trading period in England and the question that concerned retailers nationwide has now been answered and that was whether there really would be consumer demand for cars, says Rupert Pontin, Director of Insights at Cazana. Indications both anecdotal and factual reflect the fact that consumers have returned to the showrooms in significant numbers, … [Read more...]
Higher demand for new cars expected
British car manufacturing came to a screeching halt in April, down 99.7% against the same month last year. Seán Kemple, Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, offers his views on the shutdown, including recent data on what dealers want from the Government moving forward. Seán Kemple, Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said, “April’s manufacturing slump reflects the … [Read more...]
Welsh drivers want a ‘goer’ before a green car
Welsh drivers buck the trend and value a reliable car above an environmentally “green” car, according to a poll for AA Financial Services. Nationally, drivers are more concerned about green credentials (24%), than cost-efficiency (18%) when buying a new car, according to new research from AA Financial Services, but they view it very differently in Wales. The data also shows that older drivers … [Read more...]
Ford battered by Welsh registrations
New car dealers in Wales did better than most and saw the smallest decline in January registrations, down just 2.14% to 5,224 over 12 months previously. Ford was comprehensively knocked off top spot by Vauxhall with Corsa and Grandland X a long way ahead of the traditional best selling Fiesta and Focus models, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The Golf was just behind … [Read more...]
Welsh car buyers most loyal in disappointing 2019
UK car sales last year hit a six-year low and the industry does not expect an early recovery but Welsh buyers were most loyal, writes Robin Roberts. The SMMT said today that overall sales in 2019 were 2.4% below the previous year at 2.31M new models. Consumer confidence, confusion over clean air legislation which is tightening each year and challenging car makers, and the Brexit debate with a … [Read more...]
New to used gap widens and choices expand
As used car sales surge, the gap between demand for used and new vehicles gets ever starker, said Seán Kemple, Director of Sales at Close Brothers Motor Finance. Consumers shifting to cheaper cars due to the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit and the global slowdown is certainly a factor. But, so too is the challenge in supplying customers the makes and models of new vehicles that … [Read more...]
Newslines 17 May
About 42% of Cardiff commuters admit to being stressed by their journeys and the Welsh capital ranks eighth in the list of the UK’s top ten worst cities. The poll for property company Good Move put York and London at the top of the stress list with 51% of drivers affected. New info-tainment systems are proving a headache for owners of the latest cars with unreliability the main feature of … [Read more...]