Ineos Cars' boss Tom Crotty has denied it was forced to change its mind over building an assembly plant in Bridgend because of Brexit costs, despite being in favour of the split from the EU. He has said there was a ready made assembly plant offered by Mercedes as the German company had revised its plans for using its assembly plant on the French/ German border. The Massive growth in driver-owned … [Read more...]
Newslines 19 January
Cardiff Council raked in nearly £1.49M in parking fines last year, despite the lockdown. Almost 50,000 fines were issued and the most were around Windsor Place, Cardiff, but the London Borough of Newham realised over £10.62M from 239,000 drivers, said comparethemarket.com . British digger maker JCB has unveiled a new machine to tackle a national scourge - potholes. The company has launched the … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 January
Bus and train services through Wales have been reduced. The effects of Covid-19 on staffing and a decline in passenger numbers have combined to hit them while more users have also resorted to private transport to make journeys, and people have been urged to check service details before travelling. Ford UK prices have risen and now reflect increases following the exit from the EU and the end of … [Read more...]
Tradelines 13 January
From March 2021 production, all Citroën Grand C4 SpaceTourer PureTech 3-cylinder petrol automatic variants have CO2 emissions reduced by 3g/km. Efficiency gains lead to reduced road tax (VED) charges resulting in an overall on the road price reduction of £285, qualifying models will benefit from a new high-efficiency alternator and an enhanced battery and Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) taxation bands see … [Read more...]
Brexit deal “unanswered questions” is concerning, says trade
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...]
EVs on charge in collapsed UK market
The UK new car market fell almost a third last year with registrations dropping 29.4% to 1,631,064 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders today. A -10.9% decline in December wrapped up a turbulent year, which saw demand fall by 680,076 units over 12-months to the lowest level of registrations since 1992. Against a backdrop of Covid restrictions, an acceleration of … [Read more...]
Tradelines 6 January
Sales of electric cars have overtaken petrol and diesel in Norway. Tesla has also been knocked off the top spot by Volkswagen as BEVs collected 54.3% of registrations in 2020. As it eased into its second century, luxury Bentley sales soared to their highest ever despite the pandemic last year. The Crewe-based company saw 11,206 registrations around the world and the new Flying Spur was a major … [Read more...]
Brexit deal provides hope for automotive sector
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders want to ensure all automotive companies benefit from continued tariff-free trade with our largest market after agreeing on Brexit terms. While no substitute for the benefits provided by remaining in the EU, the TCA provides hope for the future, with a foundation on which to build, domestically and internationally, in 2021. Given the … [Read more...]
SUV sales are stalling as hatchbacks & wagons pick up
November saw a double-digit year-on-year drop in European new car registrations as part of the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In November, the market registered 1,045,129 new cars – 13% less than for the same period in 2019 and it has recorded the lowest volume since 2014, when just 989,500 units were registered. Year-to-date figures continue to point to a concerning trend, with … [Read more...]
Motorbikes rebalancing after virus-hit
November’s motorcycle sales figures confirmed a fantastic year on year performance, during a challenging trading period, with dealers embracing the use of click and collect to meet consumer demand through the second lockdown, said Paddy O’Connell, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association. Commenting on the latest MCIA motorcycle sales figures, he said that Powered Two Wheels (PTW) … [Read more...]