Vehicle numbers on UK roads fell to 40,350,714 in 2020, according to Motorparc figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the first time the total number has fallen since the global financial crisis of 2009. As the pandemic stifled new vehicle uptake, the average age of cars on UK roads is now the highest on record at 8.4 years. Van uptake, however, has grown to the highest … [Read more...]
Industry
Newslines 21 May
Aston Martin will soon have new dealerships in multiple European destinations, after signing agreements with six new dealer partners. The company’s transformation plan ‘Project Horizon’ identified a need to focus on this growing region and the fact that six new dealerships are already open, or opening soon, demonstrates the substance and power behind the plan and the company's first SUV, the St … [Read more...]
IM Group lifeline for Mitsubishi owners & dealers
Mitsubishi owners and dealers in the UK have been given a parts and warranty lifeline by Midlands-based International Motors. International Motors Ltd is in advanced discussions to take over the Mitsubishi Motors UK after-sales business in the autumn, pending the completion of a successful due diligence process which is currently well underway after Mitsubishi announced it will exit the European … [Read more...]
Real range of EVs tested with surprising results
A new report from sustainable mobility specialist Arval UK revealed the real-world ranges that fleet operators can expect when they adopt electric vans. The real-world range figures in the eLCVs – Electric fleet transition powered by real-world data report from Arval helps fleets to plan with confidence when running battery-electric commercial vehicles. Until now, independent real-world data on … [Read more...]
Tradelines 19 May
Businesses in and around Birmingham should consider replacing their fleet vehicles with cleaner, more efficient models as the city’s clean air zone (CAZ) comes into effect on 1 June 2021. Already identified as one of the top challenges facing fleets over the next five years, Birmingham headquartered ATS Euromaster says that with further cities due to add CAZs in 2021 and 2022, more fleets should … [Read more...]
Supply not demand the issue with van sales
Following a series of exceedingly strong months of used sales performance, April recorded a drop in the number of LCVs sold, said Rupert Pontin, Director of Insights at Cazana. It is of interest to note that the volume of new retail listings during the month has also dropped by -11.9% which suggests that the problem here is not demand but a lack of supply of used product to satisfy demand and … [Read more...]
Greens see red on slow clean-up of vans
The European Union needs to dramatically toughen weak CO2 targets for commercial vans to spur a shift to electric models and phase out fossil-fuel sales entirely by 2035, said European campaign group Transport and Environment. T&E said an analysis of van sales in 2020 showed no change in CO2 emissions from 2017 and found the EU's CO2 targets are so weak that most manufacturers can meet them … [Read more...]
Welsh drivers praise their reliable cars
Motorists in Wales are among the luckiest in Britain for car reliability. Despite the increasing reliability of vehicles, new research reveals that over a third of drivers (36%) have broken down in their current car. A further 34% have experienced a breakdown in a previous car, meaning that only 30% of drivers have never suffered a vehicle failure. The study for Kwik Fit, the UK’s largest … [Read more...]
Newslines 18 May
The Volkswagen ID.4 range has grown with City and Style variants of the 2021 World Car of the Year rolling out to UK customers. Both models bring the option of ‘Pure’ and ‘Pure Performance’ battery and motor specifications, with the former delivering 52 kWh and 148 PS, and the latter having 170 PS on tap, with the same 52 kWh net battery capacity setup and the new City also represents the new … [Read more...]
Trouble cooking for retailers and manufacturers
Dealers and car makers face yet more disruption next year as Google ends the practice of easily identifying potential customers through their internet browsing activity. That's the warning from automotive content and ecommerce experts, Autovia, who believe that the motor retail industry has yet to wake up to the coming challenge. Many marketing departments and dealer promotion businesses use … [Read more...]