Industry

Investment cut at Ford Bridgend plant

6 September 2016

Ford intends to cut back its next stage of investment in Bridgend Engine Plant. It planned to spend £180 M and safeguard 750 jobs when 250,000 Dragon petrol engines went down the lines from 2017 but a year after making the announcement, Ford said yesterday it would now put in £100 M to build 125,000 units and protect 550 jobs. Welsh Government said it … [Read more...]

August new car sales surprise

5 September 2016

The UK new car market achieved modest growth in August as registrations rose 3.3% against the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. There were 81,640 new cars registered in the month, with year-to-date performance remaining positive, up 2.8% to 1.68 million units. The fleet sector drove the growth buoyed by … [Read more...]

Newslines 5 September

5 September 2016

If they were to buy a new car tomorrow 48% of drivers would opt for a petrol model than one fuelled by diesel, 21%. A survey of 2,000 drivers also found that 16% of motorists would buy a hybrid, LPG or electric powered car, says Gocompare. There will be a £35m Government investment in the car industry in the West Midlands. Nearly 3,000 skilled … [Read more...]

New Scenic and Levorg impress crash testers

4 September 2016

New cars that will appeal to family-oriented buyers are leading the way in prioritising the highest levels of safety as standard. The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) says the new Renault Scenic, available in the UK later this year, achieves a five-star Euro NCAP rating, with its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) key in gaining … [Read more...]

Tradelines 3 September

3 September 2016

Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s headquarters and Nagoya plant were raided by Japanese government officials this week. The raid comes after Mitsubishi said that more of its vehicle models were involved in a mileage cheating scandal than initially stated and deepens the crisis for the Japanese automaker struggling to recover from a mileage manipulation scandal … [Read more...]

VW UK told to clean up its act and compensate owners

2 September 2016

An influential group of British politicians has called on the Government to set strict timelines for Volkswagen Group to recall tainted diesel vehicles and compensate their British owners. VW is "only just beginning to recall cars in the UK," where about 1.1 million vehicles were found to contain software that rigged emissions tests, said Parliament's … [Read more...]

Brits want to buy British cars

31 August 2016

Demand for engines to power UK models has kept the factories going despite a fall in exports of complete units for overseas vehicle assembly plants. Figures from the SMMT show a 23% dip in units sent abroad out of the 172,533 made but a 28.6% rise in those going into UK vehicle assembly plants and the figure so far this year is steady and about 5.7% up at … [Read more...]

Personalising your car pushes pounds off value

28 August 2016

Retrofit add-ons like big bore exhausts, aftermarket alloys and tinted glass can put off potential used car buyers and destroy values, says Glass's. Andy Cutler, forecast values editor, explained that these non-manufacturer options suggested that the previous owner was a boy racer and the car would have been driven hard. "To the previous owners, … [Read more...]

Golf & Passat production resumes after settlement

26 August 2016

Volkswagen Group will compensate a supplier to end a six-day standoff that stopped Golf and Passat production in Germany. The $14.7 million amount is well below supplier Prevent Group's initial demands seeking about €58 million ($66 million) to cover factory alterations made in preparation for a €500 million order that VW cancelled. The deal also … [Read more...]

UK car production slowing but still strong