The Kia Niro has been named the best new car on sale by leading car buying advice website Carbuyer.co.uk. The Niro, which is available with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric powertrains, scooped no fewer than three of the 18 categories on offer. Kia has been named the top UK car brand by Reputation.com in the 2022 Automotive Reputation Report, according to Reputation’s … [Read more...]
Welsh car sales falling back
Wales saw a fall in new car registrations last month, the only part of Britain suffering as the cost of living rose. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reported 8,342 new cars were registered by Welsh dealerships last month compared with 8,637 a year ago. That’s a decline of 3.42% on the year to date. The top ten models sold in Wales in September were: Nissan Qashqai, Ford Puma, … [Read more...]
Sweet smell of success in Valleys
Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has visited Energizer Auto UK in Ebbw Vale to celebrate a quarter of a century in the Valleys and reaffirm its partnership with the Welsh Government. The facility established in 1997 now employs 50 skilled staff producing more than 700 automotive fragrance and appearance products ranging from fuel additives to car wash products across 43 different countries. The … [Read more...]
Welsh motor group sees profits soar
Welsh family business Day’s Motor Group saw its pre-tax profit soar threefold to nearly £24m last year. In its accounts – posted as C.E.M. Day Ltd – for the year ended December 31, 2021 and newly published on the Companies House website, the dealership chain said its profit before tax went from £7.66m in 2020 to £23.72m in 2021 – a rise of 210 per cent. Operating profit, meanwhile, rocketed by … [Read more...]
Bumping in the trade under HMRC watch
HMRC has identified an increasing risk of an error in the VAT returns for certain Franchised Dealerships, described as “Bumping”. HMRC are sending letters to some motor retailers that they believe are at risk from ‘Bumping’. Bumping is where there is a discrepancy between a vehicle sales invoice on the DMS system and the finance proposal one, which can lead to the underpayment of output VAT on … [Read more...]
Parking perils poll
Car dealership Brindley Group surveyed over 1000 UK motorists about their thoughts on parking, including skills, parking experiences, opinions on parking situations and reactions to hypothetical situations. It found: Over a third of motorists (37%) said that they have received a parking fine. 1 in 10 admitted to using their hazard lights as an excuse to park where they want. 1 in 5 … [Read more...]
Warming up for winter
With temperatures dropping across the UK, and fuel prices rising, Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing shares ways drivers and their cars can stay warm behind the wheel without breaking the bank. “On frosty cold mornings, many drivers will wake up extra early to whack the heating up in their car. Whilst this won't consume a significant amount of fuel, it can actually shorten the … [Read more...]
Newslines 3 October
Churchill Motor Insurance reveals the most common ways in which having children in the car negatively affects parents driving, with more than 4.7 million parents blaming their children for bad driving. One in nine (11 per cent) parents takes their eyes off the road to tend to their children and the same proportion (11 per cent) find that looking in the rear-view mirror to check on their kids has … [Read more...]
Traffic volumes still below pre-pandemic peak
Traffic volumes appear to still be below pre-pandemic levels with flexible working patterns that have become commonplace across the UK likely to be a major factor, said RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes. "Nonetheless, the trend is upwards, especially so for vans and HGVs – both of which show higher traffic volumes than prior to the pandemic. Therefore it remains vitally important that the … [Read more...]
Newslines 30 September
An Aston Martin DB5 replica stunt car featured in No Time To Die (2021) has raised £2,922,000 for good causes in a charity auction at Christie’s to celebrate 60 years of the James Bond films. Two Land Rover Defenders used in the film No Time To Die helped raised £352,800 for charities and they were sold as part of 60 lots from EON Productions to mark the iconic jubilee. UK car manufacturing … [Read more...]