Close to 300 pioneering veteran cars dating back to the dawn of motoring have already entered this year’s very special staging of the Royal Automobile Club’s magical RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on Sunday 7 November. The historic pilgrimage from capital to coast commemorates the famous Emancipation Run of 1896 which celebrated the passing into law of the Locomotive on the … [Read more...]
News
Morris makes it back to track this weekend
Proven international GT racer Seb Morris will make a welcome return to competitive action at the Nurburgring in Germany, having been drafted in by top team Leipert Motorsport to contest the remainder of the 2021 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe season. Beginning with the penultimate event of the campaign next weekend, Morris will also race in the Super Trofeo Europe finale on Thursday, 28th … [Read more...]
Dealers expect to recruit more staff
The percentage of dealers’ looking to recruit across all business areas is significantly up from Q2 this year, reports the National Franchised Dealers Association. In particular, 77.5% are seeking to recruit sales executives over the next three months and the same percentage intend to employ technicians. Additionally, 67.5% intend to hire service advisors. Employee engagement: all dealers who … [Read more...]
Free safety course for van operators from FleetCheck
A new, free online video safety course aimed at van operators was launched this week by fleet software specialist FleetCheck at the Commercial Vehicle Show 2021 in the NEC until 2 September. Called the 28-Day Fleet Confidence Challenge, it takes the form of four weekly episodes and is aimed at people whose fleet responsibility is only part of their role, who may not understand the full extent of … [Read more...]
Salary sacrifice powers drive to evs
A 280% growth has been seen by Arval UK in the number of vehicles it operates under its Ignition salary sacrifice product during the last 12 months, with the top 15 cars chosen now all electric vehicles. Richard Cox, consultant at the fleet and mobility specialist, explained that the growth showed both the burgeoning popularity of “sal-sac” and how quickly EV adoption could happen in the “right … [Read more...]
AI checks if all’s well in the cell
Artificial intelligence has been developed to accurately predict when a traction battery will run out of charge. The work by Eatron Technologies and WMG was funded through the Faraday Battery Challenge and means the UK becomes a supplier of the most advanced Battery Management Systems in the world. The innovation of project COBRA as it’s called comes from combining advanced battery ageing models … [Read more...]
Is the pricing bubble about to burst? ask BuyaCar
Used car prices may have reached a ceiling, signalled by a shrinking cost gap between newer and older cars. According to the online car supermarket BuyaCar.co.uk, the average price paid for a 2021-registered car is just 4.6% higher than for cars registered in 2020. BuyaCar research shows that the gap was 24.1% in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic and the global electronic chip shortage … [Read more...]
Car stock shortages looming, warn finance lender
Stock shortages emerge as the biggest worry for dealers in the year ahead, according to new research from Close Brothers Motor Finance. The Dealer Satisfaction Survey found that almost a third (31%) of motor dealers see the lack of stock availability as the biggest threat to their business, with the global semiconductor shortage having a significant ripple effect on the motor industry. Despite … [Read more...]
Chinese electric vans heading to UK next year
Two Chinese electric van brands will go on sale in Britain early next year with five year warranties. DFSK and Skywell models will be imported by Innovation Automotive, based in the Cotswolds, and CEO is Paul Brigden, formerly Operations Director of Mitsubishi Motors UK headquartered in Cirencester. The vehicles will be imported through Portbury, Bristol docks but the number of jobs being … [Read more...]
EU car sales slow but UK CV production rises
According to data from 26 European markets, new car registrations slowed in July, recording a year-on-year decline of 24% as total volume decreased from 1.27 million units to 967,830. Similar results were recorded in July 2012, when the market registered 966,090 units. The year-to-date results remain positive, up by 17% compared to 2020 with 7,381,735 units registered, but down by 24% when … [Read more...]