Retail

Gravells & Pentraeth win Kia recognition

7 October 2020

Kia’s Welsh dealers Gravells and Pentraeth Automotive have been singled out for their outstanding recovery from this spring’s CV-19 lockdown. With dealerships across the UK reopening in June following the UK wide lockdown, Kia Motors (UK) Limited has rewarded 34 dealers across its 187-strong network for their outstanding performance since reopening. With a … [Read more...]

Welsh drivers are leading car buyers

6 October 2020

Drivers in Wales are ahead of the UK. It’s the only part of the country to record car sales rising in September, when they went up 2.15% and contrasted with a maximum decline of 5.21% in England. New car registrations last month were down overall in the UK by 4.44% to 327,732 but in Wales they rose to 12,135 new cars, easily passing the 11,880 in … [Read more...]

Newslines 6 October

6 October 2020

Mazda Your Way is a new national scheme to help prospective owners tie up with a local dealership. After a pilot in London, Mazda Your Way permits remote connections from initial enquiry to final purchase and delivery of their chosen car. Midlands and North East car plants of Toyota and Nissan have reportedly asked the UK government to reimburse them if … [Read more...]

Vans deliver good returns in September

5 October 2020

Home deliveries have delivered for the UK van market. Sales of light commercials grew by 26.4% in September following a weak month last year, when the market was affected by emission regulations changes. “It is encouraging to see the van market experience an uplift in registrations of over a quarter indicating that a degree of confidence has returned to … [Read more...]

Newslines 5 October

5 October 2020

Thousands of drivers are making big savings by working from home and not paying to use toll bridges, tunnels or motorway sections, says Leasing Options. It has looked at toll costs and found the Dartford Crossing the dearest to use over a year, taking over £3,500 off drivers and even the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol costs £524 annually. Changing your … [Read more...]

Weekend roadtest: First drive Jeep Renegade 4xe

3 October 2020

Jeep has turned a corner with its new plug-in hybrid Renegade. Without compromising its famous off-road abilities the Renegade 4xe adds emission lowering and power enhancing electric drive. It’s the first electrified Jeep to be sold in Britain and uses the familiar 1.3 litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor or generator driving the front … [Read more...]

Drive begins to save apprenticeships

2 October 2020

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Charitable Trust Fund has launched the SMMT Apprentice Support Programme, designed to help safeguard the jobs of apprentices currently working within the automotive industry. The scheme comes as the government-funded furlough scheme is poised to end in a month’s time, to be replaced by new measures to … [Read more...]

Newslines 2 October

2 October 2020

CUPRA has started production of the new Formentor, the first vehicle uniquely designed and developed for the brand. The CUPRA Formentor will be available to order in the UK from Tuesday 20 October, starting with the 2.0-litre 310PS petrol engine, and followed by other engines including the plug-in hybrid variant. MG has beaten its 2019 sales targets … [Read more...]

Potential potholes for planning ahead

1 October 2020

The impact of the coronavirus crisis and potential effects of Brexit are making planning beyond the short term almost impossible in the remarketing sector. So reports the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA), which points out that the currently booming market is arguably obscuring the potential dangers that lie ahead. Chair Sam Watkins said, “As has been … [Read more...]

Newslines 1 October