Dyson is seeking another 300 engineers to work on its forthcoming new electric car project, the company has announced on the back of a massive 27% rise in earnings to £801 M last year. The company is headquartered at Malmesbury but has converted a former RAF hangar at Hullavington to develop their new car for 2020, but not said where it will be built. Fred Rees Garages, Haverfordwest is the … [Read more...]
Retail
EVs might shock you with depreciation
Electric car sales may have reached an all-time high, with almost 120,000 alternatively fuelled vehicles sold in the UK in 2017, but buyers of electric cars face great variations in the rate at which different models depreciate. Research by InsuretheGap.com shows striking differences in the depreciation of ten of the most popular electric cars from their purchase price in 2015 to their current … [Read more...]
Used car dealers urged to plan for diesel’s decline
Used car dealers should be starting to think about an inevitable shift away from diesel towards petrol that is likely to take effect in around two years, says the Vehicle Remarketing Association. The trade body, which represents businesses that process 1.5 million cars for remarketing every year, says that the change in the used car market – which has seen diesel penetration drop from 45% to … [Read more...]
MB C Class hits top spot, with thieves
The 2017 league table from Tracker of Top Ten Most Stolen and Recovered Vehicles places the Mercedes-Benz C Class in poll position for the first time, rising from 4th place in 2016. The BMW X5 drops to second place as it leaves the top spot for only the second time since 2011. The 2016 Top Ten, like many previous years, was entirely dominated by prestige models from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and … [Read more...]
Tradelines 28 February
More than 1,000 safety checks have been made in a day for the first time using FleetCheck’s Mobile App. Launched at CV Show 2017, is designed to provide a simple yet robust way of carrying out essential commercial vehicle safety checks. Users include including Blind Veterans UK, Tructyre, Hyperoptic and London and Quadrant Housing. Key features of the Mobile App include the means to … [Read more...]
Electric vans now matching diesels’ cost, say analysts
The costs of emissions-free, electric vans are now as low as their diesel competitors. That’s according to a new study by consultancy CE Delft that focuses on the small van segment largely used in cities and which accounts for 40% of total van sales in the EU. The study takes into account purchase price, taxes, fuel bills and maintenance costs over six years, equivalent to a standard lease … [Read more...]
New head for Mitsubishi UK
Mitsubishi UK has announced the appointment of Rob Lindley as Managing Director. Mr. Lindley will step into the role on 16 April, succeeding Lance Bradley who is standing down after 9 years in the role and 18 years in the company. Mr. Bradley moves into the role of Vice Chairman, assisting Mr. Lindley during the transitional period of change and continuing to drive the growth of Mitsubishi … [Read more...]
From car cleaning to customer care champion
Sinclair Volkswagen Cardiff after-sales manager Lee Mitchell has joined the marque’s gold club. Britain’s second best selling UK brand recently recognised ten colleagues who have clocked up long service and Lee is among them for over 30 years service and exceptional assistance to customers. He said, “I started at JB Volkswagen in about 1985. I was cleaning cars and then worked my way up and … [Read more...]
Best sellers which won’t burn a hole in your pocket
If you are looking to buy a new car this March, InsuretheGap.com has analysed how the top ten best-selling petrol cars in 2017 have held their value in the last five years. A new car loses approximately 20 per cent of its value as soon as it is driven off the showroom forecourt, and cars lose between 15 - 20 per cent of their value each year. All of the cars in the study lost almost … [Read more...]
Volvo debut three-cylinder engine in new XC40
Volvo Cars launches its new three-cylinder Drive-E powertrain in the XC40 and it’s the first triple-cylinder engine in the company's 91-year history. The all-new 156hp 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, direct-injection petrol engine was developed in-house using the same modular design as Volvo's four-cylinder Drive-E engines and the T3 initially comes with six-speed manual transmission but versions of … [Read more...]