It is positive that despite the significant disruption faced over the past twelve months, dealers are on average fairly satisfied with the relationship with their respective manufacturers, said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association. Average levels of dealer satisfaction with the support received through the pandemic by respective manufacturers remained … [Read more...]
Newslines 12 March
Nissan plans for a major expansion to renewable energy generation at its record-breaking plant in Sunderland. Complementing the plant’s existing wind turbines and solar farm, the proposed 20MW solar farm extension represents a further step in Nissan’s path to carbon neutrality and the 37,000-panel extension would result in 20% of the plant’s energy coming from all onsite renewables, enough to … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Alfa Romeo Stelvio Lusso 2.0
Diversity has driven the car industry for over a century responding to the changing society it serves, so we shouldn’t be surprised when a traditional sporting brand looks at something different,writes Robin Roberts. Premium brands including Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Maserati and Porsche are examples which come to mind, but there is also the more affordable sporting Italian marque … [Read more...]
Handrakes are slipping says survey
Traditional mechanical parking brakes are slackening their appeal and dying out as car manufacturers ditch them in favour of electronic parking brakes, according to CarGurus.It found that just 24% of new cars on sale in the UK today come with a manually operated handbrake, falling even further from 30% recorded last year.Some popular models, including the BMW 1 series and 3 … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint
If it feels right, it’s right - and that’s a particularly apt saying when it comes to the Alfa Romeo Giulia. What’s more, the sporting saloon looks striking outside and inside and when it gets moving this driver’s smile widens still further. Alfa Romeo has always enjoyed a strong sporting fan club, and I count myself as a member, as it delivers all you’d expect of a family car but with a sharper … [Read more...]
Tradelines 3 June
North Wales Police face a £100,000 bill for selling an impounded luxury motor home without the owner’s permission. The Unimog based vehicle from Germany was taken in October last year when its German owners asked a policeman for directions and couldn’t produce insurance, which was obtained in December but after NWP sold it and it was stripped for parts, it's been reported by the BBC. Alfa Romeo … [Read more...]
Newslines 2 December
The Mazda MX-30 all electric SUV will go on sale in Europe in 12 months time. It is expected in the UK in Spring 2021. Owners of Fiat, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Abarth vehicles can now benefit from a range of fast, convenient repairs & services, without having to pre-book thanks to the new MOPAR Express Lane service. This new concept has opened at 103 workshops across the FCA retail network and … [Read more...]
Newslines 12 November
Volkswagen is breaking new ground with a concept for an electric estate car to be shown at the Los Angeles motor show the end of this week. The ID Space Vizzion is their latest proposal for a new model after a future EV hatchback was unveiled in the autumn. Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to shut down assembly plants last week to ease any Brexit issues with components and stocks will cost the UK … [Read more...]
Turning the corner with Alfa Romeo
Car sales are a series of ups and downs but there are strong signs that Alfa Romeo has turned the corner this year, writes Robin Roberts.A recent independent survey of owners who have used their models for some time concluded that the sporting Italian brand was second only to Lexus in terms of overall satisfaction with models, manufacturer and dealership support.It was the highest placed … [Read more...]
Tradelines 24 April
JLR is hoping strong SUV sales in America will offset a slowdown in the UK and China.The luxury British brand had to writedown $3.9Billion last year due to lower sales but the SUV sector is doing well in the US and the company has new models to launch there over the next 18 months, including the new Evoque (above) and upcoming Defender.Nissan profits have collapsed to a near ten-year low … [Read more...]
