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...]
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...]
September registrations’ uplift for the fallen
Britain's new car market rose 1.2% in August, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The growth, albeit marginal, is the first seen since February with some 68,858 new vehicles joining the road during what is typically the second quietest month of the year as many buyers choose to wait for a ‘new’ numberplate in September. In Wales, new registrations declined the most in the UK … [Read more...]
Get Connected Rali Ceredigion action weekend
The Motorsport UK British Rally Championship will embark on a new journey next weekend as the series heads for the blisteringly fast closed-roads of west Wales and two-days of flat-out action at the Get Connected Rali Ceredigion 3-4 September. The Aberystwyth based event enters the BRC calendar for the first time and is the fifth round of the series, after an impressive inaugural running in 2019. … [Read more...]
Toyota Aygo X makes its mark in Wales
Car sales in Wales last month saw the Toyota Aygo X the best seller for the first time as it stood out in a declining market. While Ford never figured in the UK top ten last month it was again notiching up double success in Wales with Kuga and Puma in the top ten, revealed by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Total Welsh registrations exceeded 4,000 in July but that was drop of … [Read more...]
Welsh firms jointly working on new type of electric motor
A consortium including industry and academia, led by Caerphilly-based advanced research and development firm Deregallera, will begin work on an alternative motor for electric vehicles that’s less harmful to the global environment, thanks to support from the £1.8m Ford Low Carbon Vehicle Transformation Fund. Administered by the Welsh Government as part of Ford’s legacy in Wales, the Low Carbon … [Read more...]
Newslines 25 July
The eagerly awaited Autolink networking event organised by the Welsh Automotive Forum will be held on 27 September at Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith. It brings together key suppliers and automotive component makers, potential investors and specialists with a session of presentations, opportunities to discuss ventures and see the latest products created for the industry. Just 10% of a sample of … [Read more...]
Newslines 22 July
With new multi-million pound backers from the Middle East, Aston Martin is giving its marque a new marketing strategy and reworking of its iconic winged badge. Designer Peter Saville has restyled the badge which is still produced in the Birmingham jewellery quarter. Channel Tunnel traffic has soared and pushed its operator’s income 206% over the previous 12 months when pandemic restrictions … [Read more...]
New car sales slowing quicker than expected
The brakes have gone on hard for sales in Britain's car showrooms. UK new car registrations fell -24.3% in June, according to the latest figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders with 140,958 new vehicles registered, the weakest June performance in 26 years. Volkswagen emerged top last month with 8.27% of share, Vauxhall reached 7.07% and just behind was Ford … [Read more...]
Newslines 24 June
Ferrari has overhauled its new and used car programme, service and maintenance. Warranty is good for seven years and it’s been backdated for many models sold since 2015 while buyers can choose to extend it to 15 years on major components and that is transferable to new owners while a new approved used programme is on-line. Ford says it wants to build its new generation of electric cars in … [Read more...]