A feasibility study will be carried out into reopening a railway station at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan. It would serve the expanding industrial businesses at the former airbase and housing developments but its only a short distance between Rhoose and Llantwit Major halts. Volvo Cars is streamlining and standardising its model names for fully electric cars, in line with ongoing transformation … [Read more...]
Newslines 9 February
Car dealers face becoming the focus of a new customers financial scandal similar to PPI claims of the last two decades. The Financial Conduct Authority is investigating cases of finance houses not paying out compensation to customers over now-banned ‘discretionary commission arrangements’ and the watchdog is using its powers under S166 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to identify … [Read more...]
The best 4×4 by scrap
Land Rover is the most valuable brand for scrap overall, with the average price quoted for these vehicles sitting at 28.8% higher than the average. The quoted price is directly linked to the weight of the vehicle and with all Land Rover vehicles being large SUVs and 4×4 vehicles, they’re definitely one of the weightier brands when all models in their range are considered. The data is part of … [Read more...]
Best and worst cars to buy and own
When buying a new car, it’s always worth thinking about the potential resale value and how much it will depreciate over time. Some cars can prove to be very worthy investments, with their value increasing over time, while others may drop quickly in value as soon as they leave the forecourt. Elements such as age, condition, mileage and number of owners are all influencing factors, and there are … [Read more...]
SMMT gets new president
The 83rd President of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) will be Mick Flanagan, Vice President for Volvo, JLR, Toyota, Nissan at Adient. He will assume office from 1 January 2024, replacing Alison Jones, Senior Vice President Global Circular Economy at Stellantis, who steps down after completing her two-year tenure. Mick draws experience from a long career in the automotive … [Read more...]
Fleet discounts driving slight rise in new car registrations
October’s new car market grew by 14.3% to reach 153,529 registrations, 7.2% above pre-pandemic levels and marking the best performance for the month since 2018, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The 15th month of consecutive growth was driven almost entirely by large fleet registrations, which grew 28.8% to reach 87,479 units. Private demand was stable at 62,915 … [Read more...]
Stinging verdict delivered on van drivers
Van drivers have been slated as the worst on UK roads. In a poll for Moneybarn they achieved an overall score of 0.56/10! Almost 19% of survey respondents said those in vans are the worst drivers, the least considerate and the rudest on the road (17.90%). White van drivers, in particular, have built up quite a reputation, with many tradespeople being branded with the ‘White Van Man’ name … [Read more...]
Newslines 7 July
Britain's premier supercar club has continued its expansion to 25 hubs throughout the country. Founded by two Welshmen, Maesteg-born Richard Thomas and Craig Williams, from Usk, Auto Vivendi has over £7m of supercars available for its 135 members to use and call upon at the hubs, including two in Wales, or for their Out of Town Membership from all corners of the UK. Nissan has launched a … [Read more...]
Car sales slowly rising again
The momentum in new vehicle sales has continued with strong growth across electric vehicles, hybrids and petrol vehicles and is expected to continue through the summer months, said Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association. In May, a total of 145,204 new cars were registered, an increase of 16.7% from the same period last year, according to the Society of Motor … [Read more...]
Chinese stake in Aston Martin Lagonda
Chinese backers have moved to take a share of the quintessentially British Aston Martin Lagonda brand. Geely, who are behind Volvo, Polestar and Lotus, have taken a 17% stake of £234M in the Gaydon and St Athan luxury car makers and may raise it to 22%. The move makes the Chinese giant the third-largest shareholder in Aston Martin, behind the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (18% holding) … [Read more...]