Car dealers are having to battle increased levels of fraud and attempted fraud to go with a number of other challenges currently facing the motor trade.
That is according to the latest Forecourt Foresight report from Close Brothers Motor Finance which found that one in five automotive retailers have fallen victim to fraud and a further 31% of dealers have been targeted by attempted fraudsters, but were able to prevent the scams from being successful.
New car registrations dipped 1.2% across Europe in April but slowly started to pick up towards the end of the month, according to the ACEA car makers body.
However, evs took over 15% of the figure, showing the growing number of drivers switching, albeit at a slower rate than expected and plug-in models grew in popularity.
The Toyota Aygo X Hybrid will join the UK range at the end of 2025.
It uses the mild-hybrid powertrain from the Yaris but adapted to fit the smaller floorpan of the city car while returning about 86 gkm and it comes with a new GR Sport version as well as the Japanese car maker builds up its small car range in the face of shrinking rivals making bigger electrified models.
Volvo Cars will cut around 3,000 jobs as part of a restructuring initiative aimed at addressing high costs, slowing electric vehicle demand, and trade uncertainties.
The Geely-owned automaker’s decision comes as it seeks to improve its share price and boost demand by restructuring its operations and reducing expenses and follows a rolling back of its original plan to go all-electric in a few years.
The US clampdown on Chinese products is creating unexpected issues for American car makers.
The automotive industry faces a critical challenge as China’s rare-earth export curbs threaten to disrupt global car production and executives from leading car manufacturers have raised alarms about the potential shortage of rare-earth magnets, vital components in various automotive applications, from windshield-wiper motors to anti-lock braking sensors, reported Reuters.
