Auto Retail Network’s annual dealer barometer has revealed that the run-up to this week’s General Election has had a marked, negative impact on car sales. When asked ‘how has the election run-up...

On Thursday, the SMMT’s monthly new car registration figures showed the market had dropped by a fifth in April. The thing to remember is that this wasn’t a surprise. Plenty of authoritative market...

There are clear signs of the motor retail market returning to a more natural long term equilibrium with an easing of new car sales numbers compensated for by resilient used car sales and aftersales...

A cursory glance at the latest figures tell a story of success and solid growth. The clamour for new metal continues, fuelled in part by attractive financing deals and the apparent endless supply of...

Ever since the plate change month moved to September, August has been a tough month financially for the average UK motor retailer. All attention is focused on hitting the September month-end target,...

I’m always wary of highlighting trends from the US auto market and then trying to draw a parallel with the UK. Let’s face it: we barely speak the same language, let alone act alike....

What to make of the March sales figures? I don’t know about you, but my reaction when the numbers popped into my mail box on Friday morning was: “how much?”....

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There are still a couple of weeks to go until registrations for the month of March are totted up, but already I’ve been hearing oddly mixed messages about how new car sales are going. I say oddly...

It was not just the unseasonably cold, wet weather that might have made the 200-or so UK auto retailers who made the trip to NADA in New Orleans feel at home. For the first time in several years, Brit...

New car registrations have proved a hot topic thanks to month-on-month rises and a market running 10% up year-on-year. But there’s also been a trend in predictions that market growth over the coming...

It’s just a few days away, but there’s still time to make sure your team is primed to get off to a great start in September and to keep up the momentum throughout the month. The first seven months...

Trader Media Group’s (TMG) decision to close its print division and move solely to digital products was probably the least unexpected move so far this year. Nonetheless, it was nice of the...

The Annual General Meeting of the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) may not sound like the most exciting social event in the calendar but, once you realise the men (and a few women) in the room...

New car sales in the UK are likely to dip back below the two million mark in 2013, according to forecasts from leading global analysts, IHS Automotive. The forecaster is suggesting 1.97 million units...

For most retail car buyers, their car is the most important decision and investment they make after buying a house and, as such, it needs to be treated with the same degree of importance by you, the...

The Motor Village has linked up with 18 local shops in Marylebone to promote the 500 Fiat Colour Therapy range to potential customers who live and work locally, in a pilot that may eventually be...

The pre-registrations debate continues apace as dealerships chase sales in order to receive volume bonus payments from their manufacturers. However, a perfect storm is brewing as the gap between new...

Two days before the official SMMT sales figures for May were revealed last Thursday, I received an anonymous text message, making some bold claims about forced registrations. He (or she) claimed the...

by Mike Jones  The financial results for the year to April show a continuation of the strong results for the first quarter with national average profitability finishing at 1.8% of turnover. This...