November new car sales mark 33rd month of growth
SMMT Figures show that new car registrations grew for the 33rd consecutive month in November, up 8.0 per cent to 172,327 units. 2,310,237 cars have been registered in the year-to-date; a rise of 9.4 per cent and ahead of the 2013 full-year total. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “Six months after the record was broken […]
Continue Reading‘UK Autodrive’ to lead the way on driverless car integration
Innovate UK has announced that ‘UK Autodrive’, a consortium of local authorities, the UK’s leading technology and automotive businesses and academic institutions, has won the UK Government’s £10 million ‘Introducing Driverless Cars’ competition. In short this means a semi-autonomous Range Rover research vehicle will now be used to test driver reactions on the roads around […]
Continue ReadingChancellor confirms infrastructure investment, fuel duty freeze
It wasn’t an enormously motoring-centric Autumn statement this year, but UK chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne did confirm that fuel duty is to remain frozen and that the government would fund 84 road-building projects across the country. As far as fuel duty is concerned, some motoring groups had predicted a return of the fuel […]
Continue ReadingMichelin, Goodyear and others honoured at TyreSafe awards
Michelin secured top honours at the 2014 TyreSafe awards, winning the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award in recognition of its long term commitment and innovation in raising awareness about tyre safety issues. In recent years, the company has rolled out a number of successful tyre safety education programmes including its puppet road show events for young drivers, […]
Continue ReadingGTRadial extends Champiro HPY range
Giti Tire has added eight new sizes to its GT Radial Champiro HPY range and will market all SUV sizes to take full advantage of the growing segment. Commanding separate sections in the catalogue and on the website, 15 SKUs, which range from 215/60R17 to 275/55R20 with speed indexes from V to Y, will specifically target the second and third generation owners in the medium sized premium and large powerful SUV automotive sectors. The remaining 27 SKUs in the range will continue to target high performance car owners and will also be marketed separately.
Continue ReadingUK tyre market valued at £3.2 billion – report
In its new report on the British tyre market, TechSci Research calculates the total value of the UK tyre market this year to be around US$5 billion, or approximately £3.2 billion. The report, titled ‘United Kingdom Tyre Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2019’, opines that tyre demand in the UK will be boosted in the coming five years by anticipated growth in the country’s automotive industry and expansion of the overall vehicle parc.
Continue ReadingNorth/south divide in UK supercar sales
The number of supercar buyers in the south of the UK is more than double that of those in the north, reveals research by luxury car funding firm Oracle Finance. The supercar finance company has delved into its deal history from the last 12 months and has found that 48 per cent of its buyers came […]
Continue ReadingPro-Align introduces CV alignment division
Wheel alignment specialist Pro-Align has announced its intention to offer further support to commercial vehicle operators and tyre suppliers with the creation of a new Commercial Vehicle/Fleet alignment division in 2015. With the planned introduction of a unique, innovative commercial vehicle aligner, Pro-Align aims to make it easier than ever before for truck, bus and […]
Continue ReadingEuro Car Parts appoints new supply chain/e-commerce head
Euro Car Parts has appointed Sukhbir Kapoor as vice president (VP) for Supply Chain and E-commerce. According to LKQ Corporation, which owns Euro Car Parts, Kapoor will coordinate the company’s pan-European strategies and activities in supplier relationships, global sourcing, inventory, category management, brands and concepts, cataloguing, e-commerce and pricing. Kapoor joins the board of Euro […]
Continue ReadingIGA hails repair information step forward
Findings from the European Commission’s review into the process of access to vehicle repair and maintenance information have been welcomed as ‘another major step forward’ by the Independent Garage Association (IGA). At the end of 2013, the Commission appointed Ricardo-AEA, a UK based agency, to carry out a study on access to vehicle repair and maintenance information for independent operators, and the results have confirmed the IGA’s stance that although the situation has improved in recent years, we are still some distance from a “level playing field”.
Continue ReadingFairFuelUK calls for price enquiry
The recent massive fall in the price of oil continues not to be reflected at the pumps. FairFuelUK is repeating its call for a full pricing enquiry into why prices are not being passed onto consumers every time they fill up their vehicles. Following a meeting with FairFuelUK, Priti Patel the Exchequer Secretary to the […]
Continue ReadingRAC launches garage price comparison
RAC Garage Compare.co.uk is being formed by a new partnership between the RAC and The Motorists Organisation, the company behind the former TootCompare site, and is being supported by an extensive consumer marketing campaign. Working on the same principles as comparison websites covering products such as motor insurance and other financial products, RAC Garage Compare […]
Continue ReadingLandsail offers its tyres up for testing
Landsail tyres, which are produced by Qingdao Sentury Tire Co. Ltd in China’s Shandong province, are offering their tyres for magazine testing in a bid to demonstrate the quality of its products. According to the company, the move made as the Landsail brand reaches its fifth anniversary, follows accelerated investment in engineering, production capabaility, and […]
Continue ReadingSMMT names Gareth Jones as new president
SMMT has announced that Gareth Jones, managing director of ebm-papst Automotive and Drives UK will be president in 2015 effective 1 January. Gareth Jones has more than 26 years’ experience within the ebm-papst group, operating in the manufacturing supply chains of many global industries including automotive, telecommunications, rail, consumer electronics, white goods and retail. He is an engineer with a wide range of experience across many business environments.
Continue ReadingComment: Roll on 2015
As the evenings draw in and the temperatures drop, people not only make preparations for Christmas, but also consider the pros and cons of the last 12 months as well as look forward to next year. When it comes to the tyre business it is no different, I am sure we are all looking forward to our Christmas break – but this is also the season for stock-taking, both metaphorical and literal.
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