Car ownership numbers fall for second consecutive year in more than a century May 31, 2022 Car ownership levels have fallen for the second consecutive year in more than a century. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), in 2021 levels fell by 0.2 per cent to 35 million units despite the number of UK vehicles growing by 0.4 per cent to 40.5 million. Covid-related market [...]
Car dealership profits up by sevenfold following post-Covid surge in demand May 30, 2022 Profits at the UK car dealerships rose by more than a sevenfold in 2021 following a post-Covid surge in demand. According to data from accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, profits went up 627 per cent, from £105m in 2019/2020 to £764m a year later. Following the end of lockdown, new car sales went up as [...]
UK automotive output spirals downward as global pressures continue to bite May 26, 2022 The UK’s automotive output fell by 11.3 per cent in April as global pressures continue to bite. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), only 60,554 vehicles were produced last month due to a combination of semiconductor shortages and the war in Ukraine’s impact on transport and raw material costs. [...]
Say goodbye to signs as Ford trials geofencing to set automatic speeding limits May 24, 2022 Speed limit signs could soon be a thing of the past as US car maker Ford has announced it is trialling geofencing technology to set automatic limits for its cars. Geofencing uses GPS or RFID technology to delimit a virtual geographic boundary, allowing a software to trigger a specific response when a body enters the [...]
Fuel hikes leave UK drivers with £700 less in their pockets May 18, 2022 Fuel prices spiking to record levels will leave UK drivers with £700 less per year, according to used car buying service ChooseMyCar.com. Figures revealed that the cost of filling up has increased by £25 per tank, resulting in a yearly range of between £525 and £700 for a car with an average mileage of 13,000 [...]
Cars should be banned from parking on pavement because of ‘discriminatory’ impact May 18, 2022 Cars should be banned from parking on the pavement because of the “discriminatory impact” the practice has on people, according to a report published today. Commissioned by sustainable transport charity Sustrans, the study highlights that people are put off walking because of the large amounts of cars parked on the pavement. Around 70 per cent [...]
UK bus output on pathway to recovery while HGVs slump because of headwinds May 17, 2022 The UK’s bus and coach output is on the pathway to recovery while HGVs continue to slump because of Covid-induced supply chain issues. According to quarterly data released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK new bus and coach market grew by 45.2 per cent following the end of all [...]
Cazoo’s boss Chesterman buys $1m worth of shares following price slump May 16, 2022 Cazoo’s chief executive Alex Chesterman bought $1m worth of company shares last week after the online automotive retailer’s price slumped. Following the purchase, Chesterman’s stake in the company has gone up to over 23 per cent to more than $250m, Sky News first reported. “Whilst the current macroeconomic climate has driven heightened fear in the [...]
‘The new normal’: Nissan says industry needs to live with chip shortages May 12, 2022 The automotive industry needs to live with semiconductor shortages as they have become “the new normal,” according to Nissan. “Semiconductor shortage is a new normal, same as the pandemic, and we have to live with it because this is not going to finish tomorrow morning,” chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta said today. The Japanese automotive [...]
Cazoo makes Spanish debut following €30m acquisition of rival May 12, 2022 Cazoo made its debut in Spain today, six months after it acquired Barcelona-based rival Swipcar for €30m. The Spanish launch followed the opening of its marketplace in Germany and France late last year and is part of Cazoo’s continental expansion. “We are very excited to launch in Spain, following our recent launches in both France [...]