Motorpoint takes hefty profit hit due to low consumer confidence November 28, 2019 Profit at Motorpoint, the UK’s largest independent vehicle retailer, fell nearly 20 per cent this morning as the company struggled with lower consumer confidence. Shares in Motorpoint were up 2.3 per cent this morning. Read more: Amigo shares jump as it boosts customer numbers and loan book The figures Profit at the car seller fell [...]
Car production falls again amid ‘worrying times’ for UK automotive industry November 28, 2019 Britain’s car manufacturing industry suffered another month of decline in October, with 5,000 fewer vehicles made than in the same period last year. Manufacturing output fell four per cent in October, as 134,752 cars rolled off production lines, driven largely by weak demand in the UK market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and [...]
Car industry faces ‘fight of our generation’ to avoid breakdown, says trade group boss November 26, 2019 Britain’s car industry is locked in the “fight of our generation” to preserve the once-thriving sector, according to one of the UK’s most senior automotive bosses. George Gillespie, the president of influential trade group the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), warned an annual gathering of industry chiefs that investment could dwindle to levels [...]
Electric dreams: How long until electric cars go mainstream in the UK? November 26, 2019 Visitors to the picturesque Whitby Bay beach in north Yorkshire were in for a shock earlier this month, when they encountered two giant footprints etched into the sand. The left was half the length of a football pitch, at 50 metres – the right was just 3.5 metres long. The reason? A publicity stunt by [...]
US car giant General Motors sues Fiat Chrysler over union ‘bribes’ November 20, 2019 Two giants of the global automotive industry have come to blows this afternoon, with General Motors suing Fiat Chrysler of bribing US automotive workers to get better terms in strike negotiations. The US firm has filed a racketeering lawsuit against Fiat and its former executives, “intended to hold FCA accountable for the harm its actions [...]
Daimler to cut thousands of managers to pay for electric cars November 14, 2019 Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, will cut a tenth of all its manager-level workers across the globe, in a bid to slash €1.4bn worth of personnel costs. The German manufacturer said this morning the cuts came as its profit would fall significantly over the next two years because of the shift to electric vehicles. [...]
Ferrari’s prancing horse gallops on as luxury car maker raises outlook November 4, 2019 Luxury car maker Ferrari raised its outlook on Monday, after strong sales of its Portofino and 812 Superfast models drove “solid” results for the third quarter. The company nicknamed the Prancing Horse said a new brand strategy would help it navigate to even more growth, as its Milan-listed shares hit an all-time high today of [...]
US may pull automotive tariffs after ‘good conversations’ with manufacturers November 3, 2019 The United States may decide not to slap trade tariffs on car imports later this month, after “good conversations” with manufacturers in the EU, Japan and Korea, US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said. Officials must decide whether to impose tariffs of as much as 25 per cent on vehicles and parts by 14 November. They [...]
Car makers suffer ‘another bitterly disappointing month’ as Brexit uncertainty maintains grip October 31, 2019 The malaise that has gripped Britain’s car makers for the last year deepened in September, as the threat of a no-deal Brexit slammed the brakes on investment and caused production to stall. Car manufacturing, an industry which has felt the effects of Brexit uncertainty more sharply than most, fell 3.8 per cent last month to [...]
Q&A: What is behind Fiat Chrysler’s proposed mega-merger with Peugeot? October 30, 2019 After Fiat Chrysler’s (FCA) deal with Renault fell apart over the summer, chairman John Elkann has wasted no time in finding a new suitor – Peugeot-owner PSA. The two European automakers are in talks over a potential tie-up that could create a £36bn giant, in a move which highlights how urgently car makers are looking [...]