UK new car registrations fell by 22.2% in October to
131,495 units, but were on a par with the same month last year
excluding scrappage, which represented 21.9% of the market at
37,000 units.- UK car production rose by
5.8% in September to 126,548 units, with output up by 35% over the
year-to-date. CV output rose by 16.7% in September and 38.1% over
the year-to-date. - Thousands of jobs have been
saved at Jaguar Land Rover’s plants in the West Midlands, the
company has announced. Unite said it had reached a new pay deal
with management to secure the jobs of about 7,000 workers in the
Midlands. - Nissan will have up to 40
dealers selling its Leaf electric vehicle by the end of November.
That number will grow to 75 next year and 120 in 2012. The
company’s entire 185-strong network will sell Leafs by the end of
2013. - Pendragon says it will focus
on aftersales and used car sales to drive its business as new car
sales slow. The group’s interim statement showed Q3 aftersales
margins up 0.7% like-for-like, and used car sales up
7%. - Franchised dealer labour
rates are 40% higher than independents, according to a new survey.
The national average cost of garage labour has risen by 5.81% to
£74.82 an hour over the past 12 months. - Sales of luxury cars are
soaring, with Rolls Royce seeing sales for the first half of the
year doubled, Porsche reporting an 83% rise, and Bentley imposing a
12-month waiting list for its new £220,000 Mulsanne
saloon. - After consultation with the
UK motor industry after the cancellation of the 2010 British
International Motor Show, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders (SMMT) has confirmed that the show will not be reinstated
in 2012. - The AA has recorded the
biggest jump in the cost of car insurance since it started tracking
the market. Figures due to be published this week show that
premiums for 17- to 22-year-olds have risen by 47% in a
year. - The BEN Ball, one of the automotive industry’s most
prestigious events, will take place on 8 December 2010 at the
Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Tickets have been selling fast,
but there are a number of places still available.
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