R2RC calls for Block Exemption renewal

The Right To Repair Campaign (R2RC) has launched a Europe-wide petition to lobby for the renewal of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation. R2RC is inviting both the trade and consumers to sign the petition on its website to maintain sector-specific exemptions which, it believes, create more competition in the…

Five years in prison for careless drivers who kill

Motorists who kill whilst avoidably distracted at the wheel - including using a mobile phone, drinking and eating - will face up to five years in prison under new careless driving laws which come into force on Monday (August 18). The new offence of causing death by careless driving will,…

Parts suppliers wary of carmakers

Motor parts makers are becoming more cautious in their dealings with General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler, fearing they could be hit by the carmakers’ financial struggles. Suppliers have resorted to various ways to protect themselves including taking out credit insurance and are becoming more selective about what they…

Uninsured drivers get lower fines but are killing more people than ever

The number of deaths caused by uninsured drivers has risen by nearly a third in six years while offenders have been facing softer penalties. Figures show that the average fines for driving without insurance have dropped by 17% since 1997 from £224 to £185. But uninsured drivers are killing four…

LPG cars are ‘hot property’

LPG is booming - that’s the word from both car dealers and LPG convertors, according to Car Dealer Magazine. One convertor claimed a tenfold increase in enquiries, and a quadrupling of sales, while dealers are claiming that LPG cars are hot property at the moment with one saying: “It’s the…

Oleg Deripaska denies Hummer talks with GM

Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire linked with a bid for Hummer earlier in the week, has denied he was seeking to acquire the brand from General Motors. Talks with his Russian Machines car unit were only exploratory and it is unlikely a bid will be forthcoming. “Russian Machines neither received…

Automotive mergers and acquisitions remain robust

The number of automotive mergers and acquisitions during the first half of 2008 has been better-than-expected, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. The financial services firm has said the market appears to be on course to exceed 500 deals by the end of 2008. So far this year automotive M&A activity has been…

End of the line for Mini Convertible

After 164,000 units produced at its plant in Oxford, BMW has called time on its first generation Mini convertible line. The last model to be driven off the production line was a metallic white silver Cooper S Convertible Sidewalk destined for the USA, the second-largest market for the little drop-top…

Biofuels fall short of roads target

Biofuels made up 2.14% of the UK’s road fuel use in the month from April 15 to May 14, falling short of the yearly target of 2.5%, according to the first report by the Government’s Renewable Fuels Agency. Biodiesel made up 86% of the supply with the remainder made up…

Chelsea tractors ‘worthless’ as secondhand car prices plunge

The second-hand value of Britain’s family cars is plummeting so fast that garages are now branding the largest gas-guzzling ‘Chelsea tractors’ worthless - and refusing to take them in part-exchange. Some are worth more as scrap, they say as demand for steel soars. Used car values generally are set to…

Toyota cautious as profits drop

Japanese carmaker Toyota has seen quarterly profits drop less than forecast but remains cautious. Net profits fell 28% in the three months to June at 353.7bn yen (£1.6bn), from a record 491.5bn yen in the same period of last year. The company said the trading environment had taken a sharp…