Toyo Tire Europe reports that Mazda has selected it as tyre supplier for the new Mazda 3. Available across Europe from late spring, two different tyres will be fitted depending upon car specification. Models with 16-inch wheels will be fitted with the Toyo J48C in size 205/55 R16 91V, whilst those with 17-inch wheels will come with Proxes R32 in size 205/50 R17 89W TL.
Vredestein UK managing director, Stuart Jackson has become chairman of TyreSafe. According to the tyre safety organisation, he replaced former chairman Rob Beddis as the public face of TyreSafe during February and will continue Beddis’s work in raising awareness among motorists of the importance of well maintained tyres in road safety.
According to a survey conducted by Continental, more than 3.5 million UK motorists are driving on illegal tyres. The survey of 4,000 drivers showed one in ten to have tyres below the legal 1.6mm minimum tread depth – and 70 per cent of drivers are unaware that 1.6mm is indeed the minimum depth permitted.
Two thirds of women, the Conti survey noted, rely upon their partner to check the safety of their vehicle’s tyres. This probably isn’t a sterling idea, given that four out of ten motorists never actually check their tyre pressure and a third can’t actually change a wheel.
In the wake of Gordon Brown’s announcement to increase the number of apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds, Unipart Automotive is launching an apprentice scheme across its Unipart Car Care Centre network from September 2009. Funded by the Learning & Skills Council, the programme will enable apprentices to benefit from skills training and continuous professional development, ensuring motorists receive the highest standards of service from the independent garage sector.
The three-year training course will provide successful students with both ATA and NVQ Level 3 qualifications. Apprentices will go through a strict selection process to ensure the most promising candidates are selected. In addition to the structured programme, those who are chosen for the Unipart course will also learn about the importance of using OE matching quality parts, garage accreditation and customer service, as well as elements of the industry renowned Unipart Way to give them tools to help with the day to day running of a workshop. With on-the-job training at Unipart Car Care Centres, the apprentices will be provided with Unipart-branded clothing, protective equipment and specific tools along the way.
Almost half of UK car owners (47 per cent) would get their car serviced at a local garage rather than take it to the dealer they bought the car from. They are even less likely to use a franchised dealer that sells the same brand of car to service their vehicle (13 per cent), according to a survey by information and marketing services provider Experian.
The survey also revealed a clear difference between new and used car owners. 64 per cent of used car owners would go to a local garage to get their car serviced, compared to just 23 per cent of new car owners. Meanwhile, half (51 per cent) of new car owners would prefer to use the dealer they bought their car from (compared to 13 per cent of used car owners).
What risks would you take to save money? Kwik-Fit has expressed its concern about a growing group of motorists who chance damage to their vehicles (and themselves) do to just that. The fast fit chains calls such drivers ‘eco-coasters’, and its caution comes in response to research that shows some 5.4 million “financially prudent motorists’, 15 per cent of all UK drivers, have taken to selecting a neutral gear when going downhill – just to cut their fuel bills.
A survey by LV= car insurance has revealed that almost one in five UK drivers (19 per cent) has downsized or sold one of their cars since the onset of the credit crunch in a bid to save money. The main reason given by motorists for downsizing their vehicle over the last eighteen months was to save money in fuel (61 per cent) while nearly a third (29 per cent) said they did it to cut the cost of road tax. Those who downsized their vehicle estimate they have already saved an average £309.
Despite the emphasis from the Government on ‘greener’ driving, only one in six (15 per cent) of those who had downsized cited environmental concerns as part of their decision.
Johnson Controls has made a number of improvements to its Varta website, aimed at making navigation of the site easier for retailers and end users. Greater focus has been placed on the Varta product range, with an easy-to-follow menu and information tools for stockists and motorists. The current marketing campaign theme is also integrated in the website.
A download feature allows retailers to access sales folders, flyers, press information and photographs, while motorists can use the database to select the correct battery for their car, plus a list of local stockists. A bulletin board contains news on latest technologies and recycling systems. The website can be found at www.varta-automotive.com and, to mark the overhaul and new marketing campaign, a newly-designed battery stand is available to automotive battery retailers in the UK.
The Met Office reports that the snow experienced across parts of the UK yesterday was the heaviest to have fallen in 18 years. With perhaps a whole generation of motorists therefore unaccustomed to conditions of this type, Kwik-Fit has issued timely advice to motorists, telling those who must continue using the roads in times of heavy snow to pack a ‘sub-zero survival kit’, in case they are stranded or face lengthy delays.
This warning comes in light of research from the automotive retailer, which found that motorists fail to carry the most basic of survival items, even in the most treacherous conditions. Indeed, even though a survey has indicated that more than a quarter of British motorists have been stranded by the roadside in wintry conditions, the majority lacked basic sub-zero survival items in their car.
Yesterday the government announced a package of measures designed to defrost more than £2 billion automotive industry credit that has frozen as a result of the global economic downturn. The measures include guarantees to unlock loans of up to £1.3 billion European Investment Bank (EIB) guarantees for investment in lower carbon initiatives and loans or loan guarantees to support of up to £1 billion of lending for lower carbon initiatives for non-EIB backed projects. Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Ken Clarke, criticised the measures for being “small beer.”
But will the funding offer assistance to UK tyre manufacturers? Here’s what the small print has to say: The measures will “apply to projects over £5 million.” Crucially the announcement specified that UK-based automotive parts suppliers with an annual turnover of £25 million or more could also be considered. UK-based manufacturers of construction equipment (such as diggers and bulldozers) and suppliers that meet the criteria of the framework will also be eligible to apply. The catch is that loan guarantees will only apply to “low carbon” projects. No date for the commencement of loans and loan guarantees under the framework has yet been set since it is dependent on European Commission clearance.
Four decades ago Jimi Hendrix asked us all, in song, the question ‘are you experienced?’ – and it seems the answer may well be a resounding ‘no’. According to Kwik-Fit, many of us are by no means experienced when it comes to the periodic inspections our vehicles require: Some two million UK motorists remain, in the fast fit specialist’s own words, MOT virgins.
To qualify for virginal status, at least in regards to MOT inspections, a person must have never kept hold of a car long enough to have put it through an Mot test. As previously mentioned, more that a few motorists have yet to have their first-time experience. And on top of these, a further one million drivers haven’t put a car through an MOT inspection for at least a decade.
You’ve probably already noticed that our mornings have been a bit nippy of late. The start to the winter was in fact, reports Micheldever Tyre Services, the coldest for three decades. A number of counties have been hit with snow, with the balance experiencing very low temperatures – the sort ideal for the build up of ice upon roads. Driving in these conditions places more emphasis on a vehicle’s tyres, and Micheldever offers the following advice to help keep control in difficult driving conditions:
British drivers no longer feel safe on the roads, according to a new survey by car hire comparison site Carrentals.co.uk, which found that over 40 per cent of drivers have been a victim of car crime. The research questioned over 1,000 people across the UK and found that more than one in five of us don’t feel safe on Britain’s roads, with nearly 50 per cent believing that drivers are getting more aggressive and one in three believing people drive too fast.
Respondents told of incidents ranging from car jacking and physical violence, to verbal abuse and even a report of rape, underlining the growing issue of car crime on the roads.
With temperatures in many parts of the UK consistently below freezing this week, Sainsbury’s Car Insurance is warning motorists to be on their guard against ‘frosting’ car crime, where opportunist thieves take advantage of drivers who leave their cars unattended whilst warming up the engine. The bank’s research suggests that up to 15,000 households could fall victim to ‘frosting’ this year.
While it is not clear if she was a victim ‘frosting’ Princess Beatrice will be kicking herself after leaving the key to her £17,000 1 Series BMW in the ignition. According to the RAC website Westminster Police are investigating reports the princess’s car was stolen after she left it unlocked with the keys in the ignition.
It’s a hat-trick – the results of the latest J.D. Power and Associates UK Roadside Assistance Study are out, and the RAC has, for a third consecutive year, ranked highest in satisfying UK motorists requiring emergency roadside assistance. The study, now in its eleventh year, measures customer satisfaction with roadside assistance services by examining three factors: timing (the time taken for help to arrive and time taken at the scene); mechanic/vehicle driver (which includes items such as appearance, courtesy and ability to do what was needed); and operator/call centre (including friendliness, reassurance and time taken to answer the phone).
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