Formula One Autocentres’ has heralded the start of its ongoing expansion plans by officially launching three new state-of-the-art Centres in Doncaster, Harrow and Chesterfield. Formula One Autocentres investment programme will see the fast-fit chain increase its network of centres to 43 nationwide. Continued expansion throughout 2006 will see a further seven new Autocentres Centres opened.
Maccess has unveiled a range of automotive World Cup merchandise, which it claims will offer stockists high earning potential throughout Spring and Summer.
The football World Cup 2006 takes place throughout the month of June in Germany and is a fantastic opportunity for UK automotive accessory retailers to offer England football team memorabilia to supporters.
Village Motor Company in Wallasey has become the first member of Blackcircles’ franchised dealer network. The launch meant coming full-circle for Blackcircles’ MD, Mike Welch, as it is just 10 miles from where he launched his first tyre business in Garston at the age of 17. Blackcircles reports that it has been “inundated” with enquiries since it launched its bolt-on franchise option.
Have you turned a boring and average motor into a blinged up, racing machine? If so, a new national competition from Auto Trader might interest you. The well-known magazine’s ‘Curves and Chrome’ competition is looking to find the “Best Amateur Modified Car” which will win £4,000 in cash and the “Best Professional Modified Car” which will win three weeks of advertising, with a full page advert, in their local Auto Trader magazine.
Bridgestone has launched the Blizzak Nordic studless winter tyre range. According to the company the line has been specifically developed to meet the toughest performance demands of Northern Europe’s winter climate. This new-generation design replaces the existing WS-50 series, and Bridgestone says brings with it enhanced capabilities under most adverse weather conditions.
It is received wisdom that the vast majority of 4×4 vehicles never leave the tarmac, let alone spend weekends up to their axles in mud, yet image is still very important. Drivers like their vehicles to look as though they could tackle Mt. Everest on a winter’s day, even if their most taxing journey is the school run.
Tyres play an important part in this image creation – aggressive, knobbly tyres certainly look the part but, says Goodyear, fitting these tyres just for their looks can be counter-productive. While many 4×4 drivers want their vehicles to look tough and rugged, they actually want on-road performance similar to that of an ordinary saloon car.
2005 was another record year for B-Quik, the Thailand based tyre and car services retailer. The company serviced over 200,000 customers through its total of 42 centres, four of which were new stores, opened during 2005. Despite the slightly declining aftermarket for passenger car tyres in Thailand (-1.2 per cent), B-Quik posted a 16 per cent increase in tyre unit sales. Total revenue increased by 19 per cent to a record amount of 826 million baht (£11.97 million or 17.5 million euros).
Only day’s after automotive magazines criticised the quality of British garages and their lack of support for the Kitemark scheme, Unipart Automotive has unveiled the first Unipart Car Care Centre received the accreditation.
Village Motor Company of Wallasey, Merseyside, part of Unipart Automotive’s national network of 1,400 independent garages, has become Britain’s first Unipart Car Care Centre to achieve the BSI Kitemark. As a leading supplier of automotive parts and accessories, Unipart Automotive says it always wanted a clear badge of distinction between the so-called “rip-off” garages and those who provide service motorists can have confidence in.
The Ford Focus might be Britain’s most popular vehicle, but the smaller Fiesta is still one of Britain’s best-loved drives. And today is the small car’s not so small 30th birthday.
More than 3.2 million Fiestas – enough to stretch bumper to bumper from London to New York and back – have been sold in the UK since the first one rolled off the assembly line in 1976. The £1,856 entry-level model featured then state-of-the-art extras such as a folding rear seat, rubber floor mats and two-speed windscreen wipers. It was all a world away from the 2006 model, which offers motorists high-tech technology like voice recognition, satellite navigation, MP3 capability and Bluetooth capability.
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Leading tyre retailer, Kwik-Fit, and UK manufacturer, Avon Tyres, have published research on UK drivers’ winter tyre awareness habits. The Kwik-Fit research shows that 6.9 million UK motorists (25 per cent) don’t check their tyres at all during the winter. Not surprisingly, 12.9 million British motorists (47 per cent) admit to losing control of their car on a wet or icy road – with nearly one-in-five of these incidents (17 per cent) leading to an accident.
Stapletons recently embarked on a series of seminars outlining the important role of tyres in road safety. Representatives of the Letchworth-based wholesale business recently delivered a presentation at a regional meeting of the Institute of Advanced Motorists in Worcester, pointing out key facts on construction, tyre design, pressures, treads and legislation.
In millions of vehicles, lead-acid batteries start people on billions of journeys every day. Yet as car engines become more complex and the technology of automotive batteries advances, motorists seem to be confused about the proper maintenance of the batteries under their hoods. The article, “Auto Batteries: Some Go the Distance” in the November 2005 issue of Consumer Reports, clouds the issue further, a trade association of battery manufacturers said today.
Run-flat tyres are becoming increasingly commonplace on the roads of the UK as more car manufacturers fit these advanced tyres as standard equipment or as an optional extra. However, there are still some misconceptions surrounding the fitment and use of this new type of tyre and the Tyre Industry Council has issued the following guidelines.
Last month Northern Ireland’s largest independent tyre retailers held a series of ladies tyre safety clinics at a selection of their depots. The nights coincided with National tyre safety week and were run in conjunction with the All Women Together breast cancer awareness campaign. For each of the 100 ladies that attended, Modern Tyre Service donated £10.
Motorists are reportedly spending less time in garages than they have before because of longer periods between services. This could all mean dangerous tyres are not getting spotted.
Online tyre retailer, Rubberball.co.uk, has warned service routines are now stretching to 20,000 miles or longer, tyres are not being checked for as much as 10 years.
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