Chancellor George Osborne's plans to raise duty on fuel prices by 3.02 pence per litre at the beginning of August have been subject to a storm of protest from all sectors of the automotive industry.
RMI Petrol, the trade association representing independent forecourt retailers in the UK has changed its name to the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA). It will still be part of the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI).
Materials company Styron reports that its R&D/TS&D Rubber Team has developed functionalised Solution Styrene Butadiene Rubber in response to the European tyre label, and the team is “continuously working” to introduce new grades that will deliver even better performance. “Let's give you one example which speaks by itself to demonstrate how powerful the technology is," commented Styron sales and marketing manager Olivier Véron. “With the introduction of Styron's generation two SSBR 4602, compared with our generation one SSBR 4601 for the rolling resistance we can move from the rating C to B, while maintaining all the other properties identical like the grip and the handling."
The RMI Petrol Retailers Association (PRA), which represents independent forecourt across the UK, positively welcomes the Government's decision to not go ahead with the 3 pence-per-litre (ppl) fuel duty increase in August.
Brian Madderson, PRA Chairman commented “PRA has lobbied against the planned August increase since its announcement in Autumn 2011. PRA believe that fuel tax unfairly penalises low income earners, single families and rural communities that often have poor public transport alternatives. There is evidence that driving habits are changing as consumers struggle to balance their household budgets.
George Osborne scrapped a 3p rise in fuel duty yesterday in yet another Budget U-turn. The Chancellor said the decision, which has generally been greeted with delight by motoring groups, reflected the “very difficult economic times.” An earlier duty rise in January had previously been axed and the latest freeze reportedly knocks £2.10 off the cost of filling up a typical family car, according to the Daily Mail.
RMI Petrol, the trade association representing independent forecourt retailers in the UK, condemns the Government's misleading and damaging comments surrounding forecourt retailers and the price of fuel.
To celebrate its sponsorship of the Supercar Paddock at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Michelin has been polling its Facebook fans on their favourite supercars of the 80s, 90s and 2000s. The first two rounds of voting are over, with the Porsche 959 trouncing the Ferrari F40 and the Lamborghini Countach to take the ultimate 80s supercar crown. In the 90s poll the McLaren F1 overcame the Porsche 993 GT2 and the Bugatti EB110. The 2000s poll is underway and petrol-heads can choose from the Ascari KZ-1, the Koenigsegg CCX and the Bugatti Veyron.
Shell UK has announced plans to bring back forecourt attendants at more than 300 of its petrol stations by the end of the summer, rising to 600 locations by mid-2013. As well as dispensing fuel, the AA-trained staff will also offer basic car maintenance, such as checking tyres.
A recent survey by insurance comparison website Confused.com reveals that first-time buyers are becoming more savvy about the cost of cars; looking at the full cost of motoring rather than just the initial purchase price. Cars are one of the biggest expenses that people make in their life time. However, people are having to compromise on the cars they drive. Big engines and car modifications no longer the new driver's prerogative, due to the cost of insurance and overall rising cost of motoring.
As motorists deal with the rising cost of petrol, new research from Auto Trader's latest Price Index, which tracks the average prices of used cars in the UK, shows that the average asking price of used cars from January to March 2012 actually fell 3.9 per cent year-on-year to £8,891.
Empty pockets? Strapped for cash? Being short of a bob or two can make life unpleasant, but it is never a reason to risk the safety of yourself and others. TyreSafe, the UK campaign group dedicated to exactly what its name suggests, says that hard-up motorists who opt for part worn tyres are doing exactly that.
The UK’s weather and public feeling about further hikes in fuel costs are heating up, but cooler tyre industry heads at distributor GT Radial are suggesting that road users could save around 15 pence per litre of fuel by ensuring their tyres are properly inflated. The manufacturer’s representatives say the problem of under-inflation is compounded by the shifting seasonal temperature; as the UK’s weather starts to warm up, tyres will start to lose air more quickly than during the winter months, said the company’s managing director for Europe, Richard Lyons.
Responding to Francis Maude’s ‘jerry can’ recommendation, Kwik Fit shares that motorists may do well to consider other, simple means of saving fuel. According to the fast fit network, British motorists are, for example, wasting almost £1 billion a year on excess fuel through the totally avoidable practice of driving on under-inflated tyres; a Kwik Fit survey of more than 2,700 tyres across the UK showed 69 per cent to be at least 3psi under the manufacturer’s recommendation. So visit your nearest garage and check those tyres.
Any glimmer of hope that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, would offer British businesses and motorists relief from the soaring cost of petrol and diesel – which earlier this month hit record UK highs – was quashed during yesterday’s Budget, that’s the view of Ian group managing director at one of Britain’s largest tyre retailers.
With the Government’s Office of Budget Responsibility reporting that it has upped its UK growth forecast to 0.8 per cent this year, and with the statisticians no longer talking about the country being in technical recession, some may have expected the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, to have addressed the continuing rise in fuel prices by freezing fuel duty increases. It didn’t happen. Much to the chagrin of fleet-based business this was despite recognizing that high oil prices are “a great concern across the world". Other highlights include plans to simplify small business taxation, reduce corporation tax and dispense with the 50 pence tax rate.
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