SMMT figures on coach and bus registrations in November show that total bus and coach registrations grew 0.8 per cent, against a 2.6 per cent fall in the year-to-date. Coach registrations rose 6.5 per cent in the month, in contrast to the 13.3 per cent decline in the purpose-built bus market.
Registrations of commercial vehicles grew 4.2 per cent in November, with a year-to-date increase of 13.1 per cent, says the SMMT. Growth was again fuelled by the van market, which rose 17.1 per cent to 26,516 units in the month. Meanwhile, truck registrations declined 49.6 per cent to 2,729 units in the aftermath of new Type Approval legislation.
SMMT Figures show that new car registrations grew for the 33rd consecutive month in November, up 8.0 per cent to 172,327 units. 2,310,237 cars have been registered in the year-to-date; a rise of 9.4 per cent and ahead of the 2013 full-year total. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “Six months after the record was broken […]
SMMT has announced that Gareth Jones, managing director of ebm-papst Automotive and Drives UK will be president in 2015 effective 1 January. Gareth Jones has more than 26 years’ experience within the ebm-papst group, operating in the manufacturing supply chains of many global industries including automotive, telecommunications, rail, consumer electronics, white goods and retail. He is an engineer with a wide range of experience across many business environments.
Yesterday (25 November) UK automotive industry representatives celebrated the achievements of more than 70 young people in the third iteration of an initiative to enhance skills in the automotive sector. The ‘Working Assets’ initiative, funded through SMMT’s Charitable Trust and delivered by the Foyer Federation, offers young people who have experienced disadvantage an exciting opportunity to develop their skills in one of the UK’s most vibrant industrial sectors.
UK truck and bus manufacturing sector could be on the up, with the industry showing signs of improvement, according to the latest detail published by automotive industry association SMMT. Indeed the latest data suggest that October saw the smallest monthly fall since June 2013.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and traders has appointed Emma Butcher as senior media manager. Butcher’s resume includes stints as consumer editor at What Car?, editor of Car and Accessory Trader (CAT) and editor of member publications at the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF). She recently worked at Bell Pottinger on a variety of automotive and other commercial accounts, covering everything from media relations to events and government-facing reports. The appointment is effective 5 January 2015.
SMMT figures show that commercial vehicle demand grew 27.0 per cent in October to 35,027 units, driving the market up 14.1 per cent to surpass 300,000 units. Truck registrations saw a sharp upturn of 65.7 per cent to 8,457 units, marking the first month of growth for the market in 2014. Year-to-date levels remain down […]
SMMT figures reveal that new car registrations jumped 14.2 per cent in October to 179,714 units, marking the 32nd consecutive month of growth. 2,137,910 cars have been registered in the year-to-date – the first time the market has passed two million in October since 2007. Rising demand for alternatively-fuelled vehicles continued, with the market up […]
A new Automotive Council report has highlighted a fresh £2 billion growth opportunity for UK component suppliers as UK car makers enjoy an unprecedented period of success. The report, released at the recent Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) Open Forum event at Cranmore Park, Solihull, assesses the ‘re-shoring’ potential for ‘upstream’ automotive suppliers […]
Although slightly fewer cars were manufactured in the UK last month than in September 2013, production in the first nine months of 2014 was the highest in six years. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, commented that “it is testament to the strength of the automotive industry that it continues to break records – yielding the best year-to-date performance for six years and comfortably surpassing one million units.” The reason for the “slight dip” in output in September was, he added, that some plants undertook retooling for new models; this investment, he added, will help increase future production volumes.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has announced an £11 million investment towards the development of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure in the UK. The investment will see the UK’s hydrogen infrastructure grow to up to 15 refuelling stations nationwide, and is part of government’s drive to make the UK a global leader in ultra-low emission vehicles. Joint-funded by government and industry, the project will allocate funds to: install and run up to seven new customer-facing hydrogen refuelling stations (£7 million); upgrade existing hydrogen refuelling stations (£2 million); and to acquire around 40 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles for the public sector (£2 million). The announcement was made by Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, Matthew Hancock MP, while visiting Honda, Nissan and Toyota in Japan.
UK commercial vehicle production fell by 1,642 units in August as the 2014 calendar saw some plants take additional shutdown, compared to last year, for retooling according to SMMT figures.
The SMMT’s new car registration figures for September show that sales were up 5.6 per cent; the biggest September since 2004. The new ‘64’ number plate boosted volumes, with September marking the 31st consecutive month of growth in the new car market.
Following the SMMT’s publication of new car registration figures for August 2014, the National Franchised Dealers Association has predicted that September, and the newly introduced 64-plate, will bring further increases.
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