Johnson is new RMI deputy chairman
The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has appointed Peter Johnson as the new deputy chairman with immediate effect.
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UK car production up 3.5% in first half of 2014
Car production in the UK has been described as “robust” by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, who report that manufacturing volumes rose 3.5 per cent year-on-year between January and June 2014 to 791,314 units. Output in the month of June was 136,419 vehicles, 3.7 per cent higher than a year earlier and a result driven by a 16.5 per cent growth in production for the UK market.
June a good month for van sales; not so good for trucks
Commenting on the SMMT’s van and truck registration figures for June, Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association which represents commercial vehicle and franchised car retailers across the UK, said: “June has been a good turning point in the year for the commercial vehicle market, and we have seen a modest improvement in overall sales figures”.
UK new car sales at highest point since 2005
During the first six months of 2014, a total of 1,287,265 new cars were registered in the UK. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says this figure represents 10.6 per cent year-on-year growth and is the best half-year total since 2005. New car registrations rose 6.2 per cent year-on-year in June to 228,291 units. SMMT sees the market as being on track for 2.4 million new car registrations this year, more than six per cent above the 2013 figure.
Government fund designed to support UK automotive suppliers
A new £24 million government fund is intended to give UK-based automotive suppliers a boost. Announced today by Business Minister Michael Fallon at the Automotive Council’s Meet the Buyer event at ExCeL London, the Tooling Funding Programme will help component manufacturers design, develop and manufacture new tooling where they would otherwise fail to acquire funds.
UK car export values double in a decade
Income generated by UK car exports more than doubled over the last decade, according to data collated by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Exports totalled £12 billion in 2004, but rose to £24.8 billion in 2013. During the same period the average wholesale value of each exported car rose from £10,200 (2004) to £20,640 (2013).
At the organisation’s International Automotive Summit in Canary Wharf on 11 June, SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes also revealed that, alongside rising manufacturing volumes, the income surge is largely attributable to the shift to building higher-quality models across the country.
UK bus and coach registration fall slightly in May
The UK bus and coach market was slightly down in May after a strong April, reports the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Chief executive Mike Hawes shares that “after a glut of new bus and coach registrations in April, the sector performed more modestly in May, down 3.3 per cent.” A total of 644 buses and coaches were registered in May 2014. So far a total of 3,356 buses and coaches have been registered in the UK during 2014, 4.1 per cent more than in the first five months of 2013.
Longest ever period of growth for UK new car market
Figures from the SMMT show that new car registrations rose 7.7 per cent in May to 194,032 units – the most in May since 2004. This means that the new car market has grown for 27 consecutive months, breaking the record set in the late 1980s. Registrations for 2014-to-date have also passed the one million mark, rising 11.6 per cent to 1,058,974 units. Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “The new car market has now grown in every month since March 2012 – the longest period of growth on record and a reflection of the UK’s ever-improving economic conditions.
SMMT kicks off 2014 Award of Automotive Innovation
The SMMT’s Award for Automotive Innovation, is returning for a fifth time this year. Sponsored by GKN and supported by The Times, the award recognises UK-born concepts and technologies that have the potential to transform the wider automotive industry. Ford Motor Company took the crown last year with its efficient, yet powerful, 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, which now features in more than 100,000 cars and vans across the country.
OLEV, ULEV and the tyre business
As the May issue of Tyres & Accessories went to press, the government shared details of how its Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is going to spend its £500 million funding allowance. For its part, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) duly welcomed the half a billion pound funding boost for low emission vehicles, characterising the move as part of a wider campaign to make the UK “a leader in the development and take-up of low emission vehicles”. Clearly this is on the political and commercial agendas (at least as far as the automotive manufacturers are concerned), but what does this all mean for the tyre business in general? And, with this year’s Tyre Retail feature published from page 26 of this issue, what does this mean for garages and tyre retail in particular?
Bus and coach market steady in March but still behind 2013
The bus and coach market remains stable; down just 0.2 per cent in March to 1,032 units. The purpose-built sector dropped -28.7 per cent in the month and -23.5 per cent for the year-to-date, while the converted bus market continued to rise, up 22.3 per cent in March to 707 units.
Van and truck sales up in March
Demand for the new 14 registration plate fuelled commercial vehicle growth in March. Total commercial vehicle registrations grew 11.4 per cent in March to 54,232 with the rolling year figure up 15.6 per cent to 335,840.
The combined March and September plate-changes typically account for around a third of the annual van market. The strong 14.6 per cent rise to 50,064 van registrations is in line with expectations
UK car production up 12% in March
According to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the manufacture of cars in the UK picked up pace in March due to improving domestic and export sales. UK car production rose 12 per cent during the month to 142,158 units, bringing 2014 to-date growth to 2.9 per cent. Production of cars intended for sale in the UK increased 18.2 per cent year-on-year to 33,221 units, although the year to date production count of 86,505 units is still 4.1 per cent down on last year. Production of cars for export markets rose 10.3 per cent year-on-year to 108,947 units, while year to date figures are 5.0 per cent higher than during the corresponding period of 2013, at 318,298 units.
New car registrations make March biggest month in a decade
Demand for the new 14-plate saw March reach 464,824 new car registrations, a rise of 17.7 per cent. Since the move to twice-yearly registration plate changes in 1999, only March 2004 has seen a higher registration figure (at 466,954). Year-to-date registrations were up 13.7 per cent to 688,122 units.
March new car registrations the highest in 10 years
Last month’s UK new car registrations reached levels not seen in a decade, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports. The month of March is typically the biggest month for registrations in the year, attracting around a fifth of all registrations, but this year demand for the new 14-plate drove new car registrations up 17.7 per cent year-on-year to 464,824, an amount not seen since March 2004, the only other occasion registrations have hit such heights since the twice-yearly plate change was implemented in 1999. Year to date registrations are up 13.7 per cent to 688,122 units. March was also the biggest-ever month for alternatively-fuelled vehicles, with volumes reaching 8,713 units, a growth of 63.8 per cent on 2013.
