The National Franchised Dealer Association (NFDA) facilitated the visit of Navendu Mishra MP to Lookers’ Volvo dealership, in the MP’s constituency of Stockport, on 26 April. The visit builds on NFDA’s parliamentary engagement programme. Mishra and his team were shown around the dealership by David Cooper, franchise director at Lookers, as well as NFDA representatives. Challenges impacting the sector at the local and national levels were discussed and the NFDA emphasised concerns regarding the ongoing skills shortage and the need for wider apprenticeship reform. The current levy system is a c ..read more

Registrations of UK light commercial vehicles rose 5.4% in April, the best performance for the month since 2021. Deliveries of zero emission LCVs declined last month, with new battery electric van (BEV) uptake falling to 861 units, down -42.4% compared with last year’s uptick in demand. It means BEVs accounted for 3.6% of all new LCV registrations compared with 6.6% in April last year. The month traditionally has low registration volumes following new plate March and is therefore subject to volatility, however, such a decline in BEV uptake – just as government targets demand rapid growth – put ..read more

April saw Chinese carmaker BYD begin to build its presence in the UK with registrations increasing ten-fold year on year to 333 units, Another Chinese brand, GWM Ora, which has been recruiting dealerships also saw significant growth – from a low base – with registrations increasing seven-fold to 88 cars. Other brands to show growth in the month included smart (+675% to 248 units), Jeep (+200% to 346 units) Jaguar (+92% to 1,329 units) and SEAT (+84% to 3,433 units). Renault was up 76.6% to 4,123 units for the month. At the other end of the table there were significant falls with Polestar down ..read more

Portsmouth, Southampton and Stockport are the areas in the UK where EV drivers will struggle the most in search of rapid charging points, according to Aston Barclay. Aston Barclay analysed Department for Transport statistics on the number of available rapid charging devices in the UK, and compared with the total number of registered EVs. Portsmouth had just one rapid charger per 2,886 EVs, followed by Southampton (2,285 EVs) and Stockport (1,482 EVs). Albert Parnell, group EV lead at Aston Barclay said: “The introduction of EVs has been the biggest revolution in the motoring industry in decad ..read more

UK new car registrations grew for the 21st consecutive month in April, rising by 1% to reach 134,274 units. Growth was driven by fleets, where registrations rose by 18.5% to reach 81,207 units – more than six in 10 of all new cars registered in April. Private buyer uptake fell by -17.7% to 50,458 units, while business registrations declined by -16.1%, to 2,609, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders. Electrified vehicles continued to be the main drivers of market expansion. Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) recorded the strongest growth, up 22.1% to account for 7 ..read more

Cartime, Bury North West used dealer group Cartime has appointed a new group head of finance and operational strategy and launched recruitment drive. Dan Chippendale joins Cartime after eight years with Hippo Motor Group where he played a pivotal role in the business’s rapid expansion and success. He will lead the finance strategy and overhaul operations to streamline and digitalise processes and improve efficiencies. He will also oversee investment into new technology, equipment and premises. Cartime launched in 2012 by entrepreneur Matt Kay, has showrooms in Bury and Rochdale. The group is ..read more

Apprentices from the RAC Academy celebrated their graduation at a ceremony in Walsall last week. Originally set up in 2015, the RAC relaunched its apprenticeship academy in November 2021 to help address the ongoing automotive industry skills gap. The industry could hit a shortfall of nearly 160,000 vacancies by 2031, according to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI). The RAC’s 30 month apprenticeship scheme sees the RAC partner with colleges to coordinate the application process. The RAC provides dedicated mentors and managers to oversee the programme. Tony Cullum, RAC academy manager, s ..read more

LSH Auto’s Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield has secured a sponsorship deal with Greenmount Cricket Club. The club has three senior teams and three junior teams (under 11s, 13s and 15s). A fourth senior team plays friendlies, and an under 9s junior team also plays in the Greater Manchester Cricket League. Chairman Andrew Skinner, Greenmount CC chairman, said: “I am chuffed to bits for our club to partner with such a high-quality brand like Mercedes-Benz of Whitefield, and see this as another positive step forward in lifting the profile of the club in the local community. “Already, as a result of th ..read more

There is a strong need for retailers to support digital journeys and connect it with a buyer’s physical journey at the forecourt, the audience of the NFDA’s Driving Digital 2024 heard. Omnichannel solutions aim to provide consumers with a seamless online-offline retail experience. An example of this is Auto Trader’s Deal Builder. Catherine Faiers, Auto Trader COO, said: “In terms of mindset and approach, the best retailers out there very much rely on brilliant instincts built over many years of training and operating in this industry, but they absolutely enhance those with the best data and i ..read more

Kia has revealed UK pricing and specification for the new Kia Picanto, starting from £15,595 on-the-road. The Picanto last year accounted for 13% of Kia sales in the UK, up 35.1%  year-on-year (14,143 units). It is the brand’s fourth most popular car in the country after the Sportage, Niro and Ceed model families. In 2023 it accounted for more than a fifth (22.1 per cent) of all A-segment cars sold in the UK. The new model features an exterior redesign and updates to the interior, echoing elements of Kia’s flagship EV9 and other recent Kia models inside and out. New vertical headlights an ..read more