Bodyshop briefs
- Fix Auto Basingstoke is developing a dedicated van and LCV repair centre to sit alongside its existing bodyshop.
- Steer Automotive Group has acquired prestige repairer Fastlane Paint & Body, which has sites in Guildford, Ascot, Heathrow and Elstree.
- Northern Ireland-based bodyshop Porters Bodyshop has secured BMW and MINI approval.
- Fylde Coast ARC has received the Enterprise Customer Service Award for achieving a World Class Quarterly Net Promotor Score for customer repair.
- East Bilney Coachworks Thetford has received a positive recommendation for transition to BS10125:2022.
- Shorade UK has acquired DB Auto Repairs and Paint, which will now operate as Shorade Cheltenham.
Industry News
Car sales up for 17th month
New car sales were up 9.8% in December to make it 17 successive months of growth.
According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, sales for the year were up 17.9% to 1.903 million units, while 314,687 new EV registrations is a higher total than 2021 and 2022 combined.
Growth for Nationwide Assistance Group
Nationwide Assistance Group has welcomed DJ Spall Recovery, which provides recovery services across the UK, into its group.
Meanwhile, the group has also cut the ribbon on a new Nationwide European Office in Alicante.
IMI updates NOS
The IMI has released draft versions of new Electric and Hybrid Vehicle National Occupational Standards (NOS). It has also developed two new NOS for assessing the condition of EV high voltage batteries and EV conversions.
SYNETIQ tackles HGV emissions
SYNETIQ has announced a new initiative to drive HGV fleet decarbonisation. Working in collaboration with automotive and mechanical engineering masters students at Sheffield Hallam University, it will explore alternative fuels for its fleet.
MIB warns of uninsured driving spike
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau will invest a further £5m in initiatives to get uninsured drivers off the road in 2024 after warning that cost-of-living pressures could see uninsured driving rise this year.
Car Market Overview January 2024
The latest cap hpi market report is predicting that used car values will continue to fall in the first quarter of 2024, but expects values to decrease at a much slower rate than in recent months.
Thatcham Research welcomes new starters
Thatcham Research welcomed 79 learners from 28 employers to its Automotive Academy during the winter.
They have embarked on courses including Vehicle Damage Paint Technician, Vehicle Damage Panel Technician, Vehicle Damage MET and VDA (Vehicle Damage Assessor).
Driverless car set for UK 2026 launch
Transport Secretary Mark Harper believes driverless cars will be on UK roads by 2026. Legislation is going through parliament now and should enable autonomous driving within two years.
Government falls short of charging targets
The government failed to hit its target of having six or more rapid or ultra-rapid electric vehicle chargers at every motorway service area in England by the end of 2023.
According to the RAC, just 46 of the 119 motorway services reviewed had the target number of chargers.
VM news
BYD outsells Tesla for first time
Chinese EV manufacturer BYD outsold Tesla in the last three months of 2023, with 526,000 sales compared to 484,500.
However, Tesla still sold more cars than BYD over the whole year with 1.8 million EV sales compared to 1.6 million.
Landmark birthday for VW Golf
The Volkswagen Golf turns 50 this year, with more than 37 million units sold during the model’s eight generations.
Key partnership in PEM progress
Hyundai, Kia, and Gore have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of advanced polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) for hydrogen fuel cell systems.
EVs drive Volvo sales surge
Volvo Cars has reported that global sales rose 15% last year to 708,716 units, with fully electric sales surging 70% to 113,419.
People
- Martin Smith has been appointed Director at Nova Automotive Group.
- ABL1 Touch has named Andrew Goodings as Senior Production Manager.
- Darren Blacklaw has started a new position as General Manager Vertu Retail Repair at Vertu Motors.
- Lee Croft has been named Group Operations Data Analyst at Komoo.
- John Coombs has started a new position as Senior Sales Manager at Autoglass.
- Steer Automotive Group Farnborough has appointed Jay Commander as Manager.
- Derrick Paton has been appointed Sales Director – Scotland at Morelli Group.
- Carlac has named Chris Simpson as Business Development Manager.
- Andrew Pilkington has started a new role as Deputy CEO, Sales & Marketing at disrupter EV brand VINFAST UK.
- Scott Thompson has been appointed the new President and Managing Director of Toyota (GB) plc.
