London Motorists could be greatly affected by these new plans, which have been proposed by the London Mayor in an attempt to slash pollution in the city. Under these new plans made by Sadiq Khan, the May of London, car use in the capital will reduce by three million a day. The capital will the the first city in the UK to introduce a pay-per-mile charge and it may replace the existing Congestion Charge in the future. The amount motorists will be charged is still undecided. The proposal suggests ‘a future scheme that reflects distance, time, emissions, road danger and other factors in an integrated way.’ As well as ‘more sophisticated road user charging and/or workplace parking levy schemes.’ It has been reported that the existing Congestion Charge that charges motorists a flat rate of £11.50 when they enter the city centre will be…

Ford are currently trialing technology in the UK to reduce time spent sitting at a red light. Information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit display is used by the technology called Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory to advise the driver of the best speed to travel to arrive at a green light. Over the next two years, trials will take place in Milton Keynes and Coventry on both public roads and closed circuits. The technology is being trialed by Ford to help show the benefits on connected car for UK Autodrive – a publicly funded £20 million project and the nation’s largest self-driving and connected car trial. The aim of the project is to develop vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies which will lead to a much less stressful and time-consuming driving experience, as well as improving fuel efficiency. As a nation we can…

HPI, the vehicle information specialist, has appointed Neil Hodson as its new managing director. Hodson, who has spent over 20 years in the used car market, joins from Manheim where he had been group sales director responsible for Manheim Remarketing, Retail and other UK businesses, as well as supporting the group’s international sales strategy. He was previously sales director of Manheim Auctions and sales director of Manheim Retail Services. Before joining Manheim in 2007 he was director and general manager of Experian Automotive where he helped set up Car Data Check. “This is truly an exciting opportunity for me to use my expertise to further develop one of the most respected and successful brands in the UK automotive market,” said Hodson. “I aim to re-focus on our existing customers and ensuring we continue to deliver high quality, high value data solutions that provide a…

UK car production rose 3.5% to 791,314 units in the first half of 2014. June output rose 3.7% to 136,419 cars, according to figures from the SMMT, “UK car production continued its steady growth in June, leading to a first half-year increase of 3.5%,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “With several manufacturers having started assembly of new models this year and billions of pounds of investment still to reach production fruition, this is an exciting time for the UK automotive sector. “However, with this growth comes a need to bolster the domestic supply chain and address major skills shortages; both of which the UK industry is committed to addressing,” he said. Original Story taken from Motor Trader News –http://www.motortrader.com/automotive-news/uk-car-production-rises-3-5-first-half-2/

New car registrations rose 6.2% in June to 228,291 units. In the first half of the year registrations rose 10.6% to 1,287,265 units, the best half-year total since 2005, according to the SMMT. The market was driven by attractive finance and PCP deals as carmakers targeted the UK for sales to compensate for weak markets in Europe, which are recovering but from a very low base. The UK market is now on track for 2.4 million new car registrations in 2014, up more than 6% on last year. Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Improving economic conditions have helped propel the UK new car market to a strong first half-year performance, with registrations up 10.6% on the same period in 2013. “Key to attracting consumers is the ever-improving efficiency of new cars, an important factor that is highlighted by the 51.3% increase in alternatively-fuelled…

 The National Association of Body shops (NAB) has named the insurance companies body shops dislike working with the most. In a survey body shops were asked, given total freedom of choice, which insurers would they prefer not to work with. AXA Swift Cover emerged as the least preferred option for 42% of body shops, Direct Line (40%) and LV (29%). Esure and RSA/Morethan each scored 28% in the survey. Body shops were also asked, given total freedom of choice, which insurance companies they would most like to work with. Ageas was the preferred choice of 58% of body shops followed by NFU which got a 57% rating, Allianz (51%), Zurich (44%) and Aviva (38%). Frank Harvey, head of the NAB, said: “This appears to confirm the feedback we have been receiving from our regional road shows regarding which insurance companies are considered to be The…

Dealers are coming under increased pressure to upgrade or relocate their facilities as the automotive sector and the general economy improve, according to property specialists Rapleys. It cited strong Q1 performances from Lookers and Pendragon who both showed double digit growth “This improved trading outlook has certainly translated to improved sentiment in the sector, with many groups continuing to grow their business, both from the acquisition of existing businesses and the development of new trading facilities,” it said. But the improving conditions meant renewed pressure to maintain corporate standards. “After years of patience by manufacturers regarding corporate standards, we believe many dealers are coming under increasing pressure to upgrade or relocate, and we are currently acting for a number of the top 10 groups who have active requirements in this respect. “We see no sign that this level of activity is likely to diminish…

Ferrari has described its “overwhelming joy”, F1 champion Michael Schumacher has left hospital in Grenoble and is no longer in a coma, his family says. The 45-year-old has been transferred to Lausanne university hospital in Switzerland, officials there say. Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a severe head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps on 29 December. His family thanked people who had sent messages of support, saying: “We are sure it helped him.” They also praised the “excellent job” of medical staff at the hospital in Grenoble, in south-east France. Doctors had kept the seven-time champion in a coma to help reduce swelling in his brain. Michael Schumacher had been treated at Grenoble’s University Hospital Centre in the French Alps “Michael has left the CHU Grenoble to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not…