There is a new addition to the Marshall Motor Group portfolio and it comes in the shape of Maserati and a new site in Peterborough. The move will see the expanding group representing the Italian supercar brand across Cambridgeshire from a new showroom at its Tyrell Park location. Opening in April the five car showroom will provide full service and repair facilities. “We are thrilled to now be working with Maserati, an exciting brand with ambitious plans on the back of its enlarged product range,” said Daksh Gupta , Marshall’s CEO “Peterborough is one of the fastest growing cities in Great Britain and is easily accessible for customers in the surrounding area, making this the ideal location for a new dealership for this brand. We are also excited to be partnering with our first specialist brand given our strategic intent to grow with specialist and premium brands in…

As the economy continues to recover Glass’s is forecasting that sales of new cars will rise by less than 5%  a forecast which is more optimistic  than the 1% growth forecast from the SMMT issued earlier this month “The recovery is now underway, and provided nothing unexpected happens, we have every reason to be optimistic for 2014,” said Andrew Jackson, head of analytics at Glass’s. Looking back at 2013 Jackson said that the big increase in private sales had, in part, been created by grey fleet sales. “During the recession businesses will have viewed the opportunity to reduce non-core expenses, and the management of fleets, as a fast and effective way of reducing overheads. “Whilst the perception is of booming private registrations and slowly recovering business and fleet registrations, the reality is that the line has been blurred as private new registrations are augmented due…

Nissan’s new generation Qashqai won the Car of the Year honours at the What Car Awards, held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The Sunderland-built car, which goes on sale this month, also won the Best Small SUV award, with Nissan’s X-Trail also picking up the Reader Award. BMW received two trophies; the 435i won the Best Coupe award while the new i3 EV claimed the title for Best Green Car. Audi also scooped up two awards with the A3 saloon winning Best executive Car and the A3 Cabriolet won the Best Open Top Car. The What Car? awards, sponsored by Warranty Direct, can act as a valuable sales boost for dealers with last year’s overall winner, Audi’s A3, receiving 125% more searches on Whatcar.com during the four weeks after the event. What Car? Awards 2014 Car of the Year: Nissan Qashqai City car: Hyundai i10…

The online classified market has become the hot spot recently with certain providers doing everything they can to attract dealers one of the most prevalent is  Auto Trader who are trialling a dealer customer rating and review scheme, which it believes will benefit customers and dealers alike. “Dealers should encourage their customers to rate and review them. In a recent survey, 74% of used car website users said they would find dealer ratings useful when buying a car,” said Adam Bullion head of b2b marketing at Auto Trader. likewise Cardeck is using customer reviews to improve its attractiveness for potential dealers. Mart has launched variable charging, allowing dealers to choose their pricing model. RAC Cars refreshed its website in November with enhanced search facilities to allow consumers to search stock within any dealership or a specific dealer group’s stock. Motors.co.uk re-launched its responsive website…

Meridian Motor Group has recently purchased two Citroen dealerships and an accident repair centre in Morecambe and Kendal from John Wilding for an undisclosed sum. The business will initially trade as John Wilding Citroen but will be rebranded Vantage following investment. Together the dealerships are expected to sell 1,500 new and used vehicles throughout the year in order to contribute £15m to group turnover. The vendor of the business Adrian Wilding,son of founder John Wilding  is said to be leaving the motor retail industry. Mark Robinson, Meridian managing director, said the deal marked the start of a new relationship with Citroen. “Citroen is a manufacturer that shares our aspiration for growth and development. “It also has a very strong fleet offering and linked to this acquisition, we will be establishing a UK-wide fleet services department across all our brands.” Vantage now has a total of 18 sales points…

online shopping has become increasing popular over the last five years and it seems that dealing cars is following the same trend. Figures produced by auction house Manheim, show that the percentage of vehicles sold online each month rose from 7.5% in August 2004 to almost 17% in August 2013. September saw almost 18% of stock was sold at auction resulting in 5237 vehicles being sold and over 61000 online bids being cast and it seems that the technology age is now allowing customers to shop on the go with 12% of people visiting Manheim from mobile devices. Michael Buxton, chief operating officer of Manheim, said although online business is growing attendance at physical auctions is stable. “Online platforms have supplemented the physical auctions rather than replace them, which is a trend that looks set to continue as we move into 2014.” Taken from Motor trader News

on average part exchange vehicles have a 23% higher value than last year according to figures from BCA. It states that year-to-year prices of part exchange vehicles rose by £716 to £3857 the 16% rise from last year is the highest monthly average since 2005. Nearly new values improved by over £1,100 in November to reach £21,433, the highest value recorded this year for nearly-new stock. BCA UK operations director Simon Henstock, said: “Buyers were out in force in November acquiring stock and BCA recorded some exceptional results around the group.“Live Online buyers were very active during the month and our Bid Now and Buy Now channels saw sales volumes climb.“Professional buyers will no doubt remember that average values rose very sharply last December due to the shorter trading month and ongoing dearth of retail-quality stock, so there was an element of ‘getting ahead of the game’,”…

Mercedes-Benz is launching a pilot scheme in Germany to sell selected models online. Customers will be able to buy a limited number of pre-configured models, including the A-Class hatchback and the CLA four door coupe, via the company’s own online store with the purchases handled by its Hamburg dealership. Bloomberg reported that Daimler plans to open a second pilot web store in Warsaw in Q1, 2014. Mercedes-Benz is following BMW which has been selling its electric i3 model online since mid-November. “This is a new field. We are following our vision,” said Andrea Finkbeiner-Mueller, head of dealer development and customer satisfaction for Mercedes-Benz. Dealers will be involved in the online transactions and the service will be supported by a salesman who can visit customers. Finkbeiner-Mueller said the brand was targeting a new customer base. Taken from Motor Trader news