The Office of Fair Trading said yesterday that Mercedes-Benz and five van and truck dealers may have broken competition law. The case comprises five separate alleged infringements that took place at different periods between March 2007 and January 2010. Each alleged infringement involved two or three dealers. The OFT said its provisional finding is that Mercedes-Benz was also involved in two of the alleged infringements. “The precise content of the arrangements differs among the five alleged infringements but all contain, to varying degrees, at least some element of market sharing, price coordination and/or exchange of commercially sensitive information. “The evidence also suggests that, in respect of two of the alleged infringements, Mercedes-Benz helped to facilitate or consolidate the arrangements amongst the dealers,” it said in a statement. Ali Nikpay, OFT senior director of cartels, said: “Based on the evidence currently before us, we have…

Toyota has recalled 30,790 UK-registered Prius cars manufactured between March 2009 and February 2014.  This brings the total recall world wide up to a staggering 1.9m vehicles. The recall is to correct potential problems with the hybrid system’s boost conversion software which can cause cars to slow down or stop without warning. So far there have been no reports of this problem causing any accidents. In Europe Toyota has recorded 11 field reports of the issue occurring. All the vehicles affected by this issue are being recalled so that the control software can be replaced. Owners will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by post or telephone and will be asked to make an appointment to bring their car to their nearest Toyota centre. The software replacement only takes about 40 minutes to complete. Toyota has set up a website with Live Chat…

Maserati is planning to double its UK dealer network as the luxury sports car brand plans to dramatically increase its sales volumes. The brand currently has 13 dealers, mostly dual franchised with its Ferrari sister brand, but said it needs at least 26 to handle its future capacity with the late 2013 introduction of the Ghibli model, it’s first ever mid-sized four door saloon and ahead of next year’s launch of the Levante, its first foray into the SUV sector. Maserati already has 530 orders for the Ghibli and expects to sell 1,000 by the end of the year. Last year it’s total sales were just 319 units. The brand has spent recent months signing up new partners as it moves to fill open points in major conurbations. Marshall Motor Group was the latest appointment with a refurbished solus site due to open in…

The RAC has hit out again at dealers who are breaking the rules regarding brand usage. It said it had become aware of a “number of dealers” who are employing the RAC brand incorrectly or even falsely. RAC head of dealer propositions Mario Dolcezza said: “We are concerned there may be some dealers out there using the RAC name and brand without permission. “Dealers who sell RAC-branded products such as warranties are allowed to use our brand but some are exceeding the rules that are in place as part of our commercial agreement with them. Last month, the RAC launched its used car initiative BuySure that includes new rules about using the brand. Dolcezza said that dealers who did not follow the new rules would be asked to correct their use of the brand and action would be taken if they did not respond….

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is calling on dealers to hire more apprentices. It has carried out research which shows that apprentices are good for business and deliver a significant financial return for employers. It said that apprentices who start with no experience typically generate profit within 18 to 24 months. The research is the result of a two-year IMI project to assess the value of apprentices working for independent garages and franchised dealers of all sizes. Apprentices delivered the same return as an experienced technician by the third or fourth year. IMI chief executive Steve Nash said: “Businesses must overcome their doubts about employing young people and invest in the future if our industry is to succeed as a whole.” Key benefits Home-grown apprentice-trained technicians outperform market-recruited technicians. Growing your own technicians’ through apprenticeships reduces long-term recruitment and training costs. Apprentices…

Aston Martin has issued a recall on 17,590 cars because of a potentially defective part, in a move thought to be the biggest recall in the luxury carmaker’s history The recall is thought to account for most of the marque’s cars built since late 2007 and applies to all models apart from the new Vanquish coupe and Volante models. A BBC report suggested the recall was issued following the discovery that a Chinese sub-supplier was allegedly using counterfeit plastic material in part of the accelerator pedal. Aston Martin, which manufacturers in warwickshire, reportedly said it was concerned the pedal arm may break although there have been no reports of any accidents. A spokesman told the BBC it would now bring manufacture of the pedal arm back to the UK. According to the report the recall includes 1,553 in the UK and covers all left-hand-drive…

We have had the wettest January since records began and its been hard on everyone and their cars. now the used car market had to keep a weather eye on the horizon to weed out the cars that some sneaky people may try and trade in that have been affected by flood damage. AA Cars has said “owners may attempt to pass their car on rather than make an insurance claim.” The AA’s flood rescue team had retrieved more than 3,000 cars from flood water since 20 December. David Bruce, director of AA Cars, said insurers write off 70% of cars that have been immersed in flood water, either because the engine has been damaged or submerged electrical systems threaten the car’s safety. “While a car can be dried out with no obvious visual damage, immersion in floods can store up a range of…

If you have been watching the news recently then you will know that apparently the recession is over and the economy is the strongest its been in the last six years, I know I don’t believe it either but the car production industry seems to be following this trend with a 31% increase in UK production. Cars produced for the domestic market rose 21.8% during the year while those for export fell 1%. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “2013 demonstrated the value of the UK’s diverse car manufacturing industry, as surging home demand and robust exports outside Europe saw output grow 3.1% to over 1.5 million units. “UK automotive investment announcements exceeded £2.5 billion in 2013, reinforcing industry analysts’ suggestions that the UK could break all-time car output records within the next four years.” While the European market has struggled with tough economic conditions, overall…