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publication date: Feb 19, 2010
Vehicle and engine production rose for a third successive month in January, demonstrating the continued success of global scrappage incentive schemes, said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive.
“Despite the close of the UK scheme next month, SMMT expects a modest recovery in 2010 output as economic growth, a competitive exchange rate and the introduction of innovative new models to UK plants help to lift manufacturing levels above those seen in 2009,” he added.
The number of licensed vehicles with engine capacity of more than 2,000cc increased from 2.3 million in 1999 to 4.0 million in 2008, data from the Office for National Statistics showed.
The figures also showed that the number of licensed cars with engine capacity of less than 1,000cc has declined by 19 per cent over the same period. AA president Edmund King said: "Big is not always bad. The increase in cars with engine capacity of more than 2,000cc is not necessarily a reflection that more people have bought 'gas guzzlers' as, for this category of car, CO2 emissions have decreased by approximately 20% over the period.
Jaguar Land Rover announced the appointment of Dr. Ralf Speth as the Chief Executive Officer with overall responsibility for the Company's operations.
He will report to Mr Carl-Peter Forster, the recently appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of Tata Motors. Dr. Speth, 54 years, has over 22 years experience in the European auto industry, most of which was at BMW where his last appointment was Vice President, Land Rover.
Halfords has acquired Nationwide Autocentres, the independent car servicing and repair provider for £73.2 Million.
They will be renamed Halfords Autocentres and there are 224 centres offering fleets and private mototrists car servicing, MOTs and repairs. They plan to open another 200 centres creating 1,000 jobs.
The parent company of driving instructor business Red Driving School, the UK's third largest, has gone into administration.
LVG will continue to trade as normal while administrators look for a buyer to take it on as a going concern. It employs 400 people in total, but all the Red Driving School instructors are franchisees.