The company continues to outperform the market year on year with sales that have increased from 19.9% in January up to 21.7% in June.

June was also a strong performance month for the Peugeot 5008 and Peugeot 3008 as both cars have sold past expectations and sale projections.  At this point already about 6,500 of the Peugeot 3008 vehicles have been registered within the United Kingdom.

Freshly launched in June was the RCZ Sports Coupe by Peugeot with a great response from both customers and journalists with 1,900 orders already recorded taking up half of the available production models for this year.

Also showing a strong performance during the month of June was the Peugeot 207 with a ten percent growth in sales compared to June of 2009 allowing the car to remain the top selling French made car within the United Kingdom’s top ten.

The year to year success of the French car manufacturer has been a result of strong performances across the market with petrol sales up by 10.3%, retail sales up by 16.4%, diesel sales up by 38%, and fleet sales up by 2.8%.

Adding to the strong sale offers that have helped propel growth is the new ‘Just Add FuelTM’ programme which allows customers to make one payment per month that covers insurance, finance, licence, and warranty over a three year time span.

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1975. Ah what a year (not so for Nixon advisors but hey you can’t please all the people). The Watergate verdicts aside, 1975 was the year we saw Jaws encourage people to stay out of the sea, Margaret Thatcher become the first female leader of the Conservative party and the future face of British football emerge as David Beckham first drew breath.

1975 also marked the birth of another British legend when the Lotus Esprit was officially launched at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Okay, the earth is still spinning around the sun, but wouldn’t you agree that those things happening in 1975 changed the world a bit? Just a little bit?

We do.

And what we also know now is that 35 years later, something breathtaking will happen once again. Once more in Paris. Once more at the Motor Show.

Perhaps a new Esprit? Perhaps not. Or perhaps even more?

Feel free to guess what we’re up to but ultimately you’re going to have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, it’ll be worth the wait.

All will be revealed on16.45 CET 30th September 2010, at the Paris Motor Show.

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The figures from the Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders show that March is the fifth continuous month in which growth was seen with production rising by 63% in February.

The first three quarters of total output last year were accounted for by exports, although the number of cars produced just for UK buyers has increased by almost double over the past three months raising a total of about 28%.  Commercial vehicle production rose even more by 62%.

The SMMT also stated that the rise in production was bolstered due to the poor numbers of last year, which were a result of manufacturing cutting back as consumer demand wavered and Honda stopping its production at the Swindon, Wiltshire plant for a four month period starting in February.

During the second part of the year however, the ‘cash for bangers’ scheme initiated by the Government gave the auto industry a much needed boost as it offered discounts and incentives to buyers who traded in old cars for newer models.

In total, the scheme resulted in the sale of over 330,000 cars, which accounts for a fifth of all the cars sold during the period.  However, this number is predicted to rise even higher as many of the purchased cars still need to be officially registered.

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A key factor in this scenario is the announcement by Nissan that it will be building its new lithium-ion powered vehicle, the Leaf, at the U.K.’s largest car factory, the Sunderland plant.

The day after Nissan’s announcement, news was released about a market study to be carried out by experts at the University of Aberdeen, funded by the Energy Technologies Institute.  The study is intended to explore the potential market for electric cars in the U.K.  According to the study’s leader, Dr. Jillian Anable, they expect to come up with a profile of the typical buyer, based on such factors as age group, geographical location and general attitude regarding the new technology.

Dr. Anable said that the study will try to determine the most common use of the vehicles as well as the practicalities of ownership, including length of time for re-charging and whether that would take place at home or in other locations such as the workplace or the supermarket.  The convenience (or inconvenience) of re-charging, as well as the cost, will be important factors for the owners of these cars.

The ETI will use the results of the study to form an evaluation of consumer response, but the impact of Nissan’s decision and the government’s funding and support of the enterprise are positive indicators of future growth for the industry.  In addition, hundreds of jobs will be created and safeguarded at the Sunderland plant when production of the Leaf commences in 2013.

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Honda were considered relative outsiders on the bookmakers list and were available at long odds of 16/1. Scores of shrewd punters took advantage of the bookies generous odds triggering a payout in excess of €7,000.

Paddy Power said “We didn’t expect another recall to follow so soon after Toyota’s announcement. That said, we obviously were caught napping and fully deserved to have our pants taken down. Needless to say we’ll be keeping a very close eye on this betting moving forward”

Paddy Power continue to take bets on the next car manufacturer to issue a major recall (without Toyota and Honda). Japan’s sixth largest automaker Mitsubishi Motors is now the bookies 4/1 favourite followed by Nissan at 6/1 and Daihatsu and Mazda at 8/1.

Next Car Company to recall?
4/1    Mitsubishi Motors
6/1    Nissan
8/1    Daihatsu
8/1    Mazda
10/1  Volvo
10/1  Audi
12/1  Hyundai
12/1  Ford
14/1  Dodge
14/1  Fiat
16/1  Volkswagon
16/1  Vauxhall
18/1  BMW
20/1  Chrysler
20/1  Mercedes-Benz
33/1  Daewoo
33/1  Alfa Romeo
40/1  Hummer
50/1  Skoda
80/1  Ferrari

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Other awards bestowed on car models over the last decade by the magazine included the dream car won by the Bugatti Veryron and the most environmentally friendly car, or ‘greenest,’ the Toyota Prius.  While it is possible that your neighbour may own the Prius, the Bugatti is truly a dream car owned by the likes of Jenson Button and Simon Cowell which is also possibly why it also won the award for most overpriced car of the last decade.

The top motoring personality award went to Jeremy Clarkson, the top accessory was the clever Baby on Board sign with the car freshener following in a close second, and the best celebrity motor went to the Range Rover.

Also polled were the best value for the money cars which saw the Fiat Panda take first place followed closely by the Skoda Superb and Toyota Aygo in second and third place respectively.  Rounding out the list in fourth and fifth place were the Kia Ceed and the Citroen Xsara Picasso.

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The scrappage scheme will end when funding runs out of at the close of February.  So far it has been used on 21.6% of about 160,000 vehicles that were registered in November.  This is over 50% more than in November of 2008.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Paul Everitt stated that the car registration increase shows that the incentive scheme has been successful with customers.

The terms of the scheme allow buyers to receive a £2000 discount if they also trade in a vehicle that is ten or more years old.

Everritt estimated that the scheme has about £125m of funding left.  On Wednesday, he asked the Government to think about extending the deadline for the scheme.

However, the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said that the industry will have to deal with normal market conditions once again, which quashed hopes among many that the scheme would be extended.

The 57% increase was a large jump over previous months such as September which had an 11% increase and August which saw only a 6% increase.

For the most part, the large increase was a result of private buyers taking advantage of the scheme.

Yet, even with the huge increase the total sales figures for November are still down by about nine percent when compared to the total sales of last year.

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Lease Financing Availability

One of the biggest problems to affect the vehicle tracking sector in 2009 was the difficulty in obtaining lease finance for customers wanting to buy tracking systems. Lease finance spreads the cost of a tracking system over the duration of the contract period and is often the preferred way to buy vehicle tracking, in most cases leasing requires no capital outlay and offers return on investment from the word go.

The availability of business leasing is improving, especially in the SME sector but not for tracking suppliers. www.TrackCompare.co.uk surveyed the major lease underwriters and found that although the lending criteria for potential customers has relaxed, the criteria for vehicle tracking providers has not and many underwriters are limiting their activities to ‘the big 5’ tracking companies.

The underwriters have reported significant losses in the vehicle tracking sector and now see it as a high risk market as should the tracking company go under, the tracking system becomes unusable and there are is little tangible value that can be recovered.

Customer Confidence Damaged

One of the biggest casualties of 2009 are without doubt the customers that bought vehicle tracking systems that were subsequently switched off when their parent companies closed. Many customers have been left with debts of thousands with no tracking system to use.

Tracking horror stories have spread like wildfire and customer confidence in tracking systems and their providers has been seriously affected. Efforts by tracking companies to offer ‘no risk’ financing systems have gone some way to restoring confidence but often means higher costs for the customer and their long term feasibility is in some cases questionable.

What Does 2010 Hold For Tracking

The vehicle tracking market is expected to double by 2012 which is great news. The tracking sector does however have a big job to do in restoring the confidence in potential buyers and suppliers should expect them to be more cautious and meticulous in their choice of partner.

The job of the smaller players and new companies in the tracking market will be more difficult in 2010, being unable to offer lease finance will make selling to companies who need a monthly payment option harder, unless they have enough financial backing to underwrite the upfront costs themselves.

This will inevitably affect choice and competition for customers, tracking pricing has fallen significantly in recent years due in part to cost reductions in technology and data but the key driver has without doubt been competition.

Despite this, from the perspective of potential tracking customers there has never been a better time to consider tracking. There are more products, more finance options and more competition in the market than ever before. By choosing the right tracking partner a business can revolutionise its operation overnight and the massive benefits that vehicle tracking systems can bring should not be overshadowed by the problems of 2009.

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The new phase of the scheme will continue till February 2010. This will allow car owners to trade in their decade-old cars for a new one, and they will receive a hefty discount of £1950 on their new ride.

The age restriction of the old cars has also been relaxed for six months. The scheme will allow nearly 400,000 car owners to get new wheels, although nearly a million car owners are expected to apply.

According to Janet Connor, managing director of RIAS, this is going to attract a huge number of motorists due to the ongoing recession. She thinks the discount of nearly £2,000 is likely to draw the attention of many car owners who are thinking of getting a new vehicle.

CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Paul Everitt went further, by stating that this new scheme will help to develop a strong and sustainable economy, by creating an upsurge in demand, and providing a wider consumer access.

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The scheme was started on May 18th, at which point the Government said it would run into February or until their funding ran out, which is expected to happen sometime between the end of October or the beginning of November.

The Government has already pledged £300m for the scheme.
The SMMT is afraid that new legislation that requires higher first year Vehicle Excise Duty rates on all vehicles with larger engines, starting in April of next year, will stop consumers from purchasing new cars, which the extended scrappage scheme could help.

According to the SMMT, the scrappage scheme has already been able to produce growth in the auto sector, after 15 months of declining sales reports in the marketplace for new cars.

To date over 100,000 cars have been bought with the scrappage scheme, and an additional back order of over 100,000 is banked.

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