subscriptions

DACIA gave away hot water bottles via selected dealerships in a tongue-in-cheek dig at manufacturers that charge people a subscription for features such as activating heated seats.

The budget subsidiary of Renault said switching on heated seats was just one example of latest attempts by some car makers to make consumers pay for features their car already has, using web-based connected car technology to activate or disable the extras on a subscription basis. The ‘Heated Seat Saviours’ were available from its showrooms at Staples Corner, Manchester and Swansea at the beginning of February.

Launching Processing

Omoda 5 SUV is on its way from China

MARSHALL Motor Group has appointed Mark Hemus as its new chief financial officer.

It follows the resignation of Richard Blumberger, who quit after nearly four years there.

Hemus, pictured above, has joined Marshall from Arriva Bus, where he was finance director for just over three years.

Blumberger, who left Marshall in December, has joined idverde Group, which provides grounds maintenance services and landscape creation projects, as its chief financial officer.

CHERY – China’s largest exporter of cars – is to launch its Omoda 5 SUV in the UK early next year.

Although it’s planning ‘several new models with ICE/PHEV/ BEV powertrains’, Chery says it’ll generally be focusing on the BEV in the UK. However, according to Autocar, it’ll begin by offering the ICE version of the mid-sized crossover. The electric version of the Omoda 5 is reported to offer a range of some 280 miles.

£2.2m refurb centre to be opened in Hull

THE French parent company of CarSupermarket.com is to open a multi-million-pound refurbishing centre in the UK.

Aramis Group says it’ll be investing €2.5m (£2.2m) in the 15,000 sq m site in Hull as it looks to drive productivity and efficiency. It will be Aramis’s second used vehicle refurbishing centre in the UK and will increase its processing capacity here by around 25,000 vehicles per year, it said.

Clive Brook sells up to Ray Chapman

Ford to axe 1,300 jobs in the UK

CLIVE Brook has sold his Volvo dealerships in Bradford and Huddersfield to Ray Chapman Motors as he takes retirement. Making the announcement on LinkedIn, Brook – pictured with Ray Chapman Motors MD Duncan Chapman – thanked staff, customers, suppliers, family and friends. He added that there would be no initial changes in the management and policies of the company. It doubles Ray Chapman’s retailer portfolio to four.

FORD is to axe 1,300 jobs in the UK over the next two years.

The cuts amount to around a fifth of the firm’s UK workforce, and are part of a major restructure of Ford’s European business that will see 3,800 jobs cut across the region.

In the UK, most of the job losses will be at Ford’s Dunton research site. Back-office posts are also expected to be axed.

Production sites at Halewood, Dagenham and Daventry won’t be affected.

Decline

Used car sales drop by 8.5 per cent

THE UK’s used car market declined by 8.5 per cent last year, latest figures have revealed.

Data released by the SMMT show there were 6,890,777 transactions during 2022 – some 640,179 below 2021’s level and 13.2 per cent off the pre-pandemic total of 2019.

The SMMT blamed the drop on new car supplies being squeezed – mainly caused by the global shortage of semiconductors, which restricted stock entering the secondhand market.

Recognition Transformations

Isuzu honours dealer boss for dedication

AN Isuzu car dealer has been honoured for his dedication to the Japanese brand.

Andrew McGlone, the MD of Eaglesham Garage in Glasgow, received his Special Appreciation Award at Isuzu’s 2023 dealer conference, which was hosted by ex-EastEnders star Shaun Williamson, pictured left with McGlone and William Brown, MD of Isuzu importer and distributor International Motors UK & Ireland.

£16m-plus spent by Volvo on two sites

VOLVO has spent more than £16m on two new showrooms in the UK.

The £10m Volvo Cars Edinburgh dealership in Lonehead Drive opened on February 10, having moved from Glasgow Road.

Meanwhile, a disused site in Hertfordshire is being turned into a £6m-plus showroom. Construction work on the dealership in Elstree began in January and is expected to be finished by September. Pictured is an artist’s impression of it.