Your monthly news round-up of the Scottish Motor Industry
MOT SEMINARS 2023
SMTA was pleased to be able to offer our members six MOT seminars across Scotland over the last couple of weeks. With over 500 people overall in attendance, the seminars were a huge success.
We would like to thank the DVSA for delivering the latest news to our members and also thanks to Wynn's and Dingbro for their support.
BULLETIN
The approved insurance broker to the Scottish Motor Trade Association
DEALERS SAY GOVERNMENT IS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO SUPPORT EV SWITCH
The findings come from the latest Startline Used Car Tracker, which revealed that only 7% of dealer think car manufacturers are to blame for a lack of EV uptake.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “Electrification is the single biggest change to motor manufacturing that any of us are likely to see in our lifetimes and is having a fundamental effect on how and where manufacturers make cars.
“Motor manufacturing remains a cornerstone
of the UK economy but there is clearly a general perception among dealers that not enough is being done to ensure that we preserve the base that we have, never mind look to expand it.
“Brexit is clearly an issue here, having made the UK simply a more difficult place for major manufacturers to make vehicles, but there also appears to be little in the way of an industrial strategy to convince car makers that this remains a great place to have factories.
FREE ROLLING TYRES: CHANGE TO THE ANNUAL TEST – 1 APRIL
DVSA have previously advised that from 1 April 2023,
“If you look across our volume manufacturing base, only Nissan and Stellantis have fully committed to making electric vehicles here while bad news isn’t difficult to find, notably with the recent loss of Ford research and development jobs.”
The key issue, say 40% of dealers, is that not enough battery manufacturing capacity is being created while 31% report that sufficient consumer demand for EVs just doesn’t yet exist.
free rolling tyres
(FRTs) fitted to front steering axles will be treated as a major deficiency at annual test.
This means such vehicles and trailers will fail the annual test.
FREE ROLLING TYRES
A tyre marked with the term ‘FRT’ on the side wall stands for Free Rolling Tyre.
This marking means the tyre is designed for use on axles of a motor vehicle and trailer axles, other than front steering and drive axles.
Currently, vehicles and trailers which are fitted with FRTs on drive axles are categorised as a major item at annual test and will result in a failure.
PREPARE FOR THE CHANGE
We have updated the HGV and PSV inspection manuals to reflect the change for FRTs on front steering axles.
Tyre checks should be part of a driver’s daily walkaround checks – as well as the regular management controls that operators need to have in place. You can read our latest blog post on good tyre management.
Vehicles which are being used for a driving test must be compliant. We will refuse to carry out a test if vehicles are not in a roadworthy condition.
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Seven in 10 car dealers say that not enough is being done to support the transition of electric vehicles (EVs) and half of those believe the Government is to blame.
Read the full article at AM Online PSV Inspection Manual CIRCLE-CHEVRON-RIGHT HGV Inspection Manual CIRCLE-CHEVRON-RIGHT
BIG SHAKE-UP ON THE CARDS FOR JAGUAR LAND ROVER UK NETWORK
Jaguar Land Rover is running the rule over its dealer network in what
expected to be a radical reshaping of its UK business.
Motor Trader was told by a dealer source that dealer numbers could cut from 88 to 18.. The new Jaguar EV range of the future will have a price range starting at £100,000 and running to £200,000. Future sales of Jaguar’s new range of EVs in the UK will be radically cut to 6,000 a year.
The Arch concept will move to a House of Brands for Defender, Range Rover and Discovery
Potential cuts to dealer numbers are a hugely sensitive subject given the massive investment they have made in recent years.
LR carried out a seismic restructuring of the network in 2016, aiming for common ownership of the two brands in each market territory with its 117 Land Rover and 84 Jaguar sites then reducing to 138 run by 35 partners.
Overall JLR dealers invested £1bn in UK premises with a new corporate look as part of JLR’s overhaul of the UK network.
JLR issued a holding statement to Motor Trader saying it wanted to build a “sustainably profitable Jaguar and Land Rover network for the future.”
It did not give details, citing commercial sensitivity. The full statement reads:
“Jaguar Land Rover is reimagining the future of Modern Luxury by design through its iconic British brands. “As part of our Reimagine strategy one of our key objectives is to establish new benchmark standards in
customer service for the luxury sector.
“We will adapt our customer journey for our future clients, providing multiple touchpoints, delivering leading luxury experiences and creating a customer centric culture. “Our objective is to build a stronger and more sustainably profitable Jaguar and Land Rover network for the future.
“We are consulting with our retail partners on how we achieve this objective but it is too early to disclose details due to their commercial nature. “The first of the new, all-electric Jaguars will be revealed before the end of 2024, and will be with customers in 2025. We will tell you more about Jaguar’s future before the end of this year.”
WILL UK FOLLOW EU BY LIFTING 2035 DIESEL & PETROL NEW CAR SALES BAN?
The EU and Germany reached an agreement that will allow internal combustion engine (ICE) cars running on synthetic e-fuels over the weekend, following intervention from
Germany’s coalition government.
The move has prompted questions over whether the UK might follow suit, despite opposition from environmental groups.
Carwow consumer editor Hugo Griffiths said: “It is nothing short of inevitable that the European Commission has drafted legislation allowing the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 as long as they can run on synthetic fuel. The question now must be when, not if, the UK will echo these changes.
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Read the full article at Motortrader
Speculation is growing that the UK could ease back on plans for an all-out ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 after the EU drafted legislation to allow vehicles powered by e-fuels.
is
Read the full article at AM Online
MOT FORECAST VOLUMES APRIL 2023
TRADE SNIPPETS
Motorists looking to ‘trade down’ due to cost-of living pressures
Article courtesy of AM Online
Cost of vehicle repairs have risen by 40% from 2018 to 2022
Article courtesy of Motortrader
Savvy car buyers saving money on used EVs by waiting for further price collapses
Article courtesy of CarDealer Magazine
March used car prices rise, but overall rise ‘held back’ by plummeting used EV values
Article courtesy of CarDealer Magazine
Competitive pricing promises demand for Chinese EV brands at used car auctions
Article courtesy of AM Online
Auction used EV values -4% and sales -9% in March
Article courtesy of Motortrader
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POST TOWN SUM OF FORECAST TO EXPIRE SUM OF EXPIRED TYPICAL SUM OF CHANGE FROM TYPICAL CHANGE FROM TYPICAL [%] ABERDEEN 14482 21952 -7470 -34.03% DUMFRIES 3825 6598 -2773 -42.03% DUNDEE 7446 11248 -3802 -33.80% EDINBURGH 21347 34370 -13023 -37.89% FALKIRK 7671 11844 -4173 -35.23% GLASGOW 26722 42392 -15670 -36.96% HEBRIDES 746 1257 -511 -40.65% INVERNESS 7474 11979 -4505 -37.61% KILMARNOCK 9531 14720 -5189 -35.25% KIRKCALDY 9535 16050 -6515 -40.59% KIRKWALL 1483 2558 -1075 -42.03% LERWICK 730 1146 -416 -36.30% MOTHERWELL 9071 13569 -4498 -33.15% PAISLEY 7952 12566 -4614 -36.72% PERTH 5157 7920 -2763 -34.89% TWEEDDALE 3221 5418 -2197 -40.55% TOTAL 136393 215587 Figures courtesy of DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency)
FUEL TYPE
TOP 10 MARQUES
TOP 10 CARS
5 Diesel 1,352 3,357 Petrol/Electric
YEAR TO DATE
YEAR TO DATE Strathclyde 768 Lothian 2944 532 Grampian 477 Central 384 Tayside 294 Fife 262 Highlands 99 Dumfries & Galloway 69 Borders REGISTRATIONS BY REGION
YEAR TO DATE Petrol 10,603 Electric 1,476 Diesel/Electric 1 Petrol/LPG 63 UK YEAR TO DATE: SCOTLAND YEAR TO DATE: SCOTLAND MONTHLY: 206,435 16,852 5,829 CAR FIGURES FEBRUARY 2023 MG HS 457 Volkswagen 1551 (9.20%) Volkswagen T-Roc 455 Audi 1161 (6.89%) Vauxhall Mokka 391 Toyota 1048 (6.22%) MG ZS 355 Kia 970 (5.76%) Nissan Qashqai 339 MG 968 (5.74%) Vauxhall Corsa 285 Ford 863 (5.12%) MINI mini 278 Hyundi 827 (4.91%) Ford Pums 271 Vauxhall 806 (4.78%) Toyota Corrolla 269 BMW 803 (4.77%) Hyundai Tucson 268 Nissan 757 (4.49%) Figures courtesy of the SMMT (Scottish Motor Manufacturers and Traders)
OUT NOW! SMTA AUTO INSIGHT ISSUE 12
READ IT HERE
WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR GARAGE TO FEATURE IN SMTA’S MAGAZINE?
SMTA produces a quarterly magazine to all our members, if you haven’t got one yet our Territory Account Managers will be visiting your garage soon with a copy for you.
If you’d like your garage to feature please contact: karen.thompson@smta.co.uk
SMTA CONTACTS
MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES/ TRADING PARTNERS:
Norman Stirling – 07917 095014
Membership Development Manager
Marcus Lawrence – 07375 057561
Territory Account Manager, Western Region
Stuart Kennedy – 07375 057560
Territory Account Manager, Northern Region
MOT QMS ENQUIRIES
David Innes – 07789 264228
Operations Manager, Support Services
Colin Meldrum – 07917 042576
Support Services Consultant
Gordon Laing – 07799 732124
Support Services Consultant
Peter Stuart – 07729 045666
Support Services Consultant
APPRENTICE TRAINING ENQUIRIES
Fraser Miller – 07789 264229
Apprentice Training Manager
Kevin Millar – 07593 800386
Kickstart Gateway Project Manager
EMPLOYMENT LAW ENQUIRIES
Moira Gaynor – 0141 331 5150
Company Secretary/Finance Manager
SCOTSURE WARRANTY:
Claims and Enquiries – 0131 331 5512
EVENTS & MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
SAVE THE DATE
We are delighted to announce that the next dinner is being held on Thursday 26th October 2023 at Hilton Glasgow. Details of our 2023 guest speaker to be announced at a future date.
This bulletin is kindly supported by
Karen Thompson – 07922 079889
Events & Media Manager
ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES:
Wendy Hennessy – 07974 380140
Scottish Motor Trade Association Ltd., Palmerston House, 10 The Loan, South Queensferry EH30 9NS
SMTA Ltd Tel: 0131 331 5510
www.smta.co.uk
SMTA is proud to support:
Magazine Scottish Motor Professionals brought you by Supported Incorporating ISSUE12 MEMBER PROFILE MEMBER PROFILE CELEBRATING 120 YEARS OF SMTA CAR STAR WINNER –CD COPLAND CAR STAR WINNER –YOUR FORD CENTRE
Disclaimer: Whilst we endeavour to ensure the information in this bulletin is up to date and correct, we make no representations of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability and suitability. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.