Car sales fall in 2011 but exceed expectations

Year-end figures have shown that new car sales fell 4.4% in 2011 compared with 2010.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed that a total of 1,941,253 new registrations were recorded last year, compared with a figure of 2,030,846 for 2010 when many people were incentivised into buying and selling cars by the Government's scrappage scheme.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt revealed that, though the figures were slightly ahead of industry-wide predictions, 2011 was going to be a "challenging year" for the UK motor industry.

"Weak economic growth will make trading conditions tough in 2012, but record numbers of new and updated models, significantly improved fuel efficiency and exciting new technologies will help to encourage consumers into showrooms."

One of the more encouraging aspect of the figures was the fact that, in the second half of 2011, sales fell just 1.1% compared with the July-December 2010 period.

Registrations in 2011 were supported by fleet sales, with the private market recording a drop in volumes.

Diesel and alternatively fuelled cars took record shares of the market in 2011, with diesel volumes surpassing petrol volumes for the first time.

Once again, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling new car in 2011, with the Volkswagen Golf the best-selling diesel model.

The supermini segment remains the largest in the UK, with a market share almost unchanged on 2010 at 36.3%. The executive, luxury saloon and dual-purpose sectors all recorded growth in registrations in 2011.

Women car buyers know what they want!

A new survey from BMW Financial Services has discovered that, when it comes to car buyers, it's women who know what they want!

 

The research showed that;

 

• 71% of women say they don’t choose a car to impress anyone but themselves and only two in ten take their partner’s opinion into account
• 69% of women aren’t afraid to haggle when buying a car

• 31% of women are happy to rent-to-own a car
• Over a third of women would like to be able to change cars or trade up more regularly

 

Women also have a different attitude to their male counterparts when it comes to car finance, with a third admitting to taking at least two days to make the choice over a payment package for the vehicle.

 

The survey also found that women, as a car buyer, are more open to making joint decisions for both the car itself  (50%) and car finance (53%), while men in particular, like to choose entirely independently.

 

The research also reveals that a third of British women drivers are happy to rent-to-own their car, which mirrors the recent uptake in car finance sales.

 

Joe Pattinson, General Manager Sales and Marketing at BMW Financial Services commented, “Finance is the car purchasing model for the future. As women adopt the rent-to-own approach as the more sensible decision, this is less of an indication of the economic climate and more a long term purchasing trend that is here to stay.

Former dealer jailed for "car clocking" scam

A one-time motor dealer - along with his three brothers - has been jailed for 18 months for "clocking" the mileage of cars and selling them on to car buyers.

The court was told that ringleader of the scam, Paul Price of Dewsbury, had traded honestly for many years but health problems and ensuing financial difficulties had led him up a path of "serious and deliberate fraud", alongside his three brothers Ian, Gary and Melvyn who were each given suspended 12 month jail sentences. A family friend, Gareth Hunt, was also handed a suspended sentence.

The four brothers were caught selling over 40 cars across West and North Yorkshire which had had the mileage readings in the vehicles reduced, in one case by more than 200,000 miles. The lower mileage readings helped artificially inflate the car valuation.

The sales took place online between January 2008 and August 2009 and in some instances bogus services documents were provided.

The activities of  the group originally came to light after concerns were reported to North Yorkshire Trading trading standards officers.

Sentencing them Judge Kerry Macgill said people who had saved up their “hard earned cash” to buy cars were entitled to believe the readings were honest.

Blackadder star cheats death forllowing 'super car' smash

Actor Rowan Atkinson has cheated death following a crash in his high-powered McLaren F1 supercar in Cambridgeshire.

The Blackadder and Mr Bean star is believed to have lost control of the £650,000 vehicle which spun off the road and hit a tree before catching fire.

The 56-year-old walked away from the wreckage and was looked after by another motorist until emergency services arrived at the scene.

Firemen tackled the blaze and an ambulance crew took him to nearby Peterborough hospital where he was treated for a shoulder injury.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews brought the fire under control by 8.13pm. They made the vehicle safe and used one hose reel to put out the fire.

"There was one casualty but he was not trapped."

Atkinson is renowned for his passion for fast cars has written numerous articles about different vehicles for specialist car magazines.
As someone who regularly likes to buy and sell a car, his collection changes regularly, he also has a £125,000 Aston Martin Virage, a vintage Rolls-Royce, and an elderly Morris Traveller, which he regularly drives around the Oxfordshire village where he lives in a £1 million former rectory.

Crazed Brazilian ploughs into cyclists. How was no one killed?

This is the horrifying moment when over 40 people were injured after a motorist ploughed into a group of cyclists in Brazil.

Miraculously, no-one was killed in the incident in Porto Alegre, but many of the cyclists suffered broken bones and severe cuts and bruises.

Miraculously, no-one was killed in the incident in Porto Alegre, but many of the cyclists suffered broken bones and severe cuts and bruises.Up to 130 cyclists were taking part in the 'Critical Mass' event, which blocks roads in a protest against motorists, and around 40 were struck by the car, which had followed the group for a period before ramming them in his black Volkswagen Golf.The driver of the car fled from the scene but police have a suspect in custody after they found the car abandoned at the weekend. Police say the man claimed riders surrounded his vehicle and began beating on it, so he panicked and - in fear for his life - ran away. However, the lead investigator in the case called that version of events 'fanciful'.

Critical Mass is a cycling event that is held around the world, usually on the last Friday of every month, and its aim is to take back the streets from motorists.

The events usually occur in a flashmob-style, without warning, and block roads.

However, critics claim the event is dangerous, causing public disruption in major cities without warning and it has even been attacked by some cycling advocacy groups because it causes confrontation with motorists and weakens public support for cyclists.

NEED TO SELL A CAR?

Beckham flogging his motor - on Ebay!

David Beckham has decided to sell a car - on eBay.

The soccer ace - who was ludicrously feted with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the BBC recently - has owned the sports car for the last two years.

But now wants rid of the matt black Porsche 911 Convertible Turbo which cost him over £100,000, even before he spent a further £45,000 customising it.

It features heated front seats and has the number 23 - the number shirt he plays in for current soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy and wore at Real Madrid - emblazoned in the interior.

The car was also fitted with blacked-out headlights, special alloy wheels, a sports exhaust and a six-CD sound system with speakers fitted beneath the rears seats.

Beckham sold the car recently to Los Angeles dealer Chequered Flag but it is believed he is the only previous registered owner of the vehicle.

Chequered Flag spokesman Neil Jaffe said: 'This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a unique supercar with unparalleled celebrity history.'