This week’s long-awaited announcement of an industrial strategy, with government’s Invest 2035 green paper, presents a fresh opportunity to turbocharge UK industrial and economic growth. Automotive can be the driver of this and, as SMMT set out in our Vision 2035 report, with the right conditions has the potential to deliver an economic boost worth more than £50bn […]
Ahead of the Autumn Statement (30th October 2024), motor dealers have outlined the support measures they need to help their businesses. Selected amongst the top three measures, almost seven in ten (69%) dealers would like to see a VAT cut, according to the research by Close Brothers Motor Finance. The Forecourt Foresight findings found that […]
The UK’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) transition came under fresh scrutiny today with the publication of the all-important plate-change month performance data. In good news, both the new car and van markets were up in September, but the scorecard shows there is still a job to be done. New electric car registrations saw a welcome […]
The UK’s banking sector is on the brink of a financial crisis due to a potential two-year delay in rolling out a redress scheme for mis-sold motor finance agreements, particularly Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) contracts. Sentinel Legal, the leading authority on PCP claims, is urging banks and lenders to pressure the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to […]
The annual party conference season moved to Liverpool this week as the Labour Party hosted its first as the party of power since 2009. We were pleased to meet with new and senior politicians to discuss how the UK automotive industry can support the national growth agenda and the country’s net zero ambitions. Central to […]
With the UK’s autumn political conference season underway, we were pleased to join the Liberal Democrats in Brighton this week amid an expectedly buoyant atmosphere following the party’s big increase in MPs in the general election. SMMT hosted a constructive roundtable with automotive businesses, MPs and peers to discuss industry’s priorities for the new parliamentary […]
HMRC’s recent UK Trade figures reveal that the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) market could be slowing down, say leading audit, tax and business advisory firm, Blick Rothenberg. Simon Sutcliffe, Customs & Excise Duty Partner at the firm, said: “HMRC’s Trade figures this month show a potential drop in EV imports and rise in conventional combustion […]
Data crunched by motor factor delivery partner Gophr, has revealed the true extent of the MOT crisis in Great Britain, as garages struggle to get cars back on the road. A lack of MOT-authorised garages, increasing numbers of cars on the road combined with vital parts becoming harder to source quickly, means that mechanics face […]
Global leader in reusable packaging solutions, CHEP shares its insights on the evolution of automotive fuels and logistics in its latest trend report: “5 Alternative fuels and their impact on the automotive supply chain”. Petrol and diesel are still the traditional products used to power vehicles across the world, but burning these fuels in combustion […]
As car ownership in Britain reached an all-time high of 35.7 million vehicles last year – and adding to that record an ever growing number of zero emission vehicles on our roads – new opportunities abound for aftermarket businesses to provide cutting-edge parts and servicing solutions here in the UK. But doing business overseas also […]
