Motorpoint takes hefty profit hit due to low consumer confidence November 28, 2019 Profit at Motorpoint, the UK’s largest independent vehicle retailer, fell nearly 20 per cent this morning as the company struggled with lower consumer confidence. Shares in Motorpoint were up 2.3 per cent this morning. Read more: Amigo shares jump as it boosts customer numbers and loan book The figures Profit at the car seller fell [...]
Car production falls again amid ‘worrying times’ for UK automotive industry November 28, 2019 Britain’s car manufacturing industry suffered another month of decline in October, with 5,000 fewer vehicles made than in the same period last year. Manufacturing output fell four per cent in October, as 134,752 cars rolled off production lines, driven largely by weak demand in the UK market, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and [...]
Car industry faces ‘fight of our generation’ to avoid breakdown, says trade group boss November 26, 2019 Britain’s car industry is locked in the “fight of our generation” to preserve the once-thriving sector, according to one of the UK’s most senior automotive bosses. George Gillespie, the president of influential trade group the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), warned an annual gathering of industry chiefs that investment could dwindle to levels [...]
Electric dreams: How long until electric cars go mainstream in the UK? November 26, 2019 Visitors to the picturesque Whitby Bay beach in north Yorkshire were in for a shock earlier this month, when they encountered two giant footprints etched into the sand. The left was half the length of a football pitch, at 50 metres – the right was just 3.5 metres long. The reason? A publicity stunt by [...]
US car giant General Motors sues Fiat Chrysler over union ‘bribes’ November 20, 2019 Two giants of the global automotive industry have come to blows this afternoon, with General Motors suing Fiat Chrysler of bribing US automotive workers to get better terms in strike negotiations. The US firm has filed a racketeering lawsuit against Fiat and its former executives, “intended to hold FCA accountable for the harm its actions [...]
‘Shock’ as Tata Steel announces 3,000 European job cuts, with effects on UK workers unclear November 19, 2019 Unions have called for clarity from Tata Steel over its plans to cut 3,000 jobs in Europe, amid fears the announcement could affect its workers in Port Talbort, south Wales. Tata announced the job losses, which equate to about one-sixth of its workforce, on Tuesday night, as the steelmaker flights plunging profit after a failed [...]
Airbus announces mammoth Middle Eastern jet orders worth more than $30bn November 18, 2019 Airbus has announced orders for more than 170 planes this morning, in a mammoth set of deals valued at more than $30bn at list prices. Air Arabia, a low-cost Emirati carrier has ordered 120 narrow-body planes including the A320neo and A321 XLR models, while Dubai government airline Emirates placed an order for 50 of the [...]
Boeing receives vote of confidence in 737 Max from Turkish airline Sun Express with $1.2bn order November 18, 2019 The annual Dubai air show kicked off this week with billions of pounds-worth of aircraft deals, including a substantial order for 10 Boeing 737 Max jets which remain grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes. Turkish airline Sun Express, which already has 32 of the planes on order, put its faith in the under-fire US manufacturer [...]
Number of manufacturing companies going bust at highest level in five years November 18, 2019 The number of manufacturing businesses entering insolvency has reached its highest level in five years in the last 12 months, rising 7 per cent to 1,466 from 1,373 in the previous year. Research from global accountancy firm Moore found that a combination of uncertainty over Brexit and a slowdown across Europe was responsible for the [...]
Daimler to cut thousands of managers to pay for electric cars November 14, 2019 Daimler, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars, will cut a tenth of all its manager-level workers across the globe, in a bid to slash €1.4bn worth of personnel costs. The German manufacturer said this morning the cuts came as its profit would fall significantly over the next two years because of the shift to electric vehicles. [...]