The Automotive industry briefing
The latest news, views and numbers you need to know this month
News in Numbers
39.5%
Sales in the UK new car market dropped 39.5% year-on-year in January, according to the SMMT.
1,000
Online used car platform Carzam delivers more than 1,000 cars since its launch six weeks ago.
94.5%
Percentage of private new car sales financed by FLA members in the 12 months to November.
5 minutes
StoreDot launches the first ever five-minute charge electric vehicle (EV) battery.
6.9%
Battery electric vehicle (BEV) market share in January new car sales.
Performance
V12 Vehicle Finance posts strong 2020 figures
Solihull-based V12 Vehicle Finance has announced strong financial results across 2020, despite difficult trading conditions amidst the pandemic.
Auto Trader sees high volumes of online traffic
Auto Trader registered 53.6m cross-platform visits in the first 28 days of January – an increase of over 1.6m when compared to the same period in 2019.
Alphera enjoys record annual performance in 2020
Alphera Financial Services signed 104,504 finance agreements in 2020, representing 20.6% year-on-year growth.
Startline registers busiest single day for new proposals
Startline Motor Finance registers its busiest single day ever for new proposals in January.
CameraMatics secures €4m in Series A funding round
Vehicle and fleet safety solutions provider CameraMatics has secured €4m investment, including €2.4m from Puma Private Equity.
Quotes
Lifting the shutters will secure jobs, stimulate the essential demand that supports our manufacturing, and will enable us to forge ahead on the Road to Zero. Every day that showrooms can safely open will matter, especially with the critical month of March looming.
SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes commenting on the latest figures on UK new car sales
British Ports Association chief executive Richard Ballantyne, following UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement that the Freeports selection process will see the first sites in England set up by the end of 2021:
“This is a welcome development and by being more inclusive in terms of the number of freeports there might be, the government can now explore how to better deliver on its levelling up agenda without picking regions over each other. Coastal communities are often in areas of high deprivation and have also experienced challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown so this potentially transformative policy will be welcomed across a range of suitable locations.”
Our sector is working hard to recover and rise to the challenges ahead. Because an EU auto industry that is strong – both at home and globally – will not only contribute to strengthening Europe’s economy, but also to reaching its climate ambitions.
Oliver Zipse, president of the ACEA, stressing the need for cooperation as the European automotive industry begins its recovery
Brexit gives us the competitive advantage not only within the United Kingdom but outside the United Kingdom also. We are committed to Sunderland for the long term under the business conditions that have been agreed.
Nissan’s chief operating officer, Ashwani Gupta, following the news that the manufacturer will not be closing its Sunderland factory