Author: Tom Seymour

Brindley Group increased pre-tax profit in 2025 as fleet sales, aftersales growth and investment in Chinese brands helped offset pressure on operating margins. The business increased pre-tax profit by 2.1% to £3.30 million within the 12 months to November 30, 2025, as growth in fleet sales, aftersales and latest Chinese brand partnerships supported performance despite a difficult UK market. The AM100 dealer group’s strategic report described 2025 as a 12 months of serious change for the UK automotive industry, highlighting the arrival of recent Chinese manufacturers and saying the business was well positioned to learn from expanding relationships with brands including…

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has accused motor finance lenders difficult its compensation scheme of advancing an “absurd” interpretation of the law that will allow firms to come to a decision for themselves whether customers are entitled to redress. In its Grounds of Response filed with the Upper Tribunal, the regulator rejected legal challenges brought by Volkswagen Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK, CA Auto Finance UK and Consumer Voice against its industry-wide motor finance consumer redress scheme. The FCA argued that Parliament had given it, slightly than lenders, the authority to find out how the scheme should operate. The…

Volkswagen Group plans to chop its global model range by as much as 50%, reduce production capability and simplify vehicle specifications as a part of a significant transformation designed to enhance competitiveness. The proposals were presented to Volkswagen’s supervisory board as a part of a brand new “future plan” geared toward making the business more resilient within the face of weaker profitability, rising costs driven by tariffs, increasing regulation and growing competition from Chinese manufacturers. Nonetheless, Reuters reported that wider restructuring proposals, including as much as 100,000 job cuts and the closure of 4 German factories, didn’t secure supervisory board…

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and a bunch of leading automotive employers have warned the Government that proposed apprenticeship reforms risk undermining technician training and public safety. In an open letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden MP, the IMI and 10 senior industry figures said the present proposals could dilute standards for safety-critical occupations at a time when vehicle technology is becoming increasingly complex. The signatories include leaders from Hendy Group, Vertu Motors, Eden Motor Group, LKQ, Suzuki and DAF Trucks. Industry raises concerns over proposed reforms The IMI said it supports…

Chery has called for stronger regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in vehicles, warning that safety, transparency and accountability must develop alongside increasingly autonomous technology. The Chinese manufacturer, whose Omoda and Jaecoo brands are expanding their UK dealership networks, said AI governance should now be treated as a priority alongside innovation as intelligent vehicle systems turn into more advanced. In its first ‘Artificial Intelligence Compliance White Paper’, Chery said AI should “serve humanity faithfully” and “never turn into a runaway force beyond control”, outlining a framework designed to enhance the protection, reliability and transparency of AI systems throughout their lifecycle. The…

Skoda’s recent Peaq fully electric seven-seat flagship SUV will likely be priced from £51,980 when order books open in September. The brand new model becomes the most important electric vehicle within the Czech brand’s line-up, offering as much as 390 miles of WLTP range and a maximum luggage capability of two,075 litres with the rear seats folded. Measuring almost 4.9 metres in length, the Peaq adopts design cues already seen on the Enyaq, Elroq and Epiz models. Customers will give you the option to make a choice from two powertrain variants, the 90 and 90x, delivering outputs of between 286PS…

Greater than 160,000 UK drivers have named the Renault 5 E-Tech their favourite latest automotive, just weeks after it secured each Latest Automotive of the Yr and Latest EV of the Yr on the AM Awards 2026. The electrical hatchback was crowned Latest Automotive of the Yr at Autotrader’s Drivers’ Alternative Awards this week, adding further momentum to a model that has already earned recognition from each retailers and consumers. The Renault 5 also won Best Automotive for City Drivers and Most Fun Automotive to Drive within the consumer-voted awards. Last month, as Renault’s MD Adam Wood picked up its…

BYD has demonstrated its FLASH Charging technology within the UK for the primary time, claiming charging speeds that would help address one in every of the most important barriers to EV adoption. The Chinese manufacturer staged a live demonstration of the system at its UK headquarters in Uxbridge, where it said drivers could add greater than 220 miles of range in five minutes. BYD said FLASH Charging is able to delivering as much as 1,500kW through a single connector, significantly exceeding the charging speeds currently available through public charging networks within the UK. Ensure you mostly receive AM insights. Make…

Motorway has launched a brand new enterprise remarketing service within the UK, opening up a fresh supply channel of end-of-finance vehicles for its dealer partners. Mobilize Financial Services, the finance partner for Renault Group brands and Nissan within the UK, is the primary company to adopt the platform. The move expands Motorway’s role within the used automobile market beyond consumer-to-dealer transactions and into the remarketing sector, targeting vehicles which might be typically between two and 4 years old with low mileage and single ownership. Motorway said its recent model removes the necessity for physical auction sites, storage and multiple transport…

Pinewood.AI has expanded its Business Intelligence platform with two latest embedded modules focused on dealership financial performance and customer journey evaluation. The brand new Accounting & Finance and Customer modules at the moment are available inside the Pinewood Automotive Intelligence platform and are designed to offer dealers and OEMs with live operational insight and automatic reporting tools. The additions follow the launch of Pinewood.AI’s Sales & Stock insight module earlier this 12 months and complete the corporate’s Core Insights tier inside its broader business intelligence suite. Pinewood.AI said the brand new modules are designed to assist retailers move away from…