The automotive sector has continued to give its views on the potential impact of the March 2021 budget.

Members of NGK’s BoxClever independent garage loyalty scheme have been quick to try and win a fantastic Honda Monkey motorcycle, worth almost £3,800, in a special month-long parts promotion.

The impact of lockdown, with showrooms remaining shut since 5 January meant new car sales saw their weakest February since 1959 last month, according to the latest figures from the SMMT. The market was down 35.5% with 28,282 fewer vehicles sold compared with 2020. In total, 51,312 new cars were registered during the month, which is traditionally one of the weakest during the year for new car sales.

LKQ Euro Car Parts has enhanced its product offering for independent garages with the addition of MPM Engine Oil to its range. Customers gain exclusive access to MPM Engine Oil, a move that follows the rollout of MPM Gear Oil across LKQ Euro Car Parts’ branch network at the end of last year.

73% of garages are expecting MOT volumes in March and September to be equal or lower than the during the same periods last year, according to a survey performed by The Motor Ombudsman, suggesting that the long-term impact of the MOT Exemption may be less than expected.

Bumper, previously known as Auto Service Finance, has been rated by the Financial Times as one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in Europe.

Eurorepar Car Service (ERCS) has launched a new Service Plan payment option that allows customers to spread the cost of their next two services and MOTs using direct debit payments. The ERCS Service Plan also incentivises garages by offering £20 for every plan sold.

According to Nick Taylor, Head of Network and Business Development for Eurorepar Car Service, with traditional payment and its Drive Now Pay Later scheme, the new Plan completes the company’s ‘three ways to pay’ strategy: “The launch of a Eurorepar Car Service Plan is another prime example of the customer-centric approach at the heart of the network. Customers of ERCS now have three ways to pay, and this flexibility will help drive footfall to our garages and improve customer retention. We encourage all centres to take full advantage of this new business tool and look forward to seeing the positive impact it has on our members’ profitability and customer satisfaction”.

To support use of the system, ERCS’ Service Plan partner, EMaC, will be hosting online training to ensure that ERCS centres get the most out of the initiative.

From today (Monday 1 March) MOT stations that changed ownership in December face being prevented from testing by DVSA if they have not installed the required connected equipment at their site.

The CV Show has shifted its dates again, following the government’s recent announcement of a roadmap out of lockdown, and will now be held Tuesday 31 August – Thursday 2 September 2021.

Motul has added its support to Top Technician and Top Garage, becoming a sponsor for 2021.

The winners of the British Motor Show 2021 competition, which appeared in the December/January issue of Aftermarket, have been announced.

Shell has launched a wide range of carbon neutral lubricants that intend to offset the annual emissions of more than 200 million litres of advanced synthetic lubricants, compensating around 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year, akin to taking around 340,000 cars off the road for one year.

UK car production dropped 27.3% in January to 86,052 units, according to the latest figures from the SMMT. The 32,262 fall made this the worst January for car-making in Britain since 2009, and a 17th consecutive month of decline. The ongoing effects of the pandemic, global supply chain issues, extended shutdowns and the end of the Brexit transition period all impacted on output.

LKQ Euro Car Parts has launched a new e-marketing campaign targeted at garages that is designed to encourage and support their efforts to enhance their service, maintenance and repair (SMR) offering.

E10 fuel, which includes higher ethanol content than current grades, will be introduced at UK filling stations from September 2021, so garages may expect to see some issues around the impact of the new fuel for older vehicles using it going forward.

Support for apprenticeships will be crucial as the automotive sector ramps up to help the country emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic according to the IMI.

The show will go on is the message from the organisers of The British Motor Show, who have confirmed that the event is definitely on, following government plans to ease lockdown completely by 21 June.

BM Catalysts is looking to reassure its customers that any supply problems encountered as a result of Brexit will be “short term.”

EV ascendency took another step forward recently as Schaeffler started mass production of a wide range of electric motors, ranging from single components through to complete drive systems.

The SMMT has signed an Armed Forces Covenant, pledging its commitment to advocate for recruitment and retention of ex-military personnel across the automotive industry. 55 SMMT member businesses already working towards this end, with interest rising as companies look to secure staff.

DENSO is a world leader in diesel technology and was the first original equipment (OE) manufacturer of ceramic glow plugs in 1991 and pioneered the common rail system in 1995. This expertise continues to allow the company to help vehicle manufacturers around the world to create increasingly responsive, efficient and reliable vehicles.

Car dealerships are likely to remain closed until April at the earliest, it was revealed yesterday (Monday 22 February).

UK automotive continued to react to the new roadmap out of lockdown, with Scottish car-dealers finding themselves slightly ahead of the reopening curve.

Motul has become the first lubricants company to be inducted into the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA), as it moves to position itself as a go-to brand for the UK aftermarket

Small gains from greater garage efficiency can result in noticeable improvements to bottom line figures, according to GMS provider TechMan.

An aggressive pandemic advertising push by LIQUI MOLY in 2020 helped the company to push sales up by 7.1%, with its UK operation seeing a whopping 117% increase. However, this was set against a backdrop of overall  revenue dropping by 50% to €25m as a result of ongoing investment.

IAAF Chief Executive Wendy Williamson has announced she will be retiring in August. In the seven years she has been in the role, Wendy led the IAAF through a number of changes, and also lobbied against extending the MOT frequency and new scrappage scheme proposals. She worked hard on behalf of the sector on type approval, Block Exemption and cyber security, both in the UK and throughout Europe.

Ford is the latest carmaker to announce its intention to go all-in on EVs, and has said that mid-2026, 100% of its passenger vehicle range in Europe will be zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid, moving to all-electric by 2030.

Franchised dealers are being encouraged expand their aftersales side to include multi-brand repair and maintenance to capitalise on the growing used car segment.

Despite lower mileage being accrued during lockdown, drivers have continued to spend on car repairs, new data analysis has shown, with a 104% spike in coil spring replacements among the headline figures.

A car design competition for secondary school students has been launched by the IMI, just in time for half-term.

 Motul has teamed up with US car manufacturer Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus in a new partnership that will include its new Hypercar, among other projects.

 Jaguar will be an all-EV brand by 2025, Jaguar Land Rover revealed earlier this week. Six pure electric variants are penciled in for the Land Rover range by 2030 as well. To achieve its aims, the company intends to invest around £2.5bn a year on vehicle technology.

A garage that was conned out of £1,060 in a cheque fraud perpetrated by one of its mechanics saw the scammer sentenced recently.

The Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA) is offering 4,000 ‘We’ve Got You Covered’ packs to workshops.

The first quarter of the 2020/21 academic year saw a 63% drop compared to the same period for 2019/20. With this week (8-14 February) having been National Apprenticeship Week, which ran with a theme of ‘Build the Future’, the IMI has been urging  employers to re-engage with apprentice schemes.

The Autotech Group has launched a brand-new company division - Autotech Academy – which has been created to help newly college-qualified technicians to get on the automotive career ladder.

Bookings for MOTs through price comparison site BookMyGarage showed a 90% year-on-year increase during the MOT Exemption as drivers time-shifted their Spring and Summer MOTs into the Autumn and Winter, in a trend that is expected to be repeated at the end of 2021, and in years to come.

45% of car owners believe the MOT should eventually consider how the electricity used to charge an EV has been generated, with the figure rising to 51% among owners of cars less than three years old, a new survey from Kwik Fit has found.

Nine million motorists may not know when their MOT is due, as a survey has suggested there may be widespread confusion on the topic among drivers as a result of the MOT Exemption.

Repeated lockdowns and shaky consumer confidence have been identified as key reasons for used car sales dropping by 14.9% in 2020 according to the latest figures from the SMMT. 6,752,959 second-hand cars were sold during the year, 1,182,146 less than in 2019, making 2020 the slowest year for the second-hand market since 2012.

Garages that have taken out loans under the government’s Coronavirus  business bounce back scheme can now spread the repayment period, via “pay-as-you-grow” measures announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Friday (5 February).

The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on consumer behaviour should be the catalyst to encourage garages to take digital marketing and online lead generation really seriously,  Eurorepar Car Service has suggested.

Snap-on is offering live IMI-accredited online training for users of its APOLLO-D8 tools.

New car sales fell by 39.5% in January, with the 90,249 vehicles sold during the month providing the worst start to a year since 1970, the latest figures from the SMMT have revealed.

More than 55% of drivers are thinking about buying an electric car according to new research from AX.

Garages looking to gear up for ADAS can now take advantage of some bundle offers from Delphi Technologies on its recently-launched modular ADAS calibration kit, with a two-day training course included with each bundle.

A record 1.27 million vehicles failed their MOT in the 2019/2020 period due to emissions, with diesels seeing a 240% failure rise compared to just 37% for petrol vehicles.

 Top Technician is kicking off 2021 with an accelerated version that will mean five more techs in the semi-final