New car sales fell by 24.3% last month, making it the weakest June since 1996, according to the latest figures from the SMMT, with ongoing parts supply issues along with additional pandemic restrictions in China being blamed for impeding the industry’s ability to meet demand. Just 140,958 new vehicles were registered, during the month.

NGK SPARK PLUG is changing its English language company name to Niterra, with the change kicking in on 1 April 2023. While Niterra will become the Group’s overall name, the NGK and NTK brands will continue.

You are only 121 once, and with this in mind, Gulf Lubricants UK is marking Gulf International’s 121st anniversary by offering its customers the chance to win a Gulf branded softshell jacket.

With the costs of filling the fuel tank of an average family car with 55 litres of petrol exceeding more than £100 for the first time, interest in EVs went up 113% in the first two weeks of June, according to research from Forbes Advisor.

Garages may be missing out on additional income opportunities, as a survey from Castrol finds that 35% of motorists are never offered a choice of consumables during servicing.

Ben has launched new wellbeing app and web portal; BenWell.The platform, developed in partnership with Wellonomics can be used by automotive businesses to help them support their employees with their wellbeing.

UK automotive firms are facing a £90m increase in the cost of energy bills this year, new research from the SMMT has found, and with UK car and parts manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage with EU firms who are paying £50m less for energy, the industry has called for action on energy, skills and funding to drive large-scale investment beyond major firms and into SMEs across the UK.

GSF Car Parts has completed its rebrand, with new signage, vehicle liveries and uniform branding in place across all branches, distribution centres and support offices, and standardised opening hours too.

TPS has signed-up as a first-time sponsor for the 2022 Top Technician and Top Garage competitions.

Classic cars are far less harmful to the environment than newer vehicles, with a modern EV generating as much carbon just in production as a classic car would across 46 years of its life, a report from Footman James has revealed.

   NGK BoxClever loyalty scheme members have until Thursday 30 June to collect double-points on every NTK Lambda, camshaft and crankshaft and MAF and MAP sensor as well as be automatically entered into a free prize draw where the prize is 50,000 extra points.

TMD Friction’s proving ground at Seaton Ross in Yorkshire recently hosted a successful shakedown for a XJ6 Series III looking to break the Jaguar land speed world record.

Blue Print and febi-sponsored driver Jack Butel fought through a challenging British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) race weekend at Cheshire circuit Oulton Park last weekend (11-12 June), with branding appearing prominently across the doors of Butel’s Hyundai i30 Fastback N touring car.

GSF Car Parts has been named as the headline sponsor of an upcoming 2023 electric vehicle evening event for garages that will cover skills, equipment and technology.

Product quality is the most important aspect for those sourcing remanufactured turbochargers, engines and gearboxes, a social media poll performed by Ivor Searle has indicated.

The government’s decision to end the plug-in car grant (PICG), with funding being instead funnelled into electric vans, taxis and motorcycles, as well as towards charging infrastructure sends the “wrong message,” the car industry has warned.

90% of automotive business owners and managers said that since the pandemic, workshop and technical roles are the hardest positions to fill, with more than 80% saying recruitment overall has become increasingly difficult according to a new survey from Autotech Recruit.

GSF Car Parts has become the sole distributor in the UK for the DR!VE+ Filters range of air, cabin, fuel and oil filters.

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Aftermarket’s founder, Bob Sockl, aged 75, following a long illness.

42% of car owners said in a recent survey that increasing fuel costs mean that they are likely to opt for an EV when they next buy a car.

Eurorepar, the range of multi-brand spare parts from Stellantis, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and is marking the milestone with a series of worldwide events and special offers.

Until September, Eurorepar will be hosting a ‘One month, one product’ initiative, with special offers on a selected product line each month. Technicians can also pick up commemorative scratch cards from their local Distrigo hub, with prizes up for grabs including gift cards and a car.

Commenting on the celebrations, Mark Pickles, UK Parts and Service Director at Stellantis, said, “The Eurorepar range has gone from strength to strength over the last 20 years. Today, it sets the benchmark for multi-brand parts and is central to Stellantis’ 360 degree parts strategy. Members of the Eurorepar Car Service network and other customers in the motor trade are really starting to see the benefits of such a comprehensive, high-quality and cost-effective product range. Here’s to the next 20 years!”

Continuing supply issues helped to make May’s new car sales the second lowest since 1992, beaten only by May 2020, with a 20.6% drop compared with last year, according to the latest figures from the SMMT.

46% of EV drivers are not using cheaper, off-peak charging, according to a recent survey, potentially negating the cost savings offered by electric vehicle technology.

The parent company of MAM Software recently held a conference in Ireland to highlight its offerings for the automotive and other industries.

Ben is set to take to the highways and byways of the UK with the launch of its new UK roadshow, Ben on the Road, which will visit small to medium-sized automotive businesses with a view to raise awareness of Ben’s health and wellbeing services

Organisers of The British Motor Show 2022, taking place 18-21 August 2022 at Farnborough International have said that this year’s event will be the greenest of its type ever as a result of its new official fuels partnership with Coryton Advanced Fuels.

A nationwide oscilloscope training tour organised by Ryan Colley from Elite Diagnostics, headlined by a pair of U.S superstar technical experts, will soon be a sell-out, and mechanics are being urged to sign up as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

Following 1,000 entries, 12 finalists are set to take part in the grand final of Autogem’s first-ever TPMS Expert competition, being held at the UK Garage & Bodyshop Event at the NEC on 8 June. From this group, one large retailer and one small retailer will be crowned as Autogem’s TPMS Expert 2022 winners.

Fleet Factors has had two of its delivery vans wrapped with Mintex and Textar branding by TMD Friction.

TOPDON is the latest high-profile industry name to put its weight behind Top Technician and Top Garage 2022 through becoming programme sponsor for the Top Technician and Top Garage Awards Evening, taking place on Saturday 1 October.

Businesses experiencing staff shortages should take a hard look at their recruitment processes the Glen Callum Associates (GCA) Automotive Aftermarket Recruitment Survey 2022 has suggested, with 36% of those responding saying they would actively look to leave a job immediately if their joining experience was poor.

Members of NGK’s BoxClever loyalty scheme will be collecting double-points on every NTK Lambda, camshaft & crankshaft and MAF and MAP sensor purchase until the end of June, and will also be automatically entered into a free prize draw where the prize is 50,000 extra points.

An independent garage says it has successfully responded to the way in which customers now seem to look for vehicle services.

Arnold Clark Autoparts is sponsoring stock car racing driver Holly Glen as she makes a bid for the World Stock Car Championships.

An LKQ Euro Car Parts delivery driver has received Trakm8’s Road Safety Hero Award, an initiative launched by the vehicle technology solutions provider and road safety charity Brake, after he rescued a couple from a submerged vehicle.

The newly published 2022 edition of the ACEA Oil Sequences for Heavy-Duty Engines European market performance standards has been welcomed by UK independent trade body, the Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS).

The UK’s used car market increased 5.1% in the first quarter of 2022, according to the latest figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 1,774,351 cars were sold during the period, 86,596 more than during the same period in 2021.
January saw a 17.7% increase, while February went up by 7.4%. However, in March sales fell by 6.8%, which reflected the strong March in 2021.Overall, used car sales are still 12.2% below the pre-pandemic of 2019.

A 4.5% increase in the number of techs qualified to work on EVs seen in 2021 does not keep pace with rising vehicle sales and the sector will not bridge the gap before 2030 unless training is massively ramped up via £15m boost in funding, the IMI has warned.

During Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK (9-15 May) Ben is looking to highlight the impact of loneliness, which is a leading causes of mental health issues, and the charity has launched a new ‘Space from Social Anxiety’ program on the SilverCloud platform.

New car sales were down 15.8% in April according to the latest figures from the SMMT, with the ongoing semiconductor shortage constraining deliveries and a 33.3% drop in large fleet registrations being cited as the main cause.

69% motorists have changed their motoring activities since the start of 2022 due to the cost of living crisis, a survey from Kwik Fit has revealed.

47% of drivers that took part in a recent survey said they did not think an electric car was affordable for them, rising to 50% of over 55s, compared to 37% of under 34s.

An independent VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda specialist has revealed how it maintains its position as one of the busiest independent garages in Yorkshire.

42% of learner drivers would favour an EV or hybrid as their first car, a new YouGov survey commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman has revealed.

EV drivers are experiening a higher increase in the cost of powering their vehicles, compared with those who use internal combustion engine vehicles, although in actual terms they are still paying less.

Petition set up to fight government biennial MOT proposals
An online petition calling on the government to back-pedal on proposals to move the MOT to a biennial basis has already totted up 1,000 signatures in just over 24 hours and the total is climbing.

MAHLE is warning garages that, as the vehicle parc electrifies, and ever-stricter legal frameworks evolve, they need to make ongoing staff training should be a major priority.

Motul has become the official lubricants partner for the UK’s Classic Car Loan Project.The scheme is designed to encourage the next cohort of classic car enthusiasts to become owners and users of the cars, by letting them borrow a classic for a year.

EV drivers in Greece experience the highest level of range anxiety in western Europe, according to new research.

The study by StressFreeCarRental.com used the frequency of EV chargers on the growing Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) plus the cost of running diesel and electric vehicles to make their comparison. The TEN-T is a planned network of roads, railways, airports and water infrastructure in the European Union. The core network has a completion target of 2030.

An Independent garage has voiced concerns over proposals to move to biennial MOT testing following a Call for Evidence by the Northern Ireland Executive.