TPS and Yuasa have unveiled the new livery for British Rally Champion Matt Edwards’ 2021 title challenger via a first-of-its-kind motorsport launch inside a computer game and launched a corresponding E-Sports rally championship.

NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Sales Representative Steve Padbury is retiring after more than thirty years with the company.

Motul has become the Official Lubricant Brand of both the Castle Combe Race Circuit and the Castle Combe Racing Club. Meanwhile, the deal also sees Motul takes over title sponsorship of one of Castle Combe’s most popular race series - the Hot Hatch Challenge - which kicks off today (Monday 5 April).

New car sales were up 11.5% in March with 283,964 units registered, the first increase since August, but the wider picture shows that registrations are still 36.9% below March average of 450,189 seen between 2010 and 2019 according to the latest figures from the SMMT.

Growth came almost entirely via fleets, where there was a 28.7% increase in registrations. Retail consumer demand remained low, falling by 4.1% compared to March 2020.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) took a combined market share of 13.9%, up from 7.3% last year, with available models increasing from 72 to 116. Registrations of BEVs increased by 88.2% to 22,003 units, while PHEVs rose by 152.2% to 17,330. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) also rose 42% to reach 21,599 registrations.

Will you be using the long Easter weekend to enter Top Technician and Top Garage? You should, as by waiting a bit longer for that chocolate egg, you could end up winning £30,000 in prizes!

While average mileage for most drivers has been down by 42% over the last year, according to new research the cost from pothole damage actually rose over the same period, reaching £1.267 billion compared to £1.249bn for the year to March 2020.

Lockdown restrictions have prompted 63% of car owners to delay servicing and repair work over the last few months, even though 86% admitted they know dealer workshops and garages are open for business, according to research by Bumper.

With the vaccine roll-out progressing, more industry events are coming back on-stream, with the 2021 Tyre Industry Awards now open for entry to all NTDA and TRA members.

Despite 9.58 million MOTs being time-shifted from Spring to Autumn last year, an unexpected positive result of the Exemption has been that 89% of drivers surveyed in a YouGov poll commissioned by The Motor Ombudsman said that they actually knew the expiry date of their vehicle’s annual certificate.

Philips has been confirmed as the sixth and final main sponsor for Top Technician and Top Garage 2021.

With MOT numbers down as a result of 2020’s Exemption shifting tests into the Autumn and Winter, the MOT market is about to become much more competitive with Kwik-Fit offering tests right through April at the knock-down price of £19.71.

Rob Collison has been named as the new IGA Chairman, succeeding Colin Parlett, who recently stepped down after many years in the role.

Cats & Pipes has hit back at DVSA, following the conclusion of a case that saw the North Wales-based company slapped with a £6,000 fine, plus £4,000 costs and a statutory surcharge of £170 over a single DPF which failed to meet labelling standards.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning up to £30,000 in prizes via Top Technician and Top Garage, then you need to enter now, as the clock is ticking.

Lucas Oil has warned that many cars will require some extra protection following confirmation of government plans to make E10 petrol the standard 95-octane grade by September 2021.

Cats & Pipes has been slapped with a £6,000 fine after DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit found it had supplied a single DPF that did not bear the correct Type Approval markings.

Later this month, ESAB is holding a virtual event that will showcase a broad line-up of the industry’s new welding and cutting systems, filler metals and related technologies.

Older cars have been leaving the road at an alarming rate last year, with new figures suggesting that a third more cars were scrapped in 2020 compared with the year before. 

TechMan has entered into a new partnership with E3 Technical. Through the new collaboration, from 1 April, existing and new TechMan users will gain access to E3’s database of service schedules, repair times, drawings, procedures, capacities, wiring diagrams fault code diagnosis, and more.

The British Motor Show has launched The Car Robot Competition. Through the contest, show attendees will create their own battle-bots using old car parts, ahead of the show. They will then bring them to the show in August to fight head-to-head in a dedicated arena, which will form a central part of the Show’s Crazee Car Corner.

The Plug-in Car, Van and Truck Grant, which incentives buyers to opt for EVs, has been cut by a sixth, a move which has been characterized as counter-productive by the automotive sector given the 2030 goal to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars government has set itself.

Very few MOTs are expected to be taking place in April and May this year as a result of 2020’s MOT Exemption, but the situation is expected to normalise by the summer, new figures suggest.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVSA by BookMyGarage.com, show MOT test numbers dropped by 79% last April and 61% in May. Although the MOT Exemption was in place until the end of July, test numbers were down by just 16% in June, 4% in July, and by August had surpassed 2019 by 9%.

MOTs tend to lead to service bookings for workshops according to BookMyGarage, where its booking data suggests 70% of motorists book both together. Karen Rotberg, Co-Founder of BookMyGarage.com commented: “Overall, the news is more positive than originally feared. We recognise that April and May will be difficult months for the industry but importantly we know MOT numbers will have recovered by the summer. “It’s also worth remembering that 2021 will not be an exact reflection of 2020. MOT due dates are determined by factors beyond when the last MOT took place, such as when used cars get sold with a fresh MOT and by three-year-old cars which will be having their first MOT this year and were therefore immune to last year’s extension.”

Garages should be offering safety checks for customers to make sure vehicles are safe as lockdown eases, a move that will also bridge the gap created by the MOT Exemption LKQ Euro Car Parts has suggested.

Brembo is the latest automotive parts-maker to become a member of the Original Equipment Suppliers Aftermarket Association (OESAA).

A changing of the guard is taking place at Schaeffler, as Nigel Morgan, Managing Director of Schaeffler’s Automotive Aftermarket division in the UK, retires after more than 40 years with the company. In his wake, stepping up to the newly created position of Country Manager UK & Ireland will be Mark Dolloway, who joined Schaeffler from SKF in 2012. Mark will, in turn, be replaced as Sales Director by Matt Selby who originally joined Schaeffler in 2007.

TPS has signed up to sponsor current British Rally Champion Matt Edwards as he bids for a hat-trick of titles in a new Volkswagen rally car.

The mandatory introduction of connected emissions testing equipment for some MOT stations is being delayed by DVSA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Motul is broadening its product portfolio in the UK automotive sector with the launch of its new Car Care series of products.

The care range features eleven cleaning products, including a glass cleaner, tyre puncture spray, scratch remover, car shampoo, express shine, insect remover, wheel rim cleaner, plastics cleaner, leather cleaner, upholstery cleaner, odour neutraliser, jumbo sponge wash mitt and rim brush, as well as microfibre cloths for the bodywork, glass, and plastic components.

Banner has produced 20 retro 1950s promotional plaques that will be made available to customers of the battery company. 

Import snarl-ups caused by a combination of cross-border COVID-19 restrictions and the end of the Brexit transition period have eased as far as AS-PL is concerned, and the company is looking forward to normalised trading further into 2021 and beyond.

With schools now open again as lockdown is gradually eased, the DVSA has launched a campaign to urge motorists to make sure they are SAFE in their vehicle by doing four basic pre-drive checks:
• Service or health check if needed
• Air in tyres
• Fill up screenwash
• Examine lights and tyre tread

Ben’s 10-day virtual active challenge, Breakout for Ben, has raised just under £159,000. With the Breakout total included, just under £737,000 has now been raised to help address Ben’s £1million fundraising shortfall following its rallying cry last year asking for urgent support.

Workshops can request a decorative ‘Best service in town’ retro wall plate featuring DENSO’s renowned Iridium and Nickel TT spark plugs, when they purchase spark plugs and O2 sensors from participating distributors

Hella Gutmann Solutions welcomes Thatcham’s Insurance Industry Requirements for ADAS calibration following vehicle repair

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.