UK SALES FEBRUARY - The market sees more growth with the UK Top 10 adding new cars, Vauxhall on a roll.

SMMT NEW CAR REGISTRATIONS

4 March 2016 (data for February 2016)

• New car market grows 8.4% in February, with 83,395 units registered.
• Demand from private customers drives increases, up 22.6%, with fleet demand down 1.4%.
• Registrations of alternatively-fuelled vehicles up by a fifth in the month.

New car registrations continued the positive start to 2016 in February, growing 8.4% compared with the same month in 2015, according to new figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 83,395 new cars were registered in the month, marking the biggest February since 2004.

Demand was up across all fuel types, with diesel and petrol registrations growing by 5.6% and 10.7% respectively, while alternatively-fuelled vehicles enjoyed an uplift of 19.9%. Fleet demand dipped slightly compared with the private sector, but still retained its 53.1% majority share of new vehicles.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “February is typically one of the quietest months of the year, ahead of March’s plate change, but this positive performance is encouraging and puts the sector in a good position for the coming 12 months."

UK SALES FEBRUARY - Kia enters the top ten with the All-New Sportage Sports Utility Vehicle.

• Kia records sales of 2,889 new cars
• Sportage sells 1,521 to enter Top Ten
• Just-launched SUV in big demand for March

Kia has seen the Sportage enter the Top Ten UK best-sellers as the all-new model enjoyed its first month on sale. With 2,889 new cars delivered to customers in February, Kia saw its market share reach 3.46 per cent and for the first two months of 2016 the brand recorded a sales figure of 7,955 – a 3.14 per cent market share.

Astonishingly, in its first month on sale Sportage contributed to a stunning performance with 1,521 vehicles delivered to customers and dealers report huge demand for March deliveries. More than 5,000 customer orders have been placed since the latest generation of Kia’s stand-out compact SUV hit showrooms on 5 February.

Kia’s February sales total was up almost 25 per cent on last year’s figure of 2,334 and in the first two months of the year Kia outperformed the 2015 figure of 7,248 by almost 10 per cent to reach 7,955 vehicles delivered to customers.

Paul Philpott, President and Chief Executive of Kia Motors (UK) Limited commented: ”We have been delighted at the customer response to the all-new Sportage. We knew it was a handsome, modern and high-quality product and clearly both existing Sportage-owners and customers new to the brand agree with us.

“Our dealers have been swamped by demand for the car with the high-specification trim versions being particularly popular. It is remarkable that Sportage has entered the UK’s Top Ten as the new car has enjoyed its first month on sale and I am confident that we shall see its performance maintained throughout 2016,” he added.

The all-new Sportage range features 18 variants with four engines and three transmissions. Prices range from £17,995 to £31,645.

UK SALES FEBRUARY - MG continues to sell more cars every month, slowly they are growing, and thats good !

MG saw a fantastic 63% increase in new car registrations in February. Customers keen to snap up the great cars and offers resulted in another surge in sales for the manufacturer.

In February, MG registered 103 cars compared to 63 in 2015. Year-to-date, sales are already up more than 100% from last year. With the brand’s MG3 still standing out as the best-seller, a title it looks set to carry into March, MG spoke to three happy owners about their new 16 plate purchase.

After first spotting the MG3 at Birmingham Airport, Darryl and Liz Lucas were taken with the supermini. It wasn’t long before the couple decided to explore the car properly and take it for a test drive.

Darryl said: “The MG3 really is fantastic. We were so impressed with the interior space and specification you get for such little money. We decided to trade in our Peugeot and take advantage of the various deals on offer.

“My wife and I are usually quite apprehensive when looking for a new car, as you want to be sure it’s the right one, yet as soon as my wife drove it she took to it like a duck to water and hasn’t parted from it since. She’s named it Millie and disappears for hours in it! We don’t stop telling people about the MG3 and would say that anyone who doesn’t have one is missing out.”

John and Carole Betteridge are loyal customers of MG. Now onto their third MG, they’ve taken the plunge this time by going for a yellow MG3. John said: “Friends and family haven’t stopped commenting on the colour! We loved our previous MG3, so we decided to upgrade to the latest model as everything about the car is perfect and it’s the right size for the both of us.

“We’ve got some great deals as part of the purchase, including the Hilton voucher which we’re looking forward to using when we take our new car for a road trip.”

After looking around for a new car, Kath Lillis set her eyes on the MG3 and it instantly stood out. She said: “The car is fab, I love it! I can’t see myself changing to any other make or model, as everything about the MG3 great.

“The size of the car, the amount of specification you get, the cost, the way it drives – I could go on! The experience I got from the MG Sales Centre was great too and so many fantastic offers were thrown in, which makes the MG3 even better value.

“The car is so spacious, which is fantastic as it means that I can easily drive my mum and grandparents around, as well as get a wheelchair in the boot!”

MG is still running great offers, including 0% finance, free insurance, a test drive incentive and a deposit contribution. 

About MG Motor

The iconic British MG brand can trace its history back to 1924 and is world famous for making stylish cars that are fun to drive and own and are sold at remarkably affordable prices. Modern MGs, which are designed, engineered and finally assembled in Longbridge, Birmingham, continue this long and rich MG tradition.

Two cars currently come off the Longbridge assembly lines: the MG6 and the MG3 with several models planned for the immediate and longer-term future.

The MG6 is a medium-sized fastback offering fantastic dynamic handling, high levels of interior comfort and a tremendously spacious cabin area with a cavernous boot. The MG6 won the category ‘£17,500 and under’ in the Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Awards in 2015. It also won the 2014 Auto Express Driver Power Best Handling Award. 

The MG3 is a new generation supermini which brings fun and style to this sector of the market at very affordable prices. The 1.5-litre petrol-powered car can also be personalised, so owners have the option of giving their car their own style-statement.

MG was voted the fourth best manufacturer in the UK in the Auto Express Driver Power Awards in 2015. MG was the fastest growing brand in Britain in 2014 as shown by official figures issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Currently MG has the fastest growing network of dealers in the UK as sales continue to surge.  

Renault/Nissan to strengthen synergies in Engineering, Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, & HR

• Renault and Nissan to strengthen synergies in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering & Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, and Human Resources
• Additional functions expected to converge after internal approval process
• Convergence should generate €5.5 billion in synergies in 2018

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is strengthening synergies in four core divisions and launching new convergence projects to boost efficiency and revenue. Convergence includes integrating divisions, creating common processes, exchanging talent and other significant sharing of resources. 

Convergence helped Renault and Nissan generate more than €4 billion in annualized synergies in calendar-year 2015.

During a convention of top Alliance executives globally, Renault-Nissan announced today that it is strengthening synergies in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering and Supply Chain Management, Purchasing, and Human Resources. These functions converged in 2014 and already have Alliance executives managing the units.

The Alliance also plans to partly converge Quality and Costing to support the original four converged functions. The Alliance will study other opportunities to increase synergies in Sales & Marketing, Connectivity and Connected Services, Product Planning, Aftersales and other support functions.

Through the end of March, Renault and Nissan executives will present these convergence projects to appropriate employee representation and corporate decision-making bodies. If approved at the end of an internal review process, implementation will begin April 1. Leaders in these new functions and the scope of their converged activities will be announced at that time.

Alliance as Pragmatic Business Tool

Renault and Nissan share an industrial footprint with numerous cross-manufacturing projects in France, South Korea, India and Russia. In addition, engineers at Renault and Nissan – which have a combined annual R&D and capital expenditure fund of €10 billion -- work together as one team to reduce duplication in the development of next-generation technologies.

The Alliance aims to generate €5.5 billion in synergies in 2018.

“The auto industry is rapidly evolving, requiring Renault and Nissan to leverage the Alliance as a pragmatic business tool,” said Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO and Chairman Carlos Ghosn. “The road ahead is one of more convergence, working more closely together.”

UK SALES FEBRUARY - Ford remains, as always the market leader with a host of top sellers.

Ford, the UK’s market leader, increased sales and share across all market sectors, compared with February 2015, recording a 16.1 per cent total vehicle market share, up from 14.5 per cent in February 2015.

Highlights of the February sales figures issued today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) include:

• Ford sales and share increases across all sectors.
• Ford CV sales are close to triple those of its nearest rival.
• Fiesta is the UK best seller; Transit Custom and Transit, 1st and 2nd in CVs.
• Ford leads all market sectors: total vehicle, cars and commercial vehicles (CVs).
• Combined Transit range sales rank a clear 2nd in UK total vehicle sales

Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said:  "Ford’s strong sales start to 2016 has resulted in our highest February total vehicle sales since 2007.

“This is the result of our continued investment in exciting products and industry-leading technologies that has provided the foundation for our ‘Unlearn’ marketing campaign that challenges consumers to take a fresh look at the brand, using the Mustang, Edge and GT as prime examples of bold and surprising new models."

According to the official SMMT figures, February car sales in the UK were up 8.4 per cent at 83,395 registrations, compared with February 2015.  Ford sold 11,513 cars in February, up 16.8 per cent, compared with February 2015.  Ford’s car sales lead over its nearest rival was 3,645.

Ford remains the clear leader in retail car sales, which most accurately reflect the preferences of private buyers.  At 17.4 per cent, Ford’s February retail car sales share was its highest since January 2009 and 8.7 percentage points ahead of its nearest rival. 

The Ford Fiesta has been the UK best-seller for seven years and it is maintaining that position by a significant margin with 4,507 sales and a 5.4 per cent market share in February, 1,933 sales and 2.3 percentage points of market share ahead of its nearest competitor.  Fiesta also leads UK retail sales with 3,666 registrations, 2,235 ahead of its nearest rival.

The strength and breadth of the Ford model range is demonstrated by Fiesta (1^st), B-MAX (3^rd), Focus (2^nd), C-MAX (2 ^nd), EcoSport (3^rd), Kuga (3^rd), Mondeo (4^th), Galaxy (1^st) and Mustang (6^th) all featuring near, or at, the top of their segments in February.

UK commercial vehicle sales in February were up 2.0 per cent at 16,718, compared with February 2015.  Sales of Ford CVs were up 20.1 per cent at 4,598, compared with February 2015.  Ford’s CV market share in February was 27.5 per cent, up from 23.4 per cent in February 2015.

Ford is in its 51^st year of UK CV market leadership and it has been confirmed that in 2015 it was also the most popular CV brand in Europe.

Ford’s fresh and extended CV range is delivering record levels of CV sales with CV registrations close to triple those of its nearest rival in February.  Fiesta Van, Transit Courier, Transit Custom, Transit and Ranger are all first in their respective market segments.

Rolls Royce Motor Cars supports young talent with the government led "See Inside Manufacturing" initiative.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars recently visited East Preston Infant School, West Sussex, as part of the Company’s commitment to the Government-led ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ initiative. 

The programme encourages manufacturers to engage with children and young people to inspire future British manufacturing talent and showcase career opportunities in the UK manufacturing sector.

More than 60 Year 1 pupils enjoyed learning about how the Company’s super-luxury motor cars are created. The pupils also had the opportunity to experience a Rolls-Royce Wraith, with spectacular starlight headliner, at first hand. Questions were encouraged throughout the visit, particularly those linking to the current term topic of ‘Science and Materials’ and the school theme for the day of ‘Cinderella’.

All 60 pupils were given personal tours of the Rolls-Royce Wraith by current apprentices, who tackled a range of challenging questions and took the time to talk about each of their own sectors within the Company.

Helen Cordell, Apprentice Manager, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said, “We were delighted to support a local school as part of the ‘See Inside Manufacturing’ initiative. The response from the pupils and particularly their interest in manufacturing was fantastic.” She continued, “We encourage our apprentices to take part in these activities, with five from the current programme – from the Woodshop, Paintshop, Leathershop and Assembly – joining the team at East Preston Infant School.”

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has recently announced that the Company is seeking a record number of candidates for its 2016 Apprenticeship Programme. Seventeen places are available, the highest number of annual apprenticeships since the programme launched in 2006. The Programme provides women and men aged 16-24 with the opportunity to train with the Goodwood-based manufacturer of the world’s best-selling super-luxury cars.

The successful applicants will join the programme in August 2016, working alongside skilled craftspeople in wood, paint, leather, assembly, engineering, business and IT roles and will also follow a programme supported by local colleges. The apprenticeships last for up to four years and combine on-the-job training with classroom-based studying for nationally recognised qualifications. The programme has been designed in conjunction with several local colleges. 

Potential candidates should apply online before 13 March 2016

The Land Rover Discovery Sport has become the best selling product within the brand, 100,000th on Mothers Day.

• Land Rover marks the production of its 100,000^th Discovery Sport in Halewood, UK, with a surprise for one lucky mum on Mother’s Day
• Land Rover designers and engineers go undercover with Lipton family to produce a Discovery Sport filled with unique, personalised touches
• Milestone for Land Rover’s versatile compact SUV produced exactly 500 days after production commenced in October 2014
• Success ensures three shift production continues at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood plant

Land Rover today marked the production of the 100,000^th Discovery Sport with a special surprise for one mum, Natalie Lipton, on Mother’s Day. The Lipton family had unwittingly purchased the milestone vehicle which was built at Jaguar Land Rover’s Halewood manufacturing plant, just 10 miles from their family home. 

To celebrate the milestone, which was reached just days before Mother’s Day in the UK, Land Rover went undercover with 7 year old Jacob and 5 year old Noah to find out just how this car could be made even more special for their mum.

Accompanied by Paul Cleaver, Discovery Sport Vehicle Programme Director and Andy Wheel, Land Rover’s Chief Design Manager for Exteriors, the Lipton boys had an access-all-areas tour of the company’s Design and Engineering Centre at Gaydon. From experiencing driving virtual cars to developing clay models, Noah and Jacob provided the team with lots of inspiration and ideas for making this car special for mum Natalie.

Paul Cleaver said: “It’s fantastic that the Discovery Sport has reached this significant milestone. To know that this car has resonated with customers across the world is a testament to the whole team involved in its creation and delivery.

“The Discovery Sport is a truly versatile family car so it’s fitting that we are celebrating with such a special project from the Land Rover family to the Lipton family. It was fantastic meeting Noah and Jacob, they were enthusiastic, energetic and full of great ideas – definitely budding future car designers!”

To bring the boys’ ideas to life, a team of designers, suppliers and experts from Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations worked to create special touches which were delivered lineside and placed in the car during production by the team at the Halewood manufacturing plant in Merseyside. Halewood officially began production of Discovery Sport in October 2015 thanks to a £200mn investment which bought an additional 250 jobs to the plant, ensuring three shift, 24 hour production. The 100,000^th car, a Corris Grey HSE, rolled off the production line on February 29^th, exactly 500 days after the first.

Richard Else, Halewood Operation Director said: “It is with an enormous sense of pride that the team here builds the Discovery Sport alongside the Range Rover Evoque. The introduction of these models has seen production at the plant quadruple and our workforce treble since 2010.

“This milestone, just like the 500,000th Evoque which came off the line in February, is a reminder that the Halewood manufacturing plant is responsible for bringing exceptional cars to customers in all four corners of the globe. I am however delighted that it is a mum, and her family, who live only a stone’s throw from our plant that have taken delivery of this very special car.”   

The Discovery Sport which went on sale in December 2014 is now sold in over 170 markets, with the UK, Europe and China leading the charge. The car has already claimed more than 40 international awards including, most recently, Large SUV of the Year as determined by the What Car? Car of the Year jury.

List of Mum’s Personalised Gifts

• Personalised scarf designed by children Noah, Jacob and Mila (featuring their hand prints and drawings) and produced by Land Rover design
• Personalised picnic blanket with the family name on, requested as the children love family picnics with their mum
• Personalised seat-back tidies for the children, to ensure it is kept clean for mum and dad
• Personalised tread-plates featuring 'The Liptons' name
• Personalised water bottles for all the family written in the children's handwriting
• Personalised child-seats for Noah and Jacob, with their names stitched on in their handwriting
• Rear-seat entertainment screens, to entertain the children on long journeys
• A signed cookbook from James Martin, as mum loves to cook
• A set of wellies for each member of the family, for their family walks
• A Barbour for Land Rover Jacket for mum
• A keyring featuring a favourite family snap

About Discovery Sport

The Land Rover Discovery Sport is the world's most versatile and capable premium compact SUV. The first member of the new Discovery family, Discovery Sport, features 5+2 seating in a footprint no larger than existing 5-seat premium SUVs. 

• One in every four Land Rovers produced is a Discovery Sport
• It would require a fleet of 36 seven-seat Land Rover Discovery Sports to accommodate the additional 250 people working at Halewood with jobs created by the introduction of Discovery Sport production
• A new Discovery Sport rolls off the production line every 2mins and 40 secs. That’s 33 brand new Discovery Sports in the time it takes to play a football match.
• 500 days of Discovery: The 100,000th Discovery Sport rolled off the Halewood line on 29 February 2016, precisely 500 days after the commencement of production.