Daily Motor News – Tuesday 11 February 2025   

ILC ARTICLE

11th February 2025

Chris Plumb, head of current car valuation at Cap HPI, said: “Feedback for the first half of February has been relatively positive, though used car performance varies among dealerships. Buyers continue to face challenges in sourcing quality stock for vehicles aged between three to five years at sensible prices. Overall, recent trends indicate a stable environment for both retailers and wholesalers. The market remains resilient, supported by improving conversion rates, healthy engagement levels and supply constraints.” Full story

AI safety cameras: Transforming road safety enforcement

National Highways has extended a trial of mobile cameras that automatically detect seatbelt and mobile phone use offences using artificial intelligence. The trial, which now includes Durham, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Staffordshire, West Mercia, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Norfolk, Thames Valley Police, and Sussex police forces, leverages mobile cameras mounted on vehicles or trailers. Full story

Zurich announces policy enhancements and a product refresh for private clients

This week, Zurich launches a range of enhancements to its full private client proposition alongside a brand refresh.The improvements to its home and motor products have been developed in response to broker feedback to ensure the insurer can continuously meet its customers’ needs. All clients, both new and existing, will benefit from these changes with immediate effect. Full story

Burnley Police and DVSA work together during road safety enforcement operation

Burnley Police have conducted a road safety enforcement operation supported by the DVSA with the aim of making the roads safer for everyone. Officers stopped and checked a number of vehicles during the operation. Five of those checked were issued an immediate prohibition for various dangerous driving defects that required immediate rectification. Full story

FDM tightens requirements: This is how long the warranty on new cars should be

Consumers are entitled to a longer warranty when they buy a new car, says FDM, which is now tightening its minimum requirements. In the future, cars with a new car warranty of less than five years will receive a remark in FDM’s reviews. Full story

Could extended-range EVs nudge more car buyers toward full electric

Slowing battery-electric-vehicle sales growth reflects consumer price consciousness and range anxiety. Could extended-range EVs persuade more buyers of traditional cars to make the switch? Full story

Consumer confidence crisis set to derail ZEV mandate targets if action isn’t taken

The latest forecasts from Cox Automotive predict that the UK is set to miss 2028 ZEV mandate targets, by 346,000 cars. Its new car registration forecasts predict that, in line with the current rate of adoption, 36% of new car registrations will be EVs by 2028. This falls short of the current ZEV mandate’s target of 52%, equating to 346,349 cars… for context, that’s roughly the population of Coventry. Full story

Thatcham Research appoints Nick Caplan as Independent Non-Executive Chair

Thatcham Research announces today the appointment of Nick Caplan as Chair of the Board of Directors. This follows an extensive review sponsored by Graham Gibson, the previous Chair. The review was initiated to ensure that Thatcham Research has the right Board structure, governance and director skill sets for the fast-changing insurance, automotive and consumer worlds in which it operates. Full story

Green corporate fleets initiative for trucks and buses could spell gains for zero-emission uptake

Current discussions about a potential EU initiative to legislate corporate fleets to boost demand for zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) largely focus on cars, ignoring the heavy-duty segment where this initiative could deliver important benefits and boost the market. At the current ZEV market share of just 2.3% (heavy-duty trucks >3.5t) and 15.6% (urban buses/coaches), heavy-duty road transport urgently needs incentives to accelerate fleet renewal. Full story

Erin Baker puts Women in the driving seat in new Auto Trader podcast

Auto Trader, the UK’s largest automotive marketplace, has announced a brand-new podcast, Women in the driving seat, hosted by award winning motoring journalist Erin Baker. The new series brings pairs of guests together to tackle topics such as sustainability, customer service and the retail sector, as well as examining key industry trends. Full story

The next chapter of collision engineering: Collision Engineering Career Alliance

The next chapter of Collision Engineering is here, with the launch of the Collision Engineering Career Alliance. This reflects the success and evolution of the pilot program and the vision to create a collaborative movement that strengthens the future of collision repair through industry-driven education. Full story

Connected Kerb secures £65m backing from The National Wealth Fund and Aviva

The NWF’s financing, alongside, a further £10m ordinary equity investment from Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, will support the UK-based charge point operator’s ambitious plans to grow its charging network towards 40,000 sockets, up from the 9,000 already built at the end of 2024. Full story

BSI promotes Kitemark standard

BSI is promoting the benefits of BS10125 Kitemark certification via LinkedIn. It has said the Kitemark boosts customer confidence, enhances a company’s reputation, improves operating efficiency and quality, helps gain a competitive edge, and demonstrates professionalism via a commitment to continuous improvement and industry best practices. Full story

OEM certification programmes introduce tiers for fleet, electric vehicles

Representatives from General Motors and Volvo spoke at January’s CIC about recent changes to their shop certification programs. GM highlighted it Collision Assistance app, which points drivers to a certified repairer after a repairer, while Volvo said it would introduce the EX90 and EX30 to the UK market during 2025. Full story

Sherwin-Williams has announced that Paul Buckingham has been appointed as Sales Director, Europe North, while Luke Nineham has been named new Market Manager, UK & Ireland.

Omoda and Jaecoo has appointed Gary Lan as UK Chief Executive.

Baroness Manzoor CBE, Chairman of the Financial Ombudsman Service, is stepping down after successfully serving two terms of office when her current term expires on 1 August 2025.

Auxillis has announced a new Accident Aftercare service partnership with Mercedes-Benz South West.

Autoglass has revealed it recorded an average NPS score of 84.2 for January.

Solera Holdings has appointed Joseph Foti as the Head of its Hollander business.

US: Driven Claims has announced a partnership with New England-based Arbella Insurance Group to provide Third-Party Administration (TPA) services for their auto glass claims.