Car dealers in the UK have enjoyed their largest jump in sales for nearly two years, recent figures have revealed.

The sales in May 2012 were the largest in a long time as a total of 162,288 new cars took to the road.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) had their forecasts smashed by the figure that is up nearly 8% on May 2011.

Car dealers can be in a good mood thanks to this but it is also a welcome boost to the economy as the act of purchasing a new car is clearly a sign of confidence.

The rise was partly due to a 14% increase in sales to private buyers and companies have also been seen to show confidence as they have updated their vehicles – for example, fleet sales were up nearly 5% last month.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt told the BBC: “May’s 7.9% increase in new car registrations is good news for the motor industry and the UK economy.

“The consistent climb in new car registrations during the first five months of the year suggests that confidence is returning, despite financial uncertainty in the eurozone.”

The best selling car in that successful month was the Vauxhall Corsa, however, the Ford Fiesta remains the most popular car in the UK so far this year, with 50,507 sold in 2012 to date.

The UK automotive industry has an annual turnover of about £49bn, accounting for more than 10% of total exports, and employs 700,000 people.

Are you a car dealer who is interested in advertising your stock on Friday-Ad Motors? Contact us today on 01273 837855 to discuss your advertising requirements in more detail.

Picture: Stuart Chapman

Here at Friday-Ad Motors, we’ve been very busy improving the service that we offer to both buyers and sellers of cars.

You may have noticed that we’ve recently made some improvements to the site. We’ve given the site a fresher more modern look, and have introduced new features to make searching for a car to buy even easier.

Have these changes resulted in an improved quality of car buyer browsing the site? This is an important question to consider for sellers, as more relevant and higher quality buyers will translate into higher quality enquiries on sellers vehicles which in turn will significantly increase the chances of making a sale.

We can measure this quality using a variety of metrics:

• Average number of pages per visit – An increase in the number of pages made per visit is a sign of car buyers becoming highly engaged with the website’s content.
• Average visit duration – An increase in visit duration is a further indicator of car buyers becoming highly engaged with the website’s content.
• Bounce rate – Bounce rate is the number of single page visits made to the site. A decreasing bounce rate means fewer one page visits and more engaged car buyers.

We’ve trawled the web and have handpicked a selection of the funniest and most bizarre car videos for you. Check out the clip of David Coulthard catching a golf ball in a Merc, some nutters skydiving in car and the classic opening scene from the Italian Job. Enjoy…

David Coulthard catches 178mph golf ball in Mercedes-Benz SLS
In this clip, professional golfer Jake Shepherd and former F1 driver David Coulthard break the strange world record for the longest golf shot to be caught in a moving car. It is a brave man that tries to catch a rock hard ball that is moving at 178mph in a brand new Mercedes.

Skydiving in a car
An amazing video of four nutters in a convertible falling from the back of an aeroplane. Need I say more?

Opening scene from The Italian Job
When it comes to car-related films, there are few that have held there place in popular culture as well as this 1969 classic.

The trip with Steve Coogan – ‘We rise at daybreak’
OK, so not strictly a car-oriented video, but it is set in a car. This is a fantastic three minute clip from the excellent sitcom The Trip, featuring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. Well worth a watch… Gentlemen to bed!

Senna – The official UK trailer
If you have not seen this film then you really should stop what you are doing, watch this trailer, head to your nearest video rental shop, rent this film and watch it. It is a moving and extensive account of the life and career of one of F1’s most endearing characters – Ayrton Senna.

Honda – The Cog
This is one of the most incredible car adverts of all time. Rube Goldberg directs this two minute clip of all the parts of the car interacting together in one long chain reaction. It really is amazing…

OK Go – Needing/Getting music video
Now, obviously we aren’t sure how authentic this video is, but still, it is pretty amazing. OK Go are almost more famous for their music videos than they are for their music, there is the treadmill one, the dancey one, and even the one directed by Rube Goldberg that is similar to the Honda advert above. And here is another prime example of what they can do, made in partnership with Chevrolet.

Bungee jumping car
Chevrolet literally ‘launched’ its newest small car, the Sonic – by tying the sub-compact to a bungee chord and rolling it off a ten-story structure at the Long Beach Convention Center. We have already had skydiving so now it is time for bungee jumping.

Are you a car dealer who is has questions about your account or are interested in advertising your stock on Friday-Ad Motors? Contact us today on Tel: 01273 837855 to discuss your advertising requirements in more detail.

Ever wondered how other dealers got into the motors industry and what makes them tick? In this, the first of our Friday-Ad Motors dealer profiles, we meet Robin Kennedy, who is the Dealer Principal from the Kennedy Bros car dealership in Rotherfield.

Read on to find out how Robin got into the business, his dream car and what he thinks are the essential skills a dealer must possess.    

Describe your job in a nutshell.
I am the Managing Director of a long established family business.

What’s the best car on the market today and why?
The new Ford Focus 1.0 as it has astounded all of the critics with its high quality performance and economy.

What three essential skills must a dealer possess?
You should be able to check the “money” coming in and going out of your business as well as being able to follow up all enquiries quickly. And, the main thing to remember is to never, ever, ever argue with a customer.

What are the best and worst things about your job?
The best thing about my job is meeting people and holding real conversations as opposed to all that on-line rubbish! Whereas the worst thing is the time spent trying to keep your head above water, especially when dealing with banks.

What’s the stand out sale you’ve made to date?
I have made occasional sales to customers that I have not met face to face. There is a large element of trust comes into the deal when you have not met the customers before.

How did you get into the trade?
I got into the business through family succession, as I work for a family business.

What was your first car?
My first car was an early 1950′s Ford Prefect.

What’s your dream car?
My dream car is the Sunbeam Tiger.

Who would play you in the film of your life?
Someone as good looking and old as me – perhaps Tom Cruise.

Are you a car dealer who is has questions about your account or are interested in advertising your stock on Friday-Ad Motors? Contact us today on Tel: 01273 837855 to discuss your advertising requirements in more detail.

The motor industry as a whole has had some fantastic news. UK car manufacturing has risen and hit its highest level of output since 2004! That is an eight year high…

The latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures have shown us that car production for May 2012 totalled a whopping 141,146 units, which is a year on year increase of a staggering 42.2%. These fantastic results also showed a year-to-date volume increase of 17.3%.

UK engine manufacturing rose 13.4% in May 2012, which meant the year-to-date volumes topped the impressive one million mark.

The CV output was one slight blip on an otherwise fantastic report card as the CV output subdued in the month. There were only 9,445 CVs produced, which is a 7.4% decline.

However, all in all the report was great and this will come as a wonderful boost to the industry.

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive said: “Car manufacturing in May hit the highest level of output since 2004 posting 42.2% growth, a sizable recovery against volumes hampered by last year’s Japanese tsunami. This boost, coupled with robust year-to-date results demonstrates the strength of UK automotive manufacturing and shows why it continues to attract high levels of international investment.

“While commercial vehicle output remains subdued, in line with restrained levels of demand, the year’s engine output volume passed one million in May and is more than 40,000 units ahead of last year.”

So, all in all, with the increase in car manufacturing and the increase in new car sales in the UK, the month of May has been a complete success.

Are you a car dealer who is interested in advertising your stock on Friday-Ad Motors? Contact us today on 01273 837855 to discuss your advertising requirements in more detail.

Every week, around 20,000 visitors to the Friday-Ad Motors reach the mobile optimised version of the site. That’s the equivalent of a visitor arriving at our mobile site every 30 seconds!

Furthermore, nearly 11,000 of these weekly visitors have never previously visited the Friday-Ad Motors site before. Why does this matter? Whether you’re a car dealer or a private advertiser, this additional exposure is great news. It will help generate more vehicle enquiries and increase the chance of making that all important sale.

How are people accessing the Friday-Ad Motors mobile site?
Approx 14,000 visitors every week are using iPhones or iPads to access our mobile site, which are by far and away the most favoured of all mobile devices used to access the mobile version of Friday-Ad Motors. Other popular brands include Samsung (approx 1,800 weekly visitors) and Sony Ericsson (approx 1,000 weekly visits).

iPhones remain the most popular way of accessing our mobile site, accounting for approx 7,200 weekly visitors. The number of visitors using an iPad is slowly starting to catch up, accounting for approx 6,300 visits.

What does this mean for dealers using Friday-Ad Motors?
With mobile browsing continuing on an upward trend, a user-friendly mobile version of a site is going to become an important source of leads for sellers through 2012 and into 2013 and beyond.

The success of our Friday-Ad Motors mobile site means that cars advertised by you, the motor dealer, will reach a larger audience and be exposed to a larger market. With more and more information literally at the buyers’ fingertips, expect to see more and more buyers bringing their smartphones and tablet devices along with them as they hunt for their perfect car.

The release of the Vauxhall Ampera is set to boost the uptake of electric cars, according to Vauxhall, who says that its new model will end fears over “range anxiety” due to limited battery life.

The Ampera was launched in the US last year and did very well and it is expected to do well in the UK too.

Last year, the then transport secretary Phillip Hammond said: “2011 could be remembered as the year the electric car took off”, as he launched the grant scheme that covers nine different models. But, according to The Guardian, only around 1,000 were sold last year, and figures for first quarter sales in 2012 show that registrations of new electric cars have largely flatlined, and only half of the allocated budget for the grant scheme is likely to be taken up.

Of the 563,556 cars sold in Q1, only 278 were pure electric models, up from 218 on the year before. However, Vauxhall is aiming to sell 3,500 units of the car, which is worth £30,000, this year, or a total of 5,000 in a full year. A spokeswoman told The Guardian its target of 10,000 sales across Europe in 2012 was “in our reach quite easily”.

The main selling point of the new Ampera is that when its battery runs out after 50 miles of electric power, a petrol engine provides back-up power for a further 310 miles. But because the petrol still drives the electric motor, the company says the vehicle should be considered a “range extender”, not a hybrid car like the Toyota Prius.

This week the car is sent to 24 dealers across the UK and the company are looking forward to seeing how well it does in its first year on the market.

Could this be the beginning of a new wave of people buying electric cars?

Why not take a look at other fuel-efficient cars on Friday Ad Motors now?

Picture: The Charging Point 

Drivers in the UK are increasingly choosing fuel-efficient cars with historically low carbon dioxide emissions.

According to the motor industry body SMMT, the demand for low-emission cars has risen as a result of rising fuel prices.

There are plenty of types of hybrid and electric cars on the market now and thanks to new technology the supply of these cars is continually increasing.

The SMMT said 46.8% of cars sold in 2011 emitted less than 130 grams per kilometre, up from 10.6% in 2007.

According to our users’ search habits the most searched for eco friendly cars are:

1) Toyota Prius
2) Kia Ceed
3) Smart Fortwo

The change in consumer behaviour has been closely linked with the rise in fuel prices, as well as the rises to tax and insurance costs. This are higher for powerful cars, cars that drink a lot more fuel and cars that generally emit more CO2 than smaller models.

The increase in purchases of fuel-efficient cars is good news, however, to achieve further improvements, the SMMT is lobbying for the government to adjust taxes to encourage investment in new technologies and to offer consumers incentives to encourage them to buy more fuel-efficient, less polluting cars.

Why not take a look at the fuel-efficient cars on Friday Ad Motors now?

Picture: Toyota Motors Europe 

The Friday-Ad Motors website is all set to be revamped and soon it will look and feel very different. But what does that mean? Well this will hopefully make a great difference to users and also to the dealers selling on the site.

Users
The user experience will be vastly improved and the site will run smoother and be more enjoyable to browse. Users will be able to reach more relevant results more quickly than ever before, which will create a far more seamless browsing experience.

Dealers
Dealers will also see a huge benefit from these fantastic changes. The newer and smoother browsing process will encourage users to stay on the site for longer, which means that they will be spending more time browsing your stock. Users will also be able to reach your relevant stock far easier than ever before which will hopefully make it far easier for everyone involved.

These changes are intended to not only make the site far easier and far more enjoyable to browse, but also to help boost the site to becoming the marketing leader for user experience in the car-classified industry. Which means that we will hopefully be able to attract a larger audience of customers to the site.

Once the changes have been implemented and the new features are up and running we will then look into making further design improvements which will aim to improve the user experience further and will also look to improve the technology being utilised by Friday-Ad Motors.

So, keep an eye out for the new-look Friday-Ad Motors this May.

Friday-Ad Motors is proud to announce that in addition to the 120,000 or so weekly visits we get to our site, we are now gaining an additional 20,000 visits every week from mobile traffic.

This traffic is heading straight to the mobile optimised site, which gives people the ability to browse your cars on the move. It also gives our users greater choice and most importantly, it gives you, the dealer, a better response.

When you combine the main site’s audience and the mobile audience, the number of users visiting Friday-Ad Motors is now far greater than it was a year ago.

The combined total is now topping 140,000 visitors a week, which is over 20% greater than it was this time last year.

According to internet giant Google, there are around 23 million smartphones in the UK, which is around 50% of the mobile phones in the entire country. This means that more and more people are accessing the internet using their phones.

So by optimising our mobile site for smartphone users we are making their browsing experience easier and making it easier for them to purchase one of your vehicles.

Here at Friday-Ad Motors we will continue to explore options for further improving the site experience, and growing traffic to the site. Ultimately this should benefit you, the dealers, by providing you with increased leads.

Photo by The GameWay