FELSTED UNDER SNOW!
By Christopher Macgowan | February 5, 2012
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A wonderful day here in Felsted but better to look at than to try to get about in!! Ice warning on the roads in the morning.
Christopher Macgowan
twitter: chrismacgowan
Topics: Personal | No Comments »
POLARISED VAN MARKET.
By Christopher Macgowan | February 1, 2012
The used van market is becoming increasingly polarised with a shortage of younger good condition stock and a surplus of ageing higher mileage vehicles. Companies who want to buy younger vans will have to pay a significant premium, according to a new BCA report from Professor Peter Cooke and the team at Buckingham University Centre for Automotive Management.
The Used LCV Market Report 2012 found that the availability of cheaper good quality used LCVs will decline in the next few years. This is because of lower new van sales since the financial crisis in 2008 while large fleets are keeping their vans longer, further restricting supply.
According to Cooke, the shortage of units under five-years old could also present a problem for the wholesale and retail LCV trade who could find it increasingly difficult to source good quality used LCV stock.
Small businesses as a group are the largest buyers of used vans and typically prefer vehicles up to five years old. However, availability is falling because of lower new van sales since 2008 and the trend for larger businesses to hold on to vans for longer. The average vehicle age will increase significantly and there may be a reduction in the overall numbers of vans on the road
There is a growing bulge of ageing LCV stock. Forecasts show that nearly half of the available LCV stock in the UK will be aged nine years and over by 2016.
Christopher Macgowan
twitter: chrismacgowan
Topics: Marketing | No Comments »
AUSTIN 7 IS 90 THIS YEAR.
By Christopher Macgowan | January 23, 2012
‘MOTOR FOR THE MILLIONS’ GEARS UP FOR 90th BIRTHDAY.
2012 marks a very special anniversary for the car that played an historic role in the story of the British motor industry and holds a very special place in the hearts and memories of so many people today.
The dimunitive but sturdy Austin 7 is 90 years old in 2012 and a major celebration is taking place at the home of the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire.
Organised by the 750 Motor Club, the National Austin Seven Rally takes place on Sunday 1st July 2012 and hundreds of the pre-war ‘baby’ Austins are expected to attend. They will be driven from all over the United Kingdom and Europe to join a weekend of activities culminating in a wonderful display in the historic grounds of the Beaulieu estate. Incredibly, this will be the 50th consecutive year that the club has held this rally at Beaulieu!
Launched in 1922, the Austin 7 became one of the most popular cars ever built and today there are many people who remember their parents and grandparents owning one. Affordable, easy to maintain and amazingly reliable, some 290,000 saloon cars, tourers, sports cars, and vans had been built by the time production ceased in 1939. It really was the ‘motor for the millions’ and today many are in regularly use and still going strong.
The 2012 National Rally will be an extra special event for owners and visitors, with static displays, autotests, trade stands and demonstrations. The general public will be made very welcome and can not only watch the Austin 7 events and chat with owners but also visit the wonderful Motor Museum, House and Gardens.
Christopher Macgowan
twitter: chrismacgowan
Topics: Manufacturing | No Comments »
BOND IN MOTION
By Christopher Macgowan | January 19, 2012
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu was the scene of a frenetic press event this week when the museum’s exhibition “Bond in Motion” was launched. Fifty years ago the first Bond film was released and in conjunction with Eon Films there are fifty Bond vehicles – mostly cars – on show in a wonderfully staged and presented exhibition.
Well worth the visit I thought!
Christopher Macgowan
twitter: chrismacgowan
Topics: This and That | No Comments »
APPLE STOPS 4S SALES IN CHINA.
By Christopher Macgowan | January 13, 2012
Delays in opening the main Apple store in China’s capital Beijing sparked violence among hundreds of customers who had queued for hours for the iPhone 4S. Police arrested two people after scuffles broke out when the crowd threw eggs at the store in Beijing’s upmarket Sanlitun shopping district and shouted at staff to open the doors. Police cleared and sealed off the area and employees later posted a sign in the window saying the iPhone 4S was out of stock, according to reports.
Last May, the store was closed for several hours after a scuffle between an employee and a customer during the release of the iPhone 4. Some of those queuing said they planned to buy as many of the phones as possible and resell them at a profit to cash-in on demand for “Steve Jobs’s best” iPhone, said other reports. Reselling is a major industry in China, where the new iPhone has been on sale for months at a premium on the black market, the reports said.
China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, is Apple’s fastest growing region, with revenues second only to the US. Although Apple stores in Shanghai opened without incident, Apple called a halt to sales of the iPhone 4S in Beijing and Shanghai to ensure the safety of customers and employees.
Christopher Macgowan
twitter:chrismacgowan
Topics: Marketing | No Comments »
« Previous Entries