HERE ARE the most interesting and talked-about stories over the past five days, collated and summarised by us.

Monday Jan 14

Vertu Motors further expanded its portfolio of northern dealerships – purchasing Walter C Brigg Vauxhall of Keighley, West Yorkshire. Read more.

A Good Samaritan, whose car was cut into by a fire and rescue service, was awarded a new Vauxhall Vectra – all thanks to Network Q. Read more.

Jaguar Land Rover announced that 800 new jobs would soon be available at its Solihull plant – just a few days after Honda announced the same number would be cut. Read more.

 

Tuesday Jan 15

Auto Trader stuck the knife into Sunday Times Driving’s ‘premium’ used car advertising portal – relaunching its ‘Top Marques’ site with full integration to Auto Trader its self. Read more.

Tens of new cars were unveiled at the Detroit motor show – including the new Chevrolet Corvette and Mercedes-Benz CLA four-door coupe.

The AA brought out a new iPhone app – using telematics, it can reportedly monitor how safe drivers really are, and report tips back to them on how to improve.

 

Wednesday Jan 16

A one-of-a-kind Ferrari 458 Italia worth £230,000 was stolen from a Surrey dealership – with police suggesting that the theft was clearly a well planned attack. Read more.

Car sales in the EU slumped drastically in December, a report from the ACEA suggested – with only the UK managing bucking the trend and posting a positive result. Read more.

Young female drivers began to feel the pinch of new EU regulations regarding gender neutrality, a report suggested – with prices for girls now rising to meet boys’.

 

Thursday Jan 17

Hudson Kapel remarketing appointed a new director – former Aston Barclay sales and marketing director Alan Henson. Read more.

The number of cars manufactured in the UK for export hit an all-time high, the SMMT reported – with over 80 per cent of our country’s production destined for other shores. Read more.

Nissan opened a new dealership in Acton, West London – located on the A40 Western Avenue, it’s described by the firm as one of their biggest in the whole of Europe. Read more.

 

Friday Jan 18

Warranty provider WMS group invested in motor trade social network Motor TradeBook – suggesting that innovations like an app might be on the way. Read more.

RAC launched a new used car programme for dealers – called BuySure, it includes a number of different benefits including an RAC warranty and complimentary breakdown cover on cars. Read more.

Interest in 4x4s has shot up over the last week, Motors.co.uk reports – with models like the Range Rover receiving over 200 per cent more searches on its site as snow approaches. Read more.