9:12 am, November 12, 2022
Car Dealer likes to stay on top of the news here in the UK – but sometimes there are stories from other parts of the world that we reckon our readers shouldn’t miss.
Here’s our latest roundup of what’s caught our eye from around the globe recently.
Ten arrests made after shootout at Saudi car showroom
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Police arrested 10 men after a shootout at a car showroom in Saudi Arabia.
A video posted on social media appeared to show shots being fired inside the building and a Mercedes car being torched.
The incident is thought to be related to a drug dispute and nine Saudis were arrested along with one foreign national.
Two people suffered injuries in the attack and required hospital treatment.
#فيديو | ضبط 8 مواطنين ووافد لتورطهم في حادثة إطلاق نار بمعرض للسيارات في #الرياضhttps://t.co/DiV9TUTea7#تم_القبض pic.twitter.com/ETnlD4VW5r
— صحيفة المناطق السعودية (@AlMnatiq) November 7, 2022
(Source: The National News)
Father-and-son car dealers sentenced for fraud
- New York, USA
A father-and-son team of car dealership owners have been sentenced to a combined 136 months in jail after being found guilty of defrauding lenders and the Internal Revenue Service.
Mehdi and Saaed Moslem concealed profits relating to their car dealership, Exclusive Motor Sports, as well as other businesses between 2009 and 2018. The scheme saw the pair avoid almost $1m (circa £845,000) in taxes.
Between 2011 and 2019, they also conspired to commit bank fraud by providing falsely inflated net worth statements and fabricated tax returns in connection with loan applications, including a $1.5m (£1.27m) mortgage on their dealership.
Mehdi, 73, was sentenced to 40 months behind bars and his 39-year-old son was put away for 96 months. They were also ordered to pay back more than $1m each.
(Source: US Department of Justice)
Germany to massively expand electric car charging network
- Berlin, Germany
Germany wants to massively expand the country’s charging network for electric cars, spending €6.3bn euros (circa £5.5bn) over the next three years.
The government in Berlin expects more and more drivers to turn away from combustion cars to more climate-friendly vehicles.
The country’s transportation minister presented a ‘master plan’ for improving the charging infrastructure that had been passed by chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet earlier in the day.
(Source: PA Media)
Two killed as plane crashes into car dealership
- Ohio, USA
A pilot and his passenger were killed in Ohio when their small aircraft crashed into a used car dealership.
Eric Seevers, 45, and Timothy Gifford, 49, both lost their lives when the twin-engine Beechcraft BE9L smashed into the forecourt of he Pioneer Buick GMC dealership.
The plane went up in an inferno that took half an hour to bring under control. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
See footage of the shocking incident below:
(Source: ABC News)
Salesman threatened at gunpoint as customer steals car during test drive
- Manawala, Pakistan
A car salesman in Pakistan was threatened at gunpoint when a masked man posing as a customer stole a Tata during a test drive.
The unidentified man approached an SUV at a Tata Motors showroom claiming he wanted to take it for a drive.
However, when the salesman got close, the customer pulled out a gun and pushed him away before making off in the car.
Police are now investigating what happened in the hope of identifying the culprit.
(Source: Tribune India)
Car dealer agrees $35m settlement after breaking rules 670,000 times
- San Francisco, USA
A San Francisco car dealership has agreed to a $35m (circa £29.6m) settlement after admitting an astonishing 670,000 violations of California’s Unfair Competition and False Advertising Laws.
Paul and Puto Blanco, of the now-defunct Good Car Company, put out deceptive radio and television advertisements to target low-income customers.
They fraudulently promised easy approval for unrealistically low interest rates and made false statements on credit applications, including deceiving lenders.
As part of the ruling, both defendants have been banned from ‘participating in any way in motor vehicle sales, distribution or finance industries’ for the next decade.
(Source: SF Chronicle)
Tucson Prime with an official World Cup tournament football. Image: instagram.com/tucson_prime
Hyundai dealership’s adopted dog Tucson Prime gets World Cup fever
- Espirito Santo, Brazil
Car Dealer readers with long memories may recall our story in 2020 about the Hyundai Serra showroom in Brazil that adopted a stray dog.
Quickly named Tucson Prime, he became the dealership’s canine ambassador and mascot, with Hyundai Brazil even giving him official sales dog status.
According to the pooch’s Instagram account (yes, he’s on Insta!), Tucson Prime is now looking forward to the World Cup – with possibly just a tinge of envy.
In his latest post, he says: ‘Who’s excited for the cup? I confess that I get very excited watching the ball run from one side to the other. Looks like a great run on that huge field with lots of room to run.’
Brazil will be taking on Serbia in the tournament on Thursday, November 24.
(Source: Daily Star)
