November 4, 2011
AutoeBid’s best selling new cars for October 2011
Below are our best selling new cars for October 2011
View the latest motring news here
View new car reviews from our team and buyers who own the cars
Read what our customers think of our service
What does the press think about our service?
View a selection of new cars in stock and our current Hot Deals
October new car registrations increase in 2011
New car registrations rose by 2.6% in October to 134,944 units, the second increase in three months.
New car registrations over the first 10 months of 2011 were down 4.5%, at 1,688,038 units.
Market on track to achieve full year total of 1.923 million units, but caution remains over 2012.
“October’s new car market rose 2.6% on last year – a positive result despite the uncertain economic climate,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. “Vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks are working hard to offer consumers value for money through improved fuel efficiency, low running costs and innovative finance. We expect market conditions to remain challenging and hope the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement later this month will help to boost economic growth and consumer confidence.”
October 19, 2011
Thailand floods cause further delivery dalys for new car manufacturers
After a year of delays, delays and more delays from new car manufacturers’ Thailand’s recent floods threaten to cause more chaos and increase delays.
Thailand has been inundated with severe floods in its recent history, and the automotive sector which has an annual production capacity of about 2 million units in 2010, is one of the hardest hit industries. The recent inundation of floods in Thailand has not only had a major effect on local automotive production and supply chain disturbances but is also likely to have a short term effect on the regional and global supply of automotive parts and vehicle exports.
Impact of the Flooding in Thailand – Current Situation: Halt of Automotive Production in Thailand Assembly Plants
Thailand is currently experiencing the worst flooding in the last five decades. 26 of the 90 provinces in Thailand have been affected by floods and automotive assembly plants and parts maker factories located mainly in and around Ayutthaya and Pathumthani provinces are suffering from it. Japanese OEMs such as Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Nissan and American OEMs such as GM and Auto Alliance (Ford and Mazda) have assembly locations in Thailand with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 1.7 million – 1.8 million units.
Most of the heavy flooding is happening in the central province of Thailand with Ayutthaya and Pathumthani provinces, that have automotive assemblers and parts suppliers, being the most affected regions. The Honda assembly plant is located in Ayutthaya and hence has been the most affected OEM with flood inundation within the assembly plant. All other OEM assembly locations are outside the flood affected regions such as Chachoengsao (Toyota and Isuzu), Samut Parka (Nissan and Toyota), Chonburi (Mitsubishi), Rayong (Auto Alliance Thailand and GM).
Honda has stopped its production for the next one week mainly because the plant is submerged with water, while Toyota has stopped production for the next one week mainly due to supply chain disruption in Ayutthaya and Pathumthani province. Ford has resumed its passenger vehicle production from this week while its pick-up vehicle production has been halted as of now. General Motors is the least affected OEM mainly due to its plant location and its supplier base located outside the flood affected regions.
Supply Chain Disruption
The floods have had a severe effect on auto parts makers and as a consequence disturb the supply chain structure. The situation has had a cascading effect on automotive assembly and production in Thailand. Almost 10% of total auto parts for local production come from flood affected regions. Toyota, Auto Alliance Thailand, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan are all dependent on auto parts makers in the flood affected region. Ayutthaya and Pathumthani provinces have around 40 auto parts suppliers supplying to most assembly plants in Thailand.
Impact of the Flooding in Thailand – Future Strategies Likely to Be Adopted by OEMs
Short Term Production Loss
The floods are likely to affect automotive assembly in the short term. The production halt might continue for the next few weeks depending on the severity of the flooding situation. Honda, which is the most severely affected OEM, is likely to have a production loss of about 10,000-15,000 units with the closure of its plant for about 5 weeks. Toyota and Isuzu are likely to lose the next 2-3 weeks of production due to shortage of parts supply with loss of estimated production volume to be approximately 30,000-35,000 and 10,000-15,000 units respectively. Frost & Sullivan estimate the overall production volume loss of approximately 80,000-100,000 units for all OEMs in Thailand, if they lose the next 2-3 weeks of production. However, OEMs are likely to recover from this production loss by increasing working hours and running the plants at full capacity for the next 2 months.
Short Term Production Shift to Other ASEAN Regions
To compensate for the loss of production in Thailand assembly plants, OEMs are likely to look for a short term production shift to other ASEAN regions, especially Indonesia and Malaysia. For example: Honda assembles Civic, Jazz, CR-V, City models in its Thailand assembly plant, but has the option to build the Jazz model in Indonesia which has already been assembling the model for years.
Impact on International Markets
In 2010 almost 900,000 units vehicles representing 54-55% of total vehicles assembled in Thailand were exported. The main export regions include Australia, New-Zealand, Europe, Middle East, Mexico, South Africa and Brunei. The vehicle models that are presently exported from flood affected OEMs include Honda vehicles such as Jazz, Civic, City, Accord and the Toyota Hilux pick-up truck.
Long Term Strategy Change Related to Supply Chain
Supply chain disruptions due to floods have been the main reason for many OEMs to stop their assembly lines. Some of the factors that are likely to be considered by OEMs in the future are:
1) Increase the stock-pile in terms of auto parts and re-visit the process of JIT (Just In Time) so that OEMs have enough stock for at least a month, if there are any disruptions related to auto parts supply.
2) Multi-sourcing strategy, involving not only sourcing parts from different suppliers but from different regions, which will have a lower impact, if this situation arises again.
3) Climatic de-risking of the supply chain involving OEM investments at geographic locations least impacted due to natural disasters. Japanese OEMs in India, especially Honda, have already started increasing their localisation content (80%-90%) and the remaining auto parts are likely to be supplied either from Japan or other ASEAN regions.
The automotive production in Thailand will be affected in the near term due to the lack of auto parts supply as a result of the floods but is not likely to have a medium-long term effect on Thailand as an automotive production hub in the region.
October 7, 2011
Top 10 New Cars sold in the UK in September 2011
Not surprisingly the Ford Fiesta retains its title as the best selling car in September 2011. The Fiesta remains the best selling car for AutoeBid over the last 4 years.
September 2001 (Units sold)
1 Ford Fiesta 15,647
2 Ford Focus 14,754
3 Vauxhall Corsa 14,339
4 VW Golf 10,628
5 Vauxhall Astra 10,462
6 VW Polo 8,607
7 Vauxhall Insignia 7,323
8 Mini 6,903
9 BMW 3 Series 6,352
10 Nissan Qashqai 6,068
Stock cars for sale:
Below is a list of the latest new car added to our system in stock, remember these only represent a VERY SMALL selection of car in stock.
Vehicle Asking Price
LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2 DIESEL SW 2.2 SD4 HSE 5d Auto £34,860
LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2 DIESEL SW 2.2 TD4 HSE 5d Auto £32,505
NISSAN JUKE HATCHBACK 1.6 DiG-T Tekna 5d 4WD CVT £19,259
RENAULT MEGANE SPORT TOURER 1.6 16V 110 Dynamique TomTom 5d £13,947
VOLKSWAGEN POLO HATCHBACK 1.4 Match 5d DSG £13,472
VOLVO XC90 DIESEL ESTATE 2.4 D5 [200] Executive 5d Geartronic £34,254
VOLVO XC90 DIESEL ESTATE 2.4 D5 [200] Executive 5d Geartronic £34,712
View current new cars in stock: http://www.autoebid.com/stock-cars.asp
Used car for sale:
Don’t forget to check out our daily used car fro sale as at http://www.autoebid.com/used-cars.asp
October 5, 2011
Car Manufacturers New Car Delays
We have previously highlighted certain car manufacturers have had a number of issues to do with cars not being produced in accordance with the estimated delivery dates they provide to their dealers at the time orders are placed.
Having just conducted some research we can now highlight that Skoda is now the worst manufacturer at honouring its estimated delivery dates mainly for the Skoda Yeti, followed by BMW and Volvo.
Ford and VW seem to have now resolved most of the delay issues surrounding the industry and most manufacturers expect to resume normal delay dates of an average of 12 week by the end of this year.
This has however left allot of car buyers waiting months longer than the anticipated delivery promised by their local dealer and in many cases dealers have not been able to even confirm when the cars would be delivered creating affectively a back order or cars on their systems.
Naturally this leaves dealers in a very difficult position as they are powerless to do anything about the situation and often do not have any updates to provide their customers.
Previous posts on delays:
Further delays in the delivery of the new Ford Fiesta 2011
Car production in Japan halted by quake
Nissan leaf delayed on uk launch
We do provide a guide on delivery times within our help section as below:
Please note some manufacturers are not able to provide a confirmed delivery date until the order is actually placed on the manufacturers ordering system, (after you have paid your deposit to the dealer). In addition, delivery times can vary and delays of a number of days or even a few weeks are not unusual. If there is a significant delay in delivery the supplier should offer you a refund of your deposit.
If suppliers can supply within this time and beat/match the Maximum Price, they will win your order. Delivery times offered by dealers are always estimated and can not be guaranteed unless they are physical cars in their own stock. Delivery of vehicles can therefore be delayed outside of the control of the dealer (view Conditions of Purchase). Where the manufacturer delays delivery beyond a reasonable period and you cancel the order with the supplier, we will seek to procure (without obligation) any alternative vehicle however our fee will not be refundable.
New vehicles in stock:
Generally speaking dealers will order these limited cars to the standard manufacturers specification without factory fitted options. Therefore if you are after a new vehicle with factory options (sunroof, leather seats, etc…) it is unlikely your local dealer or other dealers with have them in stock so they will have to factory order you the vehicle.
Dealers can also check availability with the Manufacturers central stock systems as well as access other dealers vehicles however many dealer will not show vehicles as being available on the manufacturers systems as they are sometimes reluctant to swap their vehicles with other competing dealers therefore dealers will always try to sell you what they have and not what you want.
If there are any cars in stock that you are aware of or you simply want to place an order for any stock vehicle you can simply place an order on our system for that exact vehicle on the basis of us obtaining an offer for an immediate delivery vehicles also matching Your Maximum Price in addition to any other conditions of purchase that you may specify.
Remember you are more likely to over achieve on Your Maximum Price using our service if there are several vehicles in stock, as dealers will then be competing with others and are always willing to offer better deals for cars they can delivery and register in current calendar month.
*Please be aware that when ordering a vehicle from stock we can only guarantee the vehicle is still available once the supplier has secured the vehicle on the manufacturers systems, even from the time the deposit is taken to the supplier logging onto the system the vehicle may have been sold by another dealer, this is because the majority of stock vehicles are readily available to the entire dealer network and can be sold at any time. This is standard procedure throughout the majority of dealer networks. If this is the case you will not be charged anything, your deposit and our fee if already charged will naturally be returned. If however we advise you of a bid that matches your requirements 100% on a stock vehicle and that we have been informed there is only one vehicle available and you decide to wait for another day or longer in case you do receive further offers against our advise and the vehicle is no longer available we would still deem that to be a successful auction and our fee would be charged. Therefore we would strongly encourage your to take our advise on face value as we are working for you not the supplier.
New vehicles about to come into stock -
When a dealer orders a vehicle, they are given a build allocation slot by the Manufacturer. Dealers can sometimes offer you their current or previously ordered allocation slots, allowing you to jump the queue and get a quicker delivery time matching your exact order. Your local dealer will only be able to offer you their own stock, and not be able to get another supplier’s allocations, however we will market your order to virtually all UK dealers.
Factory Order vehicles -
Most vehicles take between six-to-ten weeks to factory order to match your exact requirement if not in stock. You can also place an order for any delivery time you require in order to get the vehicle delivered to you on an exact date for special occasions and or advanced orders for plate changes. Our dealers will be happy to help hold of the vehicles until you require them.
Flexible on Delivery Time?
If you’re not sure of the precise date you require a vehicle, select ‘You are flexible on delivery times’. Selecting this option may also provide a better price as the supplier can fit your order around their targets.
How does AutoeBid offer better availability/pricing than any other supplier?
As soon as your order is placed on our system we will market your order to over 1,500 registered suppliers nationally and an additional 6,000+ UK franchised dealers. These dealers will then compete with each other on price and availability until all your conditions or better are achieved. We only need 48 hours to run this service (although you can select any offers received immediately), if for any reason we are unable to locate your exact vehicle matching all your conditions of purchase it costs you nothing to try.
As you are our client, not the supplier we will endeavour to get as many competitive repeatable suppliers to compete for your business as possible.
In addition to UK main franchised dealers we also have car wholesalers, car supermarkets, leasing companies and specialist car suppliers who can provide you with additional stocks and more competitive deals then your local dealer. When you place an order with us you can specify any additional conditions of purchase in addition to the price you are willing to pay and your required delivery time.
You may only wish to purchase the vehicle from a franchised dealer or from a dealer within a certain mile radius of your home. Even though all vehicles are supplied with the full manufacturers warranty some of our clients prefer to only deal with a UK main franchised dealer directly. If this is the case you would only need to type this in the comments box of your order. For example you would type “offers from UK main dealers within 20 miles of my home”.
Our service therefore gives you more flexibility and control than any other way to purchase a new vehicle and don’t forget you only put a small deposit on your credit card and the balance on inspection.
October 3, 2011
New 80mph speed limit puts Britain in fast lane
At AutoeBid we’re always doing our best to drive down the cost of new cars and bring you hot deals. But for motorists everything else seems to be heading upwards at an alarming rate. At least Transport Secretary Philip Hammond’s proposal to introduce a new 80mph speed limit on Britain’s motorways isn’t designed to make you poorer.
Believe it or not, the existing 70mph speed limit has been in force since 1965. Since the heyday of the Beatles, petrol prices have rocketed, hemlines have risen (drastically) and fallen, but British drivers have zealously adhered to the fiction of the 70mph speed limit.
The reality, according to the Government, is that up to 49 per cent of drivers are already exceeding the maximum speed limit. So, bringing in a new 80mph speed limit simply reflects reality.
At the other end of the scale, the proposed new 80mph speed limit would be balanced by an extension of the 20mph limit in urban areas. So you’d be much less likely to be run over outside your home by a speeding neighbour en route to the motorway.
Why is the Government doing this now? For Mr Hammond it’s all about getting Britain moving again. He claims a new 80mph speed limit on motorways will help “generate economic benefits of hundreds of millions of pounds through shorter journey times”.
That’s right: Britain is unable to drag itself out of recession because everyone is driving to work too slowly.
The consultation on a change to the motorway speed limit won’t begin until 2012 but already the debate has begun. Friends of the Earth have pointed out that the proposal doesn’t sit well with David Cameron’s ambition to run “the greenest government ever”.
For Friends of the Earth, more speed is simply a route to increased fuel consumption, higher carbon emissions and a greater financial burden on businesses and individuals.
A new 80mph speed limit wouldn’t come into force until 2013. Until then, drivers will exercise the same healthy respect for speed cameras as they squander precious minutes on the way to work.
September 30, 2011
AutoeBid New Car Sales Round-up September 2011
Welcome to the first AutoeBid monthly round-up. We’ll be bringing you the latest on our sales of new cars, as well as highlighting some of the most useful aspects of our website. You’ll also be able to see what other customers have been saying about AutoeBid recently.
Bestselling new cars from AutoeBid
The Skoda Yeti is our top seller of September – though the Nissan Juke Hatchback runs it a close second. The Skoda Yeti also continues to top our list of bestsellers among all buyers for 2011. It’s outstripping nearest rival the Nissan Juke Hatchback by more than two to one.
The Ford Fiesta Hatchback has been a consistent seller on AutoeBid over the past four years, so it’s no surprise to see it among the favourites for our female buyers in 2011.
Have a look at the kind of deals you can get on a new Skoda Yeti by using AutoeBid’s unique reverse auction process.
If you’re not sure yet what make or model you want, the AutoeBid buying a vehicle page gives you a bite-size guide, with handy links to all the different makes.
In the news on AutoeBid this week
We’ve introduced some chances to our home page to make if even easier for you to find the best deals and take advantage of our range of blogs and features.
This week on AutoeBid you can read about:
- The healthy performance of the UK used car market, with overall sales of £35 billion last year.
- Plans by Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) to create a 48-volt version of its electric supercharger
- Our motoring blog has highlighted the best time to buy a new car and talked about some rather old-fashioned attitudes towards women drivers.
What AutoeBid customers are saying
At AutoeBid we bring you new car reviews to help you make the most informed choice. But we know that feedback from recent buyers is even more important. Here’s a quick recap of what you’ve been saying to us about your new cars:
- “At least 4 ½ star rating” says a satisfied Skoda Yeti customer, who also talks about the amount of room and the versatility of the car.
- “Great sporty hatchback with every bell & whistle you could wish for” enthused a Ford Fiesta Hatchback buyer earlier this month.
- “The engine noise is higher at lower speeds” said a Nissan Qashqai Hatchback buyer.
Making AutoeBid work for you
It’s not just the cars that get reviewed here on AutoeBid. We want to hear what you think about us, too.
Our buyers come from all walks of life and all parts of the country, but we know you’re all looking for the best possible deals. Have a look at how some recent buyers have reviewed our service.
Remember, whether you’re in the market for an SVU, a green car, or help with car insurance, AutoeBid has everything you need.
Before you leave the house, why not check out our dealer directory.
Don’t forget you can call us on 0800 033 6022 9am-6pm Monday-Friday, and we’ll do our best to help.
September 29, 2011
One giant leap for the Mini London 2012
Back in the 70s it was was motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel grabbing the headlines and breaking his bones with his feats of derring-do. As the London 2012 Olympics looms on the horizon a long-jumper has been getting in on the act by vaulting over a line-up of Mini London 2012 Edition Models.
The man with the extremely long reach is England long jump champion JJ Jegede. This week at Potter’s Field in London, he successfully vaulted over three Mini London 2012 cars — a distance of around 6 metres. To put that in context, a top-class jumper might achieve 7-8 metres if conditions were favourable.
Of course JJ Jegede wasn’t in the hunt for a medal here. But he did have the pressure of delivering a success story for the Mini London 2012 and the London 2012 Olympics. Bear in mind that there was no safety net!
In preparation for JJ’s leap of faith, the run-up track and sandpit were raised to the same height as the roofs of the line-up of Mini London 2012 vehicles. After all, he is a long-jumper not a high-jumper.
JJ’s (puntastic) take on his brave auto vs athlete feat was: “I’ve always wanted to demonstrate my ability in a fun way, so I jumped at the chance to perform an Evel Knievel-style display.”
Mini UK is an official partner to Team GB through its affiliation with London 2012 partner BMW. It is also partner to the ParalympicsGB Team and hopes the association will prove inspirational to athletes across all disciplines.
There are limits, of course. I’m sure Mini UK would join me in saying that what JJ Jegede did comes with a great big “don’t try this at home” warning.
Only (you guessed it) 2,012 of these limited edition Mini London 2012 vehicles will be built. Naturally they’ll be themed in patriotic red, white and blue. Appropriately, the three cars used for JJ’s jump were all fitted with JUMP! registration plates.
September 27, 2011
Women drivers still battle sexist attitudes
“When a woman’s at the wheel, Polyglas means more than mileage.”
It’s probably exaggerating to say that this Goodyear tyres advert from 1967 is the most sexist of all time. After all, there’s so much competition for that dubious accolade.
Leaving aside that dodgy spelling of Polyglas, this 60-second commercial isn’t just an amusing museum piece in terms of its attitudes and production. With more than a million hits on YouTube this advert is still right at the cutting edge of the debate about attitudes towards women drivers.
I use the word “debate” with some hesitation to describe what takes place on forums like YouTube and Twitter these days. I should warn that if you’re of a sensitive disposition many of the comments posted under the Polyglas video are highly offensive to women — in any decade.
“Dear Goodyear, please place this commercial back on the networks. But not from 5pm-6:30pm because that’s the time women are cooking dinner.” (anonymous poster, 2011)
Is it naive of me to admit that I can’t believe how many of these “women belong in the kitchen” comments I’ve seen on message boards recently?
Putting the outrage aside, though, it is interesting just how quickly and how easily some male commenters fall into the same lazy and misogynistic patterns when the subject of women behind the wheel is raised.
Some might claim that joking about old adverts is just harmless fun and that any woman who objects to being ridiculed is simply lacking the humour gene. Wrong. It is good to be able to laugh about sexual stereotypes — sometimes — but the debate has to move beyond that playground level.
I’d like to think that these chauvinists are in the minority. But it really doesn’t help women drivers in 2011 to feel that there’s still this groundswell of sexist opinion circulating on the internet and permeating into the “real” world.
On a positive note, there are some great websites out there now, like the FOXY Ladies Drivers Club in the UK and Women-Drivers.com in the US. These sites help put women drivers in touch with female-friendly dealers and services, as well as providing a safe and non-sexist environment for ladies to discuss motoring issues.
In an ideal world, women drivers wouldn’t have to seek out women-only sites for their motoring needs. They should know that every site is like AutoeBid — a place for information and not denigration.
September 26, 2011
The best time to buy a car
When is the best time to buy a car? If your drive to work this morning ended in a tow to the garage, you may already have the answer to that question. Yes, sometimes the timing of your biggest purchase of the year will come down to necessity rather than choice.
After eight years of operating our highly successful reverse car auction process, AutoeBid knows a thing or two about getting you the best deals. So whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned negotiator, here are some of our top tips for picking the best time to buy a car.
Buy your car in the "low" season
It might sound counter-intuitive but summer isn’t the best time to buy that convertible you’ve had your eye on. Wait until barbecue season is over and dealers will be hungrier and more open to negotiating. Call it delayed gratification, but your bank balance will look healthier for it. At the other end of the scale, if you’re in the market for an off-roader — then summer is the best time to buy a car. You’ll be in a better position to get a great deal — especially if you buy through AutoeBid.
Buy your car later — buy cheaper
Good things come to he or she who waits. If you’re someone who regularly books their holiday just days before departure, you’ll know that timing is everything. So before you head off to your local car dealer, check your calendar and try to hit:
- The end of the quarter
- The end of the month
- The end of the week
That’s right: Friday afternoon is a great time to choose the car dealership over a lingering lunch in the pub. You’ll get the dealer’s attention and you might get a bargain.
Remember, salesmen live and die by their targets. You want to be approaching them at a time when they’re keen to "close". That’s usually when a month or quarter is drawing to a close and they’re under pressure to make their figures look as good as possible.
Autumn car bargain or early Christmas present?
Think of it as early Christmas shopping or getting a jump on the sales, but October-December is often the best time to buy a car. You’ll often find that dealers are offering generous discounts then because they want to clear stock before the new models arrive in January.
If you can drag yourself off the sofa, that "dead" post-Christmas period will also find dealers full of seasonal good cheer. They want to keep those order books ticking over and you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
Here are a few more tips to bear in mind:
Wait until the new plate vehicles are released and you might pick up a great deal on a previous plate model.
Consider buying the previous generation car at the time the new model is first launched.
Above all, be flexible!
Of course we think the best time to buy a car is when AutoeBid’s network of more than 1,500 registered suppliers have had a chance to compete for your business. So why not give it a try?
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