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Motor 2002
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The information below comes from the UK Activity Report.
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Sogefi Filtration is planning to relocate its automotive air filters factory from Abergavenny to a new £4m site in Tredegar, securing the future of 400 jobs. 23-Dec-2002 DaimlerChrysler UK is to set up a new Mercedes-Benz dealership at Lyme Green in Macclesfield by autumn 2003. 20-Dec-2002 Cooper Standard is to shed 50 of the 500 jobs at its automotive seals factory near Plymouth, in order to transfer some production to Poland. 20-Dec-2002 Porsche is setting up a £2m car dealership at the Old Tiffield Road industrial estate in Towcester, and staff will relocate from its existing site in Northampton next June. 13-Dec-2002 DaimlerChrysler UK has submitted plans to Elmbridge Borough Council for the development of a Mercedes-Benz Heritage & Technology Centre in Surrey, including training facilities, technology labs and a full range of vehicles. 13-Dec-2002 Honeywell is to close its automotive turbo chargers factory in Skelmersdale with the loss of 350 jobs, in order to transfer production to Romania. 12-Dec-2002 Land Rover is said to be considering plans to shed up to 1,000 jobs at its Solihull car plant next year. 12-Dec-2002 TWR Engineering is to shed about 200 jobs in its motor industry engineering consultancy, affecting sites in Kidlington, Witney and Worthing. 11-Dec-2002 British Car Auctions is planning to set up a new auction centre on a 24-acre site south of Bedford within 18 months. 06-Dec-2002 William Jacks has acquired the Tamplins Volvo car dealership in Croydon. 06-Dec-2002 Dick Lovett Group is to relocate its recently-acquired Chrysler and Jeep dealerships from Hungerford to Swindon in 2003. 06-Dec-2002 SmarTire, the Canadian manufacturer of tyre monitoring systems, is planning to transfer its listing from Nasdaq to Aim early next year, and some funds will be raised to expand production and stocks. 03-Dec-2002 Toyota is setting up a network of business centres for fleet and commercial customers across the country, with the first opening at Inchcape Sandhurst Toyota in Surrey in January. 29-Nov-2002 Cannock Chase Council is to consider plans from Pritchard Holdings for the £7m redevelopment of the Avon Road Business Park, in order to allow Thyssen Krupp to expand production of automotive body panels and create 100 jobs. 26-Nov-2002 Ford is to invest a further £41m at its engine plant in Bridgend, with the creation of about 600 jobs, in order to transfer production of a Volvo engine from Sweden. 25-Nov-2002 Esmar UK is to create more than 130 jobs at a new £9m metal car components factory in Washington, Tyne & Wear, early next year, and some work will transfer from its existing site in Sunderland. 21-Nov-2002 Pendragon is to relocate its Porsche car dealership in Nottingham to a new site at Queens Drive by early 2003. 20-Nov-2002 Epm Technology is to create 20 jobs at factories in Coalville and Draycott, having won a £14m contract to manufacture components for the new Ascari KZ1 supercar. 18-Nov-2002 Lookers is to invest £6m refurbishing its recently-acquired Vauxhall garages in the Birmingham area, and a new site is expected to serve central Birmingham. 15-Nov-2002 The Motor Industry Research Association is planning to shed up to 60 of the 490 jobs at its site near Nuneaton. 14-Nov-2002 Logica has won a £31m contract to provide consultancy and support services to sports car maker Lotus. 14-Nov-2002 Harley-Davidson is looking to set up a new motorcycle dealership in the Oxford area, and a number of possible locations are being considered. 12-Nov-2002 The AA is planning to close its 28 vehicle fleet maintenance workshops and transfer the work to the AA Service Centre network acquired from Halfords last year. 08-Nov-2002 Ryland has sold its Alfa Romeo car dealership in Knowle to Guest Motors for £0.3m. 07-Nov-2002 Land Rover has announced a £64m deal for the assembly of vehicles in the kingdom of Jordan. 07-Nov-2002 DaimlerChrysler of Germany has acquired the Brooklands motor racing track in Surrey, in order to create a Mercedes "brand centre" on the 150-acre site. 04-Nov-2002 Bluebird Technologies, the South Wales-based developer of electric cars, has gone into liquidation. 25-Oct-2002 Toyota is to relocate a Lexus car dealership from Derby to Nottingham, as part of a strategy to establish 48 dedicated sales and service centres across the country. 25-Oct-2002 Goodyear is planning to shed 180 of the 1,300 jobs at its tyre plant in Wolverhampton. 21-Oct-2002 Autolink is planning to expand its chain of five car supermarkets to 12 sites over the next two years. 18-Oct-2002 Jennings Ford is building a £0.5m extension at its motor dealership in Middlesbrough, including a new commercial vehicle sales centre. 18-Oct-2002 MG Rover is looking to invest £225m in the Daewoo car plant in Poland, in order to produce the Rover 45 and the MG ZS sports car. 18-Oct-2002 The AA has appointed Itis, the automotive telematics company, to handle its Roadwatch telephone traffic information service, in a deal worth up to £2m a year in revenues. 14-Oct-2002 Dixon Motors is creating 300 new jobs at a new vehicle preparation and distribution centre at its Thorne site in North Lincolnshire, which is due to open in January. 14-Oct-2002 Linpac Automotive is planning to shed up to 94 of the 250 jobs at its car components factory on the Foxhills Industrial Estate in North Lincolnshire. 11-Oct-2002 LDV and Stadco are to form a new joint venture company called Stadco Birmingham Pressings to manufacture vehicle pressings. 09-Oct-2002 Barpro, the manufacturer of machined parts for car manufacturers, is to close its factory in Bromsgrove with the loss of 30 jobs. 04-Oct-2002 Visteon is creating 25 new jobs at its car components plant in Swansea, having won a new contract to supply power take-offs to the US. 03-Oct-2002 Vantage Group is to open a new £2m Toyota dealership in Blackburn in January 2003. 27-Sep-2002 Shields Automotive is to invest £12m in two new car retail parks over the next three years, with the first being next to its existing Land Rover site in south Glasgow and the second in Hamilton. 25-Sep-2002 Ford has submitted plans for the £5m development of three 1.8MW wind turbines to power production at its diesel engine manufacturing plant in Dagenham. 25-Sep-2002 Vale of White Horse District Council is considering plans from the Williams motor racing team for the development of a new wind tunnel at its Grove headquarters. 24-Sep-2002 Pyramid Plastics, the Gainsborough-based motorcycle accessories manufacturer with 27 staff, is to relocate to the Corringham Road Industrial Estate in October. 23-Sep-2002 Nationwide Accident Repair Services is withdrawing from its unprofitable sites in Bristol and Harrow, with the Bristol branch undergoing a management buy-out. 20-Sep-2002 Ford is to shed up to 1,000 jobs at its Jaguar and Land Rover operations, which will affect sites in Merseyside, Birmingham and Coventry. 20-Sep-2002 Vauxhall has won approval from the European Commission to receive a £10m government grant to invest in its Ellesmere Port production plant and secure more than 770 jobs. 19-Sep-2002 The AA is closing down its network of 522 roadside telephones, as most breakdown calls are now made by mobile phone. 19-Sep-2002 Vauxhall is in talks with property developers Heron International and Latimer Associates about the sale of its former 56-acre car plant in Luton, which is expected to lead to the development of new homes and offices. 19-Sep-2002 Inchcape is to close its vehicle contract hire business in Norwich next year with the loss of 65 jobs, in order to transfer the work to Inchcape Fleet Solutions in Portsmouth. 13-Sep-2002 Oshkosh of the US is considering plans to set up a new factory in South Wales with the creation of hundreds of jobs, in order to produce heavy vehicles for the Ministry of Defence. 11-Sep-2002 Fleet Support Group, the vehicle management company, has started work on the development of a new headquarters in Chippenham, and plans to expand its 80-strong workforce with dozens of new jobs over the next two years. 10-Sep-2002 Dura Automotive is planning to shed 97 jobs at one of its motor industry component factories in Stourport. 06-Sep-2002 Marshall's Bus, the Cambridgeshire-based bus manufacturer, has been closed down with the loss of the remaining 36 jobs. 05-Sep-2002 Avis Europe is to shed more than 150 management and support jobs in its European car rental business. 04-Sep-2002 Manheim Auctions is to launch a new vehicle remarketing business called Vehicle Remarketing Solutions, operating from a base in the Midlands. 03-Sep-2002 Pendragon has acquired a 30% stake in Ryland, the car dealership, from Guinness Peat for £11m. 30-Aug-2002 Ilkeston Co-op has started work on the development of a £4m Renault and Nissan dealership on a 2.6-acre site in Haydn Road, Nottingham, which will create 40 jobs. 29-Aug-2002 Gloucester Saab is to relocate its Gloucester-based car dealership from Montpellier to a former Daewoo site in Kingsholm Road. 23-Aug-2002 Scottish Borders Council is considering plans from John Martin for the development of a BMW car dealership on a 10,000 sq ft site at Dunsdale Haugh in Selkirk. 23-Aug-2002 Invensys is to close Tungstone Batteries, its Market Harborough-based car battery factory, next year with the loss of 180 jobs. 22-Aug-2002 Eclipse Vehicle Management is to relocate its vehicle delivery business from Kidlington to a six-acre site in Kingston Bagpuize, and its 70-strong workforce will be expanded. 22-Aug-2002 Budget Rent-A-Car has appointed Kroll Buchler Phillips to handle the administration of its UK business, which operates from seven sites and 103 franchises. 16-Aug-2002 Automotive Safety Components International is to close its airbags factory on the Penyfan Industrial Estate in Crumlin with the loss of 38 jobs, in order to transfer production to Germany. 13-Aug-2002 Kia of South Korea is taking control of its UK car import and distribution business, by paying an undisclosed sum to Inchcape and Itochu Corporation. 09-Aug-2002 Toyota Tsusho is to set up a 33,000 sq ft factory at Willow Farm near East Midlands Airport to supply wheels and tyres to the Toyota plant in Burnaston, with the creation of 20 jobs. 06-Aug-2002 AC Cars is to relocate some of its sports car manufacturing operations from Surrey to Malta, having formed a new consortium on the island with financial support from the Malta Development Corporation. 30-Jul-2002 Fehrer Great Britain has suffered a major fire at its automotive seat mouldings factory in Smethwick, putting 180 jobs at risk. 26-Jul-2002 Lex Service is investing £20m in new technology to increase the cross-selling of products in its motor services business this year. 24-Jul-2002 Proton, the Malaysian car manufacturer, is to relocate its UK sales operation from Bristol to its Group Lotus site in Norfolk, but its import preparation and parts centre is expected to remain in Avonmouth. 18-Jul-2002 Robinsons is to open new Mercedes-Benz car dealerships in King's Lynn and Bury St Edmunds in October, in addition to a recently-acquired business in Cambridge. 16-Jul-2002 Carcraft is planning to build a £14m car warehouse on the Axis Business Park in Liverpool, with the creation of up to 300 jobs. 10-Jul-2002 Ryland, the car dealer, has received a £36m takeover approach from investment group Guinness Peat. 09-Jul-2002 Reg Vardy is looking to spend up to £100m on acquisitions to expand its network of car dealerships from 73 to 100. 04-Jul-2002 Jensen Motors has laid off all 40 workers at its sports car plant in Speke, and plans are being considered to transfer production to South Africa. 03-Jul-2002 Lola Cars is to shed an unspecified number of the 215 jobs at its sports car business in Huntingdon, as part of a restructuring programme that will involve outsourcing some of the manufacturing work. 27-Jun-2002 The Motor Industry Research Association has started work on the development of a £3m wind tunnel at its automotive engineering centre near Nuneaton. 26-Jun-2002 Pirelli has won permission to set up a tyre warehouse at its Dalston Road site in Carlisle, with the creation of up to 50 jobs. 26-Jun-2002 AC Cars is planning to restructure its car manufacturing business with "substantial" new funding next month. 20-Jun-2002 Renrod Motor Group, the operator of 13 car dealerships in West Wiltshire and Bath, is to relocate its head office and 20 staff to the centre of Trowbridge later this month. 19-Jun-2002 Unipart is to shed a further 20 jobs at its car parts distribution business in Cowley, as part of a reorganisation that will also result in the recruitment of 250 staff at its manufacturing division in Coventry. 19-Jun-2002 Ctex Seat Comfort of Burton is building a new £2.3m car seat production plant at Centrum West off the A38, and construction company Bowmer & Kirkland is expected to complete the site in October. 18-Jun-2002 EasyGroup is looking to expand its car rental operations from 19 to 40 locations, and a new business model will be adopted to reduce costs and increase margins. 17-Jun-2002 The British Metals Recycling Association has estimated that UK scrap yards will have to invest more than £500m in new equipment to comply with new European legislation on scrapping old cars. 17-Jun-2002 Thyssen Krupp Automotive Group is to start production at a new motor body panels factory in Cannock later this summer, with the creation of more than 60 jobs. 14-Jun-2002 Spectra Coach Building, the Wiltshire-based manufacturer of vehicles for Formula One racing teams and television companies, has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 80 jobs. 13-Jun-2002 MG Rover is said to be planning to shed 60 jobs at the Powertrain engine and transmission business at Longbridge, when outside contractors take over part of the logistics department. 12-Jun-2002 Listers Group is to set up a £2m Volkswagen dealership and service centre at Eliot Park near Nuneaton, with the creation of 50 jobs. 12-Jun-2002 MG Rover is in negotiations to acquire control of Daewoo's Polish manufacturing operation, as part of a strategy to expand its car distribution network into central and eastern Europe. 10-Jun-2002 Reg Vardy is to set up a new call centre, warehouse and car distribution centre at the Rainton Bridge Business Park in Sunderland, with the creation of up to 35 jobs. 30-May-2002 Ford is considering plans to spin off control of its Land Rover logistics department to an independent contractor, which could involve the transfer of up to 770 jobs. 30-May-2002 Francis Motor Group is to set up a new Seat car dealership on a 1.5-acre site at Raw Dykes Road in Leicester, with the creation of 25 jobs. 29-May-2002 Unipart is to create 250 new jobs at its Coventry plant following an agreement to supply exhausts to Land Rover through its UEES joint venture with Eberspacher of Germany. 28-May-2002 The East of England Development Agency has arranged £8m of funding for the Luton Vauxhall Partnership to develop the Luton Dunstable Innovation Centre and the Butterfield Technology Village, boosting the local economy after the Vauxhall plant closure. 27-May-2002 Reynard Motorsport's assets have been sold to two separate buyers, with British American Racing taking over the buildings in Brackley and International Racing Management of Guildford taking the Formula Nippon part of the business. 24-May-2002 The Garage Equipment Association has announced that Linkay Systems has gone into liquidation, and MOT garages will have to find alternative sources to service their equipment. 24-May-2002 Camden Motors is planning to open up to eight Car Shops over the next five years, having just opened its second outlet on a 10-acre site in Manchester. 24-May-2002 Evans Halshaw is to relocate its Little Aston Porsche dealership to a larger site in Sutton Coldfield later this year. 17-May-2002 Iveco Ford Truck is seeking permission to build a storage and inspection facility with capacity for 2,200 vehicles at the former Ince B power station site in Ellesmere Port, with the creation of about 20 jobs. 17-May-2002 Available Car is to create a further 30 jobs at its new £11m car hypermarket in Castle Donington this year, and parent company the Graham Bell Group intends to use it as a blueprint for five more sites. 17-May-2002 Unipart is creating 50 new jobs in its Oxford-based logistics business to work on a contract to distribute automotive parts for Halfords. 17-May-2002 The Department of Trade & Industry has announced a £45m programme to boost the competitiveness of the car industry, including the development of an "automotive academy" to improve design expertise and production methods. 17-May-2002 GT Precision Products is to create 50 new jobs at its factory in Peterlee, having secured the rights to produce a US-designed braking system for bus and truck engines. 16-May-2002 Dutton Forshaw has bought the North Eastern Land Rover dealership at Lemington on Tyneside. 10-May-2002 Morrisons is forming a joint venture with Lookers to sell cars in supermarkets, and computer terminals have been installed in three stores to enable customers to select a car. 07-May-2002 Pendragon has sold its Ford dealerships in North London to Polar Motor Group, and the sites will now trade as Dagenham Motors. 06-May-2002 Contex of the US is to close a car components factory in Antrim with the loss of 87 jobs. 06-May-2002 BMW has announced plans to invest a further £50m at its Mini plant in Oxford, with the creation of 700 jobs. 06-May-2002 Dixon Motors is to set up a £0.3m Nissan dealership at its existing Renault showroom in Barnsley, with the creation of 15 jobs. 03-May-2002 BMW is looking to set up satellite sites at dealerships throughout the country, in order to cope with the rising demand for after-sales and servicing. 03-May-2002 Quinton Hazell is to close its clutch manufacturing operation in Redditch and relocate the work to its Colwyn Bay site, while production of steering and cooling equipment will be transferred to India. 03-May-2002 JCT600 has announced plans to build a new £4.5m BMW dealership on Sticker Lane in Bradford, securing 45 existing jobs and creating 15 new jobs. 03-May-2002 LDV is forming a consortium with three other companies - Multidrive, Lex Multipart and Stewart & Stevenson of the US - to bid for a £1.5bn Ministry of Defence truck contract, which could create hundreds of jobs in Yorkshire and the West Midlands. 03-May-2002 Peugeot has announced plans to add a fourth shift at its Ryton car plant near Coventry, with the creation of 700 jobs. 03-May-2002 Harley-Davidson, the US motorcycle company, is relocating its European headquarters and 65 staff from sites in Windsor and Brackley to the Oxford Business Park in Cowley. 29-Apr-2002 Auto Indemnity, the provider of accident management services, has bought out its West Midlands franchise for £1.2m. 26-Apr-2002 Jordan Grand Prix is to restructure its Silverstone-based motor racing business with the loss of up to 40 jobs. 26-Apr-2002 Ford's Jaguar division has announced plans to build a £10m railhead at its Castle Bromwich site in Birmingham, in order to transport body panels from Halewood. 26-Apr-2002 Mayflower is to raise £67m in a rights issue, in order to reduce debt and fund acquisitions for its truck and bus manufacturing business. 18-Apr-2002 Pressac is in negotiations to sell its Interconnect automotive electronics business, which employs 150 staff at Long Eaton, to a management team. 16-Apr-2002 Mayflower has won contracts worth £70m to manufacture buses for London United, Go-Ahead and Metroline Travel. 16-Apr-2002 Listers has bought the Broadway Road Volkswagen dealership in Evesham, and now has 12 franchises and 650 staff at more than 20 sites. 15-Apr-2002 Ryobi of Japan is planning a £6.9m expansion at its automotive castings factory in Carrickfergus, with the creation of 76 jobs over the next three years. 15-Apr-2002 Antonov is to raise £2.2m in a share placing to fund the working capital requirements of its automotive transmissions business. 15-Apr-2002 Lookers has acquired Picking Liverpool, the car dealership known as Spekehall Vauxhall, from Vauxhall Motors for £0.7m. 11-Apr-2002 Braintree District Council has approved plans from Lancaster Management Services to build a Mercedes-Benz after-sales centre at the Eastways Waterside Business Park in Witham, with the creation of about 50 jobs. 09-Apr-2002 Skoda is planning to build four car showrooms this year, and has already started work on sites in Liverpool and Bradford. 05-Apr-2002 MG Rover has launched an initiative to reduce costs in its supply-chain by 20%, and 200 engineers will work with suppliers to review the design of components. 03-Apr-2002 DVLA, the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, is seeking a joint venture partner to increase the efficiency of its £12m Swansea headquarters and make improvements at its 40 regional offices. 02-Apr-2002 British American Racing has shed about 60 of the 400 jobs at its Brackley-based Formula One motor sports team. 29-Mar-2002 Autologic is to close its car distribution subsidiary in Dagenham and start importing Ford cars from continental Europe. 28-Mar-2002 Federal Mogul has confirmed plans to close its piston ring factory in Sunderland later this year, with the loss of 400 jobs. 27-Mar-2002 Iveco is to close its Seddon Atkinson truck plant in Oldham with the loss of 155 jobs, in order to transfer production to Spain. 26-Mar-2002 GKN has acquired a 33% stake in Tochigi Fuji Sangyo, the Japanese supplier of advanced automotive driveline components, from Nissan for £27m. 26-Mar-2002 Exide is considering plans to close its car battery factory in Cwmbran with the loss of 170 jobs. 25-Mar-2002 MG Rover has confirmed plans to form a joint venture with China Brilliance, which will involve co-operating in car production, component sourcing and product development in markets throughout the world. 22-Mar-2002 Aston Green is to take over AFN Audi in West London and AFN Audi in Guildford from next month, and the dealerships will be renamed West London Audi and Guildford Audi. 22-Mar-2002 Harper & Hebson is to set up a £1.5m Volkswagen and Audi dealership at the old Minories site on Carlisle's Rosehill estate, with the creation of 20 jobs. 19-Mar-2002 Macrae & Dick is to invest £3m in the expansion of its Ford car and commercial vehicle business on a new 3.5-acre site in Perth. 15-Mar-2002 Eurobrake is to close its metal brake shoes factory in Tyseley next month with the loss of 71 jobs. 14-Mar-2002 The Motorsport Industry Association is set to receive £6m of government aid, including £3m from the DTI and £3m from regional development agencies, to encourage the development of engineering programmes and co-operation with other industries. 14-Mar-2002 BT Group is seeking an investment partner for its BT Fleet commercial vehicle operation, in order to exploit the full potential of the 56,000 cars, vans and trucks. 12-Mar-2002 Fin Machine Company is creating more than 30 jobs in Sedgefield this year, having won a £4.5m contract to supply machines used to make car parts to Visteon. 08-Mar-2002 Toyota is considering plans to expand production at its Burnaston car factory in Derbyshire, which could involve the addition of a third shift. 07-Mar-2002 Ford has announced plans to invest £10m at its Leamington foundry, including the installation of a new moulding line and renewal of foundry equipment. 06-Mar-2002 ERF is to relocate its Cheshire-based truck manufacturing operation to Germany, and parent company MAN is seeking an alternative use for the £28m factory in Middlewich. 05-Mar-2002 Horns is investing £1m in the expansion of its Vauxhall and Citroen dealership in Stockport, with the creation of 30 jobs. 04-Mar-2002 Nissan is planning to set up a multi-million pound automotive design centre at a disused railway depot near Paddington station in London, employing 40 designers and support staff. 04-Mar-2002 Ricardo is looking to spend up to £22m on acquisitions to expand its automotive design and research business, and is particularly interested in Germany. 28-Feb-2002 Peugeot is looking to recruit 700 part-time and temporary workers to expand production at its Ryton car plant near Coventry, which would give the 3,000 existing workers greater freedom in timing their holidays. 27-Feb-2002 Ford has announced plans to relocate production of Aston Martin cars from Newport Pagnell and Bloxham to a new plant at its Gaydon headquarters by 2008, which will involve the transfer of 600 workers. 25-Feb-2002 Jensen Motors is seeking additional investment to expand production at its sports car factory in Liverpool, and would offer a substantial equity stake. 22-Feb-2002 NSK Steering System Europe is to create 138 jobs at its Peterlee plant when the manufacture of car steering columns is relocated from Coventry in 2003, although 260 jobs will be lost in Coventry. 22-Feb-2002 Mill Garages is investing £3m in two new Volvo car franchises in Leeds and Harrogate, with the creation of 60 jobs. 22-Feb-2002 Lex Service is planning to change its name to RAC, the name of the breakdown business acquired two years ago, in order to reflect its new focus on motor services. 22-Feb-2002 Autoliv is to shed 125 jobs at its seatbelt factory in Havant, in order to transfer production to eastern Europe. 21-Feb-2002 Reynard Motorsport is to shed 50 jobs in Brackley following a fall in demand for its services from the motor racing industry. 15-Feb-2002 Dennis Eagle, the industrial vehicles supplier, is to shed 50 jobs across its nine UK sites over the next few months. 15-Feb-2002 British Telecom is planning to sell off a stake in its vans business, which owns 58,000 vehicles, and wants to bring in a partner from the venture capital or banking sector. 12-Feb-2002 BMW is to shed more than 150 part-time contract jobs at its Mini factory in Cowley. 08-Feb-2002 Lotus has announced plans to shed up to 275 jobs at its Norfolk-based sports car manufacturing business. 07-Feb-2002 Coventry Prototype Panels is planning to expand its 26-strong workforce and seek larger premises, having won a contract to supply automotive panels for the Spyker sports car. 06-Feb-2002 Marshall's Bus is to relocate its bus manufacturing operation and 120 staff from Cambridge to the Lancaster Way Business Park at Witchford, near Ely, in May. 05-Feb-2002 Sytner, the Leicester-based network of 47 car dealerships, has received a takeover approach from an unnamed company. 05-Feb-2002 Randles Motor Group has acquired three Percy Tait Cars sites, and now holds the Suzuki franchise for Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire. 01-Feb-2002 Squire Furneaux has acquired the Volvo franchise for Slough, High Wycombe and Beaconsfield from HE Marshalls. 01-Feb-2002 Trelleborg Industrial is to shed 72 jobs at its automotive components factory in Leicester. 01-Feb-2002 Vauxhall is planning to shed about 850 jobs at its Ellesmere Port car factory. 30-Jan-2002 Optare is planning to create up to 80 jobs later this year at a new £2m production plant in Rotherham for the Alero small bus. 28-Jan-2002 TRB is to invest £1m in the expansion of its car electronics factory in St Asaph, with the creation of 50 jobs. 25-Jan-2002 Virgin Cars is planning to set up its first car showroom this year, at an unnamed location in the south east. 25-Jan-2002 Sytner is to acquire the Stonelake Land Rover dealership in Wakefield for £0.8m, and has announced the opening of a new Volvo dealership in Stratford-upon-Avon. 23-Jan-2002 Benteler Automotive is to create 60 new jobs at its car components factory in Corby, having taken on further projects with Land Rover and Jaguar. 23-Jan-2002 Ashtenne has formed a £12m sale and leaseback joint venture with City Motors to acquire ten car showrooms across the country. 22-Jan-2002 European Motor Holdings is planning to expand the distribution of Perodua cars imported from Malaysia, including the launch of the new Kelisa model, and its network of independent dealers will rise from 36 to 40. 22-Jan-2002 Inchcape has announced plans to restructure its business by creating three new divisions that will split its UK car retail and fleet operations from its logistics and refurbishment operations. 21-Jan-2002 Novem Car Interior Design is to close its automotive wood interiors factory in Coventry with the loss of 219 jobs. 17-Jan-2002 South Lanarkshire Council is in talks with Scottish Coal about plans to create a £80m motor sport centre and business park at the Dalquhandy coalfield near Lesmahagow, with the creation of up to 600 jobs. 16-Jan-2002 Ford has put its Kwik-Fit chain of car repair centres up for sale, which employ 11,500 staff at 2,400 service centres. 16-Jan-2002 Elmsteel is expanding the 126-strong workforce at its automotive tube components factory in Hinckley, following its recent acquisition by Rotec of Germany. 15-Jan-2002 Magna Kansei is to invest £6m in the expansion of its car dashboards factory in Sunderland, with the creation of 79 jobs. 11-Jan-2002 Northgate is looking to expand its commercial vehicle hire business into continental Europe, and is seeking acquisitions in France and Spain. 11-Jan-2002 The Ministry of Defence is looking to award a £1.4bn contract for the supply of 8,500 off-road trucks, and bids have been invited from Leyland Trucks, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, Oshkosh Truck and Stewart & Stevenson. 10-Jan-2002 Manganese Bronze has announced a 20-year licensing agreement with Brilliance China to manufacture taxi cabs at the Shenyang plant in north-east China. 08-Jan-2002 The Welsh Development Agency has repossessed an 18,000 sq ft factory at the Llangefni s Bryn Cefni industrial estate on Anglesey, as the Sintered Metal Products automotive components business has gone into liquidation with the loss of 30 jobs. 03-Jan-2002 The information below comes from the UK Activity Report. 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