New car registrations fell 3.4 percent in the key March 2019 plate-change month, latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed. 

The decline of diesel continues, with a 21.4 percent plunge in new diesel sales. Petrol was up 5.1 percent. 

The market share of diesel is now just 26.3 percent. 

The March figures compound the continuing decline of the industry as fears over Brexit and the future of diesel sap consumer confidence. New car registrations for 2018 were themselves down almost 7 percent. 

‘Clear concern’

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said, “March is a key barometer for the new car market, so this fall is of clear concern.

“We urgently need an end to the political and economic uncertainty by removing permanently the threat of a ‘no deal’ Brexit and agreeing a future relationship that avoids any additional friction that would increase costs and hence prices.”

Hawes also called upon the government for “supportive policies, not least on vehicle taxation and incentives, to give buyers the confidence to invest in the new car that best meets their driving needs”.

Big brand declines

Many big brands suffered a wretched month. Ford, the largest car manufacturer selling vehicles in the UK, experienced an 18.9 percent decline in registrations; Nissan was down 18.7 percent and Honda was down 15.6 percent.

Hyundai fell 11.9 percent, but its sister brand Kia was up 1.3 percent. Kia claimed a 4.0 percent UK market share in March 2019, compared to Hyundai’s 3.5 percent.

At the tail end of the table, Infiniti sales plunged 70.3 percent: just 45 new Infiniti cars were sold in March, as the brand confirmed it was withdrawing from Europe in 2020. DS Automobiles was dow 49 percent and Alfa Romeo registrations fell 29.8 percent. 

There were some success stories though. The onward march of Volvo continues with a 26.5 percent increase in new car registrations. Citroen grew 21.8 percent, Jaguar was up 20.4 percent and even Vauxhall managed to grow 2.0 percent; its market share of 8.25 percent was just 0.12 percent behind Volkswagen.

And despite the huge fall in new Ford car sales, the Fiesta did manage to retain its position as Britain’s best-selling car. 

March 2019: top 10 best-selling cars

1: Ford Fiesta

2: Vauxhall Corsa

3: Volkswagen Golf

4: Mercedes-Benz A-Class

5: Nissan Qashqai

6: Ford Focus

7: Mini

8: Volkswagen Polo

9: BMW 1 Series

10: Toyota Yaris

Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chairman, has been rearrested in Tokyo, one day after vowing to tell the truth in a planned press conference on 11 April.

Prosecutors raided his property early on Thursday morning (4 April) and charged him with breach of trust, reported Japanese news broadcaster NHK.

It is the fourth time Ghosn, who was also formerly chairman of Renault and Mitsubishi, has been rearrested.

According to NHK, the re-arrest of someone on bail in Japan is unusual. Prosecutors stated it was to carry out further investigations that Ghosn had misappropriated Nissan funds for personal use.

“I am innocent of the groundless charges and accusations against me,” said Ghosn in a statement, which was released on his behalf following his rearrest.

Describing his arrest as “outrageous and arbitrary”, he called it “another attempt by some individuals at Nissan to silence me by misleading the prosecutors. Why arrest me except to try and break me?

“I will not be broken.”

He added plans to hold the news conference on 11 April may now have to be postponed. However, he added that “if tried fairly, I will be vindicated”.

There has not yet been any further update on the Twitter account created (and verified) in Ghosn’s name.

Carlos Ghosn has revealed on Twitter he will hold a news conference on Thursday 11 April in which he will give his first public comments on charges of financial misconduct.

The ex-Nissan boss is now under house arrest as part of a £9 million (£6.8 million) bail arrangement.

Under terms of his bail, he is not allowed to use the internet. It is understood someone posted the statement on his behalf; the @carlosghosn Twitter account was recently established and this is the first tweet posted on it.

• The biggest motoring scandals

Two tweets from a visibly greyer Ghosn have been posted, one in English and one in Japanese. The Japanese version has been shared much more widely, and has four times the ‘likes’ of the English version.

I’m getting ready to tell the truth about what’s happening. Press conference on Thursday, April 11.

— Carlos Ghosn カルロス・ゴーン (@carlosghosn) April 3, 2019

Ghosh was arrested at Haneda Airport in Japan on 19 November 2018. Two allegations were made against him: underreporting his earnings and the misuse of company assets.

The Nissan board dismissed him on 22 November, and Mitsubishi followed on 26 November. Renault, however, continued to support him, although he did resign as chairman and CEO on 24 January 2019.

Ghosn was finally released on bail on March 6 2019 after more than 100 days in detention. Strict conditions were applied: he can’t leave the country and is watched under 24-hour camera surveillance.

Many millions more will be watching him on 11 April. Until then, he will continue “getting ready to tell the truth about what’s happening”…

Car collectors looking for rare and unusual additions to their collection should be paying close attention to the auction happening in Australia this weekend.

The sad news that the Gosford Classic Car Museum was to close, came about after a dispute between with the Australian Tax Office. With a substantial tax bill to be paid, the establishment was left with no choice but to sell the 450 cars in the collection.

Featuring everything from an American LaFrance fire truck, to an Aston Martin racer, the sale is likely to appeal to more than just Australian bidders.

1969 ‘Chip Foose’ Chevrolet Camaro

Billed as one of the big attractions at the sale, this special Chevrolet Camaro was custom-built by legendary designer Chip Foose.

Bespoke bumpers and a smoothed exterior are finished in eye-popping Hot Hue’s Orange, complemented by a set of polished 18-inch Foose Design wheels.

Power comes from a 620 horsepower 527-cubic inch V8 engine, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The interior also features a number of custom touches, including Foose Design leather seats and special gauges.

1975 Ford Falcon XB GT 351

Alongside the rows of American muscle cars at Gosford were homegrown Australian machinery, like this Falcon GT.

This is one of just 949 Falcon XB GT Coupes made between 1973 and 1976, and one of just nine finished in distinctive Tango Orange..

The 351-cubic inch ‘Cleveland’ V8 is said to produce 300 horsepower, and is connected to a four-speed manual transmission. Having undergone a thorough restoration, it presents as an impressive example of the V8 monsters which roamed Australia in the 1970s

1980 Holden HDT VC Commodore

Don’t dismiss this as any old tarted-up four-door from the 1980s. In fact, the HDT VC Commodore represents a rare and important contribution to Australian motorsport.

After Holden officially withdrew from racing in 1979, racing legend Peter Brock purchased the Holden Dealer Team. To fund the team, Brock diversified into producing a limited-edition of modified Commodore road cars.

Just 500 were built, and this example retains the original Palais White paintwork, along with the Irmscher bodykit. The 308-cubic inch V8 engine benefited from factory enhancements when new, taking power to 210 horsepower.

1999 Lamborghini Diablo SV

Gosford was also home to an array of serious supercars, with the collection even including two  Ferrari Enzos. Although both Enzos are sold, bagging this Diablo SV would still be an impressive consolation prize.

One of only 100 produced, this ‘99 Diablo SV was first sold in Great Britain, and wears the wonderfully named Super Fly Yellow paint with pride. Inside is finished throughout in blue suede, but does feature the beautiful open-gate manual transmission.

Pride of place goes to the 60-degree V12 engine, bellowing out 529 horsepower and 446lb-ft of torque. Enough for a top speed in excess of 200mph.

1985 GAZ M-14 Chaika

Communist-era cars accounted for a substantial portion of the Gosford collection, and this 1985 GAZ is one of the most formidable.

Capable of seating seven in soundproofed luxury, it was intended for use by members of the Soviet Union Politburo. A V8 engine with 220 horsepower was tasked with hauling the substantial limousine.

Only one hundred examples of the Chaika were produced each year, and this car is remarkable for being unrestored.

1974 Volkswagen Pizza Kombi

Your eyes do not deceive you. This really is a Volkswagen Kombi fitted with a working pizza oven!

Professionally converted to cater for events, the Pizza Kombi actually has a matching twin kitted out with six beer taps. However, even the pizza truck alone could make you a hit at your next car meet or family gathering.

Fully legal for use on the road, there is no word on the power output from the engine. Or, more importantly, how much performance is hampered by hauling an oven around.

Online bidding registration is already live, with the sale set to happen on Sunday April 7th.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is well known as a firm that uses lots of high-tech aluminium to build its cars: now, it is planning how it will recycle that material to give the cars of today a ‘second life’ as the motors of tomorrow. 

A new pilot project called Reality is currently being trialled, using early pre-production Jaguar I-Pace aluminium electric cars. These are being deconstructed in a controlled process, and the scrap sorted into various material grades using a set of advanced sensors.

This aluminium scrap is then melted and reformed… to potentially make brand new Jaguars and Land Rovers. 

Boffins from Brunel University have already conducted tests on the recycled material, to grade its strength and purity. The target is to use it for body panels across the Jaguar and Land Rover range.

JLR bosses hope it will reduce the amount of virgin aluminium needed to make the cars of tomorrow. They also point to the Jaguar XE as an example of the high grade of aluminium that can be made from recycled material.

Indeed, the XE was the first car in the world to use a new grade of aluminium alloy called RC5754: it’s 75 percent recycled and is used to make body parts on the XE. Half the body panels on every Jaguar XE contain recycled aluminium.

“More than a million cars are crushed every year in the UK and this pioneering project affords us a real opportunity to give some of them a second life,” said the Reality project’s lead manager Gaelle Guillaume. 

“Aluminium is a valuable material and a key component in our manufacturing process, and we’re committed to ensuring our use of it is as responsible as possible.”

Ambitiously, JLR is even planning how the project could be used to recycle large fleets of shared mobility cars in the future. Carefully-controlled ‘closed loop’ recycling could be integrated into tight production schedules, for a guaranteed supply of high=-quality material. 

“Vehicles can be recovered, de-polluted and shredded en masse – making a viable business case for the company’s recycled aluminium within its own facilities.”

Innovate UK is co-funding the project, which should help grow the amount of closed-loop aluminium JLR recycles. Between September 2013 and January 2019, it has already recycled around 300,000 tonnes of scrap aluminium, reusing it in its cars. 

As many as one in 14 cars in the UK have been clocked, costing motorists around £800 million every year, according to data experts HPI.

This is up from one in 16 cars in 2017 and one in 20 in 2014 – an increase of 30 percent in just five years.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the act of ‘clocking’ – or winding back the odometer – died along with the death of the analogue odometer, but digital dashboards have made it even easier to go all ‘Johnny Hates Jazz’ by turning back the clock.

While it’s illegal to sell a clocked car without declaring its genuine mileage, the act of altering an odometer is not an offence.

Commenting on the worrying increase in the practice, Barry Shorto, head of industry relations at HPI, said: “Clocking and mileage fraud is a problem that refuses to go away and continues to get worse.

“Used car buyers now have a one in 14 chance of purchasing a vehicle with a mileage discrepancy which is extremely concerning. Criminals are increasingly using more advanced technology to make it easier for them to clock vehicles and cover their tracks.

“The continued development of technologies to alter digital odometers, easy access to this technology via the internet and similarly, the ease of access to mileage adjustment services online, some of whom will behave legitimately, others less so, are all exacerbating the trend.

“The increase in mileage-related finance arrangements such as PCP and PCH may also be a contributing factor as motorists look to avoid costly penalties for exceeding mileage allowances.”

‘Impossible to tell a clocked vehicle’

It can be difficult to spot a clocked car, but checking the service and MOT history will reduce your chances of ending up with a dodgy motor.

You can also ask HPI to check the car against the national mileage register. Barry Shorto said: “It can be almost impossible to tell a clocked vehicle just by looking at it, which makes a vehicle history check an even more vital form of protection for buyers.

“A clocked vehicle could be hiding serious levels of wear and tear, especially if it has been previously used as a high mileage private hire vehicle for a couple of years, meaning the additional cost of unexpected repairs or even a potentially serious safety threat to driver, passengers and other road users. An HPI Check can help protect consumers from buying a vehicle with something to hide, saving them cash and keeping them safe.”