Vauxhall Ampera is set to boost the uptake of electric cars

The release of the Vauxhall Ampera is set to boost the uptake of electric cars, according to Vauxhall, who say that their new model will end fears over “range anxiety” due to limited battery life.

The Ampera was launched in the US last year and did very well and it is expected to do well in the UK too.

Last year, the then transport secretary Phillip Hammond said: "2011 could be remembered as the year the electric car took off", as he launched the grant scheme that covers nine different models. But, according to The Guardian, only around 1,000 were sold last year, and figures for first quarter sales in 2012 show that registrations of new electric cars have largely flatlined, and only half of the allocated budget for the grant scheme is likely to be taken up.

Of the 563,556 cars sold in Q1, only 278 were pure electric models, up from 218 on the year before.However, Vauxhall is aiming to sell 3,500 units of the car, which is worth £30,000, this year, or a total of 5,000 in a full year. A spokeswoman told The Guardian its target of 10,000 sales across Europe in 2012 was "in our reach quite easily".

The main selling point of the new Ampera is that when its battery runs out after 50 miles of electric power, a petrol engine provides back-up power for a further 310 miles. But because the petrol still drives the electric motor, the company says the vehicle should be considered a "range extender", not a hybrid car like the Toyota Prius.

This week the car is sent to 24 dealers across the UK and the company are looking forward to seeing how well it does in its first year on the market.

Could this be the beginning of a new wave of people buying electric cars?

Why not take a look at other fuel-efficient cars on Trade-It now?

Photo: The Charging Point

Trade-It’s top tips to improve the chances of selling your vehicles

With 48% more people using Trade-It to search for cars,  and 35,000 cars advertised on the site, advertisers need to ensure their ad is of the highest quality possible.

The better your ad is, the better the chance you have of making a sale!

The first impression that your advert makes on a potential buyer are crucial, and really do count.  Research shows that first impressions are formed within just 7 seconds, and the photographs of your vehicle are likely to consume most of this short period of time.

With so little time to make the right impression, our top tip is to ensure that your photographs are of the highest quality.  Ensure the lighting in the photo is bright to enhance vehicle features, and make sure your digital images are of the highest possible resolution in order to give them a professional appearance on the Trade-It website.

And what about the number of photos you should use in an advert? Our research shows this has a direct impact on your chances of making a sale, which leads on to our second tip.

We recommend that your vehicle advertisements have at least four photos displayed.  Those adverts that have four or more photos get a staggering 72% more response, which is enough to significantly improve your chances of making that sale.

Follow our top tips to wow your potential buyers within those crucial first seven seconds.

48% more car buyers are now using Trade-Iy

The latest traffic statistics from Trade-It Motors are in, and they show that 48% more people are using the South-West’s number one classifieds website to search for their next car.

In April 2012, close to 87,000 people visited the motoring section of Trade-it.co.uk, which is the equivalent of someone visiting the site every 30 seconds.

For all you motor dealers out there this increase in traffic is great news, as it will lead to more views of your vehicles listed on Trade-It, which in turn hugely improves your chances of making a sale.

A key factor behind this growth, is that more and more car buyers are using mobile devices such as iPads and iPhones to search for cars. The table below shows a significant shift in behaviour over the last year.

	Apr 2012 Visits	Apr 2011 Visits	Yearly change	%
iPhone	12,987	4,632	+8,355	+180%
Android	7,901	2,255	+5,646	+250%
iPad	7,444	1,586	+5,848	+369%
Blackberry	1,630	127	+1,503	+1183%
iPod	673	461	+212	+46%

Searching for a car has never been easier, with car buyers now able to research the best deals almost instantly. It's likely you will see more and more buyers using their mobile devices while browsing for vehicles to buy in your dealership.

Fuel-efficient cars growing in popularity in the UK

Drivers in the UK are increasingly choosing fuel-efficient cars with historically low carbon dioxide emissions.

According to the motor industry body SMMT, the demand for low-emission cars has risen as a result of rising fuel prices.

There are plenty of types of hybrid and electric cars on the market now and thanks to new technology the supply of these cars is continually increasing.

The SMMT said 46.8% of cars sold in 2011 emitted less than 130 grams per kilometre, up from 10.6% in 2007.

The change in consumer behaviour has been closely linked with the rise in fuel prices, as well as the rises to tax and insurance costs. This are higher for powerful cars, cars that drink a lot more fuel and cars that generally emit more CO2 than smaller models.

The increase in purchases of fuel-efficient cars is good news, however, to achieve further improvements, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is lobbying for the government to adjust taxes to encourage investment in new technologies and to offer consumers incentives to encourage them to buy more fuel-efficient, less polluting cars.

Why not take a look at the fuel-efficient cars on Trade-It now?

Picture: Toyota Motor Europe

Watching Euro 2012 at home - make sure you prepare

Euro 2012 is on the horizon and it now seems that England have sorted their manager situation out and are ready to take on the best teams in Europe in an attempt to win their first major footballing trophy since 1966 and only their second of all time. But no matter which country you are supporting, the UEFA Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland is set to be a fantastic tournament.

Heading out to the pubs for the games is great way to experience the excitement of the tournament, but another fantastic way to watch the games is in the comfort of your own home with a group of mates.

So how can you make sure you maximise the enjoyment of watching the games at home and how can you make your living room as close to the pub atmosphere as possible? Well here are a few tips.

Get the TV right
This is the first step. If you are going to be able to persuade your mates to head over and watch the games at yours then you are going to need to be able to offer them a decent view. Owning a nice big TV is vital and you don’t need to panic as you still have time to head out and buy one before the first game kicks off.

Seating
If you are looking to recreate the pub at home then bar stools would be a great addition and would add to the authenticity, however, they are not the most comfortable. If you are looking to attract a group over to watch the games then you will want nice comfy sofas and maybe even some bean bags for those who have to sit on the floor. Your main aim should be to make the viewing experience as comfortable as possible.

Drinks
Now, I do not want to be seen to be encouraging the mass consumption of alcohol, but if you want your viewing experience to be as close to watching the games at the pub as possible, then buying a few beers is a very good idea. There is no need to go mad and drink yourself into oblivion, but a few cans during the game won’t hurt you and your friends. Here is a good idea to keep things interesting, why not buy your drinks based on the nationality of the team England are facing? When England play France you could buy a crate of Kronenbourg 1664 or some lovely red wine and if we qualify and end up facing Holland then you could all drink Heineken.

Pub snacks
A crucial part of any visit to the pub to watch any sporting event is the much heralded pub snack. You should buy a wide variety of snacks including pork scratchings, peanuts and a range of crisps in order to please everyone’s specific tastes. When it comes to pub snacks, the more you buy the better.


Get behind the team
No matter where you are from, show some support for your country. Get some flags stuck up in your living room and put on that sacred replica shirt that you can only just squeeze into. If you get behind the team and get the atmosphere in your living room electric, as it will be in the pubs then your viewing experience will be as good as anyone’s. Well, as long as your team wins that is...

Picture: Poland MFA

Car dealers win with us

Car dealers are better off advertising with Trade-It Motors, according to research. While visits to all automotive classified sites dropped by 12%, visits to our sites grew by a staggering 43.96%.

We are literally going against the curve and have increased our number of visitors in a slowly shrinking market. These figures are all based on the UK Automotive Industry Quarterly Review, using stats and figures from July to September 2011.

This review has also thrown out some interesting stats about the online car market and what people have been interested in over the past 12 months.

For example, BMW overtook Audi as the third most searched for automotive brand and accounted for 8.64% of the market. Kia has also had a good year, jumping from 18th place up to 16th on the list, which is still topped by Ford which is closely followed by Volkswagen.

There were a few brands of car that became less searched over the year. For example Fiat fell four places from 15th to 19th and Renault also dropped from 11th to 13th.

Car tax was a big topic – not only for consumers who registered new vehicles but also for people buying second-hand cars or renewing their existing car tax disc. Total search volume for car tax increased by 10% over the quarter, with the top search term, ‘car tax’, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 car tax-related searches.

There were a lot of interesting snippets of information in the quarterly report. However, we are most pleased that we managed to INCREASE our number of online visitors, even in the face of a 12% year-on-year decline in the industry as a whole. And by over 40%!

Visit Trade-it Motors to advertise your vehicles today.

Optimism for aftersales growth

A survey has revealed that more than half of automotive dealers have positive expectations for their used car sales and aftersales activities in 2012.

The survey from Experian, the global information services company, revealed that 62% of dealerships predicted that their used car sales activities would grow in 2012.

The survey also revealed that many car dealers are planning to place more of an effort in their aftersales care and products. About 55% of automotive dealers surveyed believed that they would grow their aftersales activity during 2012.

Dealers also revealed that customer loyalty was far greater amongst those who had previously purchased new cars from them: 70% of new car customers returned to the dealership for servicing or repair. In contrast, the survey revealed that only 14% of used car buyers.

Increasing customer loyalty from used car buyers is not the only challenge faced by automotive dealers. 22% of dealers surveyed stated that a shortage of good quality used cars was the biggest challenge facing their business this year, whilst 23% of dealers stated that selling vehicles profitably was the key challenge facing their business. A further 17% stated that identifying and reaching suitable customers was their biggest problem.

Alistair Scullion, Managing Director for Experian’s Automotive business in the UK and Ireland, commented: “Our survey suggests that the sales environment for new cars continues to be a significant challenge and dealers are adapting their businesses accordingly.”

“Optimism around used car sales and aftersales activities is encouraging. It is clear that dealerships recognise that there are growth opportunities for those of them that can react quickly to changing market dynamics, while reaching customers with the right offer and fostering customer loyalty to keep them coming back to the dealership.”

Visit Trade-it Motors to advertise your vehicles today.