(Entertainment-NewsWire.com, April 09, 2013 ) Preston Brook, UK -- So what is causing the boom in business? According to Jason Duffy, Founder of Motor Imports “One obvious factor is the weakness of sterling against other currencies at the moment. Sterling has moved over 25% against some currencies in the last 18 months. As taxes are calculated at price of car plus price of shipping, now landing tax charges are greatly reduced which makes the figures seem more appealing.” But there is more to it than that. The cheapest used car market in the world is in Japan and will continue to be, however the push from Japanese manufacturers to develop hybrid technology cars at the demise of diesel vehicles has led to a Japanese used market with limited appeal to many countries. The lower emission levels of C02 reached by European manufacturers have not been matched by Japanese manufacturers in general. With countries such as Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia pushing to stay in line with European standards, Japanese cars have restricted their marketability.
Economic factors have come into play as well. For many years developing nations have been sourcing there used cars from Japan only. The majority of cars heading to East Africa and South America were low spec Automatic, Generic Toyota and Nissan stock. Strengthening economies in these nations has seen demand rise for European luxury brands and large Diesel powered SUVs.
So what are the figures? A lot of vehicles are driven out of the UK across mainland Europe so it can be hard to keep a track of exact numbers however there are over 2000 cars leaving by container monthly to such places as Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Pakistan with many more heading for East Africa. There has also been a big increase in the leisure industry, with used Caravans and Motorhomes heading for Australasia.
Unless there is a major change in currency rates it looks like the UK will continue to be a huge market for used car exports. According to motorimports.co.uk “Japanese imports will always be the cheapest option in used cars for the majority of purchasers, but we have seen a rise in volume from our usual customers, not only that in the last six months we have supplied cars to Myanmar and Guyana. These countries traditionally never looked anywhere but Japan for quality cars”. New car sales were greatly reduced in Ireland in the last three years on account of the recession, now there is a lack of used cars in the market that finance companies are happy to underwrite; hence the market in Ireland is looking to the UK to fill orders. With the volume of cars available in the UK many overseas customers are amazed at the fast changes in UK car prices.
About Motorimports.co.uk:
Motorimports.co.uk was formed in 2004 as an expert car import provider. With Laws and regulations changing the company has evolved into the largest provider of used cars for export in the UK. Unlike many export companies that hold stock at higher prices, Motorimports buy direct from British Car Auctions and Manheim Auctions for their customers using a Japanese style agency system that is unique in the UK motor trade.
