Holden will introduce a new shift pattern at its Adelaide plant to increase efficiency and respond to the impact of the high Australian dollar.

In an official statement released today, the company says a single shift will be introduced in its general assembly operations, while most other areas would remain at two.

The changes, which will be introduced in May, are expected to maintain production volume but due to the high Australian dollar, export growth would be limited.

The federal government’s new Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), which came into force on Monday 30th, is being hailed as the first time car dealers and consumers alike have had access to an easy, low-cost, one-stop vehicle history check.

The register will confirm a motor vehicle description, if a third party has a financial interest, and if it is stolen or has been declared a total loss by an insurer.

David Morgan, chapman of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) says the register is a vital element in combating the misrepresentation of a vehicle's identity.

The automotive industry again scooped three top-ten places in the 2011 list of New South Wales consumer complaints.

Used cars and motorcycles was on the podium at number three, with a total of 2258 complaints. Automotive repairs and servicing were further back in sixth with 1584, and new cars and motorcycles slipping in with ninth and 1204 complaints.

However, with new vehicle sales in New South Wales topping 314,576 for 2011, 1204 complaints represents less than 0.5% of new car consumers.

The automotive industry is one of the largest users of Google's main advertising product 'adwords', last year spending US$2 billion (AUD$1.88million) on the feature

Adwords works on a pay-per-click system, with sponsored ads appearing at the top and to the side of google searches, and utilising a key-word system. If your keyword appears in someones search, and they click your ad, your business then pays google.

Cost per click will depend on the competition, industry and keywords involved and may range from around 50c, and in extreme cases, up to around $25. Phrases like 'mortgage' and 'real estate' are highly competitive, whereas a specified term like 'surf board hire in Alice Springs" will be very cheap.

Scooter riders - who pushed national scooter sales up 8.9% to a total of 11,374 in 2011 - are calling for greater recognition from motorists and other road users.

The growing scooter market is a direct result of higher petrol and parking prices, and increased congestion. Riders, however, do not feel they receive due consideration from other road users, governments and infrastructure planners according to one industry body.

“Scooter riders are fully paid up members of Victoria’s roads," says David Purchase, executive director of the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC)

Sliding luxury car sales highlight the conservative and cautious nature of Australian vehicle buyers, with Commsec's luxury car index falling by 8.2% in the 2011 calender year.

While luxury sales dropped 8.2%, total vehicle sales were down only 2.5%, while overall passenger sales were down 5.5%.

Luxury sales as a percentage of total passenger vehicle (cars, SUVs, light trucks) sales slid to a two- year low of 5.3% in October 2011, but actually hold a 4.7% share of the total new vehicle market - a figure which is just below the record high of 4.9% set in February 2008 - a time when total luxury sales were at record levels, 12.2% higher than the present.

Greater transparency is needed in the dealings between government and car manufacturers, say the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC), citing Holden and Ford's recent high level talks (stories here and here), and Toyota's recent operations review, and subsequent redundancies (story here).

While the VACC has long called for federal and state government assistance to ensure the future of automotive production in Australia, executive director David Purchase says tax payers deserve to know what to expect in return for investments.

"Any negativity surrounding large scale investment announcements would be abated if the industry, media and wider community were fully informed of the benefits of the agreements,” says Purchase.

Every salesperson knows that to get anything in life you have to ask for it.

The goal (whether online or not) is to engage with your potential customers and convince them to make a positive action. The most effective sales pitches will evoke an emotional approach - a call to action.

Online this could mean submitting a finance enquiry, emailing the dealer, calling the dealer or, best of all getting the browser to walk into the dealership.

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) is concerned supermarket giant Woolworths is being irresponsible by offering special fuel discounts for people who buy cases of beer or pre-mix spirits.

In its latest catalogue, Woolworths offers customers a massive discount of  30c a litre of fuel at its service stations - but only if they buy two cases of beer or pre-mix spirits.

Andrew McKellar, executive director for the AAA calls the promotion a 'step too far.'

Doncaster BMW in Victoria is the latest addition to BMW's Motorrad dealer network and will commence operations on Thursday.

Doncaster BMW Motorrad is part of the successful Doncaster BMW franchise, one of the leading BMW dealerships in Australia. The dealership has recently undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment and Motorrad will take centre stage in this exciting development.

"With Australia's newest dedicated BMW Motorrad showroom, Doncaster BMW will provide a unique experience. Situated only minutes from some great riding roads and close to Eastlink, Doncaster BMW will be the centre of all things BMW Motorrad," says Doncaster Motorrad product specialist, Chris Saunders.