News 8 www.aftermarketonline.net JUNE 2026 TMD Friction has completed a major solar installation at its Hartlepool production facility in the UK. The project, executed by supplier Geo-Green Power, features 1,468 solar panels covering 2,933m2 of roof space. The installation is expected to generate an estimated 590,000kWh of electricity annually, which will cover roughly 6% of the site’s total energy demand and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 150 tonnes per year. Integrated monitoring software allows the team to track the real-time performance of individual panels, ensuring proactive maintenance and optimised energy output. Commenting, Andrew Turner, Vice President of PC Europe at TMD Friction, said: “At Hartlepool, we’re not just generating cleaner energy, we’re embedding sustainability into the very fabric of our manufacturing operations”. TMD Friction advances green energy transition Celebrating 10 years of growth The comparison site for MOTs, servicing and repairs, BookMyGarage, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. BookMyGarage was founded by husband-and-wife team Douglas and Karen Rotberg, who still head up the business today. In 2018, the pair expanded the offering into the franchised sector with the launch of SecretService, a strategic solution that has helped franchise dealers win significant market share in the 4-year-old+ vehicle segment. In 2022, 5 million drivers had compared prices to book their servicing, MOT and repairs on its platform and today, that figure has risen to 26 million. Karen said: “We are extremely proud of our team, with some having been with us literally from the start. We are very much committed to steering the business through the next decade, and as the aftermarket continues to change, we plan to expand our use of data and technology to help garages compete more effectively in an increasingly digital market. Here’s to the next 10 years.” EVs’ share of the used car market grows, but accounts for just under 12% of the ageing parc While the UK’s used car market was flat overall during the first quarter of the year, down just -0.2% as 2,016,232 vehicles changed hands, transactions of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) grew by 32.0% to 86,943 units, as nearly one in 23 buyers (4.3%) made the switch, up from around one in 30 last year. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which recorded these figures, this growth is the result of sustained investment by manufacturers into new models, enabling a massive choice of new zero emission vehicles in every segment – supported by substantial discounts and government incentives – which are filtering into the used market in ever greater numbers. Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sales also rose, by 27.6% to 128,039 units, increasing their market share to 6.4%, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) transactions fell by -8.9% to 20,021 units, comprising just 1.0% of the market. Combined, electrified vehicles accounted for 11.7% of used cars finding new owners in quarter one of 2026. Petrol remained the best-selling fuel type, despite transactions falling -0.6% to 1,147,969 units, while diesel demand experienced a -6.7% decline to 629,987 units, reflecting reduced supply from the new car market. Even so, conventionally fuelled cars still accounted for 88.2% of total transactions in the first quarter. Other trends which can be seen in the figures released by the SMMT include a small fall in sales of supermini vehicles (-1.0%), although at 648,229 units, they remained the most popular used purchase, accounting for 32.2% of the market. Lower medium was the next biggest segment, with 546,249 units changing hands, an increase of 0.2% to a 27.1% share. Dual-purpose vehicles saw the highest growth, up 5.4% to 357,295 units, while multipurpose vehicles experienced the sharpest decline, of -6.5%, to 69,886 units. The average age of the UK vehicle parc now stands at a new high of 9.7 years – up from eight years in 2019.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=