Move to boost electric vehicle sales welcomed

THE boss of North East-based motor dealership chain Vertu has welcomed Government moves to boost the sales of electric vehicles ahead of a key sales period.

- GRAEME WHITFIELD

The Gateshead company, which has one of the UK's largest car showroom networks, has released a trading update in which it said that its full-year profits would be in line with market expectations at around £27.2m.

Vertu's chief executive Robert Forrester has previously been an outspoken critic of Government measures to drive sales of electric vehicles, including the zero emission vehicle mandate. But the trading update welcomed recent moves to relax the mandate after pressure from the automotive industry, and to offer subsidies on many electric cars. Vertu said those “encouraging devel-

opments” were expected to improve demand for new cars as it headed into the key September period.