EU rules force changes in motor industry

IN an article headlined “Hobbs angry at car dealer revelations” (Irish Examiner, December 6), Eddie Hobbs denied claims that margins are tight in car dealerships throughout the county and that the motor industry is competitive.

In the article, Mr Hobbs is quoted as saying on RTÉ radio: “The evidence is to the contrary. If you look at the increase in new forecourts being built and so on, the industry isn’t suffering from lack of confidence in its future.”

If Mr Hobbs had researched the matter, he would have realised that the motor industry is not investing in forecourts and premises through some sense of misplaced hubris or over-confidence on their part.