THE Consumers' Association, which has styled itself as the new car buyers' champion in its 'Great British Rip-Off' campaign against what it sees as exorbitant new car prices in the UK, has still to launch its internet-based car imports service unveiled three months ago. At last year's London Motor Show, the association launched its own non-profit-making internet-based service to help motorists import foreign cars - but about 18,000 are still waiting for action.

The association, which has been working on the Which?-branded service for a year, says the site is still being tested, and while a pilot scheme has started, it should be fully operational by the end of next month. In contrast, Vauxhall said more than 100 of its cars had been sold via its web-based service, launched after the show on November 1.