Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 122

BIG MIKE: CAR DEALER CLICHES – AND WHY I DECIDED TO HANG UP MY SHEEPSKIN COAT

Issue 122 | May 2018 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £5

GENDER PAY GAP DOES YOUR EMPLOYER TREAT WOMEN FAIRLY?

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW THE STAR CARS IN THE BIG APPLE

!

G N I H S I ASTON

NTE PUT TO LA O V 11 B D & E G TA N VA EW STUNNING N DY PALMER N A SS O B TO K EA SP E W S: THE TEST PLU NEW CAR SALES REVEALED: THE WINNERS AND LOSERS IN PLATE CHANGE MONTH

MEGANEO GET RENAULTN LASTR.SC. ISHBAACK C– EBUTT IS IT YOUTHREFHROTEHEATCTHICTHKAET TS

AT HUGE EXPO HOW TO PLAN YOUR TIME -HOUR GUIDE WITH ESSENTIAL HOUR-BY

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It’ll all come together on Stand B9 The Car Dealer Conference & Automotive Expo Manchester 21st/22nd May

The warranty 02 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Editorial HEAD OF EDITORIAL Rebecca Chaplin

rebecca@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @believebecca

HEAD OF DESIGN Graeme Windell

graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @graemewindell

PRODUCTION EDITOR Dave Brown

dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave

FEATURES EDITOR Jack Evans

jack@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jackrober

STAFF WRITER Ryan Hirons

ryan@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @RyHirons

STAFF WRITER Tom Wiltshire

tom.wiltshire@ blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @mctreckmeister

Advertising SALES MANAGER Jon Hickey

j.hickey@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @cardealerjon

ACCOUNT MANAGER Michelle Searle

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Suits CEO, BAIZE GROUP James Baggott james@thebaize.com Twitter: @CarDealerEd

MANAGING DIRECTOR BLACKBALL MEDIA Andy Entwistle andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy Contributors Felicity Bestwick, John Bowman, Jess Ernerth, Tristan Shale-Hester, Ted Welford, Adam Weller

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Welcome.

I’VE JUST sent off the final version of my column and realised that both James and I have been having serious moans about car ownership this month. Maybe it’s something to do with this winter that seems to be hanging on forever and we’re suffering from prolonged seasonal blues, or maybe we just hate everything at the moment.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, though, as finally the days are lightening up and I’m sure plenty of you are enjoying the fact that every time you go outside, there’s a little bit of sunshine to warm you up.

Soon enough – and it’s a constant topic of conversation in our office at the moment – it will be May and we’ll be counting down the days until CDX 2018. If you turn to pages 30-33, we’ve got the full timetable for the two days.

We’ve managed it very carefully so you should be able to do almost everything if you want to – but we have still packed even more into the event than last year.

If you’ve got any questions about what’s going on at CDX, the best thing I can advise is head to the cardealerexpo.co.uk website – there are only so many pages in this magazine and with so much to see and do, we can’t mention every single thing in print!

If you’re still not sure about whether it’s worth your time, then turn to pages 26 & 27 where we’ve got a taste of the best sessions. How could you miss CDX when there is all this goodness going on and it’s absolutely free to attend!

If you turn to the back of the magazine, we’ve got a selection of exhibitors who are eager to see you at CDX and help you make more money. They’ve offered up some of their insight and a taste of what they’ll be talking about at Manchester Central on May 21 and 22.

Women in the Motor Industry is a session that’s taken

place at CDX for three years now, and with the government collecting data about the pay gap, it’s finally easy to see how well they are rewarded financially compared to their male counterparts.

Unsurprisingly, there’s still a huge difference in the number of men and women employed in this industry, but one that’s reducing over time. If you’re attending day two of CDX, make sure you come along to the WITMI session to share your views on closing this gap.

And if you’re keen to see how different businesses stack up pay-wise, we’ve pulled together the data from those who have supplied information so far on pages 6 & 7.

Also for this issue of Car Dealer, we got behind the wheel of the brand new Range Rover Hybrid and spoke to JLR MD Jeremy Hicks about sales hopes for this innovative new car.

As you’ll have seen on the cover, we’ve been trying out the new Aston Martin Vantage, too.

This incredible piece of British machinery has taken the automotive world by storm and we’ve spoken to the brand’s boss Andy Palmer about how he’s transformed the company.

And, while there are plenty of suppliers within the pages of this magazine, now is your chance to tell us exactly what you think of them! The Car Dealer Power 2018 survey is open and you can find out how to take part on page 18.

Finally, I can’t close this message without encouraging you to take a look at our Feedback pages (p42-43), which include a truly terrifying picture of our glorious leader Baggott and production editor Dave. It shows how a night at the pub got off to a very weird start. Enjoy the issue!

Rebecca Chaplin Head of Editorial CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

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Marvellous Aston Martin Company boss Andy Palmer talks exclusively to Car Dealer – and we test British manufacturer’s latest luxury models

ISSUE 122 I MAY 2018

Dashboard.

Big Story: The gender pay gap Around the UK New York motor show A Perfect Partnership CDX Becca Chaplin Big Mike Around the World So You Wanna Be a Car Dealer?

Finance

Have your say in Car Dealer Power

06 10 20 22 24 35 37 38 40 44

Features.

The Fortune Teller

Data File.

Car Dealer Club The Statistics Market Insight Auctions Taking Stock A Global View Real Deals Suppliers Guide

Forecourt.

Range Rover P400e PHEV Vauxhall Insignia GSi

48 50

Key Notes with Traka Long-termers James Baggott

53 78 80 83 84 85 86 89 90 93 95 98

Future classics under the hammer at BCA Nottingham Xxx

An eventful skiing trip with our long-term Subaru Outback

Our events...

Car Dealer Power is unique. Go to bit.ly/Power-survey (case-sensitive) to rave or rant anonymously about your suppliers and the manufacturers you represent.

The Car Dealer Used Car Awards, sponsored by Black Horse, celebrate the used car industry. Go online to bit.ly/UCA-winners to find out who won what in 2017.

Europe’s biggest automotive trade expo on May 21 and 22 will feature the Live Stage, breakout sessions, workshops and much more. Find out more on pages 24-33 and 58-67.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

Dashboard.

THE BIG STORY

How does automotive industry fare on gender pay equality?

Revelations about different salary levels have caused uproar in many areas of the UK economy. Rebecca Chaplin turns the spotlight on the car trade.

Z

ero car dealerships in the UK have reported that they pay their female employees an average hourly rate that matches or is higher than men within the same business.

The figures, which are publicly available through the government website, also highlight that there is still a lack of women working in the automotive industry. The national average showed that 78 per cent of companies pay men more, eight per cent say they had no pay gap and just 14 per cent favoured women.

So far, 10,228 businesses have reported their gender pay gaps and 117 of those are dealer groups. Motorpoint (three per cent), Car Giant (2.9 per cent), Glyn Hopkin (2.6 per cent) and Derwent Vehicles Ltd (1.5 per cent) were the only businesses to have a gender-positive gap when looking at the difference between median salaries (median being the middle value).

Bramall Quicks Dealerships, part of Pendragon, had an equal median.

Mind the gap

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the median was 11.9 per cent less. Despite having a higher median salary, Glyn Hopkin Group reported the worst average comparison, with women paid 71.5 per cent less than men on average. However, while the results give percentages for comparison, they fail to include the number of staff measured or the value of the best- and worst-paid employees for the relevance of these figures to be truly understood.

As an industry with a historic problem with hiring women, the fact there are fewer can skew the results somewhat.

This has led to some dealer groups highlighting this point in their equality reports, linked to the figures. Vertu Motors, which found that women were paid 28.6 per cent lower on average with median figures 26.5 per cent lower, said that it ‘pays both men and women the same pay for the same job’.

It continued: ‘Our pay structures provide all colleagues who are doing the same job with an equal opportunity to earn in line with their

Percentage of women in each pay quartile

A W & D Hammond Ltd Addison Motors Ltd Albert Farnell Ltd Allen Ford Ancaster Group Ltd Arnold Clark Available Car Ltd Barons Automotive Barretts of Canterbury Ltd Blade Motor Group Ltd Bramall Quicks Dealerships Ltd Brindley Garages Group Bristol Street First Investments Ltd Bristol Street Fourth Investments Ltd Burrows Motor Company Caffyns plc Cambria Automobiles (South East) Ltd Car Giant Ltd Car Shops Ltd Cathedral Motor Company Ltd Citygate Automotive Ltd Cotswold Motor Group Ltd Derwent Vehicles Ltd Dick Lovett Ltd Douglas Park Ltd Drayton Group Ltd Drift Bridge Garage Ltd Drive Motor Retail Ltd Eden (GM) Ltd Falcon of Hull & Lincolnshire Ltd

06 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Theresa May set a deadline of midnight on April 5 for companies with more than 250 employees to submit the mean (average) and median difference between hourly rates of male and female employees. More than 1,000 have yet to complete this.

The table below shows how car dealers compared. The percentage of women working in the top, upper middle, lower middle and lower pay quartiles is also given for each business.

Alongside this, 19 car manufacturers in the UK have submitted their figures, of which 26 per cent had a gender-positive pay gap. Tesla Motors had the highest figure, with women paid 4.6 per cent more than men on average, with a median figure that was 3.8 per cent higher.

Ford and Vauxhall also had higher averages of 1.7 and 0.8 per cent respectively, while the former also had a median of 3.5 per cent higher.

Although it was still lower, Mercedes dealer Hughes of Beaconsfield has the smallest average difference of 4.8 per cent lower than men but

0 37 9 18.6 14.7 38.8 10.3 21.2 14.3 27.9 25.8 28.6 11.4 12.4 17 14 22.4 15.7 19 13.3 20 27 47.4 25 10.1 31 21.7 22.1 17.8 21.5

0 32 40.2 32.8 34.8 23.5 16.8 37.9 40.7 33.3 12.3 28.6 41.5 29.9 37 42 40.3 8.1 25 20 16.1 38 39.8 28 26.5 37 39.6 39.5 31.5 44.3

25 18 28.7 22.5 43.5 13.3 15.8 23.1 37.4 33.3 19.9 29.2 18.8 39.8 26 31 30.9 8.1 27 38.5 17.1 33 18.4 30 14.5 17 29.3 23.2 34.2 30.4

Fish Brothers (Swindon) Ltd Foray Motor Group Ford Retail Ltd Frank G Gates Ltd Furrows Ltd Glyn Hopkin Group Go Vauxhall (Go Motors Retailing Ltd) Grange Motors (Brentwood) Ltd Grantham Motor Company Ltd (Vertu) Greenhous Group Greenhous Group (Holdings) Ltd Grevan Cars H.R. Owen Harwoods Ltd Helston Garages Group Hendy Group Heritage Automotive Hodgson Automotive Ltd Howards Garages (Weston) Ltd Hughes of Beaconsfield Inchcape JCT600 Ltd JCT600 South Yorkshire Ltd John Clark Motor Group Johnsons Cars Lancaster Cars Lancaster Luxury Vehicles Ltd Lancaster Motor Company Listers Group Lloyd Motor Ltd

-29.2 -20.5 -14 -29.9 -18.9 -71.5 -6.6 -33.4 -20 -11 -13.1 -19.4 -8.1 -9.6 -16.2 -18.1 -9.4 -26.9 -24.9 -4.8 -6.3 -17.9 -22.6 -19.2 -15.5 -25 -27.3 -22 -31 -9.8

-17.4 -19.7 -10 -17.9 -20.7 2.6 -12.8 -22 -23.6 -8.8 -9.8 -1.1 -4 -8.9 -18.3 -9.3 -5.7 -24.1 -21.6 -11.9 -4.7 -28.2 -25 -20.7 -10.9 -30.6 -25.1 -22.9 -17.9 -4.7

11.8 10.7 16 3.1 8 13 19.1 10.6 12.4 14.7 14 8.1 17.4 13.8 5.5 7 4 7.9 7.3 11.2 21 27.8 20 12 9 12.8 9.2 11.1 13.1 11.4

15.9 12.7 23 17.7 13 23.8 17.2 21.2 15.7 10.8 12.4 27 22.6 26.5 13 20.5 22 16 10.4 18.8 28.3 40.2 47.1 15.8 19 11.7 19.5 24.5 23.5 27.8

46.4 22.3 38 33 27 30.1 12.7 36.4 34.7 23.1 24.9 40 21.7 41 33.1 27.5 25 47 52.2 38.3 43.7 13.1 17.1 36 31 39.4 29.9 41.6 38.4 38.8

20.6 29.5 24 25 71 4.4 11 30.8 30.3 16 16.9 17.8 21.7 13.6 21.2 16.5 47 29 25.4 7.5 17.3 8.2 14.7 27.7 36 37.2 41.9 28.6 29.3 13.9

performance. The company does not have an equal pay issue.

‘The gender pay gap numbers we have published comply entirely with the government’s requirements but cannot tell the whole story on why a gender pay gap exists in the sector.

‘The sector has historically been male dominated, especially in sales and management positions, and this drives the gender pay gap.

Over recent years we have made good strides towards a more gender-balanced workforce. Over

time this will be reflected in the gender pay gap numbers that the company will publish.’

Marshall Motor Holdings also reported: ‘The automotive sector has historically been male dominated but we are committed to try to ensure we have a fair representation of men and women.

‘Currently our gender split is 75 per cent male 25 per cent female. Given this context, we have more males in senior roles than females, which impacts average salaries.’

‘The sector has historically been male dominated, especially in sales and management positions, and this drives the gender pay gap.’

Vertu Motors

n

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12 11 11 11 23 15 10 33 10.3 4 13.6 15.6 8.1 20 10.5 11.5 10.2 13 20.6 9.7 7.4 17 11.7 17.1 7.7 10 11 15.1 10.4 8.3

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Lomond Motors Ltd (Lookers) Lookers Motor Group Ltd LSH Auto UK Marriott Motor Group Ltd Marshall Motor Group Ltd MB Retail MB South Ltd (Lookers) Mercedes Benz Cars UK Ltd Mon Motors Motorpoint Ltd Norton Way Motors Now Vauxhall (Now Motor Retailing Ltd) Park’s of Hamilton Parkway Derby Ltd Pendragon Motor Group Pendragon Premier Ltd Pendragon Used Cars Ltd Pentagon Ltd Pentagon Motor Holdings Ltd Perrys Perrys East Midlands Ltd Peter Vardy Ltd Peugeot Citroen Retail UK Ltd Porsche Retail Group Reg Vardy Ltd Renault Retail Group Ridgeway Garages RRG Group Ltd Rybrook Cars Rybrook Ltd

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Percentage of women in each pay quartile

24 27 21 12 32 17 24 46 22.4 23 21.6 26 22.8 20 30.2 25.6 19.5 42 29.7 23.5 20.8 26 21.2 10 27.2 15 19 20.6 17.9 17.7

38 34 37 41 41 41 33 61 29.9 24 35.2 28.6 34.1 28 29.9 35.2 32.3 20 45.5 36.7 36.5 38 31 34.3 27.5 28 31 35.7 20.8 44.8

23 12 39 40 20 37 21 57 32 41 31.8 26.9 17 24 17.1 23.1 10.2 5 42.2 32.9 29.2 38 26.2 48.6 18.7 34 15 41.7 32.6 30.2

S Jennings Ltd Sandicliffe Specialist Cars (Aberdeen) Ltd Spire Automotive Steven Eagell Ltd Sturgess Group Swansway Garages Ltd Sytner Group T C Harrison Group Ltd The Car People The Dutton-Forshaw Motor Company Ltd (Lookers) The Trade Centre Wales Think One Ltd (Chandlers BMW) Toyota Tsusho Automobile North London Ltd Vantage Motor Group Ltd Vertu Motors Vindis Group Vines Ltd Vospers Motor House Ltd W J King Group Warrington Garages Ltd Wessex Garages Holdings Ltd Westover Group Ltd Westover Holdings Ltd Williams Motor Co Worcester Car Sales Ltd Yeomans Ltd

-35.5 -23.6 -19.2 -24.5 -24.1 -44 -23.9 -31.8 -31.3 -26.7 -9.1

-21.5 -23.9 -20.7 -16.5 -13.5 -15 -20.4 -27 -20.8 -30.8 -10.3

9 13.5 12 9.1 12 13 13.5 12.5 13 11.8 11

20 13.5 15.8 20 23 20 18.8 17.8 13 8.4 26

26 36.5 36 34.9 35 34 30.4 34.5 23 29.4 33

34 29.7 27.7 25.3 29 24 31.1 35.5 31 32.8 22

-26.9 -33.4 -28.5

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16.7 10 12.1

20.2 27.8 15.2

27.4 11.1 13.6

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15 15 16 15 19.6 19.1 13.6 23 13 34 5.2 17.1 14.6

34.7 37.1 37 39.5 30.3 33.3 52.2 26 27 50 44.1 34.8 28.2

33.3 32.4 30 35.8 15.2 29.8 23.5 42 42 25 28.7 21.4 24

14.2 7.1 5 14.8 12.7 11.8 11.1 7 2 50 9.7 10.1 10.7

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

Dashboard.

Do you conform to the car dealer cliches?

Big Mike, p37

CAP HPI

Used car values on the rise amid an upturn in sales activity

C

AP HPI says its total year-todate movements show 2018 is the strongest year since its daily ‘Live’ product was introduced in 2012, with average values up 1.2 per cent since January 1.

This figure is much better than the drop of 0.7 per cent recorded last year, according to the latest Black Book Live data. The previous strongest year was 2014 when values increased by 0.8 per cent.

In March alone, used car values rose very slightly by 0.4 per cent due to strong demand.

Derren Martin, head of current valuations at cap hpi, said: ‘An increase in average values in March moving into April is not unprecedented. Values have gone up at this time of year in four out of the last five years, with 2017 being the exception.

‘However, it is the cumulative increase since the turn of the year that is the main eye-opener.

‘The sectors showing the main areas of pricing strength continued to be city cars, superminis and lower medium-sized cars, while convertibles are behaving as they normally do at this time of year, leading up to the spring and

ASE FIGURES

February not a good profit month UK CAR dealers recorded average losses of £18,000 in February 2018 – £4,000 more than the loss in the same month last year.

The figures, which come from automotive profitability specialists ASE, show a continued trend of rising mid-quarter month losses, meaning the gains made in January have been reversed, leaving the average dealer £2,000 behind in terms of yearto-date profits.

08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by REBECCA CHAPLIN @believebecca

summer. The increase in demand for smaller vehicles is partly as a result of consumers downsizing but also a desire for petrol vehicles.’

Despite recent legislation and press reports giving the fuel-type a bad name, on average, diesel vehicles also went up in value during March.

While smaller diesel cars are generally not as popular as their petrol counterparts, demand for larger models remains healthy.

Doing well in the winter were the Jeep Patriot, top, Subaru Forester and Suzuki Jimny Examples of some offers available, they are not quite recent snowfall – showing that for diesel models that have increased as attractive as they once were. The reasonably priced examples, these in value over the last few weeks discerning buyer can get a used remain a seasonal purchase. Some include the BMW 3 Series, car deal, either PCP or outright examples include the Suzuki Jimny, Volkswagen Passat and certain purchase, that more than satisfies Subaru Forester, Nissan Terrano ll Hyundai i40s. their requirements. and Jeep Patriot.

Mr Martin added: ‘There has ‘Interestingly, some older SUVs ‘Expect to see this demand been a noticeable increase in used were in high demand in the days transposed by demand for car retail activity. While there is leading up to and following the convertibles as we head into spring.’ still a variety of new car finance

MIKE BREWER MOTORS

‘Click and collect’ digital sales model on way MIKE Brewer Motors has announced plans to focus on developing a ‘click and collect’ digital sales model. The initiative involves the creation of vehicle distribution hubs at Upwell Street, Sheffield, and Blackburn Road, Houghton Regis.

From single-site locations, the two hubs will defleet, prepare and retail off-hired, flexirental vehicles from sister company EVOGO. This move will see both efficiency gains and logistical improvements that will enhance the customer journey.

These changes, combined with ongoing investment into the digital infrastructure, are expected to deliver further growth in the

company’s used car sales volumes. All retail sales activity will transfer to the two hubs in the coming weeks and the business will no longer offer retail servicing to customers.

John Tustin, director of Mike Brewer Motors, said: ‘We are very well-placed to leverage a digital-first approach to car sales.

‘With our customers telling us that they are happier than ever to purchase online, we are confident in our decision to move further into the digital space.’

Brewer, right, is well-known to readers of Car Dealer as the compere of our annual Used Car Awards and has hosted the TV show Wheeler Dealers for many years.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

10 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

NORTH WALES: A car dealership group in north Wales has gone into administration. Almost 70 people have so far lost their jobs at Slaters of Abergele Ltd and its sister companies Slaters of Ruthin Ltd and Slaters North Wales Car Centre Ltd. The three firms operate from sites in Abergele and Mochdre. The Abergele site, below, was the principal trading site from which the company sold new and used Nissan and Citroen cars, while the site in Mochdre was used primarily for servicing and repairs. The family-run business employed 74 people. The group has another entity, Slaters North Wales Limited, which operates from sites in Colwyn Bay, Caernarfon and Anglesey. This company is not in administration.

Jobs lost as business goes into administration

BOLTON: Porsche Centre Bolton has completed a refurbishment to offer customers an improved browsing experience. There are more cars on site, as the Porsche Approved Pre-Owned showroom has been extended to give a wider choice. The new car configuration lounge lets customers design their own Porsche model in comfort – down to the colour and wheel size. The extensive redevelopment, for an undisclosed sum, also includes four extra ramps in the workshop to reduce service lead times and a new spacious vehicle handover bay. Centre principal Steve Webb said: ‘I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while the work was being carried out, and I look forward to welcoming everyone to our new and improved Porsche Centre soon.’

More choice for customers at new-look centre

What’s been hitting the headlines on the home front? Here’s a round-up of stories NELSON: The team at Farnell Land Rover Nelson have been celebrating after a colleague received recognition at a national awards ceremony. Simon Davis was named Sales Manager of the Year at Vertu Motors’ annual CEO Awards.

The event, which is hosted by the group’s chief executive, Robert Forrester, celebrates the top-performing colleagues across companies that the group operates, which includes Farnell Jaguar Land Rover. Forrester said: ‘Simon has been instrumental in turning this business into one of our most successful Jaguar Land Rover sales operations. The Nelson dealership has received an incredible 100 per cent rating on leading customer satisfaction site JudgeService, which is purely based on customer feedback, for almost 12 months.’

Simon’s success recognised at CEO Awards

STAFFORDSHIRE: Charles James Cars has relocated to a new site after strong growth in its first five years of business. The business, which was founded by Richard Tizley in Meir Heath, has now moved to a former dealership site in Clough Street, Etruria, a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent.

Tizley and his 18-year-old son, Jordan, will continue to run the dealership and hope to improve upon their current sales figures, which see 350 cars a year sold. Explaining how he entered the automotive world, Richard Tizley told the Stoke Sentinel: ‘Before I launched Charles James Cars, I worked in the food industry selling dehydrated ingredients all over Europe. It got to a point where I’d had enough of it. When I thought about what I wanted to do next I decided on cars because that’s what I’m interested in.’

New home for firm after five years of growth

LEEDS: Nissan Leeds has become a top sponsor of a key autism charity. The motor retailer is now a Gold Sponsor of Leeds Autism Services and plans to work closely with the charity to improve the customer experience it provides for those living with autism. As well as educating itself about the issues some people with autism may face, plans are also already under way to adapt the dealership to cater for the wide range of unique challenges faced by those on the autism spectrum. The partnership was announced at a special event at Leeds Civic Hall, which was held to help mark the start of World Autism Awareness Week. Sales manager Matthew Young said: ‘We are immensely proud to be a sponsor of Leeds Autism Services.’

Nissan dealership backs autism charity

News from around the UK

Dashboard.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 11

OXFORDSHIRE: A car dealer has sold a rare classic Porsche to a customer in Singapore by using a video to demonstrate the car. When prestige car dealership Maundrell in Letcombe Regis near Wantage advertised a 1992 Porsche 911 RS, a man in Singapore made an inquiry about it. In order to save him a journey of more than 6,000 miles to see it personally, Maundrell co-founder Steve Rogers sent him a personalised video. When he received the footage, the customer decided to buy the car without viewing it in the metal! Rogers said the sale showed how important technology was becoming as regards the car-buying process.

Video seals the deal for Singapore buyer

FERNDOWN: South coast automotive group Hendy is to create more than 20 jobs when it opens a Car Store in Dorset next year. Planning permission for the used car showroom in Ringwood Road, St Leonards, Ferndown, has been given and building work is due to start in the next few weeks in a move that will transform the site at Compton’s Yard. The Car Store, which will open in early 2019, will have space for around 200 vehicles. It will also boast a sales suite plus on-site parking. Hendy chief executive Paul Hendy, left, said he was delighted that the company would be back in Dorset. ‘We are thrilled that planning has been granted for this new facility,’ he added.

More than 20 jobs to be created at Car Store

BIRMINGHAM: Lookers Vauxhall Birmingham is helping a high-kicking Sutton Coldfield schoolgirl follow her dreams and compete in karate championships across the world. The company has stepped in to help Chloe Barnes, 12, continue her competitive development as part of its support of young sporting talent. She will now be able to compete in the World Union of KarateDo Federations (WUKF) World Karate Championships in Dundee in June and the WUKF European Karate Championships in Malta this October. Alan Collins, operations manager at Lookers Vauxhall Birmingham, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to sponsor Chloe at such an important point in her martial arts career and are thrilled to be part of her journey.’

Dealership supports high-kicking Chloe

SUSSEX: Dinnages has made the top 50 list of firms in the Sussex Super Growth Awards 2018. The awards recognise high-growth, wealth-creating, jobgenerating businesses, and to get on the list the group was assessed over a four-year accounting period using information filed at Companies House. It took 27th spot, with growth of 59.6 per cent. The family-run company, which was established in 1935, now employs 140 staff across five sites. Managing director Daniel Broyd said: ‘We’re proud to be part of such a fantastic list of Sussex’s businesses.’

Dinnages proud to be on top 50 list

LONDON: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London has been named the brand’s Global Dealer of the Year at the Rolls-Royce World Dealer Conference. The award, open to every Rolls-Royce dealer around the world, is decided on key performance indicators across the entire business, not just car sales. Measured by Rolls-Royce HQ throughout the year, it saw the H.R. Owen dealership in London coming out on top, exceeding in all areas.

Claus Andersen, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London brand director, said: ‘It’s a true honour to be recognised as the best Rolls-Royce dealer in the world. I am immensely proud of every member of the team.’

Best Rolls-Royce dealership – in the world!

Dashboard.

AUTONOMOUS CARS

‘Driverless technology not ready yet’

P

ioneering autonomous car firms such as Uber and Tesla are rushing into driverless technology ‘too soon’, according to a leading robotics professor.

Speaking out after a woman was killed by one of Uber’s Volvo XC90 autonomous vehicles being tested in Arizona, Noel Sharkey, professor of AI and robotics at the University of Sheffield, expressed concern at the speed at which autonomous driverless technology was expanding.

He said: ‘Driverless technology is just not ready yet and needs to mature before it goes on the road.

‘Autonomous vehicles present us with a great future opportunity to make our roads safer, but Uber, like Tesla, are rushing headlong into this too quickly.’

The tragic accident in March saw 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg hit by

the Volvo, which was reported to be doing about 40 miles per hour, as she walked her bike across a street in Tempe. She died of her injuries, making her the first pedestrian to be killed by an autonomous vehicle.

There was a person inside the SUV but it was in autonomous mode, reports said.

The professor’s warning came as Jaguar Land Rover embarked on autonomous vehicle trials in Milton Keynes. A statement by the company

said: ‘We are aware of the incident in Arizona but are unable to comment or speculate until the formal report has been published.

‘Safety is our number-one priority. We are still in the development phase of autonomous vehicles. In every vehicle we have a highly trained safety driver who is given robust guidelines on being fully alert and fit to regain control

A Volvo XC90

of the vehicle.’ A large number of modern cars now feature some level of autonomous technology, helping to assist during emergency situations such as sudden braking.

Some manufacturers, such as Audi, already have a system that will drive their luxury cars autonomously on motorways.

However, as legislation doesn’t allow it, the firm can’t turn it on.

Professor Sharkey said he wanted to see a slower development of this technology, adding: ‘An incremental approach is not so exciting, but it will be much safer in the long run.’

Uber was contacted for comment regarding the incident in Arizona but the ride-sharing company failed to respond. On Twitter, it said: ‘Our hearts go out to the victim’s family.

‘We’re fully co-operating with the police and local authorities as they investigate this incident.’

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 13

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APPOINTMENT

New COO at Kia Motors Europe

NEW MODEL

Ford focuses on customers for fourth-generation car

F

ord has unveiled the new Ford Focus – the fourth generation of one of the most popular family cars on sale today. The Blue Oval says this model has been built through closer collaboration with its customers than ever, and the result is a more spacious cabin with better materials and build quality.

The new Focus gets a wider range of driver assistance technologies too, including adaptive cruise control that can adjust the car’s speed to the posted limit by reading signs, fully automated parking and an evasive steering assistant that helps drivers avoid potential collisions.

Its silhouette is true to the outgoing Focus model, but there

by DARREN CASSEY @darrencassey

are plenty of design changes, such as a redesigned front end with a longer bonnet, new LED lighting both front and rear, and split tail lights. It’s also built on Ford’s new C2 vehicle platform, which the firm says improves cabin space, exterior aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

In addition, Ford is offering a wide range of body styles and trim levels. There’s the high-spec Vignale, sporty ST-Line and style-conscious Titanium. For the first time in the Focus range, Ford is offering an Active model, which has elevated ground

NEW FORMAT

Car Dealer Magazine’s digital edition is now reaching a wider audience IT’S always nice to get a bit of positive feedback – and here at Car Dealer, we’re thrilled that the new digital format for the magazine appears to be winning fans up and down the country.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve been busy moving all of our back catalogue onto digital magazine reader Issuu.

If you’ve used Issuu before, you’ll know that it can be used on all internet browsers, mobiles, tablets and computers by either clicking on the link or downloading the Issuu app.

If you have an account, it’s simple to follow Car Dealer Magazine. If you do so, every time we

clearance, rugged black plastic wheel arch mouldings and skid plates for crossover-esque style as well as some off-road ability.

There is a variety of petrol and diesel engine variations available.

Joe Bakaj, Ford’s vice-president of European product development, said: ‘Our all-new Ford Focus is the pinnacle of technology and driving appeal in its segment.

‘The chance to build a completely new car from a fresh piece of paper does not come around often. We grabbed it with both hands, to develop the best mid-size family car that money can buy.’

Prices start at £17,930 for the entrylevel Style model.

We’re now on Issuu

upload a new magazine, you’ll get a notification on your device!

This does mean that there will be no more magazines uploaded to the iPad app and it has now closed.

Editor of Car Dealer Rebecca Chaplin said: ‘It was quite a big decision to stop publishing our iPad edition but we’re confident that Issuu will be a great replacement. It’s easy to use and the mag looks fabulous on it. Dealers we’ve been chatting to are enjoying the new format already, which is wonderful news.’

Go online to issuu.com/blackballmedia where you’ll see editions of Car Dealer and our sister publication Workshop Magazine 14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

KIA Motors Europe has appointed Emilio Herrera as its new chief operating officer.

He replaces Michael Cole, who is set to take up a senior role elsewhere in the global Kia Motors organisation.

Herrera, above, will be based at Kia’s European headquarters in Frankfurt.

He will be responsible for sustaining the brand’s sales growth, as Kia targets more than 500,000 sales in Europe in 2018. He will also oversee the roll-out of a range of advanced new vehicles, with 16 new models planned for launch by 2025.

Cole has been chief operating officer for Kia Motors Europe since November 2012.

He has overseen an unprecedented 40 per cent sales growth for the Korean brand in Europe, outpacing 27 per cent growth in the recovering European market.

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16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

Power Awards.

VOTING IS NOW OPEN

Something to say about your manufacturers or suppliers? Let’s hear it!

H

ere’s a quick question for you! What do the WMS Group, BCA, GardX and Spidersnet have in common?

The answer, if you hadn’t guessed, is that all four companies were winners at last year’s Car Dealer Power Awards – and they were successful because of you!

That’s right, the readers of Car Dealer Magazine decide who the winners are in Car Dealer Power each year. It’s the annual survey and awards scheme that lets dealers hide behind a cloak of anonymity to say exactly what they think about their manufacturers and suppliers. And voting is now open for 2018.

We can’t emphasise enough that your opinions really do count, because we make sure they’re seen by the people who really need to be made aware of them.

All you have to do is give marks out of 10 and honest views in our straightforward, no-nonsense question-and-answer survey. You can complete it online at bit.ly/Power-survey.

We want you to tell us which manufacturers and suppliers are the absolute best and how good they are at helping you. For example, what parts do you use, who do you go to for advice, and who makes sure you get the most out of the internet?

We also want to know, though, which are the ones that give you grief! Your votes and views will be carefully collated to provide the eventual list of winners, as well as a stark picture of those companies that just aren’t coming up to scratch.

As we say, the findings will be shared, so it’s entirely feasible that manufacturers and suppliers will change how they operate because of YOU! If you’re a supplier to the motor trade, you can get your customers to nominate you, which means that, with enough support from them, you could be taking home one of our prestigious gongs from our awards night.

The closing date for nominations is May 24, 2018. That might seem like a long way off but it’ll be here before you know it, so make sure you fill in the survey soon!

Go online to

bit.ly/Power-survey ...and we promise it won’t take longer than 10 minutes or so!

CAN I BE TOTALLY HONEST? In a word, yes. We really want you to shoot from the hip and we’re giving you the full protection of anonymity as you do so.

Once the opinions have been considered, the marks totted up and the votes collated, we’ll be holding our glamorous awards night at the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, and it’ll be taking place on Thursday, June 28, 2018.

Please make sure that you spare a little bit of time to complete the online form. Don’t be shy!

We look forward to hearing from you.

Want to keep your copy of Car Dealer Magazine pristine? You can also enter online at CarDealerPower.com

18 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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to join the revolution, talk to your MotoNovo Finance Account Manager or call 0844 880 2401 today MotoNovo Finance, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited (London Branch). Registered in England (Branch Reg. No: BR010027) at Austin Friars House, 2-6 Austin Friars, London, EC2N 2HD. FirstRand Bank Limited is authorised and regulated by the South African Reserve Bank. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

Dashboard.

HEADING TO THE UK

So what was new in New York?

T

he covers are off, the pictures have been taken and the mysteries have been revealed – the 2018 New York International Auto Show press days have come to a close. Of course, the vast majority of the cars featuring at the show

in the Big Apple are destined to only arrive in the US, but there are certain vehicles that will be heading to the UK too. Here, we look at some of the standout, UK-bound models to be featured at this year’s New York motor show.

Mercedes-AMG C63 AMG’s ballistic version of the executive C-Class has long been a hit and the German firm revealed a mildly refreshed version.

Prices for the standard model start at £64,000 rising to £73,000 for the S.

Maserati Levante Trofeo This is the latest option for anyone in the market for a high-performance Italian SUV. With a 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 under the bonnet, this is one fast 4×4. Maserati says it’ll hit 60mph in under four seconds.

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Toyota RAV4

Audi RS5 Sportback

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

The new RAV4 compact SUV made its first appearance at this year’s show. Available with two powertrains – a 2.5-litre hybrid unit as well as a 2.0-litre petrol – it’s been designed to be dynamic and good to drive.

We’ve already seen the regular RS5 Coupe, but this is the first time that the Sportback version has broken cover. It’s for people who want the performance of the two-door, but with the practicality of a five-door.

Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations unit has been focusing on the F-Pace SUV lately.

Under the sculpted bonnet sits a 5.0-litre V8 making a healthy 542bhp and 680Nm of torque. All-wheel drive aids grip.

Mini Classic Electric Mini is working on an all-electric version of its three-door model, and to get buyers excited, it showed off a one-off version of its classic car – probably with the electric powertrain from a BMW i3 under the bonnet.

Coming to the Car Dealer Expo?

See us on stand A9 in Manchester on 21–22 May to start getting more out of every listing.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

Dashboard.

Future classics under the hammer in Nottingham

Auctions: p84

New roles for Jason and Jonathan at AutosOnShow AUTOSONSHOW has appointed Jonathan Higham as its new managing director and Jason Jeggo as head of sales.

Higham, right, previously held a number of senior roles at BCA – AutosOnShow’s parent company.

As managing director, he will be responsible for leading a continued expansion in the retail and wholesale markets of the UK and Europe.

Jeggo has held positions in the past including director of sales at Radar Video and head of sales at CitNOW Video. His role as head of sales will see him using his extensive experience with OEMs and dealers alike to drive AutosOnShow’s sales.

AutosOnShow provides a highdefinition vehicle video system, which was recently rolled out in 20 different languages in order to aid European sales.

A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

Removing the confusion from new road tax rules

D

BMW Group set to offer cars on a subscription basis with Drover

B

MW Group has formed a partnership with vehicle subscription service Drover to offer all-inclusive monthly payments on a selection of its models.

The subscriptions start from £131 and are available on vehicles including the BMW 1 Series, 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, and the Mini Hatch, with the monthly instalments covering the cost of the car, insurance, tax, maintenance, servicing and breakdown assistance.

Customers can sign up on Drover’s website and have a car delivered the next day. The online portal also lets users swap, upgrade or downgrade their policy, or cancel it, with no long-term commitments or down payments.

The partnership has come about as a result of BMW’s 10-week Innovation Lab programme, which allows start-ups to test their products at scale, receiving advice from senior BMW Group managers as well as insight from industry experts.

The starting vehicles on offer with the scheme are the Mini Cooper Hatch three-door and the BMW 116d Sport.

More premium vehicles available include 22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Greenyer

by TRISTAN SHALE-HESTER @tristan_shale

the BMW 2 Series Coupé, X1, 4 Series Coupé, 5 Series Saloon, 5 Series Touring, 2 Series Active Tourer, 2 Series Convertible, 3 Series Saloon, 3 Series Touring, 4 Series Convertible, X3 and i3 Chris Brownridge, sales director at BMW UK, said: ‘New, creative solutions allow the chance for car users to experience BMW or Mini ownership for as long or as little as they require. BMW Group UK is at the forefront of such development and we are excited to announce a partnership with Drover, the car subscription platform.

‘Through its new subscription model, we are able to provide an even wider range of ways to access BMW and Mini vehicles for retail buyers.’

Felix Leuschner, founder and chief executive of Drover, added: ‘We are incredibly excited to be working with BMW Group UK and very proud to be announcing our partnership, which is a direct outcome of our participation in BMW’s Innovation Lab.’

espite the freeze on fuel duty being sustained by the Chancellor in the recent Spring Statement, fears of increased motoring costs continue to influence used car buyers when it comes to thinking about their next car purchase. And significantly, as new road tax rules come into force this month, 42.3 per cent of used car buyers surveyed by Raphael Finance earlier this year cited road tax as one of the three crucial considerations when selecting their next car – highlighting just how important this factor is for dealers looking to close a sale.

Not surprisingly, fuel costs came top of the list of affordability considerations for the next used car purchase at 51.2 per cent, followed by car insurance group at 43.5 per cent. Road tax came in third at 42.3 per cent.

Female motorists ranked road tax as a marginally more important consideration (46.6 per cent) than insurance group (45.6 per cent) when factoring what they could afford.

However, adding to the challenge motor retailers face in helping car buyers make the right choices, a separate study by confused.com suggests that motorists are confused about the new road tax rules that have just come into force. Almost nine in 10 (87 per cent) drivers surveyed by confused.com said they do not know the new law in relation to taxing new diesel vehicles.

And many seem to think that the rules apply to all diesel vehicles – not just those registered on or after April 1, 2018.

Whilst the government’s agenda is clear in terms of bringing forward measures to help motorists go green, the new rules actually present an immediate opportunity for used dealers with slightly older stock – petrol and diesel – on their forecourts. Any car bought or registered before April 1, 2017 isn’t affected by the latest road tax changes, which means older cars will continue to be taxed according to the previous system of CO2 emissions. Therefore, in the vast majority of cases, motorists opting for a vehicle that’s two years old or older will be better off – as far as road tax is concerned – than those driving new cars.

The research, conducted at the beginning of this year, revealed one in three (36.2 per cent) motorists drive diesel and dealers can win customer loyalty if they provide a good understanding of the options available for their next car.

The reality is that used car buyers remain led by price. The dealer providing a great deal, combined with understanding the fuel and tax implications for the cost of ownership, as well as offering a range of financing options is, therefore, more likely to be able to secure a sale.

‘The reality is that used car buyers remain led by price.’

Darren Greenyer is deputy head of lending at Raphael Finance.

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24 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CDX 2018

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

8-PAGE PREVIEW STARTS HERE

Get your tickets now and we’ll see you at the show!

T

by REBECCA CHAPLIN @believebecca

ime is running out to book your tickets to CDX 2018. Europe’s largest automotive trade show is taking place in a month’s time, on May 21 and 22 at the amazing Manchester Central Convention Complex.

Registering for your free tickets is simple – head to the cardealerexpo.co.uk website now and they’ll be emailed to you instantly to bring along on the day. They will give you access to both days of unmissable expo offers, workshops and Live Stage panel sessions.

Come along to take part in our questionand-answer sessions at the Car Dealer Live Stage, witness our keynote and expert panels, learn from our workshops and explore the enormous expo.

With 19 different workshops, an Executive Track featuring a line-up including Mike Hawes and Paul McGee, plus contributions from the likes of Google and Twitter, it really is an unmissable event for anyone involved in car retailing in the UK today.

We’ll see you in Manchester in May!

Profit clinic Reduce your overheads and make more money with CDX CDX 2018 is more than an opportunity to network and gain insight into the industry.

Those car dealers attending the show will have exclusive access to deals and advice that can cut overheads and help them make money.

Times are tough with many dealerships tightening their belts.

CDX is the perfect place to re-evaluate how your costs are spread and negotiate fresh deals with new partners. Our expo halls will be packed with suppliers offering special deals and keen to do business on the day.

Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity in any successful business. Cutting those overheads will make a huge difference. Not only will CDX give you an opportunity to cut some costs, we’ll also be hosting an exclusive Profit Clinic panel on the Car Dealer Magazine Live Stage with Dylan Haskell of GardX, Mark Thomas of Ridecell and sales consultant Rob Purfield.

They’ll be talking about great ways for car dealers to make more money from their existing deals and opportunities in the market.

Not only that, but our range of workshops will enlighten delegates on ways they can maximise existing profit streams and tell them about simple ways to add new channels.

Be it people, property or digital assets, these are all costs and if they’re not giving you a return, what should you do?

From advice on hiring the right staff, to making the most of them, using social media to advertise cars in an effective way and measuring return on investment, we’ve got it all covered at CDX. If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to do so. Don’t be the person who missed out on some fantastic advice and the chance to get a deal that could transform your business.

Never has a free ticket been so valuable.

In association with

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

CDX 2018 THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

Meet the experts Headline panels

CDX 2018 is bringing you a top line-up of automotive experts with two headline panels. These will focus on key themes in the industry and delegates will be able to hear their opinions about what the future holds.

Day 1 What’s in store for the automotive industry? – Live Stage: 3.30pm

Jeremy Hicks

Jaguar Land Rover MD

Mike Hawes

Chief executive of the SMMT

Nigel McMinn COO of Lookers

Richard Jones

MD of Black Horse

New car sales are in decline, manufacturers are warning they’ll move out of the UK and Brexit looms – but is it all that bad? Used cars are seeing an increase in sales, the type of cars being pushed to consumers is changing and the way we sell is changing. Join Jaguar Land Rover MD Jeremy Hicks, CEO of the SMMT Mike Hawes, COO of Lookers Nigel McMinn and MD of Black Horse Richard Jones who will be on the Live Stage at CDX from 3.30pm on Day 1.

Day 2 What’s the future of the physical car dealership? – Live Stage: 3.30pm

Justin Benson

Head of automotive at KPMG

Andy Barratt

Ford of Britain MD

John Tordoff

CEO of JCT600

John O’Hanlon

CEO of Waylands Automotive

A KPMG survey earlier this year found that 75 per cent of automotive executives thought that by 2025, half of dealerships would disappear. Justin Benson, head of automotive at KPMG, will join us on this panel where we’ll talk about what changes the industry could see. Ford of Britain MD and chairman Andy Barratt, JCT600 CEO John Tordoff and CEO of Waylands Automotive John O’Hanlon will also give their views on the changing role of physical dealerships.

In association with

26 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

The Executive Track

To bolster your insight into the market, CDX has created the Executive Track – four keynote workshops focused on informing and equipping business leaders with ways to achieve success.

Paul McGee

The SUMO Guy – 11.30am, Day 1 Paul McGee, known as the SUMO Guy for his slogan ‘Shut Up, Move On’, will be joining the line-up of exciting guest speakers. If you’re wondering whether you’re fully maximising your staff’s potential, why you lost that key staff member to a competitor or a customer because of poor service, then this session will help you understand why and change that. McGee will share insights and strategies to help us get the best from our most crucial asset – ourselves, and the people we work with.

Mike Hawes

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders – 2pm, Day 1 Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, will look at the challenges and how we expect them to affect sales and the industry in the coming months. With Brexit looming, dieselgate, the government’s unclear communications regarding the future of taxation of diesel engines and scrappage, and the growing pressure on traditional fuelling, the UK’s car retail industry faces an unclear future. This is a must-attend session for all businesses involved in vehicle retailing, new and used.

Professor Jim Saker

Loughborough University – 11am, Day 2 Professor Jim Saker is director of the Centre for Automotive Management at Loughborough University and lectures in retail management. He will be at CDX to share his research on the future of retailing and how consumers will want to own and buy cars in the future. It’s one of the most talked-about topics in the industry, and Saker will give an unbiased view on how consumer mobility and car retailing are likely to change in the coming years. Most importantly, he’ll be showing how the sector should be looking to adapt.

Justin Benson

Head of automotive at KPMG – 2pm, Day 2 As KPMG’s head of automotive for the UK, Justin Benson will deliver a fascinating session on the future of drivetrain technology and how this could impact on retailers. Will electric vehicles be the future – as we currently expect – or will hydrogen come to play a greater role in the years ahead? He’ll also explore how autonomous cars will affect the way that consumers commute and the impact this will have on car retailers.

Join this session to find out what the industry needs to do to prepare, and over what time frame we can expect to see significant shifts in vehicle power away from fossil fuel.

Register for your FREE two-day ticket now at CarDealerExpo.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

CDX 2018

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

WHO’S GOING TO BE THERE?

The hugely impressive expo at the heart of CDX

C

DX 2018 is nearly here and everything is falling into place! With the last few stand spaces being snapped up as we draw ever nearer to Europe’s largest automotive expo and conference, it’s apparent that this year’s event is going to be bigger and better than ever.

Moving away from the previous venue of Silverstone, CDX 2018 is going to be a massive two-day occasion, taking place at the brilliant Manchester Central Convention Complex on May 21 and 22.

In addition to the Live Stage discussions, workshops and breakout sessions, there is going to be a huge number of exhibitors at the event, most of whom are listed on the right. They will all be vying for your attention as they show off their latest and greatest products, as well as chat to you about how they can best help your business succeed.

CDX’s headline sponsors – GardX, iVendi, Perfect Placement and WMS Group – will all be present to play a huge part in everything that happens over the two days, while helping to make it all possible.

Rebecca Chaplin, editor of Car Dealer Magazine, said: ‘Anyone who has been to previous CDX events at Silverstone can’t fail to have noticed that the expo itself is the beating heart of what goes on.

‘And if you thought our expos at Silverstone were impressive, you’ll be simply amazed by the scale of the Manchester version. The venue is stunning and the exhibitors are really looking forward to it. Now we just need as many dealers as possible to come along and help make CDX 2018 the success it undoubtedly deserves to be.’

In association with

28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

1link

Codeweavers

Momentum Warranties

AA Cars

Cogent Automotive

Moneypenny

ADESA

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MotorCheck

Arbonne

Cox Automotive

NextGear Capital

Drover

OneDealer

Aston Scott

eDynamix

Oracle

Autino

EMaC

Perfect Placement

AutoConvert

Europcar

PixReview

Auto-Seal

Fidelity Payment

Product Partnerships

Autoserve

Formkraft

Progress Recruitment

AutosOnShow

GardX

Radius Law

Auto Trader

Gemini Systems

Reputation.com

AutoVHC

Gen-3 Glasscoat

Reynolds and Reynolds

Ben

GForces

Rhino Events

Blue Motor Finance

Glass’s

Ridecell

Calltracks

Gumtree

Search Optics

Cap HPI

Harrison EDS

Shpock+ Motors

CarGurus

Haymarket Automotive

The IMDA

Carsnip

InAutomotive

Traka

Carwow

iVendi

Trusted Dealers

Cazana

Key Principles

Trustpilot

CCKeys

Keytracker

CDK Global

Loughborough University

Warranty Administration Services

ClickCarClub

LuxuryCars.London

WMS Group

Click Dealer

Manheim

WWSR

ClickEngage

Marque Group

Xpress Coffee

Armchair Marketing

Armchair Marketing

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CDX 2018 PLAN YOUR VISIT

Day 1: Hour-by-hour 9.30am

10am

11am

12pm

1pm

9am: CDX opens 9.30am

Live Stage

Keynote Cheryl Croly from Twitter

10am

Best practice online Making the most of your digital shop window

10.30am

Digital car sales Do consumers really want to buy cars online?

12.30pm

Meeting consumer expectations for online motor retailing

Take control of your online reputation

11.30am

12.30pm

10am

Social Media 200

In association with

30 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Win the war for talent How to recruit and retain the very best staff

Google & Facebook made easy Protect customers from competitors

Are you gambling with used car appraisals?

12.30pm

10.30am

11.30am

12.30pm

Disrupt or be disrupted – The millennial divide

Six ways to make customers spend more money!

GDPR – Ready or not? Failure to be compliant could leave firms open to large fines

10.30am

11.30am

12.30pm

Don’t forget the phones How stopping leaking calls could double sales

How are dealers adapting to changing customer mobility demands?

Exec Track

From the screen to the showroom Are you failing to present online as you do physically?

11.30am

Gumtree Dealer Meeting

Central 8

What new technology should you be implementing at your dealership?

11.30am

Do you have attribution problems?

Central 7

12.30pm

10.30am

8.30am

Central 6

Website design How can you convert page views into car sales?

12.30pm

10.30am

Central 5

12pm

11.30am

Finance The key to growth in 2018.

Car finance isn’t set to burst, it’s set to grow

Central 4

Social media Is it the holy grail for online advertising that car dealers think?

10.30am

Affecting the consumer journey How to influence buyer behaviour

Central 3

11.30am

Using digital marketing beyond car sales Focusing on the workshop

11.30am

Paul McGee: How to SUMO your staff, SUMO your service and increase success

GDPR – Ready or Digital not? Failure to be transformation in compliant could automotive retail leaveworkshop firms open and to large fines business

Keeping pace with changing FCA regulation Don’t risk being censured!

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

guide 2pm

3pm

4pm

5pm

CDX closes at 5pm 2pm

3pm

Digital data How can the information at your fingertips increase profit?

Motoring journalists What do customers really want from a car retailer?

3.30pm

Targeting How do you know if you’re getting the best from your adverts?

2pm

2.45pm

Affecting the consumer journey How to influence buyer behaviour

Google & Facebook made easy Protect customers from competitors

2pm

2.45pm

3.30pm

From the screen to the showroom Are you failing to present online as you do physically?

Finance The key to growth in 2018.

Car finance isn’t set to burst, it’s set to grow

2pm

2.45pm

3.30pm

How to interview so you make the right recruitment decisions

Do you have attribution problems?

Are you gambling with used car appraisals?

2pm

2.45pm

3.30pm

Why mental health is more important than Brexit

Digital transformation in automotive retail and workshop business

2.45pm

3.30pm

2pm Six ways to make customers spend more money!

GDPR – Ready or not? Failure to be compliant could leave firms open to large fines

2pm

2.45pm

How are dealers adapting to changing customer mobility demands?

2pm

Mike Hawes: State of the nation report on the UK automotive industry

Using digital marketing beyond car sales Focusing on the workshop

Expert panel The future of the automotive industry

3.30pm

Meeting consumer expectations for online motor retailing

Don’t forget the phones How stopping leaking calls could double sales

4pm

Take control of your online reputation

Disrupt or be disrupted – The millennial divide

3.30pm

Keeping pace with changing FCA regulation Don’t risk being censured!

NB: Times of sessions are subject to change

Register for your FREE two-day ticket now at CarDealerExpo.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 31

CDX 2018 PLAN YOUR VISIT

Day 2: Hour-by-hour 9.30am

10am

11am

12pm

11am

12pm

10am

11am

12pm

10am

11am

12pm

Take control of your online reputation

Meeting consumer expectations for online motor retailing

Finance The key to growth in 2018.

Car finance isn’t set to burst, it’s set to grow

10am

11am

12pm

How to interview so you make the right recruitment decisions

Do you have attribution problems?

Are you gambling with used car appraisals?

10am

11am

12pm

1pm

9am: CDX opens 9.30am

Live Stage

Keynote Max Stolton from Google

10am

Finance Is the PCP bubble about to burst?

From the screen to the showroom Are you failing to present online as you do physically?

Central 3

Central 4

Central 5

Central 6

Central 7

Google & Facebook made easy Protect customers from competitors

Franchises Trials and triumphs of franchising

Best practice online Making the most of your digital shop window

10am

11am

Disrupt or be disrupted – The millennial divide

Six ways to make customers spend more money!

GDPR – Ready or not? Failure to be compliant could leave firms open to large fines

10am

11am

12pm

Women in the Motor Industry

In association with

32 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Property When is the right time to expand?

Don’t forget the phones How stopping leaking calls could double sales

9.30am

Exec Track

Profit clinic Making more money and cutting your overheads

Why mental health is more important than Brexit

Using digital marketing beyond car sales Focusing on the workshop

Central 8

10.30am

Keeping pace with changing FCA regulation Don’t risk being censured!

11am

Professor Jim Saker: The future of car retailing in an uncertain time

Digital transformation in automotive retail and workshop business

12pm

Using digital marketing beyond car sales Focusing on the workshop

12.30pm

Merging online to offline Bringing digital customers in store

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

guide 2pm

3pm

4pm

5pm

CDX closes at 4.30pm 2pm

Recruitment What do employees want?

2.30pm

Death of the salesman? How can customer service help sell more cars?

3pm Sourcing stock in a challenging world

1pm

2pm

3pm

1pm

2pm

3pm

Meeting consumer expectations for online motor retailing

Take control of your online reputation

Finance The key to growth in 2018.

Car finance isn’t set to burst, it’s set to grow

1pm

2pm

3pm

Are you gambling with used car appraisals?

Do you have attribution problems?

2pm

3pm

Google & Facebook made easy Protect customers from competitors

Win the war for talent How to recruit and retain the very best staff

1pm

From the screen to the showroom Are you failing to present online as you do physically?

Don’t forget the phones How stopping leaking calls could double sales

1pm

2pm

Disrupt or be disrupted – The millennial divide

Six ways to make customers spend more money!

GDPR – Ready or not? Failure to be compliant could leave firms open to large fines

1pm

2pm

3pm

Keeping pace with changing FCA regulation Don’t risk being censured!

2pm

Justin Benson: Drivetrain and the future of the car

Expert panel The future of the physical dealership

Best practice online Making the most of your digital shop window

Why mental health is more important than Brexit

How are dealers adapting to changing customer mobility demands?

3.30pm

Digital transformation in automotive retail and workshop business

3pm

How are dealers adapting to changing customer mobility demands?

NB: Times of sessions are subject to change

Register for your FREE two-day ticket now at CarDealerExpo.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

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34 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Behind the scenes REBECCA CHAPLIN

Blackball Media’s head of editorial is never afraid to tell it like it is

I

The Monday morning delivery that lacked any kind of customer care

t only takes one person to ruin it for everyone. That’s the problem with any industry. I’m a journalist, so you don’t have to talk to me about being tarred with the same brush as the bad apples in my profession.

I’m often asked the question ‘Oh you’re a journalist, do you hack phones?’ and that probably makes me feel the same as you do when you hear something along the lines of, ‘You work in car sales, are you out to scam me?’

Politicians probably experience similar emotions, or at least the three who still have some good intentions…

While nine in every ten people you meet do a fantastic job, it’s that tenth person who leaves the impression.

I’ve never had a problem with car dealers or mechanics. I’ve been a bit annoyed if my car didn’t pass its MOT (who can I blame but myself for that?) and I’ve never felt ripped off – until today.

It got me thinking hard about how important good customer service is, the stuff that goes unnoticed a lot of the time because it becomes what you expect. OK, my situation is a little unusual, but carelessness can leave a customer feeling totally unloved.

I’ve never bought a house and I don’t really spend money on cars you would consider ‘normal’, so the bodywork I had done on one of my classics was the most I’d spent on anything… ever.

For someone to deliver me a half-done job which didn’t work was soul-crushing.

Standing in the rain outside the office – because the delivery driver didn’t have a valid driving licence to get past security, no less – with a car that wouldn’t start on a busy Monday morning was not the best beginning to the week.

I’ll give the guy credit, when I saw it in the workshop it looked incredible and it was never going to be perfect when it came back to me. It had needed a load of welding because it had basically been living in the sea (New Jersey) for 50 years, before moving onto wet west Wales for a couple of months.

The contrast was stark, more disappointing than anything, because of those small let-downs. The wheels were covered in mud from where it had clearly been stored in a field, the delivery driver abandoned us when he couldn’t get it moving and when we lifted the hood (I can say that, it’s American) the new battery I’d bought had been swapped out for a smaller, older and much dirtier one.

Each of these things alone I could probably have forgiven, but all together it felt like a complete disaster.

We got it going, but this half-done job is now sat in the car park just making me despair a little every time I see it.

It’s easy to see how angry people can get when their prized new car, on order for three months with all of the specification they desire, can be tarnished with just a few false moves.

Had the garage owner – as, to be honest, I’m sure he would have wanted to if he hadn’t been on holiday – delivered it to me with a full explanation of what had been done, working and starting on the button, clean and with every part working that had been doing so when it left, I probably would have felt differently.

That’s what got me thinking about what a difference those little things really do make. At the end of the day, what I’d asked for had been done but this wasn’t just an MOT. I’m sure sometimes those expensive extras seem pointless, as do those handovers with a smile even when you’re feeling your worst or finishing touches that seem to go unnoticed. Today, I can assure you they’re not.

They make a huge difference, help to keep customers coming back and aid the formation of long-lasting relationships.

Communication makes a difference too – as long as it’s not one-sided. I’m the worst person when it comes to picking up my phone (there have been far too many PPI calls for me to answer unknown numbers) but if you’re always on the other side trying to make a call and never answer when a customer needs you, you’ll only damage the relationship further.

Because, let’s face it, that’s what it is at the end of the day – a relationship. One that’s much more valuable if the customer is going to tell all of their friends how fantastic you are and keep going back for more. Those you shut the door on are, at best, going to forget about you. At worst, they’re going to tell their friends you were harassing them or being neglectful.

The second box is definitely where I’m sitting right now. I can’t really pretend anything else, seeing as I’m telling all of you.

I don’t think I’ll be going back, despite all the work that still needs to be done with my car. It doesn’t feel at all like it was cared for in the way I would have wanted and I know there are plenty of garages out there that would charge the same but keep it tucked up in the warm, fresh and clean for its return.

‘For someone to deliver me a half-done job which didn’t work was soul-crushing.’

Rebecca Chaplin is head of editorial at Blackball Media and presents news programmes and features on its online video channel Trade Plates TV. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 35

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Big Mike Our man on the inside shares his thoughts on the car business

There’s nothing wrong with clichés (but I’ve hung up my sheepskin coat..)

H

ere’s a question for you all. Do you conform to car dealer clichés?

I ask because I was reading an article in one of the glossy trade mags recently (one of the ones that, unlike Car Dealer, doesn’t actually talk to those at the business end of the industry) and it said that the car sales environment had cleaned up its act in recent years, its rationale being that the days of concrete lots, caravans, sheepskin coats and bunting are long gone.

This, to me, isn’t a definition of ‘cleaning up its act’.

You can still go into a shiny gin palace and get fleeced for plenty of your hard-earned, be it on finance, part-ex or all manner of aftersales paintwork protection products, which all count towards commission and, let’s face it, are often the bread and butter for the underpaid sales executive. A pleasant trading environment might be one thing, but punters also need to understand that there’s no such thing as a free coffee.

Personally, I’m riddled with clichés. Okay, I hung up the sheepskin coat many years ago, but I replaced it with a North Face raincoat – pay a visit to any car auction in any provincial town in the UK and you’ll see that it’s the uniform of choice for those who need to perform cursory inspections of well-used motor vehicles on a wet January evening. In such an environment, the traditional sheepskin becomes heavy and bedraggled, while in the warmer months it’s a bit sweaty, so it’s the one cliché I’ve cast aside in favour of a more functional modern equivalent.

But that’s it. I still have a caravan, albeit a static one, with lights and power, and I still have metres and metres of bunting.

After all, what’s wrong with brightening up an otherwise grey and concrete-ridden corner of the West Midlands with a few brightly coloured triangles that tell the world that there are cars for sale here?

I still open all of my boot lids every morning, too. There’s no practical reason other than a) it tells people we’re open and b) it gives me something mindless to do while I wait for the tea urn to heat up. These things are important when you run a business that, according to my signage, has ‘a tradition of matching people to vehicles’. Let’s honour tradition folks, and not change too much.

Other clichés? I have a dog. Fluffy, my now aged Rottweiler who is about as aggressive as a lop-eared bunny rabbit, and I drive around in big, unsaleable barge-like cars that aren’t worth the effort of trying to sell but which are an absolute delight to smoke around in.

I enjoy cigars too, and I keep a drop of the nice stuff in my bottom drawer, which I crack open to toast a successful sale. Just the one, mind, as nobody wants the ignominy of losing their licence at the wheel of a Nissan QX. Beneath my bunting and inside my caravan, though, beats the heart of a business that really cares about its customers. So many car dealerships will tell you this – especially the gin palaces – but about 70 per cent of my custom comes from either return buyers or from word of mouth, and these things are worth infinitely more than a frothy coffee machine and a slippery tiled floor.

While I’m in this to make a buck, just like anyone else doing any other job in the world, I’m also in it to not rip people off.

A car is worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for it, which is usually more than I paid for it, and that’s the bare bones of how my business works.

It’s not something I hide from my customers, either.

They know that I make a bit of money out of them, but they also know that if the car springs a problem, even one that’s way outside of my control, I’ll look after them.

It’s called ‘doing the right thing’, and if it hits your margins, that’s a risk of running a business, not something you should try to wriggle out of.

A car transaction is like any other business decision. You make good ones and bad ones, and if you make more good ones than bad ones then you’ll make a profit, even if you do have to take a hit every now and again.

For me, moving away from the long-defunct petrol station forecourt on which I established my business back in the early 1990s would be a bad business decision, as would getting rid of my bunting and my caravan.

If I had a shiny gin palace, I’d have to charge more for my cars to pay the rent, and I don’t want my customers to pay for that. So, I’ll stick with my clichés for now. Even the sheepskin coat still has its place – I keep it hanging in the back window of my old Jaguar XJ6 as a reminder of how all this started…

‘The traditional sheepskin becomes heavy and bedraggled, while in the warmer months it’s a bit sweaty.’

Who is Big Mike? Well, that would be telling. What we can say is he’s had more than 40 years in the car trade so has probably forgotten more about it than we’re likely to know.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37

Dashboard.

Around the world Dealer news from somewhere other than here

Hard-hitting opinion from Car Dealer’s founder.

James Baggott: p98

SLOVAKIA

Kia has manufactured its three millionth car in Europe since production began in Žilina, Slovakia, in 2006. The milestone vehicle to roll off the production line was a Kia ceed – a fusion white five-door hatchback in ‘GT-Line’ specification, built for a customer in Iceland. Kia’s European production base has built a reputation for producing high-quality vehicles and plays an important role in helping the brand deliver its seven-year/100,000-mile warranty.

CENTRAL AMERICA

UK car dealership chain Inchcape is to buy a company called Grupo Rudelman, a Suzukiorientated automotive distribution business operating in Costa Rica and Panama. The two countries offer Inchcape good growth opportunities because of their low vehicle penetration rates and encouraging economic prospects. The company will pay Grupo Rudelman shareholders £201 million to complete its sixth international takeover in 16 months.

38 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

A TOYOTA dealership has teamed up with the government to conduct raids on dealers who trade in or use counterfeit car parts. The raids have resulted in the confiscation of almost 180,000 fake parts worth £815,000. Saud Abbasi, boss of the company involved, Al-Futtaim-Toyota, said using counterfeit car parts was ‘massively dangerous’.

INDIA

CHINA

CAR buyers in China’s third biggest city, Guangzhou, can now take a Ford vehicle for a test drive after collecting it from a massive vending machine installed at a shopping centre.

Potential buyers pick from 100 cars using their mobile phone before travelling to the machine, where their car is delivered to them using facial recognition software. ‘We are looking for ways to simplify customers’ lives and give them the ultimate try-before-youbuy experience,’ said Dean Stoneley, vicepresident of marketing at Ford Asia Pacific.

SKODA Auto India has named Gurpratap Boparai as its new managing director. He’s a man with lots of experience in the international and Indian car industries as well as expertise in heading up big manufacturing operations. Skoda Auto CEO Bernhard Maier said the appointment had been made at an ‘opportune moment’. Skoda has 70 dealerships in India.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 39

Dashboard.

Part 13: Accounting It might be a tedious topic but it’s also one of the most important, so pay attention at the back! Dan Read gives you the lowdown.

T

here’s no easy way to say this: doing accounts is a right old pain in the backside, especially when it comes to selling cars. What’s more, the motor trade is notorious for its knotty transactions, and

SETTING UP A COMPANY

‘There’s nothing wrong with being a sole trader, or two mates setting up as a partnership,’ says Ian McMahon, a partner at automotive business and accounting experts ASE Global.

‘But – for example – if you have a really good year and make £100,000, it would all be taxed as personal income. In other words, if you’re doing a good job you’ll get into the 40 per cent tax bracket quite quickly.’

The most common approach is to set up a limited company, where the trader is separate to the company. If the company makes a profit it’s taxed on that profit (corporation tax) and will most likely pay you a salary and/or dividends.

You will still pay personal tax on the money you draw from the business (either via PAYE or selfassessment), but this can be more efficient than paying tax on the overall profits, which can stay in the business or be re-invested.

‘At the outset, when you don’t know how many cars you’ll sell or how much money you’ll make, it can be hard to know which course to take,’ says McMahon. ‘A decent accountant will be able to advise you, as well as regularly checking you’re doing the right thing as your business grows.’

VAT

If your turnover is more than £85,000, you must become VAT-registered with HMRC. Note, that’s £85,000 turnover rather than profit. ‘Half a dozen car sales and you’re already there,’ says McMahon. ‘So it’s typical for a dealer to register almost straight away – you can still register if your turnover is under £85k.’

The upshot of registering for VAT means different things to different businesses, depending on what they sell.

Of course, you can also reclaim the VAT on many goods and services sold to you. We’d run out of ink if we explained it all here (thankfully, www.gov.uk has more space) so instead let’s deal with the most important upshot for car dealers:

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

40 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

if you can’t tell a bookkeeper from a bookmaker, you’ll be having an awkward chat with the taxman before you know it. But fear not... our experts are on hand to help, starting with some business basics.

how to calculate the VAT you owe the taxman.

Generally speaking, most second-hand cars can be sold under the VAT Margin Scheme. This means you’re charged VAT on the difference between the price you pay for a car and the price you sell it for, so long as you didn’t pay VAT on the vehicle when you bought it. The profit margin is treated as VAT-inclusive and the current ‘VAT fraction’ is applied to this to calculate the output VAT due. With the current VAT rate of 20 per cent, the VAT fraction is 1/6. So if you make a profit of £500, the VAT calculation is £500 x 1/6 = £83.

You don’t have to use the scheme but it can save you money. Without it, you would have to account for VAT on the full selling price of each vehicle. It’s also worth noting that if you sell a vehicle for less than you paid for it, you won’t have to account for any VAT on the sale.

Seems simple enough, right? Not so fast…

‘Remember,’ says McMahon, ‘motor trade transactions are far more complex than the average retail sale. Think about it: you buy a car at auction, service it, maybe buy parts, prep it for sale, take a car in p/x, add some accessories or finance and so on. A single sale can have 20 to 30 accounting transactions.’

To add to your headache, your official margin – for VAT purposes – can’t include the costs of bringing the car to sale, eg, repairs, refurbishment, accessories or your business

‘There are some fantastic lower-cost options available, most of which link to something like Sage accounts’ Becky Jury, accountancy consultant

overheads. Those are dealt with separately, but still need to be factored in so you know where you stand on each sale.

It’s therefore vital to keep good records to avoid getting tangled in a web from which you’ll never escape…

BOOKKEEPING & SOFTWARE

Just like the old days, a dealer relies on a ‘stockbook’ to track a car from purchase to sale, including all the associated costs. It’s a vital tool, but these days it’s normally built into a digital dealer management system that also links to accounting software such as Sage, Xero or Quickbooks.

You could use those programs on their own, like any other business, but given the mindboggling workings of car sales, it’s worth using a specialist DMS with the whole kit and caboodle – helping you keep on top of everything from stock management to calculating margins and VAT. Accountancy consultant Becky Jury says: ‘There are some fantastic lower-cost options available, most of which link to something like Sage accounts. But I use different software depending on the nature of the dealer.’

In other words, shop around for one that feels right for you – you could start with something like a Dragon2000 or Click Dealer DMS. Whichever you go for, a certain amount of dayto-day bookkeeping is unavoidable, even if you eventually hand everything to an accountant.

‘At the end of the day, it’s important that you know the figures you’re looking at each month are accurate – if they’re right, your year-end accounts will be too,’ says Jury.

McMahon agrees. ‘Be disciplined,’ he says. ‘Get a phone app to keep instant records of expenses and income. Even if it’s a simple spreadsheet to itemise and sort income/expenses, just make sure you can easily piece everything together.

‘If you don’t, it can come crashing down around

IN ASSOCI ATION WITH

you. It’s horrendous trying to unravel 20 or 30 transactions for one car...’

TAKING PAYMENTS

‘Firstly, have an allocated business bank account,’ says McMahon. ‘Don’t get into the muddy waters of running it through your personal bank account.

It will go wrong.’

As for taking payments, there are plenty of chip-and-PIN devices, some of which connect to your phone via Bluetooth.

Back to Jury for this one... ‘I recommend debit cards or BACS transfers linked directly to your business bank account. But remember, the

‘Just be sure you have the funds before the car drives off the forecourt...’

Ian McMahon, ASE Global partner convenience of taking card payments may be outweighed by the transaction charges.’

And don’t think you can add a surcharge to cover this – as of January 2018, that became illegal. This means you’ll be taking the hit, typically around three per cent on credit cards,

which have higher fees. ‘Whichever option you go for, just be sure you have the funds before the car drives off the forecourt,’ says McMahon.

GET AN ACCOUNTANT

No matter how confident you are, an expert pair of eyes could ultimately save you thousands.

Ideally it would be someone who knows the used car biz, but as long as they have an unhealthy knowledge of VAT law, they will hopefully keep you out of trouble.

But keep in mind that even a superhero accountant can only go on the information that you give them…

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

Feedback.

Your comments via email to dave@blackballmedia.co.uk

Our website at CarDealerMag.co.uk

I won’t let punters walk SO today we got yet another negative review on Google from someone who has never bought a car from us. This one was from a buffoon who had us hold a £16k vehicle for him for two weeks before telling us he couldn’t go ahead because he couldn’t get finance. Predictably, he then asked for his deposit back.

Now, I shouldn’t really be surprised the idiot left the review in this day and age – and frankly, I’m reaching the point where I just don’t care any more – but in his review, he stated that we stole from him, I am dishonest and that we are liars.

None of those things is true. Could they be considered libellous or improper? Do I have grounds to get those comments removed?

I know some of you will say I should have just rolled over and given him his money back but I’ve got to be honest, I can’t do it.

I just can’t let these people dictate to me. After 31 years in the trade, when I have always called the shots with the punters, I just can’t let them walk all over me. I hate these morons.

Autolink100 Just reply to it politely pointing out the facts.

Don’t get tempted to disparage him but try to make it slightly light-hearted if you want. Most people will read your answer and think he’s the idiot. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

NOACROSS Reviews are disgusting. They’re the same as social media. They’re unfair and unjust. The general public is horrendous and entitled. Having said that, reviews do matter now, even though they can be incredibly unfair. Best thing to do is reply to the comment, explain what happened, then get all your friends and family to post good reviews. It’s so ridiculous that it’s come to this, but the human race is becoming repugnant.

MSP Motors Reviews are a pain but they are a sad fact of running a business. People do read reviews and decide what your business is like before even

Picture of the month

Car Dealer founder James Baggott and production editor Dave Brown found themselves the butt of a few office jokes recently... shortly before a rare weeknight out. The artwork on the right was created by Blackball Media multimedia guru Jonny Reay, the angry tweet above by James!

speaking to you. You must reply to the review and turn it around in your favour.

Explain that it has cost you money removing the car from sale, preparing it to your buyer’s standards. Also mention the loss of turnover etc. State that deposits are non-refundable and a contract such as the one he signed is legally binding. Worded correctly, your reply could make your negative reviewer look like a skint chancer rather than an innocent saint. whitestone679231

malicious, false reviews because they can. As has been said before, they are just keyboard warriors.

NoMargin

I’m not sure why people get so upset about the occasional bad rating – any half-reasonable customer will understand you can’t please 100 per cent of the people 100 per cent of the time.

I know it’d be nice to face up to these people and scare the hell out of them, but as most are faceless keyboard warriors, I realised years ago that there is no point getting wound up.

BHM

The majority of customers I deal with are quite pleasant, but one thing I have noticed recently is how stupid they are becoming. They don’t pay attention to adverts or the car they are looking at.

I’ve had so many calls recently saying, ‘I have seen a car on your website – is it a diesel? What’s the mileage?’ and various questions which are all in the advert. Here’s a perfect example – a customer rang up yesterday, said he’d seen one of our cars and asked if it was a diesel. ‘No Mr Customer, it’s a petrol as stated in the advert.’

‘Oh well,’ he replied. ‘That’s a no then!’

Dan W

My local Nando’s has a lot of bad reviews. I went there the other day. The food was nice and the service great. People find it so easy to leave

Good and bad punters What’s everyone’s average when it comes to the type of customers you get? Is it all doom and gloom? Is the world of car sales full of screamers? Or is it more a case of you only remember the bad ones?

Mikey360

Car parks, fields, pubs... where can I store excess stock?

I am looking for some flexible storage for excess stock. Being from Somerset, I was thinking a farmer with space in a yard/field or a pub with a large car park. I need to store five to 10 cars – any guide as to what I should expect to pay?

M5Cars I once used a private tennis club car park for a few extra cars. It was secure with CCTV and in a good residential area. It was a long time ago

42 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

and they were delighted to take £200 from me for a 12-month deal. Today it would probably be a grand but worth it. trade vet Try places that do caravan storage. That’s what we’ve been doing.

D&M Independent bodyshops sometimes have

excess space in a corner; just make sure all cars are locked so they don’t get used as spares machines when you aren’t there or mobile canteens by Spotty Junior and his Large Mac. s and b A friend of mine used to use a pub car park across the road from his business but cars got clamped – ‘no tax’! umesh

More and more of our readers are joining the debate – and it couldn’t be

On Twitter: Follow @CarDealerMag

Forum: CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

all over me after 31 years Top tweets Volkswagen Bradford has appointed digital sales executives Jack Walker and Tom Rimmer to help with the increasing number of digital customer inquiries. Good luck in your new roles!

JCT600 @jct600

Five years after its release, the #DaciaSandero is still the most #affordable car in the #UK! @daciauk Hendy Group @hendygroup

The #BMW i3 was designed from top to bottom with sustainability, exceptional looks, outstanding handling, driving dynamics and battery performance in mind.

Stratstone BMW @stratstonebmw

Who’s coming along to CDX this year?

Our very own award-winning MD Gerry Moxham will be putting on a workshop entitled ‘Affecting the consumer journey – how to influence buyer behaviour’.

Click Dealer Ltd @ClickDealerLTD

Kia hits four per cent market share and is the ninth best-selling brand during Q1 2018.

Kia UK PR @KiaUKPR

The Peugeot 508 is set to redefine the saloon as we know it, with sporty looks and coupe cues.

Bristol Street Motors @BristolStMotors

FEEDBACK

I’m feeling very frustrated because my hands are tied!

Your views on high milers?

I’D HAVE no problem with big-mileage cars if I was buying for myself – I’d sooner have a motorway car that has run at a constant RPM for much of its 100,000+ miles than a 30,000mile town car, but, in my experience, people cannot get the 100k barrier out of their minds.

I can sell the benefits of high mileage with good service but only if people pick up the phone and ask. I only have one car with more than 100k (my Q7) which is taxed and my daily smoke but also for sale.

Cars have changed. A taxi driver I spoke to recently was boasting how one of his cars had 700k on the clock and another had 500k on the clock (oil change every 5k).

Do you do well with big-mileage cars or steer clear? I think it’s less of a problem on a big German car but I am not sure how well I would do with other Euro cars.

Mark101 It’s never worked for me. No matter how often I change the oil, I have always ended up with worn gearboxes and other similar faults. justina3 We do a bit of ex-police stuff. All mega-miles but highly-maintained – customers like that.

Ex-fleet is probably the same. I’m wary of private high-milers though.

Lakeside

The. Best. Car. Dealership. Name. Ever.

Marshall Ford @MarshallFordMMG

I’ve always sold high-mileage. It doesn’t scare me as long as it’s low ownership, clearly been looked after and has a full history. The model and spec is more important – 200k is now the old 100k.

Arfur Dealy Stay away from the leggy German dross if you want a quiet life. I used to be scared of the miles but if it’s low owners, historied and relatively tidy then high milers are good bets with real profit in them.

I use my stock for transport but the family car is a fully-historied Honda, 160k, super condition, drives like brand new and being a Honda doesn’t give any surprises.

Compare that to a fellow trader’s BMW – he gets a bill on a regular basis and it still isn’t 100 per cent. As for buying a low-miler and watching the ££££s fall away every month in depreciation, well, sorry, but in my opinion that’s a mug punter’s game.

BHM Had a few personal vehicles that have been to the moon and back and never missed a beat, yet had sub-40k stuff that’s been a nightmare.

MrC I sell high-mileage, newer, clean, low-owner cars.

Ek cars

BEING a re-starter, I am finding that if it is not hard enough to buy stock, waiting for prep is driving me mad.

I have only amassed six cars so far and two of those are not advertised yet. I need them on (partly because I’m keen to get cracking and partly because they are either costing me money or not earning me money).

I recently bought two BMWs. One is with BCA having a speed sensor fixed, the other is at a bodyshop for a rear bumper scuff and trolley dinks in the driver’s door to be repaired.

My other four are 99 per cent of the way there.

They just need a wash but are otherwise good to go – so I am left waiting.

I can’t wait to be stocked up and build momentum. My hands are tied.

Mark101 Imagine being in the job a number of years and still having the same issues. My advice would be to get used to it and deal with it because it’s only going to get worse. sparky Mark, it won’t get any easier. You need a constant stream of new stock coming through. Logistics will be your biggest issue, moving stock from A to B and managing the garages.

Arfur Dealy Everyone I know is complaining about the same thing. Stocking will be the main issue for the next three to four years, as I see it. It’ll definitely result in some casualties.

Mojo121

easier to get involved! Sign up to our forum at CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

The publisher reserves the right to edit submissions.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

Finance.

VAUXHALL

Portfolio increased as buying falls out of favour VAUXHALL Finance has launched two new products – personal contract hire on new cars and business contract hire on LCVs and new cars at all Vauxhall retailers.

It said it recognised that some customers chose to return or upgrade their vehicle rather than buy

it when the lease ended, removing any concerns over depreciation or the admin of resale.

Customers can make an advanced rental payment to reduce their monthly instalments, or split the total rental cost evenly throughout the contract term, typically between 24

and 48 months, with no deposit.

Vauxhall Finance managing director Simon Kington said: ‘Increasing our product portfolio means we are able to deliver more of the finance products that Vauxhall customers want, which will improve the experience at Vauxhall retailers.’

KIA

Scrappage benefit extended among second quarter offers K ia Motors UK has launched a wide range of offers for the second quarter across its 191– strong dealer network.

Its scrappage scheme, previously only available on Picanto and Rio, has been extended to the all-new Stonic and ceed family. Under the scheme, customers can get £2,000 off the price of one of these new models when they scrap their old car of seven years or more. Like all Kia models, those included in the scrappage scheme offer the brand’s industry-leading seven-year/100,000 mile warranty.

Dealers will also be holding a hybrid test-drive challenge until the end of June. Any customer who test-drives the Niro HEV/ PHEV, Optima PHEV or Optima Car Dealer Advert Horizontal 2.pdf 2 C

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by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk

Sportswagon PHEV will receive £1,000 off if they buy one of the new, fuelefficient models.

Kia now offers a deposit contribution of up to £1,500 on Sportage and Stonic when purchased on PCP. On Sportage, the deposit

01/03/2017 13:37:03

contribution remains £500 for the grade ‘1’, but customers wanting a grade ‘2’ or above with a petrol engine will receive a £1,250 deposit contribution. Those buying a grade ‘2’ or above with a diesel engine will receive a £1,500 deposit contribution.

For the Stonic, the deposit contribution on 4.9 per cent PCP finance contracts has increased from £1,000 to £1,500 and is available on all grades and engines.

For the newly updated Sorento, customer savings of £1,000 are now offered for the first time. This is available on all models, including the ‘GTLine S’ grade and versions with the new eight-speed automatic gearbox.

FLA

New business rises seven per cent by volume NEW business in the point-of-sale consumer car finance market increased seven per cent by volume and 13 per cent by value in February, said the Finance & Leasing Association.

New business volumes in the POS consumer new car finance market fell by two per cent compared with February 2017, while the value of new business increased by nine per cent over the same period.

The percentage of private new car sales financed by FLA members through the POS remained steady at 88.5 per cent in the 12 months to February.

The POS consumer used car finance market reported new business in February up 11 per cent by volume and 15 per cent by value, compared with the same month in 2017.

Geraldine Kilkelly, chief economist at the FLA, said: ‘Demand from consumers for new car finance continued to reflect trends in private new car sales.’

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Time is money BEN GARSIDE

A monthly look at the world of automotive finance and marketing

I

Artificial intelligence doesn’t spell the end but a new beginning

’ve been doing a lot of investigation into artificial intelligence, marketing automation and technology recently and also went to a conference where they were discussing the benefits of these systems.

Don’t worry though – they all need human intervention in some way and we’re not entering the realms of Skynet and the machines taking over the world. Yes, as you can probably guess, I am a major Terminator and sci-fi film fan, and these technological advances are right up my street.

Talking of streets, who’s seen the Starship robot deliveries? These are self-driving delivery robots that have been built by two former Skype cofounders and have a compartment that can store hot and cold food, clothes and other parcels. Apparently, the idea is they can pick up your order and bring it to your address within a specific five-minute window.

Imagine never having to call for a redelivery or having to make that annoying trip to the post office to pick a parcel up – all because they can now deliver 24/7.

It’s going to be a brilliant way of solving the last-mile problem for national companies that are trying to deliver goods to your door when you’re not available. They’ll deliver your package to a hub and a self-driving vehicle will do the final part.

A recent report by McKinsey predicted that in the future autonomous vehicles, including drones, will deliver approximately 80 per cent of all purchased goods.

Amazing! I do regularly wonder how long it will be before we can get a taxi like in the film Total Recall that’s driverless and takes us from A to B to C. I’m not talking a hover-style vehicle but just a

normal road car with a Siri/Alexa/Cortana-style system that you can talk to, that can read traffic and other vehicles and avoid collisions, etc... Answers on a postcard? I’d love to know your predictions.

There’s a lot of time and effort being invested in systems that take your data and assist you in finding the right customer targets or work on producing subject lines and content for emails.

These look at demographics and buying behaviour and draw conclusions into what is going to be the best wording to get a target audience (also known as personas) to click or buy.

Companies such as Domino’s (which is also sending pizzas by Starship robot deliveries in other countries) have been using these artificial intelligence tools to predict languages that will work with different personas.

Their marketers add what needs to be sold into the system (their newly launched pizza, for instance), pick a pre-defined persona to target, then the artificial intelligence tool runs it through existing marketing data and analyses what has worked before and picks what to say in the next email.

The emails are sent out to customers and the system analyses the clicks & acquisition rate and then works out what would work best next time; it’s an ongoing cycle of automation.

While this may seem like I am being an advocate of removing marketers and people I am not completely. However, I am an advocate of innovation, and these systems will all need human intervention, insight and oversight.

There’s no replacement for the human brain, but these tools will allow us to become more efficient and productive.

‘Imagine never having to make that annoying trip to the post office to pick a parcel up.’

Ben Garside is marketing manager for First Response. Call him on 07817 518739 or email ben.garside@frfl.co.uk

Turn over the page for more finance stories

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 45

Dealfinder.

Finance.

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO . . .

FAMILY HATCHBACKS

Honda Civic

Vauxhall Astra THE Vauxhall Astra may not sell as well as it once did but it still makes for a fine family hatchback choice. It’s comfortable, attractively priced and looks the part, too.

Here we’ve chosen the 148bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine in sporty looking SRi Nav trim. It’s well equipped, coming with 17-inch alloys, automatic lights and wipers and an eight-inch touchscreen with sat nav and ‘On Star’ connectivity services.

Vauxhall is offering a £2,500 deposit, to which the customer then adds £3,500. Thirty-six monthly payments of £285.48 are then made by the customer – £13,777.28 over the three years.

An optional final payment of £7,162 can be made to buy the Astra, bringing the total amount shelled out by the customer to £20,939.28. This works out at about £500 less than if the car had been bought with cash.

THE tenth-generation Honda Civic has been praised for its practicality and safety kit fitted as standard – two important factors in a family hatchback.

We’ve chosen the 127bhp 1.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine in SR trim.

Standard equipment includes dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, a reversing camera and parking sensors. Honda is offering a £750 deposit contribution, topped up by the customer deposit of £3,514. Over a three-year contract, 36 monthly payments of £263.32 will be made by the customer, making a total of £12,993.52 by the end of the contract.

They can then choose whether or not to make the optional final payment of £9,298.47, alongside a £10 option-to-purchase fee, bringing the overall amount paid by the customer to £22,301.99 – just over £1,400 more than if bought with cash.

STARTLINE

‘Flexible prime’ PCP seen as reflection of market trends change T he first PCP designed for ‘flexible prime’ used car buyers has been launched by Startline Motor Finance and is already being tried out by some dealer groups.

The product can be offered by dealers alongside PCPs from traditional prime lenders and suggested as an alternative source of funding when applicants are declined.

This group of customers account for some 20 per cent of used car buyers, research by Startline shows. Chief executive Paul Burgess, pictured, said: ‘This is an innovative development that could potentially open up PCP to a wider market that has previously been ignored by the motor finance sector. Used car buyers who have been rejected by a traditional prime lender but remain

by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk

a highly credible credit proposition now have a PCP designed especially for their needs, accessing APRs and general terms similar to those offered by a prime lender.

‘We believe that this product offers something different and valuable for car buyers and dealers, especially as the new car market continues to fall and more attention turns to used. It is a unique PCP offering that very much reflects changing market trends.’

The new PCP forms part of a three-product range that also includes the core Startline hire purchase product and Finishline, which was

Car Dealer Advert Horizontal 1.pdf 1 01/03/2017 13:36:04

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launched in June. The latter is targeted at used car buyers who narrowly fail to meet the company’s primary lending criteria but are still deemed to be good-quality applicants.

Burgess added: ‘We have now built a flexible product range that is unlike anything else in the motor finance sector and which meets a very definite need in the market – especially, we believe, as the economy heads into potentially choppier financial waters during late 2018.’

He said that since the start of 2017 Startline had seen a 25 per cent increase in the number of major dealer groups with which it worked.

Car Dealer Advert Column.pdf 3 04/01/2017 10:42:23

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Volkswagen Golf THE Volkswagen Golf is a staple choice for buyers wanting a spacious and well-built hatchback. Last year, the German manufacturer updated its Golf with the facelifted 7.5 generation car.

Our choice here is the 122bhp 1.5-litre TSI ‘Evo’ petrol engine in midspec SE navigation trim. Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, sat nav, parking sensors and a folding roof and mirrors.

Volkswagen is currently offering a £1,500 deposit on its Golf, to which the customer then adds £3,800. Over the three-year contract, the customer pays 35 monthly instalments of £268.94, totalling £13,212.90 at the end of the contract.

They can then either swap their car for another Volkswagen or choose to make the final optional payment of £8,790.30, alongside the £10 option-to-purchase fee, bringing the total amount payable by the customer to £22,013.20 – roughly £500 more than if bought with cash.

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AUTO TRADER

OODLE

Search by monthly price ‘drives some £300m of inquiries to retailers’

Citigroup invests warehouse £100m after KKR’s £60m

SOME £300 million-worth of finance inquiries have been sent to retailers following the launch of Auto Trader’s monthly payment search feature in December, says the digital marketplace.

In its latest Market Report, revealing the car-buying behaviours of 4,000 motorists, Auto Trader revealed how positively consumers viewed car finance.

Thirty-seven per cent of car buyers chose to use finance as it enabled them to buy a better car.

It also found that consumers using finance typically paid 68 per cent more on the sticker price of a car than those buying theirs outright: £17,087 vs £10,142. Crucially, 36 per cent of buyers that bought on finance did so because they couldn’t afford to buy a car otherwise.

Retailer and consumer product director Jason Biffin said: ‘Over a third of consumers wouldn’t be able to afford a car without finance. That’s just one reason why, despite negative speculation, the finance bubble is not set to burst, it’s set to grow.’

BANKING giant Citigroup is throwing its weight behind Oodle Car Finance – with funding for a £100 million warehouse facility.

The partnership follows £60m of equity investment from the global investment firm KKR last year.

The way Citigroup’s funding is structured means Oodle will be able to lend this money to customers to buy cars.

Oodle can then sell the loan to another creditor, using the money to repay Citigroup and make a profit for itself.

It is breaking the mould of a lender in the used-car market by merging search and finance into a seamless digital process. The Oxford-based firm has already received more than £1.18bn-worth of finance applications, and using pay per click has generated more than 100,000 click-throughs to dealer partners’ websites.

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Forecourt.

FIRST DRIVE

Range Rover P400e PHEV Tom Wiltshire test-drives a super-luxurious SUV that gives wealthy city dwellers an alternative to plain old internal combustion.

What is it?

The words Range Rover conjure up images of opulent interiors, intimidating looks and goanywhere capabilities. But scrape under the skin, and the engine choices have remained stubbornly powerful, polluting and thirsty.

Enter the plug-in Range Rover hybrid, which gives city-dwellers an alternative to internal combustion. It combines a four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and battery, capable of travelling up to 31 miles on battery power alone – perfect for cross-city jaunts.

This engine sits near the top of the existing model line-up – undercut by both V6 and V8 diesels plus the V6 petrol, but less expensive than the fire-breathing V8 petrol models. It can count the new Bentley Bentayga hybrid and Porsche Cayenne hybrid as rivals.

What’s new?

The biggest change for this model is the powertrain – but more on that later. For 2018, the Range Rover receives some extra glitz aimed at making it feel even more luxurious. There’s a Velar-inspired grille, the tailpipes have been integrated into the rear bumper and there are new lights front and rear.

Inside, nearly every button on the centre console has gone, replaced instead by a dualtouchscreen set-up. Where buttons remain, they’re seamlessly integrated into one another, and light up with context-sensitive functions.

Thicker windows and noise-cancelling tech aim to make the car even more eerily silent than before, and there are new seats, too.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Range Rover PHEV debuts the brand’s first plug-in hybrid powertrain. It mates a 296bhp, 2.0-litre petrol engine with an 85kW electric motor for a maximum power figure of 398bhp.

That’s good for a 0-60mph sprint of 6.4 seconds and a top speed of 137mph – or 85mph if travelling on electricity alone.

Land Rover claims a combined fuel economy figure of 101mpg. The reality is very dependent on how you drive. If you charge the car every night and the majority of your journeys are within the 31-mile electric range, you might hardly need to use the petrol engine.

In solo cruising with a discharged battery, though, we achieved a disappointing 24mpg.

48 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

THE KNOWLEDGE Model as tested: Range Rover

P400e PHEV Price: £86,965 Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol

and electric motor Power: 398bhp Torque: 640Nm Max speed: 137mph 0-60mph: 6.4 seconds MPG: 101 Emissions (g/km): 64 TARGET BUYERS: City dwellers for whom a diesel is becoming increasingly unattractive.

THE RIVALS: Bentley Bentayga Hybrid, Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, Audi Q7 e-tron.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Congestion charge exempt.

2. Amazing off-road ability.

3. Silent, all-electric capability.

Front end

The Velar-inspired grille and new headlamps are just the right side of glitzy.

DEAL CLINCHER: A Range Rover that doesn’t guzzle gas – what more could you want?

What’s it like to drive?

Range Rovers are at their best while ‘wafting’ at high speed on a smooth road – nothing’s changed here. Air suspension irons out the bumps and the vast wheels make mincemeat of minor road irritations.

What’s surprising is how well the Range Rover hides its size – it’s remarkably easy to drive.

However, the heavy hybrid model isn’t quite as responsive as its siblings down a twisting road.

The retuned suspension is a little crashier and changes of direction are more ponderous.

It’s ideal in the city, though, where the serene sensation of running on pure electricity makes the Range Rover feel even more luxurious.

How does it look?

The Range Rover is massive, intimidating and unmistakeable, and 2018’s changes only serve to improve this. The Velar-inspired grille and new headlamps are just the right side of glitzy without being vulgar, and a wide array of colours and trims allow for it to blend in everywhere from the country club to the nightclub.

Only some subtle badging marks this out as a hybrid, with the electric charging port

New hybrid accounts for 20 per cent of orders

Interior

Clean and green

The PHEV powertrain is available across all Range Rover trim levels.

concealed very neatly behind the Land Rover badge in the front grille.

What’s it like inside?

Nearly every traditional button has been eliminated from the inside of the latest Range Rover, a move which looks good but takes some getting used to. The twin central touchscreen set-up works quite well, with the upper handling media and navigation while the lower takes on driving modes, climate and seat controls. There’s very little to mark it out as a PHEV in here either – though we would have liked a few buttons to save delving into confusing sub-menus to control battery charge and usage.

Everything is incredibly plush, though, and the interior is a true lesson in duality – after all, how many other cars can wade in water 900mm deep while giving you a hot stone massage?

There’s also plenty of room, especially in long-

Nearly every ‘traditional’ button on the centre console has been eliminated – which takes a bit of getting used to.

RANGE Rover’s first plug-in hybrid drivetrain is proving to be very popular just weeks after its reveal, accounting for 20 per cent of current orders for the classy SUV. ‘PHEV is hugely important for Range Rover,’ said Wayne Darley, head of UK product marketing for parent company Land Rover. ‘The reaction from retailers and customers has been very positive as the PHEV combines all the luxury and capability for which Range Rover is renowned, with tax efficiency.’

With governments across the world steadily making life harder for diesel owners, PHEV demand could rise even further. The German government, for example, has ruled that cities may ban diesel vehicles from their centres in a bid to tackle rising pollution due to nitrous oxide emissions.

UK cities could follow suit, with an extra charge on pre-Euro 4 diesels (the T-Charge) introduced in London last year.

‘We see the demand in PHEV rising steadily over the next few years, while the UK government continues to incentivise PHEVs through VED and company car tax,’ said Darley.

But the rise in PHEV won’t spell the end of petrol and diesel for Land Rover – far from it, he adds.

‘We believe modern, clean diesels are still part of the answer to the focus on air quality and, with CO2 emissions that are 25 per cent lower than petrol engines, they also address CO2 compliance targets,’ said Darley. ‘Diesels remain vital for Jaguar Land Rover and they contribute rather than hinder the overall solution.’

wheelbase models. The battery pack underneath the boot floor does eat into space, though, and the load area beneath the parcel shelf is long and wide but shallow.

for £105,865. It’s easy enough to increase this with a few items from the options list, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still disappointing omissions. That’s our only gripe, though.

What’s the spec like?

What do the press think?

The PHEV powertrain is available across all Range Rover trim levels. Even base models are kitted out as serious luxury vehicles – entry-level Vogue models, at £86,965, get a full Windsor leather interior, triple-zone climate control, a fixed panoramic glass roof, 20-inch alloy wheels, and Matrix LED headlights to name but a few choice items. Step up to the £93,465 Vogue SE version and the wheels become 21-inchers, the excellent Terrain response system comes as standard and the stereo becomes an excellent Meridian system, while top-spec Autobiography brings Executive rear seating, walnut veneer, 24-way electric seats with heating and cooling and a suede headliner

Auto Express said: ‘Just like most other PHEVs, the P400e is best in the city and on small, urban runs.’ Top Gear says: ‘The shift-change in quality, functionality and connectivity of the interior is a bigger, and much-needed, leap forward.’

What do we think?

The Range Rover has been around for a few years, but this bang up-to-date hybrid drivetrain and fresh interior ensure it feels as good as ever. The new hybrid model is an impressive achievement, too, but works best in city conditions – those with regular long trips to tackle would be best served by one of the diesel engines.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

Forecourt.

FIRST DRIVE

THE KNOWLEDGE

Vauxhall Insignia GSi

Model: Vauxhall Insignia GSi Grand Sport 2.0 Biturbo D

4x4 Auto Price: £33,410 Engine: 2.0-litre diesel Power: 207bhp Torque: 480Nm Max speed: 145mph 0-60mph: 7.3 seconds MPG (combined): 40.4 Emissions (g/km): 186 TARGET BUYERS: Fancy a little fun on the road but also need to cover long distance? This is the car for you.

THE RIVALS: Skoda Superb 2.0 4x4, Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi, Mazda6 Skyactiv-D. KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Well equipped.

2. Sharp looks.

3. Offers a decent driving experience.

Ryan Hirons puts the first of a reborn legend through its paces – and finds that while it may not be the last word in performance it’s still brisk enough for fun.

What is it?

What’s it like to drive?

Once upon a time, the GSi nameplate held a place in the hierarchy of budget performance heroes. It fell by the wayside in the Noughties but now it’s back, and this is the first of the reborn legend – the Insignia GSi. Engineers at sister company Opel have taken the latest version of the regular saloon, added some go-faster bits and tested it extensively at the Nurburgring to produce a performance model.

There’s undoubtedly fun to be had – head into Sport mode and the steering weights up nicely, although there is still a lack of feel through the wheel and there’s definitely a case for a faster steering rack. Daily usability remains good, as the GSi rides comfortably and quietly at motorway speeds — particularly in Tour mode – and town driving is still a doddle thanks to good visibility and the standard inclusion of parking sensors.

What’s new?

How does it look?

Available in the GSi is an all-new 2.0-litre Biturbo diesel engine, although a petrol is also on offer.

Helping to keep the car on the road is a chassis lowered by 10mm, four-piston Brembo brake discs all round and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.

There are looks to match the performance, too. Large air intakes dominate the revised front bumper, while a rear spoiler emphasises the point. New 20-inch alloy wheels complete the aesthetic. Inside, new bucket seats feature along with selectable Tour and Sport driving modes.

The Vauxhall Insignia GSi manages to have a subtly aggressive look, and in the flesh it looks rather menacing.

It’s lower slung than the standard car, which always helps give a strong look to a car, and this is further aided by the large air intakes on the front and arch-filling 20-inch alloy wheels. The ducktail spoiler on saloon models manages to be bold without seeming like an aftermarket addition.

Our test car was in red and it looked pretty good, but we think darker colours would really help the aesthetic.

What’s under the bonnet?

Powering our test car is the 2.0-litre, Biturbo fourcylinder diesel engine mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It’s good for 207bhp and 480Nm of torque, resulting in a 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds with a 145mph top speed possible.

It’s not the ultimate performance motor but it’s brisk enough to have fun with. You can get the best from the engine just above 3,000rpm, but maintaining that can be a bit of a challenge because of the gearbox’s reluctance to downshift.

50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

What’s it like inside?

Everything is well built, with premium-feel materials featuring throughout. The steering wheel is good to the touch, and a lack of road noise helps make it a pleasant place to be.

Most notably, there’s a set of Opel-developed bucket seats for driver and passenger, apparently styled after a cobra, with high bolstering and a hood-like design at the top. They’re comfortable even over longer distances – but the optional

DEAL CLINCHER: It’s a great all-round offering that can be used daily.

massaging feature feels more akin to being gently punched in the back than a spa treatment.

What’s the spec like?

As standard, the GSi comes with a generous helping of equipment. Off the bat, there’s a Bose sound system, heated bucket seats, dual-zone climate control, a heated and leathertrimmed steering wheel, a head-up display, LED matrix headlights and Vauxhall’s IntelliLink infotainment on an eight-inch screen, complete with OnStar, among a ton of other goodies.

Plenty of safety technology is thrown in too, including forward collision alert, automatic emergency braking and lane departure assist.

What do the press think?

Auto Express said: ‘After 20 years, Vauxhall has reawoken the GSi badge – and with great success.’

However, Evo stated: ‘Ultimately, while the Grand Sport is a capable, quick, composed and spacious machine, it’s not a very exciting one.’

What do we think?

The Vauxhall Insignia GSi isn’t the last word in performance as marketing may lead you to think but it’s still a great all-round offering. Those looking for a hardcore Insignia might be better off waiting for a full-blown VXR version, though.

If you’re looking for something to use on a daily basis and cover a lot of ground in but also something that provides the odd grin when the roads get twisty, this may well be the car for you.

It helps that there’s enough equipment you’ll likely need thrown in at no extra cost, too.

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Call 020 3897 2500 or visit www.glassbusiness.co.uk/performance CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51

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Feature.

INTERVIEW

The fortune teller Aston Martin is flying high at the moment with its second century plan well on track.

Rebecca Chaplin spoke to the man at the helm of the company, Andy Palmer.

A

Will you have 7,000 cars go out this year?

We will hit full capacity in the middle of the year with the Vanquish replacement, so we’re looking at a bit lower than that: between 5,100 and 7,000.

ston Martin is taking the next steps in its second century plan.

Since boss Andy Palmer took charge of the company in 2014, the British car maker has taken drastic action to transform its fortunes. We’ve been trying out the latest two models in the line-up, the drop-top DB11 Volante and Aston’s most extreme sports car yet – the new Vantage. We also caught up with the man behind it all, Palmer himself.

Do you have any concerns about becoming a victim of your own success with volume numbers?

Sports car volume will be capped as of the middle of this year – we can’t make more than 7,000 cars.

We made 7,000 cars in 2017, and I think that is about the right number. With DBX and Lagonda due to be manufactured in our second factory, that will give us 5,000 more units of capacity – potentially even 7,000. So to plan for success, what does absolute success look like? It means that you are continuously hitting the volume maximum of 14,000 cars across the two brands of Aston Martin and Lagonda, divided by two factories. Our cars would still be rare and exclusive. Bentley do about 12,000 cars a year while Ferrari say they are going to go up to 15,000 a year.

What we don’t want to do is get into Porsche and Maserati territory; we want to keep within ‘luxury’ levels of volume. We think 14,000 cars divided by two brands is absolutely right. As economics students, we learned that when you’ve got more demand than supply, the price goes up.

Do you think you’ve succeeded in rattling the competition?

The intention was not to rattle the competition; the intention was to make the customer decide. We simply want to offer our customers something different, which we’ll have with the electric. I think we should be really glad that we’ll have three British brands that will supply that market. One of them is the V12, one offering plug-in hybrids and also pure electric. It’s customer choice in the end. We have the benefit of Lagonda, of having the phoenix coming from the ashes, because we’ve got no boundaries that we have to conform to, so we can be the innovator and that’s what we want to be. Ultimately the customer is going to decide whether that is good or bad.

‘We simply want to offer our customers something different.’

What is the plan with your electric car?

We’re working with someone to develop the RapidE. There will be 155 – which represents the top speed – and 155 chosen customers.

I don’t wish to sound arrogant, but we’re in a nice position where we choose our customers, and those customers will help us understand how luxury customers use electric cars. That will be brought forward into the type of technology we’re looking at.

The mantra for that car should be that it should cover 400 miles. Our objective with the car is that it should be able to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

Feature.

FIRST DRIVE What can you tell us about the level of autonomy in the Lagonda Concept?

The position we’re taking with Aston Martin is that we’re not in a rush to offer autonomous technology. We will have to offer the level of autonomous technology expected, so if your daughter’s Fiesta has a self-parking button, we should as well. But we’re not looking at being the leading edge of autonomy, and we have a philosophical dislike of level three. Look around and look at what we’ve decided to do. Being a small company, the important decisions are to decide what we’re not going to do. We’re not doing in-line four engines, we’re not doing plug-in hybrids, we’re not doing diesels, hydrogen or level three autonomy.

The idea of a car suddenly handing back control to the driver, or stopping in the fast lane of a motorway, doesn’t make me feel very easy. So we’ll go from something like level 1.5/2 to four when we have the technology, and I think that will be probably be in 2024/2025.

Is there a need or a desire to put a V12 into the Vantage when the V8 we know can produce around 640bhp?

There isn’t a plan, and it wasn’t in the original brief. The rough original plan of the company was that we’d launch a V12 DB11, then the Vantage and then the V8 DB11, but I flipped that. We took the V12, derived from the engine bay of a DB11 V8, and then took that bay and used it in the Vantage.

Is there something about having a V12 in this car?

For some customers, particularly in the US, the old V12 Vantage manual is the gold standard – something really special.

Is there a hybrid version?

We will start introducing hybrids, so that each of the seven, but in reality each of the five, will have a hybrid option. That obviously means that with this seven-year plan, we start introducing hybrids towards the end of the plan and then when we start replacing these cars they will get hybrid options, well ahead of the government’s ridiculous plan for 2040.

What can you tell us about the Vanquish?

It’s so exciting because of what it is, and it’s the car that I will buy. I’ve ordered a red one with a black roof, black interior and red stitching. I haven’t bought many cars in this career, and it’s been an awful long time since I bought a new car, but this is one car I want in my garage as part of my retirement collection. There’s a big piece of me in it. It suits me, it’s my kind of car.

54 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Aston Martin Vantage It boasts passion, comfort and aggression and Rebecca Chaplin has put this stunning sports car through its paces.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Aston Martin Vantage Price: £120,900 Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8 Power: 503bhp Torque: 685Nm Max speed: 195mph 0-60mph: 3.5 seconds MPG: 26.8 Emissions (g/km): 245

What is it?

According to Aston Martin, the new Vantage is its most extreme sports car yet, and they’re not wrong. Hold it up against the Vantage of yesteryear and it’s a completely different beast.

Sharing little more than the characteristic boot flick with its previous incarnation, this could be one of the most important cars ever for the brand. It’s crucial that it is too – the previous Vantage was its best-selling model, and for the new age of the British carmaker to be a success, things need to stay that way.

What’s new?

Although the old Vantage had a slightly sportier air than other cars in the Aston range – largely because of its association with the World Endurance Championship – the new version has accentuated every aspect of the car’s exterior, like elongated muscles on a big cat.

It gets the 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine from the DB11 V8, but despite the size reduction from the previous 4.7 V8, its new power output is up to 503bhp – matching the thuggish old V12 Vantage S.

What’s under the bonnet?

The V8 is mated to an eightspeed automatic ZF transmission, although that’s not under the

Carbon kit

If you like carbon, you’re in luck. This car loves flaunting its lightweight bits – but they’ll cost you.

bonnet, it’s in the rear for a perfect 50:50 weight ratio. The Mercedes-manufactured powertrain has come from the DB11 and been modified for the lighter Vantage with its dry weight 120kg less than the GT car. It still produces the same power but torque is higher at 685Nm and some minor pops and bangs have been engineered in for an even more inspiring drive. The Vantage has two personalities, staying true to its racing car pedigree, and can be set up for both road and track. Track models get minor additions, such as the quad-exhaust for an even more aggressive roar and forged machined lightweight wheels.

What’s it like to drive?

The nature of the car’s look translates to the road; fortunately that’s what happens when your aerodynamics are as functional as they are stylish.

The low-riding car draws you closer to the tarmac, making the car great fun to negotiate around

Aggression

Aston have given the Vantage a predatory design, explaining that the car is sniffing out its prey on the race track.

curling Portuguese hills at high speed. Though it looks like it should be safe only in the hands of a professional racer, Aston Martin has retained the usability seen in its other cars. It keeps its composure in most situations, when you want, it to at least, and with power in the right places it becomes a bit of an animal. The show-off nature of this car calls for that raucousness too, and the V8 growl only complements that.

How does it look?

While the very British-brand has built its name on poised and proper motoring, the Vantage has always stood out as the aggressor of the family – but never quite as obviously as this. From the front grille with its snout very much to the ground to the lights that resemble an animal on the hunt, this car will appeal to the boy racer with a little more cash to spend. The near-neon colours available won’t be to everyone’s taste, but there’s tamer paintwork to choose from too, and those looking for an even racier car can choose from several carbon fibre options.

What’s it like inside?

Aston has embraced its racing pedigree with the interior of this car too. Think for a moment about the first of its new generation of cars, the DB11, with its softer set-up and an interior fit for a rather gentrified GT driver. The Vantage is

Perfect balance

50:50 weight distribution makes it effortless to point the Vantage in the direction you want but just as easy to go sideways.

‘The looks alone will have you falling in love with the new Vantage.’

lower with an interior that brings the brand into the modern day with cleaner lines and plush, yet sporty, seats. The totally modernised design is far more appealing than that of previous generations, with a usable interior too. Space behind the seats offers practical storage, while the boot is spacious enough for golf clubs at 350 litres.

What’s the spec like?

While there’s plenty to choose from for those who want to personalise their Vantage, the costs, as you’d expect, are quite high. For all of that carbon fibre, the exterior body pack will set buyers back £6,995, while the quad exhausts are £995 and the forged black wheels £3,495. However, on a car costing more than £120,000 many customers will be able to convince themselves to splash out – to help the residual value, of course. It’s available with a tech pack, for £2,995, featuring blind spot monitoring, keyless entry and touchpad control. There’s also a comfort pack for £1,795, with heated and 16-way adjustable seats.

What do the press think?

Auto Express said: ‘Sure, you may get better tech and practicality in a Porsche 911, but when it comes to the way the car drives, the new Aston Martin Vantage is simply sensational.’ Top Gear described the car as ‘punchy, exciting, yet still bighearted and amazingly comfortable’.

What do we think?

The looks alone will have you falling in love with the new Vantage – driving it will only solidify that. It’s technically leaps and bounds ahead of previous Aston Martins and has a great balance between comfort and sports that some rivals don’t quite get right. Passion, comfort, and aggression all rolled into one mega machine.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

Feature.

FIRST DRIVE

Aston Martin DB11 Volante Jack Evans has been raising the roof – and lowering it, too – while trying out the new luxury soft-top from the iconic British manufacturer.

Engine

The 4.0-litre V8 is the only engine available – there’s no V12 option here.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Aston Martin

DB11 Volante Price: £159,000 Engine: Turbocharged

4.0-litre V8 Power: 503bhp Torque: 675Nm Max speed: 187mph 0-60mph: 3.9 seconds MPG: 28.3 Emissions (g/km): 255

What is it?

What’s under the bonnet?

What’s it like to drive?

The Volante has the same elegant looks as the regular, hard-top Aston Martin DB11 but with the roof lopped off it’s for those who want the top-down experience with huge amounts of performance to boot.

However, there’s no V12 under the bonnet, as the Volante is offered with a turbocharged V8 only. It’s also been extensively stiffened to ensure that it still handles just as keenly as the hard-top.

The DB11 Volante uses an AMG-sourced twinturbocharged V8 engine, producing 503bhp and 675Nm, sending drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It’s a very impressive unit, with plenty of low-down torque ideal for wafting you along at a considerable lick.

The DB11 Volante also benefits from adaptive dampers, with three drive modes.

Powerful soft-top sports cars need to be as accomplished at going slowly as much as they need to be at going quickly. After all, lopping off the top never does wonders for a car’s dynamics, but having a folding roof leaves you free to enjoy the surroundings and take in the view – all of which can be enjoyed at medium to high speeds.

When you take this into account, the Volante hits the nail on the head. The suspension is soft and pliable enough to deal with imperfections in the road, and this makes it more relaxing to drive – just how a softtop sports car should be.

The engine has plenty of punch, while the steering is much quicker than you’d expect for a car of this size.

What’s new?

Of course, the biggest feature to talk about is the Volante’s fabric folding roof. Made up of eight layers, it’s been designed to offer the very best refinement when in place while taking up the least amount of space when folded away. It takes 16 seconds to raise and 14 seconds to lower, which can be done at speeds of up to 30mph. In action it’s an impressive feature.

56 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘The engine has plenty of punch, while the steering is much quicker than you’d expect for a car of this size.’

Rigidity

There’s extra strengthening applied throughout the body to help keep the car as rigid as possible.

Roof

The DB11 Volante’s roof can be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 30mph.

Interview Paul Barritt, vehicle line director What sort of challenges did you face when changing the DB11 from coupe to Volante?

There’s an expectation from the customer that it needs to remain quiet. To be quiet, you need to put layers of insulation into the hood. Those layers when folded up get higher.

You’re therefore trying to balance the sound insulation of the hood, the requirement to keep the material stack as low as possible and the added complication of trying to add an Isofix mounting point in the rear seats.

What is one of your favourite features on the DB11 Volante?

That’s probably the remote hood function on the key. If you press the lock button and hold it, it replicates what would happen if you pressed the switch inside the car.

How does this new hood move things forward compared with the DB9 Volante?

We’ve got more tension bows, and this means we avoid the ripple effect you get as a result of having fewer bows. The rear seam of the hood is now seamless at the back of the car, and this helps preserve the car’s flowing lines.

Did you have trouble maintaining the stiffness of the body after removing the roof?

When you take the roof off a car, it’s like removing the top of a box in terms of torsional stiffness. Up front, there’s a bonded aluminium structure, and there’s a large cross member to give better rigidity to the front suspension.

At the rear, bushes 45 per cent stiffer than those in the coupe give even better torsional stiffness. What we’ve got, then, is a car with 22,000Nm of torsional stiffness per degree – the old DB9 Volante was 15,700.

How does it look?

What’s the spec like?

Few cars can match the DB11 Volante when it comes to visuals. We’d argue that it looks even better in drophead form than in regular coupe layout, with cuts and creases applied in all the right places. It even looks good with the roof up, the taut cloth failing to make the car look dumpy as is the case with so many other roadsters.

New design touches, such as a more intricate alloy wheel style, help lift the look. It’s easily one of the most elegant cars on sale today.

You get a good amount of standard equipment for the starting price of £159,000, including a full-grain leather interior and electrically operated heated front seats.

A new feature is a heated steering wheel. A full sat-nav system with smartphone connectivity is also standard, with automatic dual-zone climate control. The exterior benefits from standard-fit 20-inch alloy wheels, LED lights at front and rear, and a deployable boot spoiler.

The front grille is finished in polished aluminium, while the intricate bonnet meshes have been created from titanium.

Even the Aston Martin ‘wing’ badges have been crafted from enamel.

What’s it like inside?

As we found in the regular DB11, the dashboard’s layout seems to be a tiny bit confusing, with little to distinguish between the buttons on the gloss plastic surface.

Other elements of the cabin are meticulously well made – highlights include the leather-lined dashboard and uber-comfortable seats.

What do the press think?

Top Gear called it ‘the best DB11 so far. Loses little to the V8 Coupé in refinement, better to

drive than the V12, and a feast for all the senses.’

Evo, meanwhile, said it was ‘the sweetest DB11 to drive so far, and a chunk more practical than the last Volante, as well.’

What do we think?

The Aston Martin DB11 Volante makes even more sense than the hard-top. Somehow, the combination of well-judged suspension, characterful engine and wind-in-your-hair design makes for a car that is both comfortable yet involving to drive.

You could see yourself spending a few thousand miles behind the wheel without any complaints – either from you or your passengers.

Add desperately good looks and you have a pretty impressive package. There are some niggles – such as the complicated dashboard – but once the roof is down and the engine is in full song, these really do drift away. [CD]

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

Focus on.

CDX 2018

Top companies with such a lot to offer CDX is approaching fast – here’s a sneak preview of who will be there!

A

s you must be aware by now, CDX is just around the corner – quite literally if you’re a dealer in the Manchester area!

Here at Car Dealer Magazine we’re all incredibly excited – as you can probably imagine – that the UK’s biggest automotive trade show is just a few weeks away.

The heart of the event, as always, will be the huge expo, which this year will be bigger and better than ever. And that’s not an idle boast. If you were impressed by previous expos at our Silverstone events, the size of the Manchester one will take things to the next level. In fact, up to 100 companies will be there, many of whom will be showcasing their latest products and services and offering show-only deals.

You can find out on page 28 who will be joining us – and over the next few pages of this issue of Car Dealer get a sneak preview of what a few of our exhibitors will be up to in a little more detail. First up, and on the page opposite, 58 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

we have CDK Global which is playing its cards rather close to its chest by just letting us know its stand number and where it will be! It’s a regular monthly contributor to Car Dealer, and we’re sure the stand will be well worth a visit.

Following CDK Global, we have a two-page contribution from Haymarket Automotive, which shares very valuable insight with us about the popularity and pricing of certain categories of vehicles such as city cars, hot hatchbacks and sports cars.

Shpock+ Motors is next in line, with the company urging you to take your sales up a gear by promoting your stock to a new, smartphone audience.

Then we come to a two-page spread from the team at eDynamix. The company will be introducing its new Sales module at CDX, as well as its universal GDPR solution iConsent.

Finally, don’t forget to visit the Click Dealer stand! Your dealership can stay open 24 hours a day with its unique ClickEngage product.

FEATURED SUPPLIERS CDK Global Regular contributor to Car Dealer will have a presence in our huge expo.

P59

Haymarket Automotive One year on and firm is going from strength to strength.

P60

Shpock+ Motors Promote your stock to a new smartphone audience.

P63

eDynamix Firm is getting ready to show off its great range of products.

P64

Click Dealer Will you be capitalising on the success of ClickEngage?

P67

The automotive retail industry is changing, let’s change with it.

Our mission: limitless opportunities for connecting with your customers.

To find out more, visit Stand B6 at CDX, Manchester Central, 21-22 May 2018

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

Focus on.

CDX 2018

One year on and we’re going HAYMARKET AUTOMOTIVE

C

reated just over a year ago, Haymarket Automotive was a £50 million expansion of international online and magazine publisher Haymarket Media Group’s consumer automotive operation, capitalising on the success of its titles Autocar, PistonHeads and What Car? At the time, Kevin Costello, Haymarket Media Group chief executive, said: ‘This new division represents the single largest organic investment in our company’s history, reflecting the exciting growth prospects for media content and services for new and used cars.

‘Since the launch of What Car? in 1974, Haymarket has built some of the most authoritative titles in the industry. We will offer even more valuable content, price comparison and dealer information in an automotive media segment that Haymarket helped create.’

It followed a steady increase in web traffic to the three publications’ sites, which Haymarket said had 5.2 million unique users per month.

Meanwhile, the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures, published in February, showed the titles significantly outperforming the Motoring (General) category.

And the automotive division will be bringing its expertise to CDX at Manchester Central, where it will be part of a panel of journalists whose job it is to tell car buyers the information they need but who also hear about what they want!

Haymarket will be telling it like it is from the consumers’ view, and you might be surprised by what it has to say!

You’ll find out what consumers think of car dealers, what consumers are asking for, and what customers are worried about.

Before then, though, here is a sample of the wide range of information that What Car? has to offer, ranging from the highest percentage of new car discounts to what the most popular new car lease searches are.

Make sure you sign up for CDX – it’s Europe’s biggest and most informative expo and conference dedicated to the automotive industry.

If you miss it, you’re missing out!

Go to cardealerexpo.co.uk now!

W: haymarket.com/brands/what-car Target Price Top 10 highest % new car discounts this month

1 Fiat Punto 1.2 Pop+ 5dr

27.3%

2 Seat Toledo 1.6 TDI 115 SE

23.7%

3 Volvo S60 T4 190 SE Nav Leather

22.9%

4 BMW 7 Series 730d xDrive auto

21.9%

5 Citroën Berlingo Multispace 1.2 Puretech Feel

21.5%

6 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 AMG line 9G-Tronic

21.0%

7 Seat Mii 1.0 Design 5dr

20.8%

8 Volkswagen Passat 2.0TDI S saloon

20.7%

9 Volkswagen Jetta

20.5%

10 Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost Titanium hatchback Nav

20.3%

These are the largest discounts revealed by What Car?’s mystery shoppers over the past month, and typically highlight slow-selling and run-out models, or occasionally models in which there is a fierce manufacturer-driven battle for market share.

Target Price Top 10 reductions in new car discount this month

1 Peugeot 2008 1.2 Puretech 2 Peugeot Traveller models

-6.3% -5%

3 Suzuki SX4 S Cross models

-2.8%

4 Renault Clio Renaultsport models

-1.5%

5 Hyundai Kona models

-1.3%

6 Peugeot 308 hatchback models

-1.3%

7 Volkswagen T-ROC models

-1.3%

8 Audi A4 models 9 Ford Kuga diesel models 10 BMW 2-series Coupe models

-1% -1% -0.8%

These are the discounts that have reduced by the greatest amount over the past month, as found

by What Car?’s mystery shoppers. Quite often they represent a reduction in incentives on a heavily discounted model, but they can also signal increased demand for that car.

60 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

from strength to strength Target Price New city cars and sporty cars this month City cars • City car Target Price discounts are unchanged at 8.9 per cent or £1,095 per car, heralding much-needed stability for dealers following a cumulative six-month rise of 12.9 per cent.

Hot hatchbacks & sports cars • Hot hatchbacks and sports cars discounts have declined in recent months, to stand at 4.6 per cent or £2,712 per car.

• That’s counter to the trend across most other segments, although savings vary widely.

• If city car discounts have peaked then a real test of their intrinsic desirability will follow. If demand sags, dealers and manufacturers may be forced to offer uneconomic incentives and special editions again.

• Buyers will struggle to chip more than 1.5 per cent from the price of an Audi R8, Nissan GT-R or any Porsche, for example, but determined shoppers can score double-digit savings on the Audi S6, Peugeot 208 GTI and Ford Focus ST.

• Seat, Citroen and Fiat currently offer the best deals, including 19.4 per cent off the Seat Mii, 13.8 per cent off Citroen C1s and 12 per cent off Fiat Pandas.

Most popular new car lease searches by brand on whatcar.com 1 Audi 2 Volvo 3 Volkswagen 4 BMW 5 Seat 6 Nissan 7 Mercedes 8 Land Rover 9 Jaguar 10 Skoda Premium brands dominate here, occupying six of the 10 places, headed by Audi. Volvo continues its strong performance, powered by interest across the XC40, XC60, V90 and XC90 ranges, while lease deals on the second-generation Tiguan do much to place VW third.

• Manufacturer finance support is running at an average PCP APR of 3.3 per cent and an average £556 per car deposit contribution.

Used cars boom on whatcar.com Investment reaps strong growth Since the used car section was relaunched in September 2016, What Car?’s online traffic has gone from strength to strength. Whatcar. com now has more than 800 used car reviews, as well as sections dedicated to our Used Car Awards, plus help and advice sections.

In addition to What Car?’s traditional new car review criteria, our used car reviews take into account used values, market availability, reliability and ownership costs, which means our assessment of a car as a potential used

Apr 17 Source: Google Trends

Jul 17

purchase helps buyers make decisions based on the factors that really matter to them.

As a result, used car buyers are flocking to What Car? in ever greater numbers: our used car review pages were viewed 1.3m times in March 2018 – up from 800,000 in March 2017 – influencing more car buyers than ever before and giving us an ever more accurate picture of buyer demand in the UK.

Oct 17

Jan 18

Top 10 most popular new car lease searches by model on whatcar.com 1 Volkswagen Tiguan 2 Volvo XC40 3 Volvo XC60 4 Volkswagen Golf 5 Audi A4 6 Honda Jazz 7 Seat Arona 8 Kia Sportage 9 Seat Ateca 10 Nissan Qashqai Three new mid-range crossovers head this list and crossovers fill seven places overall. Four of the models in this chart – the Volvo XC40, Seat Arona, Seat Ateca and Nissan Qashqai – are new entrants, each showing surging interest over the past month.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 61

Motors 1

3

5

2

4

R

SHIFT YOUR SALES TO THE NEXT GEAR Shpock, one of Europe’s largest and most successful marketplace apps enables Motor dealers to reach millions of users. Take your sales up a gear by promoting your stock to a new, smartphone audience.

Get in touch with us now Visit: shpock.com/motors E-Mail: motors@shpock.com Call: 020 80 17 31 02

62 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

+ Motors

Focus on.

CDX 2018

Promote your stock to a new, smartphone audience SHPOCK+ MOTORS

W: shpock.com/motors T: 020 8017 3102

S

hpock, one of Europe’s largest and most successful marketplace apps with over four million monthly active users in the UK, has recently launched a new initiative. The mobile classifieds business has announced its entry into the professional car dealer market. They have cooperated with car dealers across the UK to launch Shpock+ Motors, a platform for British motor traders to engage with a huge audience.

Simplicity drives user engagement. Multi category offers drive user traffic.

Since entering the market in 2014, Shpock has revolutionised and simplified the way people buy and sell used things via their smartphones. With this proposition of quick and easy transactions, Shpock is attracting a highly active user base with a preference for direct communication, shortening the buying decision processes. In addition, Shpock’s broad range of categories has a multiplicative impact on user traffic and usage frequency.

A large strong buying audience with focus on 18- to 24-year-olds While attracting users from all demographics, Shpock has a clear bias towards millennials. This will be of strong interest to the country’s car dealerships, as recent studies showed 18 per cent of people in this age bracket are looking to buy a car within the next 12 months.

Shpock’s huge private car vertical now open for professionals Shpock has naturally evolved into a vibrant motors marketplace, despite no previous plans to enter this vertical. The success of buying and selling vehicles on Shpock has created demand to introduce motor-specific search criteria and ultimately a professional seller platform. Highvolume advertising campaigns on TV, radio and online since the beginning of the year are clear signs of the company’s intent to capitalise on their fast-growing motors audience. With over five million monthly searches, motors has emerged as

one of Shpock’s strongest categories making them one of the top three private car marketplaces in UK. With Shpock+ Motors, UK car dealers now have direct access to their highly active mobile user base, giving them a clear advantage in attracting younger, mobile-conscious users when compared to competitors.

Promote your cars nationwide or locally As well as being able to promote their brand nationwide, Shpock+ Motors gives dealers the opportunity to build up a following in their local area. Shpock shows the closest items first in a specified search and this allows dealerships to be the first point of sale in their region. It

also provides the benefit of creating long-term customer relationships for potential follow-up business in the future – for example, servicing or parts/accessories.

List fast and gain time for selling Shpock+ Motors is also highly effective in its speed of listing. It provides dealers the convenient option to publish their stock by integrating with key feed providers. Alternatively, manually uploading stock is incredibly intuitive and takes around half the time of other portals.

Take your sales up a gear by promoting your stock to a new, smartphone audience.

What our customers say When we found out about Shpock+ Motors and their reach with mobile users, we knew we couldn’t miss out. Only a week after our initial contact, we had our account set up and our 700+ cars live. Never in our 13-year history have we come across a more efficient, intelligent and enthusiastic team. Thank you Team Shpock.

Marketing Manager at V12 Sports and Classics

The major differences we have felt between Shpock and other leading marketing sites is the quality of calls and leads. Apart from this, Shpock’s major plus-point is in the ease of uploading new adverts. We have found the dashboard page to be extremely resourceful as it gives us a quick daily comparison of how many leads/calls we have received.

Director at Amjad Car Sales

Call us now (020 8017 3102) or visit us at CDX (stand D1 at the entrance) CarDealerMag.co.uk | 63

Focus on.

CDX 2018

eDynamix ready to show off all EDYNAMIX

T: 01670 751201 W: edynamix.com

A

s Europe’s largest automotive expo and conference, CDX is the perfect place for companies to show off their latest products to potential trade customers and explain how they can help their businesses.

And that’s exactly what eDynamix will be doing this year with its latest range of integrated dealer systems.

Strategic account manager Steve Ure told us what eDynamix is putting on for delegates at CDX 2018, including details of the company’s latest products.

‘All of our team’s going to be there. We’ll be presenting all the different elements of what we currently offer for aftersales. We will also be introducing our brand-new Sales module as well as our universal GDPR solution iConsent,’ he said.

‘We offer all of the regular systems that a dealer uses, such as service plans, vehicle health check, online bookings, video and marketing CRM – all contained within a single environment that integrates with all the popular DMS systems.

‘We’d like to talk to people about which services they use and how we’re different in that we can supply all of those products under one single log-in.’

As CDX is happening in May, there’s bound to be a lot of talk among those attending about the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) being introduced on May 25 – a complex topic that dealers need to get their heads around without delay. Fortunately, eDynamix has something that can help.

‘Alongside all our regular products, we’re going to be featuring our new product called iConsent,’ said Steve. ‘We’ve developed it as a universal solution for dealers to use both in the showroom and online as part of their regular daily processes. ‘iConsent gives dealers the ability to both capture and use consent for marketing in the easiest way possible.

‘It integrates seamlessly with any DMS and will assist in data cleansing as a by-product of the consent capture process.

64 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘We will be introducing our brand-new Sales module as well as our universal GDPR solution, iConsent.’

Steve Ure

‘iConsent integrates with all our other modules, so if you’re quoting a service plan or checking in a service customer for example, those modules have the ability to prompt and capture consent as part of those regular processes.

‘We’re also including a compliance manager, because dealers are finding it quite difficult to keep everything in one place to ensure they are GDPR-compliant.’ eDynamix’s stand will feature state-of-theart interactive touchscreen technology so that delegates can get a real feel for the brand’s products and how they work.

‘We’re investing in a big, professional touchscreen,’ said Steve. ‘We’ll have the system running live on there and we will demonstrate how it works. It won’t just be a video – it’ll be

its latest products at CDX

interactive and we’ll be able to walk people through the process.’

We asked Steve whether eDynamix hoped to draw in new customers, existing ones or both.

‘A bit of both,’ he said. ‘There are existing customers who haven’t really decided how they’re going to deal with the GDPR consent process, so it’ll be a mixture of existing customers and new customers. We’ll talk them through it, discussing

what systems they use currently, where they are with GDPR and what help they need.

‘From there, we can offer them a live demonstration in their own business, where we go and talk to their management team. We can discuss how the rest of our platform might help them as well if they’re a new customer and not really aware of what we do.

‘We’ll be talking to several brands as well. At the moment, they’re quite interested in how they can make sure their dealer networks are capturing consent and managing the process.’

Naturally, we also had to ask Steve if he and the rest of the eDynamix team were looking forward

to CDX 2018, which is taking place at Manchester Central Convention Complex on May 21 and 22.

‘I’ve been to quite a few events, but I’ve never been to CDX before, so for me personally it’s going to be quite interesting,’ he said.

‘As I say, the whole team is going and everyone’s really excited about it, especially about showing off iConsent, because we’re getting a lot of really positive feedback about it already.’ eDynamix was founded in 2010 by Iain Nickalls, Velizar Dimitrov and Sean Booth, with the goal of creating a user-centric service plan system, with embedded functions to give dealers full control to manage their customers.

The system was developed over time and now offers a wide range of products essential to dealership operations, all in one place.

Support is provided directly through the system, eliminating the need for a call centre. Dealers can also change customers’ plans, depending on their requirements, without having to contact eDynamix itself. That said, dealers can get in touch with the company if they feel a feature needs to be added, as eDynamix prefers to base its new features on what dealers say they need as opposed to what it thinks dealers need.

by Tristan Shale-Hester (@tristan_shale) CarDealerMag.co.uk | 65

66 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Focus on.

CDX 2018

Digital dealerships poised to capitalise on ClickEngage success CLICK DEALER

E: cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk T: 01782 454354

I

n this fast-changing digital age, it’s more vital than ever to keep up with the competition.

Failure to do so could have far-reaching consequences. Toys R Us, Maplin, Blockbuster, Woolworths, BHS... the list goes on and on!

But what do any of those huge retailers have to do with used vehicle dealerships? Well, all of those massive household names were guilty of complacency and not evolving their businesses to keep up with consumer desires.

More tellingly than that, none of them ever became masters of e-commerce.

But through superior integration and awardwinning innovative technology, automotive software suppliers such as Click Dealer are working with forward-thinking dealerships to sell used vehicles online through products such as ClickEngage, and these pioneering dealerships are the ones that are already beginning to reap the benefits of having an open mind and taking a calculated risk.

Because guess what? Consumers are more than ready to buy online, from necessities to highvalue luxury items. This now extends to used vehicles if expectations are met. The easier and more accessible that dealers can make the buying process, the bigger the opportunity.

This starts with being open when consumers are looking to buy, which is 24/7. Responding to inquiries quickly and efficiently, as well as providing consumers with the level of transparency and trust that they need to commit to their decision, is of the utmost importance.

Since the launch of ClickEngage, 34.6 per cent of all inquiries received through the pioneering new platform have been processed outside of business hours, when the vast majority of dealerships are closed.

This is where Amazon and the other e-commerce masters are at a tremendous advantage; they don’t shut up shop, EVER! And the forward-thinking dealership visionaries who have signed up to ClickEngage so far are already selling vehicles when their competitors are closed.

Stay open for business 24/7 and you’ll give consumers the opportunity to do things when it suits them, which is what they’re used to nowadays, not the prehistoric time constraints of 9-5 high street retailing.

In fact, dealers on the ClickEngage online retailing platform have increased inquiries by 15.4 per cent on average since signing up.

This statistic alone shows that consumers enjoy interacting with dealerships online and are more than happy to self-serve through this type of consumer journey.

This, coupled with the fact that 100 per cent of reservation fees received through ClickEngage so far have resulted in a complete sale, proves that consumers mean business when it comes to e-commerce and their automotive needs.

With the money in the metal ever decreasing, many dealers are relying on selling finance packages alongside their vehicles to boost profits, and ClickEngage encompasses this part of the consumer journey too. A seamless, streamlined process provides consumers with instant finance decisions, with no waiting necessary.

It’s also worth noting that ClickEngage replies

to all inquiries on behalf of the dealer via SMS or email and even provides consumers with a summary of their tailored deal, giving dealerships the opportunity to maintain the personal touch even when they’re not actually open.

Trackability is no issue with ClickEngage as all leads drop directly into Click Dealer’s DMS product so that dealers can keep a close eye on where their sales are coming from.

This level of integration, coupled with the affordable price structure on offer, makes the award-winning product an attractive proposition for the forward-thinking dealer.

Spencer Kent, owner of LMC Cars, Essex, said: ‘Click Dealer is at the forefront of technology for the independent car dealer and this is underlined by their new product ClickEngage.

‘The platform is a must for any dealer! It has enabled us to take reservation payments on vehicles 24 hours a day, which we have done on numerous occasions since launch.’

• For more information or to book a free demo of ClickEngage, get in touch with The Clickers today via cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk or on 01782 454354. [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 67

Choosing a used car can be a headache for many customers. As an RAC Approved Dealer you’ll receive exclusive benefits to support the growth of your business and drive customer confidence.

USE OF OUR TRUSTED BRAND* / OUR 82 POINT PREPARATION STANDARD / ADDITIONAL RAC PRODUCT REVENUE STREAMS INCLUDING RAC WARRANTY / FREE POS MATERIALS / 12 MONTHS’ FREE RAC BREAKDOWN COVER FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

Call us today and benefit from RAC Approved status: Call: 0330 100 3807 Email: dealernetwork@rac.co.uk Visit: rac.co.uk/getapproved *76% of used car buyers surveyed who purchased a car from the RAC Approved Dealer Network said that the dealer’s affiliation to the RAC impacted their decision to buy a car from them. (Source: RAC Reviews)

68 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Focus on.

RAC Approved Dealer Network

‘RAC approval separates us from our competitors’ RAC

T: 0330 100 3807

W: rac.co.uk/getapproved

T

hree years ago, Airdrie-based James Glen Car Sales became the first dealer in Scotland to sign up to the RAC Approved Dealer initiative – something that director Stephen Bogan, pictured right, says was a very positive move for the business.

He explained: ‘We’re a long-established business, having started in 1982, but a few years ago we noticed that more and more of our leads were coming from online and fewer from traditional showroom footfall.

‘So we decided to become an essentially internet-based car dealer. Doing this means that we are working with customers who are often travelling from further afield, so having the credibility for them to choose to make that journey becomes important.

‘Our reputation, built over many years, is a key factor but the decision to become an RAC Approved Dealer was very much part of this process of changing the business. The brand provides a very large element of trust.’

Stephen said that the RAC name is an especially persuasive factor when a customer is faced with the choice of buying a similar car from James Glen or a competing dealer.

‘This is when we find that working with the RAC really separates us from our competitors, especially when we explain the standards that we have to meet in order to call ourselves an Approved Dealer.

‘The market is moving towards a point where used car buyers expect a very comprehensive proposition – and meeting that trend by working with the RAC has been good for our business.’

The RAC currently has 335 Approved Dealers across the UK and is looking to add to that number during 2018.

Sean Kent, sales director at the RAC Dealer Network, said: ‘The RAC Approved Dealer programme is designed to deliver the best possible used car buying experience for consumers while providing dealers with the advantages of being able to prominently use the RAC brand in their sales and marketing to boost their business.

‘We are seeking high-quality dealers who

What is an RAC Approved Dealer?

• RAC Approved Dealers are the only dealers who offer RAC BuySure. This includes:

• Vehicles prepared to the RAC 82-point standard; • A minimum three-month warranty term provided by the dealer; • 12-month complimentary roadside, recovery and home breakdown cover.

• The dealer has permission to advertise themselves as an RAC Approved Dealer and is allowed extensive use of the RAC brand – including free point-of-sale material.

share our absolute commitment to customer satisfaction and whose values are commensurate with the RAC’s reputation.

‘The programme sets high standards, which does mean more work for dealers, but the benefits are considerable.’

Research shows that 80 per cent of used car

• Preferential listing on the RAC Cars website and access to The Engine – our brand new marketing and support portal.

• Our leading warranty product which provides terms of up to 36 months at silver, gold, platinum and platinum-plus levels.

• A comprehensive range of RAC products to drive profits including breakdown cover, GAP insurance, tyre & alloy, SMART and service plans.

• Training and support from our nationwide team.

buyers surveyed who purchased a car from an RAC Approved Dealer said that doing so gave them more confidence, while 76 per cent of used car buyers surveyed who bought a car from an RAC Approved Dealer added that their affiliation to the RAC positively impacted on their decision to buy a car from them.

Do you want to find out more about becoming an RAC Approved Dealer? For further details, call 0330 100 3807, e-mail dealernetwork@rac.co.uk or visit rac.co.uk/getapproved CarDealerMag.co.uk | 69

Focus on.

Oodle Car Finance

We’re growing fast – and are seeking more dealer partners OODLE

T: 01865 477827 W: oodlecarfinance.com/dealers/ E: info@oodlefinance.com

O

odle Car Finance has seen a huge increase in the volume of used car finance applications – up by 87 per cent in the second half of 2017 via its growing network of dealer partners, now having received more than £1.2bn in applications since its launch in April 2016.

Oodle continues on its quest to hire exceptional talent, having increased the headcount at its Oxford head office from 35 in February 2017 to 81 in March 2018. Oodle’s growth continues with further hires targeted across management, technology, data science, sales and operations.

Jonny Clayton, chief executive of Oodle Car Finance, commented: ‘We are delighted with our success and the highly positive reception we have received from dealers across the UK. We believe in working with a select number of the best dealers so that we can really invest in our relationships, understand a dealer’s business and become a crucial partner that delivers great products and service along with supporting increased customer traffic, leads and sales, focusing our resources to provide a competitive advantage to our dealer community.

‘We are focused on using technology to improve the used car finance market for both customers and dealers, and by building and continually developing our own technology platform we are able to really deliver on our ambitions. We are now working tirelessly towards our goal of a fully automated loan application process and supporting our dealers with tools to provide the slickest customer experiences. We believe it is important to support our dealers’ diverse customer base, and our platform has already delivered the roll-out of a wide range of lending options with high levels of automation.

But this is just the start!

‘Great customer outcomes are at the heart of everything we do, and leading-edge technology

70 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘We are focused on using technology to improve the used car finance market for both customers and dealers.’

Jonny Clayton

drives our efficiencies and allows automation of our processes. We have really focused on hiring great people into our teams to sit above the technology, providing market-leading service levels and a crucial human touch and personality.

‘This allows us to benefit from the efficiencies of being a technology-driven company whilst still being able to provide our dealers with a personalised human service.

‘We want to be more than a finance company.

Customer retail experiences and expectations are being set by the likes of Amazon and Apple, and as a market we need to embrace this. We believe a finance company needs to be at the heart of driving improvements, always striving to bring customers and dealers closer together for a more seamless and effective experience – working towards a trusted ‘‘1-click’’ purchase.’

He added: ‘Through our partnership with Carsnip, we are integrating car search and finance to provide a seamless online finance and car purchasing journey. Through Carsnip and our own digital marketing, we can capture customers in the research phase of their car-buying journey.

We are passing these customers to our dealers

while still paying our dealers commission for arranging the transaction. Despite being in pilot, we’re already receiving 750,000 visitors a month searching for cars and we are able to funnel these potential car buyers direct to our dealer partners, supporting their sales growth, while we also work with existing borrowers to bring them back to our dealer partners, boosting retention and reducing dealers’ cost of sale.’

Graham Westwood, business manager at Trade Price Cars, said: ‘As one of Oodle’s very first dealers, we have totally bought into what they are doing. Oodle is a very technology-driven company that allows us to engage with customers in a very different way compared with other lenders.

‘Oodle is really supportive and always willing to look beyond the ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ answer. It looks at the grey areas and provides support where it can, which is a huge benefit to our business. Most importantly, the team there are always willing to listen, evolve and learn.’

Oodle Car Finance’s mission is to revolutionise the used car market by providing ease of sale, using best-in-class technology to provide slick, automated proposal processing.

Partner with Oodle Car Finance.

At Oodle Car Finance we help our dealer partners get fast decisions, at the best possible rates for their customers, while always paying competitive commission.

We support our dealer partners’ digital marketing initiatives and have so far driven over 100,000 car buying customers to their websites.

To find out how we can help you drive more leads, more sales and help further the growth of your dealership, contact one of our Oodle Dealer advisers on: TELEPHONE: 01865 477 827 EMAIL: info@oodlecarfinance.com Terms and Conditions apply. Becoming an Oodle dealer partner is subject to successful completion of Oodle’s dealer partner onboarding process.

Oodle Car Finance is the trading name of Oodle Financial Services Limited which is a company registered in England and Wales with registered number 07277272. Our registered office is One Callaghan Square, Cardiff CF10 5BT. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under Reference Number 702459.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 71

A better car finance experience We connect you with a range of flexible finance options, which allows you to sell, and your customers to buy, in complete confidence.

Local used car dealers have been trusted members of the community for years, you can count on us to help you stay that way. And thrive.

Fast. Fair. Forward-thinking.

0161 406 3942 hello@connectedcarfinance.co.uk connectedcarfinance.co.uk

72 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Focus on.

Connected Car Finance

Forward thinking helps our dealers deliver a smooth customer journey CONNECTED CAR FINANCE

W: connectedcarfinance.co.uk T: 0161 406 3960

C

onnected Car Finance is a new brand, but with a long heritage of finance that takes the used car market to another level of technology and compliance.

Only three months young, Connected Car Finance is already making great in-roads in helping used car dealerships find the right finance for their customers.

Regulations and new legislation had left used car dealers tangled in red tape and losing business. However, Connected Car Finance has successfully solved that issue, and used car dealers have given a really positive reaction to the new finance offering.

‘The feedback to date has been amazing,’ explains Laura Barker, head of development at Connected Car Finance. ‘What makes the Connected Car Finance brand unique is its ability to simplify a complex process. All of our used car dealers’ customers receive a VIP concierge Laura Barker service regardless of their credit profile, the type of car they are purchasing, or the amount they wish to purchase for.’

The Connected Car Finance brand has been created specifically to help the used car market.

Connecting the sector with a range of flexible finance options, the company empowers the dealer and stands by them throughout the process. What Connected Car Finance does really differently is reverse the traditional process.

They do this by getting the customer’s affordability ‘signed off’ up front. Another way is by providing the end-user with a private portal to upload confidential documents.

This instils even more confidence in the process and means that the customer never has to hand private documents to a relative stranger.

Even better, this can be done 24/7 which is another way that Connected Car Finance has sped up the journey to a new car.

Connected Car Finance exists to benefit used

car dealerships, streamlining their sales process, and freeing them from legislative concerns.

But at the end of the day, Connected Car Finance does something much more worthwhile.

They are reconnecting used car dealerships with flexible finance options, which ultimately connect people with the cars they need to be in.

‘We’re passionate about continuing to support the used car market, about delivering the best possible outcomes for customers, and ultimately delivering a wide range of flexible finance solutions that help both the customer and the dealership.’

Laura Barker, head of development CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

Focus on.

ContractHireAndLeasing.com

Finance is changing… are your CONTRACTHIREANDLEASING.COM

W: ContractHireAndLeasing.com/advertise

‘ContractHireAndLeasing.com was established in 2000 and is the largest dedicated marketplace to new vehicle leasing. We work collaboratively with the leading retailers and brokers to help them promote their business and personal leasing offers to our market-leading consumer audience to generate quality sales inquiries.’

Paul Harrison, head of strategic partnerships

A

s successful retailers and brokers, you will know that consumer behaviour is constantly evolving. This is no different in the new car finance market. Personal leasing is the fastest-growing form of new car finance product, and last year it overtook hire purchase as the second most popular type of finance (behind personal contract purchase), according to statistics from the FLA. Leasing has been a popular choice for businesses for years, and user-chooser car drivers have certainly created some of the demand in the private market. However, there are two bigger trends underpinning the growth – changing consumer habits and product awareness.

Many of us are no longer interested in owning the car on our driveway. We want on-demand access to products and services, rather than owning them outright. This increasing preference for usership is highlighted in the success of streaming platforms like Netflix and Spotify, but also the dominance of two- to three-year new car PCP deals where many drivers hand their car back before taking out a new agreement. In terms of awareness, many manufacturers now lead with leasing offers in their national advertising campaigns for their new models and leasing is becoming more commonplace in showrooms.

Looking further ahead, vehicle manufacturers are also launching their own leasing subscription services that cover not only car payments, but maintenance and insurance all within one convenient monthly rental.

As more and more consumers wake up to the benefits of leasing, they head to our marketplace to find the best available deals.

74 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Our history and market insight So far this year, personal leasing offers have accounted for 77 per cent of all vehicle searches on our site.

Five years ago, it was a 50/50 split between personal and business offers.

We’ve been in business for the best part of two decades and have seen a lot of market changes. Our marketplace was originally launched to help car leasing companies who were frustrated with traditional advertising that was outdated as soon as it had gone to print. Back in 2000, we had several hundred leasing offers from 30 or so advertising partners and we now have around 300 partners including Inchcape Retail, Sytner, Lookers, Marshall and Peter Vardy, as well as many leading brokers, collectively introducing

leasing offers working hard? millions of offers. Many of our earliest advertising partners are still with us today.

Our unrivalled choice of offers and the tens of thousands of sales inquiries we pass to our partners each month mean we’re well-placed to identify consumer trends. In our ‘2017 Personal

Leasing Report’, we identified that the typical profile of a leasing inquirer is a 35- to 44-year-old man from London, looking for a Volkswagen Golf on an iPhone.

The most popular monthly rental is currently between £200 and £300 per month.

Meanwhile, consumers are taking advantage of some very competitive offers from the premium manufacturers as seen in our top-10 mostinquired-about brands this year.

We’re also seeing more and more brokers offering one-month initial payment contracts. It means consumers looking to lease no longer have to pay large sums up-front to enter into a contract, providing they pass all the relevant credit checks and affordability assessments, of course.

Reaching new audiences We work hard to raise awareness of the benefits of leasing and attract new audiences to our marketplace. We now have 110,000 highlyengaged followers on Facebook, as consumers increasingly look to us for news, reviews, deals and guidance. We can alert people immediately to the hottest, trending lease deals, and sign them up to receive deals on the newest cars as soon as they become available to our partners. Our new My Account area helps consumers keep track of the cars and offers of most interest to them. We have also recently launched our own YouTube channel because research shows that 70 per cent of people who use YouTube while choosing a car are influenced by it.

How can we help your business?

As we mentioned earlier, it’s vital to keep track of changing consumer behaviour. The shift to leasing shows no sign of slowing down.

While every successful retailer and broker can rely on their showroom and website, ContractHireAndLeasing.com can help your leasing offers work even harder by taking them to a new, large and engaged consumer audience.

We also enforce a Code of Conduct, so all advertising partners can be confident that consumers receive the best possible experience.

• If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch with us online at ContractHireAndLeasing.com/advertise

‘As more and more consumers wake up to the benefits of leasing, they head to our marketplace to find the best available deals.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

Business opportunity.

Unique chance to get involved with a very successful business A great career move and a fantastic investment opportunity are on offer

C

hoosing the right moment to take the next big step in your career can be difficult – whether you’re at the top of your game in a large dealership or running one of your own.

What if you could join an enterprise that’s already proved itself after 38 successful years in business, though?

Well that is the rather appealing proposition we’re bringing to you this month…

If you want to run your own dealership and have plenty of ideas to make it a success, you are exactly the sort of person Andrew Hendry is looking for in a business partner.

David Hendry Cars, based in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, was opened by the man whose name is over the door in 1980 but now, as he looks to retire, son Andrew is looking for someone to grow the business and invest in it with him.

Hendry wants someone with experience in the motor trade, maybe as a sales manager or dealer principal at a big dealership, but with aspirations of investing in something for themselves.

‘The business was founded by my father but now he wants to retire, whereas at the age of 42, I very much want to carry on. That’s why I’m looking for someone who wants to

invest in something of their own,’ he said.

‘This isn’t a silent partnership though – this person would want to be involved with the day-today running of the business with me.’

The business has changed a lot over the years, and the family team aren’t afraid to try new things in the pursuit of a successful and profitable outcome.

Andrew admits the job has turned him into a bit of a petrolhead, having grown up with the dealership, and there’s a clear passion for motors at David Hendry Cars.

It’s now an official SsangYong dealer, Ford service centre, an independent Subaru and TVR service centre, and a Mountune dealer, too.

‘We took on Ford sales in 2008 but moved into just service three years ago.

‘We were one of the first Jeep dealers, and we also took on Subaru and Isuzu when they were fresh to the market. After we stopped with Subaru we actually ended up importing them instead and still do so today.

‘TVR came about when my father went to look at one for himself. It was around 1986 or ’87 and we ended up taking on the franchise. I’m sure we were one of the last holding on at the end, too.

Are you looking for a new business opportunity?

David Hendry Cars Tel: 01666 824369 andrewhendry@dhcars.co.uk www.dhcars.co.uk

76 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘We’ve got a good reputation for this – in fact we’ve got a TVR in today that we sold in 1994.’

It’s clear David Hendry Cars has had a pioneering past, choosing to try different brands, and it’s worked! Andrew explained that they’ve been SsangYong dealers on and off since 1993 too, making them one of the very first to join the new brand, and they now have the latest cars from the manufacturer on sale.

It was 10 years ago that the business moved to the site it currently occupies. In what is undoubtedly an excellent location, with the headquarters of Dyson down the road and new houses being built nearby, there’s plenty of potential for business from new and existing customers. Those interested in finding out more can contact Andrew using the details below.

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Data File.

Ask Lawgistics .com

Car Dealer Club lawyers at Lawgistics answer dealers’ legal questions. Join for £49.99 a year to get advice like this when you need it

Ensure you have a driving at work policy Q A

What if my employee is found to be using a mobile phone while driving for work purposes?

You may recall a case some 18 months ago that highlighted the devastating consequences of an employee using a mobile phone while driving for work purposes.

In October 2016, lorry driver Tomasz Kroker from Andover was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

At the time of the accident on the A34, Kroker was scrolling through music on his mobile rather than looking at the road. He didn’t notice that the traffic had ground to a halt and failed to stop in time, ploughing into the stationary queue. Four family members were killed instantly and a further five people injured.

Kroker and his employer were found to have an agreement in place stating that he knew and understood he should not use a hand-held mobile

JOIN CAR DEALER CLUB AND GET ALL THESE BENEFITS WORTH £1,000s FOR JUST £49.99 78 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Picture posed by model

phone while driving. As the employer could show it had taken reasonable steps to prevent its employees from using mobile phones, the employer did not face criminal charges.

This case helped to show it is worth having a driving at work policy. Within the policy, it should include checking text messages, emails, social media and playing music.

A free telephone consultation and other great benefits, too n A free telephone consultation worth £100. n Lawgistics’ Basic package worth £95. n Twenty-five per cent off the ‘pay-on-use’ legal helpline and casework service. n Up to 25 per cent off any stationery or warranty products. n Upgrade the Basic package and receive £100 off the Small Business package or £250 off the Professional package.

Employers should review the policy annually and ensure it is up to date and that the employee dates and signs the document. The policy will not be applicable to all members of staff but should be given where any role may include driving. If employees are found to be ignoring the policy, disciplinary action should be taken.

At the same time, it is also worthwhile checking the employee is medically fit and has the relevant licence for the vehicle, and review this annually.

The form should include a declaration for the employee to sign and date to say that their eyesight and health remain good and if there have been any changes regarding endorsements.

If an employee’s health changes, you may need to obtain advice from the DVLA to determine if they are fit to drive or ask permission to contact their doctor.

If their health prevents them from driving, be aware of disability discrimination. You may need to consider alterations to the job role or to the vehicle.

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Exclusive five per cent discount on your tailormade trade insurance At Unicom, we’ve been safeguarding our clients with the best protection policies for more than 20 years – so, no matter what role your business plays in the motor trade, we can have you covered for every possible risk. From road risks to legal cover, your motor trade insurance can be tailored to suit your individual needs. It’s our job to make sure that you get the best price for the cover that you want.

Is this ‘fare’..?

Q

We took a car in recently for repair and turned it round in double-quick time after promising we’d complete the work as speedily as possible.

Unfortunately, however, it needed to come back to us for another two days because the warning light that had been illuminated previously had come on again. Our technician had forgotten to recode the car. Our customer has now claimed her taxi fare for her work commute over those two days. Is that something she is entitled to?

You did promise to complete the repair as soon as possible but you did not agree it would be done by a particular day. In legal terms, the parties did not agree that time was of the essence.

It means you didn’t agree to recompense your customer for harm that a delay may cause. You simply stated that you would use your best endeavours to speed up the repair process. Had you agreed to a specific deadline, the expense of arranging a substitution for the car for the work commute would have arisen and your client would be entitled to recompense. Use of a taxi would be questionable, though, unless your customer had a good reason to avoid public transport.

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Frustration turned to legal triumph after customer left car lingering for 18 months WHEN Mark Johnson agreed to let a customer leave his car with him for a couple of weeks while they gathered the money needed to pay for its repairs, he didn’t think it would still be taking up space in his workshop 18 months later.

The service manager at AAK Auto Services, based in Chestfield, near Whitstable, Kent, had given a quote for replacing a water-damaged engine control unit in an Audi A6.

In the spirit of good customer service, Johnson agreed it could stay for that short term – not knowing what he was letting himself in for.

‘A couple of weeks turned into a couple of months, which eventually turned into more than a year,’ Johnson told us. ‘We wrote to them several times and told them to either come and collect their car or we would start charging for storage, but we got no answer and it all escalated from there.’

Johnson was in a tricky situation – he had never had to deal with a scenario like this before and the customer had a friend who was a solicitor, so AAK was being bombarded with letters full of legal jargon. He sought legal help

from a local solicitor but was told unsympathetically that there was no point in pursuing the case.

However, just when the situation was looking rather dire, a stroke of luck came in the form of Lawgistics.

Johnson happened to be at an industry event where the legal consultancy was giving a talk about the services it provided.

He decided it sounded like something that could be of help to AAK, so gave Lawgistics a call.

‘We spoke to them, liked what they said and subscribed to their service,’ continued Johnson.

‘They’ve guided us through the whole process, arranging all our witness statements and doublechecking everything.

‘They even managed to arrange legal representation for us, which was absolutely amazing at the court hearings. We’ve actually won the case and been awarded costs, which has covered all of the Lawgistics costs and all of our costs. We’ve come away happy. Even if we’d lost, I still would have been happy with the service we received, because Lawgistics was absolutely brilliant every step of the way.’

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At Paragon Car Finance, we’re so confident we can better the deals and improve the service other lenders offer that we want to give £50* to all eligible Car Dealer Club members who book an appointment with us to see how Paragon Car Finance could help you and your customers get a better deal.

Book your £50* appointment now by calling us on 0345 149 7777.

A

LAWGISTICS’ Basic membership – which you receive as a member of Car Dealer Club – is a cracking deal, but what if you need something that has extra clout? Larger dealer groups or a dealer embroiled in a big legal battle may require some more firepower, and the good news is that club members get discounts on Lawgistics’ other packages. You’ll receive a £100 discount off the Small Business package (normally £795) – perfect for sole traders, a partnership or a small dealer group – and £250 off the Professional package (normally £1,595). This is ideal for franchises, a dealer group or a car supermarket and covers all relevant legal areas and documentation.

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Dragon2000 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 79

Data file.

Thestatistics

| SMMT SALES DATA | TAKING STOCK | MONTHLY FIGURES

Now it’s a year of decline but registrations are still running at a high level T

he UK new car market declined in March, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Registrations fell by 15.7 per cent compared with the same month last year, which was the biggest month ever for new car registrations, as buyers seized the chance to purchase cars before new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates came into force.

However, registrations are still running at a historically high level and last month’s market was the fourth biggest March on record.

Economic and political uncertainty and confusion over air quality plans continued to affect confidence, resulting in declines across all sales types. Demand from business, fleet and private buyers all fell in March, down 14.3 per cent, 15 per cent and 16.5 per cent respectively.

Continuing the recent trend, diesel registrations declined in March, down 37.2 per cent. Registrations of plug-in and hybrid vehicles continued to rise, albeit modestly, up 5.7 per cent, with demand for plug-in hybrids driving growth, up 18.2 per cent for the month.

Registrations of petrol cars were stable, up 0.5 per cent.

The decline in demand for diesel cars continues to be a concern and the latest tax changes announced by the government do nothing to encourage consumers to exchange their older diesel vehicles for new lower emission models.

In terms of vehicle types, demand for dual-purpose cars remained the best performer in March, down 0.7 per cent, with just 713 fewer vehicles registered than in the record March 2017. In the first quarter of this year, 146,614 of these vehicles hit British roads, an increase of 2.7 per cent, as

the inclement weather appeared to lead to a boost in registrations. New car registrations have now fallen for the 12th consecutive month, with year-todate performance down 12.4 per cent.

However, nearly 720,000 new high-tech, low-emission cars left forecourts in the first quarter of 2018 as consumers took advantage of competitive offers, meaning last month’s market was still the fourth biggest on record.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, left said: ‘March’s decline is not unexpected given the huge surge in registrations in the same month last year. Despite this, the market itself is relatively high with the underlying factors in terms of consumer choice, finance availability and cost of ownership all highly competitive.

‘A thriving new car market is essential to the overall health of our economy. This means creating the right economic conditions for all types of consumers to have the confidence to buy new vehicles.

‘Government must do more to encourage consumers to buy new vehicles rather than hang onto their older, more polluting vehicles.’

SMMT sales data Mar/year to date

5

Top

Most-improved manufacturers in March McLaren

+78%

MG +48% Abarth +16% Mitsubishi +14% Subaru +7%

5

Bottom

Worst-performing manufacturers in March Infiniti

-83%

Aston Martin -46% smart -44% Bentley

-36%

Maserati -35%

The triple whammy that took its toll: 2017 tax changes, snow and Brexit NEW car sales were hit by a triple whammy in the first quarter of the year, according to Ian Plummer, manufacturing and agency director at Auto Trader.

‘First, Q1 of 2017 was always going to be a hard act to follow because sales were artificially inflated by consumers pulling forward purchases ahead of changes to vehicle excise duty,’ he said.

80 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘Second, we had several days of Arctic weather and this impacted deliveries to dealers and deterred consumers from visiting showrooms.

And third, the ongoing negative impact of Brexit.’

Ian Gilmartin, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays Corporate Banking, commented: ‘There’s no disguising the fact that it’s another disappointing month for the new car sector.

‘There will be some concern at the continued slump revealed in these figures. However, the comparison with last March is a little misleading, as the record result posted then was in part due to sales being brought forward ahead of tax changes in April 2017. Some of the fall can also be attributed to a prolonged natural correction following a bumper couple of years.’

Mitsubishi

Suzuki

+14%

March 2018 Marque Abarth

2018

March 2017

% market share

2017

% change

0.16

17.37

0.22

-18.97

1,458

0.20

1,719

0.21

-15.18

0.08

-46.12

347

0.05

645

0.08

-46.20

5.49

-2.91

47,915

6.67

47,780

5.83

0.28

0.06

-36.03

410

0.06

581

0.07

-29.43

6.20

-9.24

47,393

6.60

49,481

6.03

-4.22

0.00

-16.67

17

0.00

18

0.00

-5.56

2.31

-30.26

14,671

2.04

18,347

2.24

-20.04

5,773

1.03

-30.49

7,182

1.00

8,206

1.00

-12.48

0.35

2,183

0.39

-24.14

2,108

0.29

3,211

0.39

-34.35

1.80

12,930

2.30

-34.08

11,544

1.61

17,577

2.14

-34.32

10.60

71,837

12.77

-30.04

81,957

11.41

104,524

12.75

-21.59 2.06

0.21

1,239 425

29,968

6.32

30,867

229

0.05

358

31,649

6.68

34,873

15

0.00

18

Citroen

9,050

1.91

12,977

Dacia

4,013

0.85

DS

1,656

Fiat

8,524

Ford

50,257

Chevrolet

% market share

1,301

0.05

BMW

2017

0.21

229

Bentley

% market share

1,527

1,004

Audi

% change

2018

16.77

948

Aston Martin

Year-to-date (YTD)

% market share

0.23

Alfa Romeo

1,107

-24% 0.17

Honda

11,896

2.51

11,635

2.07

2.24

18,137

2.52

17,771

2.17

Hyundai

18,526

3.91

18,460

3.28

0.36

28,004

3.90

27,856

3.40

0.53

Infiniti

160

0.03

985

0.18

-83.76

313

0.04

1,285

0.16

-75.64

Jaguar

6,797

1.43

9,571

1.70

-28.98

9,709

1.35

13,134

1.60

-26.08 -37.44

1,322

0.28

1,807

0.32

-26.84

1,728

0.24

2,762

0.34

Kia

18,094

3.82

18,801

3.34

-3.76

28,751

4.00

29,705

3.62

-3.21

Land Rover

16,655

3.51

22,534

4.01

-26.09

23,815

3.31

29,739

3.63

-19.92

Lexus

3,006

0.63

2,888

0.51

4.09

4,073

0.57

3,894

0.47

4.60

Jeep

Lotus Maserati Mazda

36

0.01

39

0.01

-7.69

60

0.01

88

0.01

-31.82

276

0.06

429

0.08

-35.66

436

0.06

640

0.08

-31.88

10,085

2.13

11,178

1.99

-9.78

14,172

1.97

15,169

1.85

-6.57 55.47

132

0.03

74

0.01

78.38

213

0.03

137

0.02

33,194

7.00

35,690

6.35

-6.99

51,173

7.12

54,837

6.69

-6.68

MG

1,114

0.23

749

0.13

48.73

1,775

0.25

1,065

0.13

66.67

Mini

12,352

2.61

12,942

2.30

-4.56

17,009

2.37

17,267

2.11

-1.49

Mitsubishi

3,929

0.83

3,421

0.61

14.85

5,997

0.83

5,104

0.62

17.50

Nissan

24,561

5.18

36,939

6.57

-33.51

34,794

4.84

53,350

6.51

-34.78

Peugeot

16,301

3.44

19,168

3.41

-14.96

24,643

3.43

28,393

3.46

-13.21

Porsche

2,659

0.56

2,848

0.51

-6.64

4,074

0.57

3,737

0.46

9.02 -21.98

McLaren Mercedes-Benz

Renault

14,531

3.07

19,014

3.38

-23.58

19,604

2.73

25,126

3.06

Seat

11,829

2.50

11,200

1.99

5.62

18,390

2.56

16,782

2.05

9.58

Skoda

13,300

2.81

13,655

2.43

-2.60

21,611

3.01

22,322

2.72

-3.19

smart

1,201

0.25

2,172

0.39

-44.71

2,067

0.29

3,217

0.39

-35.75

613

0.13

956

0.17

-35.88

865

0.12

1,359

0.17

-36.35

Subaru

761

0.16

706

0.13

7.79

978

0.14

932

0.11

4.94

Suzuki

6,466

1.36

8,602

1.53

-24.83

11,323

1.58

13,951

1.70

-18.84

Toyota

22,537

4.75

24,508

4.36

-8.04

33,215

4.62

35,039

4.27

-5.21

Vauxhall

37,023

7.81

46,564

8.28

-20.49

54,535

7.59

66,733

8.14

-18.28

Volkswagen

37,843

7.98

39,485

7.02

-4.16

57,458

8.00

59,778

7.29

-3.88

8,237

1.74

9,710

1.73

-15.17

11,657

1.62

13,582

1.66

-14.17

Other British

106

0.02

106

0.02

0.00

162

0.02

175

0.02

-7.43

Other Imports

826

0.17

1,073

0.19

-23.02

1,219

0.17

1,697

0.21

-28.17

-15.70

718,489

SsangYong

Volvo

Total

474,069

562,337

820,016

-12.38 Figures supplied by SMMT

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 81

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82 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Market Insight.

...in association with ASE-global.com

Aftersales is a sector of the industry performing strongly at the moment

Used cars and aftersales held back by new car challenges Few announcements and no UK transactional activity meant March wasn’t that memorable, says Mike Jones

T

he vast majority of the UK motor retail listed car stocks remained broadly static during the month of March, with few public announcements and the stock market waiting to see how bad new car registration levels were at the month end. The stock market had been primed to expect a significant, double-digit drop in the number of vehicles registered in the key month of March and speculators appeared to be largely awaiting the outcome of the monthend before making any significant moves.

Share price performance Whilst it remains the case that the motor retail sector is unloved within the investing community, it is performing slightly better than the overall FTSE 100.

Pendragon produced the largest fall for the month, dropping more than 10 per cent, leaving the stock nearly 20 per cent down on the value at which it entered 2018. Marshall Motor Group was the largest gainer in the month, picking up most of the losses accrued in the current year to date. During the month, Pendragon continued its share buy-back programme and Vertu and Lookers carried on with theirs.

Financial performance March saw the announcement of financial results from Marshall and Lookers. Marshall produced

Share price movement since the start of 2018

Share price movement over the last month

Pendragon

81.4%

86.9%

Vertu

87.9%

101.2%

Lookers

86.6%

98.6%

Inchcape

89.1%

101.8%

Cambria

103.3%

99.2%

Caffyns

102.4%

98.8%

Marshall

97.0%

103.8%

the best set of UK retail results we have seen during the current reporting season, which beat their previously-upgraded expectations.

The group saw revenue growth of 19.5 per cent and underlying profit before tax rising 14.4 per cent to £29 million. Lookers revealed improved results in its 2017 full-year accounts with turnover up 15 per cent and adjusted profit before tax up five per cent to £68 million.

In addition, Cambria released a pre-close trading update ahead of their results for the six months to the end of February 2018 with trading in line with expectations, albeit behind 2016/17 on a total and like-for-like basis with a significant drop in new vehicle unit sales of 16.5 per cent.

The general theme we have seen across the reporting season continued with these announcements with strong used car and aftersales performances being held back by challenging new car performance, particularly where the dealer group is heavily weighted towards some of the volume franchises who have seen significant market share drops in 2018.

Transactional activity Unsurprisingly, there was a complete lack of transactional activity in the UK during March.

Deals tend to be done either before the month, so that the buyer can get the benefit of the strongest month of the year, or after the quarter has been closed with the vendor keeping these profits (and giving any purchaser the chance to see whether they are on track for the year).

This was the case in 2018 with the only activity being the acquisition by Inchcape of Grupo Rudelman, an automotive distribution business in Central America focused on Suzuki, for the sum of £201 million.

This continues the group’s move towards greater focus on higher-growth emerging markets and towards a greater focus on distribution rather than retail. Interestingly, distribution trading profit now makes up 81 per cent of total group profit, on a proforma basis.

Mike Jones is chairman of dealer profitability specialist ASE plc. You can read his column here every month.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 83

Auctions.

Most UK car buyers are not brand-loyal

A Global View with CDK Global: p86

Henstock

A GREAT MIX

Future classics sold at BCA Nottingham

AUCTION STATIONS

Clever car technology will become more mainstream

B

CA’s second Future Classics sale in Nottingham attracted a large crowd of buyers to bid on an eclectic mix of sports cars, family saloons, performance cars and prestige models covering nearly 60 years of motoring history.

The sale took place during the auction centre’s regular Top Car sale, staged on the third Thursday of every month.

With the classic car market going from strength to strength, BCA offered a selection of cars ranging from 1950s saloons to more modern sporting, executive and luxury models.

In keeping with a collectors’ market that attracts enthusiasts from every age group, vehicles ranged in value from a few hundred pounds to many thousands. Every car on offer had one thing in common, however – they all had the potential to acquire classic status in the future.

The oldest car sold on the day was a 1960 Wolseley 6/99 police car finished in black and with just 15,000 miles recorded.

It went for £8,400.

A 2005 Porsche 911 997 Carrera S

T Tiptronic S Convertible in grey was one of the top performers, selling for £19,800 at 75,000 miles. Performance Japanese cars always attract a lot of interest from buyers, and an imported 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X GSR FQ-300 SST in blue sold for £10,600 at 48,000 miles.

Stuart Pearson, managing director of BCA Remarketing, said: ‘Our Future Classics sale attracted a great deal of interest from trade buyers and private enthusiasts thanks to a sale catalogue that featured a great mix of classic and performance cars. We were delighted with the strong turnout of buyers and confident bidding on the day.’

Relationship is extended for three years MANHEIM, the remarketing services division of Cox Automotive, has extended its relationship with Santander Consumer Finance, agreeing a contract renewal that will see the businesses continue to work together for at least the next three years.

Santander Consumer Finance and Manheim have worked together since 2002, with the finance provider enjoying access to all of Manheim’s remarketing products and services and benefiting from its close Car dealer new strip Revised relationships with dealers and ad buyers.

Shaun Deacon, head of arrears management at Santander Consumer Finance, said: ‘This renewal signals the strength of our on-going partnership with Manheim. We’ve been working together for 16 years and greatly value their expertise, attention to detail and dedication to making our sales a real success.’

Peter Bell, managing director of Manheim, said: ‘This is fantastic news that further cements our relationship with 4/4/18 Consumer 12:01 Page 1 Santander Finance.’

Fixed cost buyers premium User friendly website & stock locator. On-line bidding

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84 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Simon Henstock is BCA UK’s chief operating officer for remarketing. Visit bca.co.uk or call 0845 600 6644.

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echnology moves quickly in the car market and used car buyers’ expectations continue to rise. The connected car – fully internet-enabled, managing journeys, tapping into smartphone apps, self-parking and auto-stopping – is an increasingly appealing commodity.

Professional buyers are now placing a premium on connected cars. It is important for sellers to recognise this and ensure their vehicles are correctly described at remarketing time. BCA provides comprehensive online catalogue descriptions and this extra detail helps generate buyer interest.

Increasingly, extras such as smartphone connectivity, touchscreen media systems and controls plus driving and parking aids are expected on younger used cars, as well as multi-functional dashboard computers that monitor everything from your MPG to recommending the gear you should be in, rain-sensitive windscreens and light-sensitive headlights. This is particularly important on executive and premium models, where buyers expect a higher specification.

The focus on connectivity, data and safety is likely to become more important, giving drivers access to live information about their journeys so blockages and accidents can be avoided, for example.

The new safety systems and tech such as autonomous emergency braking are also starting to register on the used buyer’s radar. Initially, as these systems reach the market, there will be a potential premium on examples in the used market, as professional buyers will compete to buy them.

However, safety is expected by car buyers, and as these new features become better established any premium tends to fade away. Used car buyers come to expect certain options as the technology becomes more mainstream, and this is almost certain to be the case with in-car connectivity, digital infotainment and autonomous features.

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Taking Stock.

Remarketing specialist BCA analyses its latest Pulse report to give its thoughts on matters that dealers need to consider in the months ahead

Used market strong as values rise again despite early Easter Demand looks set to be maintained well into April as professional buyers compete for stock, says Stuart Pearson, managing director of BCA’s UK remarketing operation.

A

verage used car values at BCA continued to rise as buyers competed strongly for stock in March. Even with the early Easter break affecting the market at the end of the month, the average value of a used car at BCA rose by £170 compared with February – a 1.7 per cent uplift.

Values for fleet and lease cars and dealer part-exchange stock improved during the month to reach the highest points on record.

Our Pulse Report shows that average used car values are up by £818 (9.2 per cent) compared with a year ago, with average age and mileage figures continuing to reduce.

The headline figure of £9,668 is the second highest on record and BCA’s data shows used car values have been rising steadily during 2018, reflecting both the richer mix of cars available

at BCA and the sustained level of demand from buyers. Buyer demand was strong in March, resulting in average values reaching record levels and excellent conversion rates around the 24-strong BCA network.

Reflecting seasonal patterns, we saw greater volumes from both fleet/lease and dealer partexchange sources and expect this uplift to continue in the weeks ahead.

With Easter now behind us, we predict demand will be maintained well into April as professional buyers compete for stock.

Retail used car activity is reportedly very strong, as buyers look for good-value used cars, and that is being helped by the increased availability of finance in the used sector.

Average value of used car in fleet & lease sector :

£11,122

Fleet and lease stock posted a new record value of £11,122 in March as demand increased.

Values improved by £330 (three per cent) over the month, with retained value against original MRP (manufacturer’s retail price) improving by a point to reach 44.22 per cent. Year-on-year values were up by £667 (6.3 per cent), with age static and mileage declining.

Average dealer part-exchange values reached record levels for the second month running, rising by £71 (1.4 per cent) to £4,895 in March.

Year-on-year values were ahead by £301, representing a substantial 6.5 per cent uplift.

Values for nearly-new vehicles fell to £18,869 from February’s year-high figure of £19,751 but were up yearon-year. Model mix has a big effect in this very low-volume sector, as we always point out.

Average dealer part-exchange values:

£4,895

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 85

A Global View.

...in association with

Techniques you can use to build loyalty Stuart Miles, CDK Global’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, considers how the customer experience in the workshop can be connected with digital technology

• Consumer survey reveals nearly two-thirds of UK car buyers aren’t loyal to a specific dealership or brand

C

DK Global research has found that vehicles and their associated brands are becoming less significant for consumers when making purchasing decisions, as customer loyalty declines in the UK. A survey into consumer behaviour, conducted

by ICDP for CDK, found that brand loyalty for new car sales in the UK sits at just 36 per cent, below the European average of 45 per cent.

Furthermore, just 38 per cent of new car buyers surveyed purchased their vehicle from a retailer they had used before.

The counter-intuitive shift is driven by a new ‘customer experience mindset’, where service and responsiveness are the biggest differentiators between automotive brands and retailers.

Aftersales brand loyalty performs considerably worse in the survey, with just 32 per cent of new car buyers remaining loyal to a brand for aftersales services. The results show that across new and used markets, aftersales loyalty is much higher for independent garages than for authorised repairers – with 74 per cent of car buyers loyal to an independent outlet, compared with just 42 per cent for authorised outlets.

Stuart Miles, CDK’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, said: ‘Maintaining customer satisfaction is vital to build long-term loyalty and

• Franchised dealers miss out on aftersales as only 42 per cent return to authorised repairers

• An integrated core dealer management system (DMS) and mobile technology are central to achieving five-star customer service and increasing loyalty

increase lifetime customer value. The forecast is that within the next five years, consumer experience will overtake product and price as the key brand differentiator, with factors such as instant responses to inquiries, exceptional customer service and multi-channel engagement vital to success.

‘To capitalise on this changing trend, vehicle manufacturers and retailers need to have a holistic view of their operations and a robust means of understanding and tracking customers to personalise the service offered.

‘This will help to deliver satisfaction across the whole car-ownership journey.’

As technology advances, cars will require less servicing and sales processes will increasingly take place on digital platforms. Also, customers will spend less time in dealerships, so it is vital that solid relationships are formed at all points of contact. As well as having a greater lifetime value, loyal customers give higher customer satisfaction index scores, and are more likely to

become advocates, providing positive reviews about retailers and their experience. Attracting a new customer costs up to seven times more than keeping an existing one(1). With this in mind, CDK recommends that loyalty-focused processes are vital for dealerships wanting to ensure long-term profitability.

To help customers feel valued and looked after, dealers should aim to make regular, personal contact with them.

For example, dealers can use their DMS platform to help co-ordinate ‘smart notifications’ through the CRM system, such as reminders when a customer’s MOT is due, offers on new cars as their finance deal ends, or even a bigger vehicle if their family grows.

These tailored initiatives can be automated as part of predefined processes within a smart automotive retail operation, so could mean that dealers hold on to the 42 per cent of customers who say they plan to buy somewhere else following a car sale(2).

‘Maintaining customer satisfaction is vital to build long-term loyalty and increase lifetime customer value.’

Stuart Miles

Stuart Miles is managing director for the UK and Ireland for CDK Global. He is responsible for one of the largest regions and helps deliver growth and market share for CDK Global through customer engagement in the automotive sector. Stuart has more than 20 years of automotive knowledge and experience.

References: (1) Kiss metrics (2) The Selfie Experience, a 2015 study by Capgemini

86 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Intelligently connecting people to their next vehicle

www.codeweavers.net contactus@codeweavers.net 0800 021 0888 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 87

88 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Real Deals.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

A Golf GTI that helped to get famous badge back on course Ted Welford looks at a version of Volkswagen’s iconic hot hatch that is truly pristine.

This car is worthy of ‘future classic’ status

T

he Volkswagen Golf GTI is car that means a lot to many people.

It’s widely considered to be the most important hot hatch ever made, and has been regarded by many as the first true hot hatch, even if somewhat incorrectly, perhaps.

Regardless, the Golf GTI ripped up the rule book when it was unveiled in 1975, showcasing that fast and fun could also be affordable.

Unfortunately the Golf GTI’s history hasn’t always been glittering, with some pretty major hiccups on the way.

Said glitches were the third- and fourth-generation Golf GTIs – two disappointing cars to say the least. Stricter safety and emissions regulations resulted in two overweight cars delivering lacklustre performance, while losing the magic that made the original so good.

After a brilliant start, the Golf GTI had somewhat been undressed of its prestige.

Volkswagen had to prove itself again. It did just that with the fifth-generation Golf GTI. First introduced into the UK in 2005, the Mk5 Golf GTI wasn’t a revolution in design, but featured a new chassis that was fun enough for it to be a great hot hatch, but usable enough for it to be driven every day.

A sweet 2.0-litre FSI petrol engine produced 197bhp – a welcome boost after the measly power of the previous-generation car. While it was a little on the porky side – weighing in at 1,336kg, it was still able to accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 7.0 seconds – or 6.7 if you went for the automatic DSG version.

The last fact seems a good enough reason for us to choose the DSG gearbox fitted to this example.

At Car Dealer we’re big fans of understated cars, which is

‘This GTI is described as ‘‘concours’’ – and it’s certainly the right word for this example.’ why this 2007 example here painted in Reflex Silver appeals so much – particularly with the matchingcoloured wheels.

This GTI is described as ‘concours’ – a term we appreciate is flung around a bit more than it should be – but it’s certainly the right word for this model. It’s covered just under 50,000 miles and comes with full service history, original paint and perfect wheels.

It certainly looks to have been cherished.

Inside, it comes with the fantastic tartan interior that GTIs are now renowned for – some have the optional leather interior, but many of them with leather now look quite tatty.

And in honesty, the tartan looks best, particularly if you’re based in Scotland, where this example just so happens to be for sale.

It’s advertised with Glasgow-based Rosemount Car Company, which specialises in modern, bespoke and classic cars – 85 per cent of which are German. Andrew Johnston, owner of the dealership, said: ‘What makes this example stand out above the rest is the interior. On many, you see the white fabric in the tartan cloth has gone grey over time which is difficult to restore. The tartan cloth on this one is as white as A4 paper.

It’s lovely. I don’t think you’ll find a better one.’

This example is priced at £7,995. That might seem quite expensive for an 11-year-old Golf GTI, but examples in this condition are hard to find.

While it’s not likely to start appreciating to the full for a few more years, it’s certainly not going to plummet in value – just as long as it’s kept in its current condition.

The fifth-generation Golf has not been known for its reliability, though. It has been famed for rusting, wheel corrosion, fuel pump failure and watch out for signs that a car has been used on a track. Be sure to check all these things before purchasing this, or any Golf GTI of this age.

If this one’s as good as Andrew says, though, you’re well on your way to owning a GTI that’s worthy of ‘future classic’ status, as well as owning the Golf GTI that managed to turn Volkswagen’s previous years of lacklustre hot hatch attempts around.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 89

Data file.

James Litton

TRADER TALES

And the winner is? Who wins at industry awards?

A

t the end of my first year in charge at Volvo Cars Poole, I was asked by Volvo if I would be happy for them to nominate me in the Dealer Principal of the Year category at an industry awards ceremony.

Whilst I appreciated the sentiment behind the request, I did not feel comfortable taking credit for a job that I had only just started and was the result of a team effort, not just my own. Industry awards – and not just those relating to the automotive sector – appear to be a contentious subject according to many posts and threads on LinkedIn. It is easy to see why entering awards can be a beneficial activity. Customers look for independent verification of the quality of a business, therefore a trophy cabinet full of industry accolades can reassure the purchaser that they have made a good decision. There is also the individual and team recognition that an award can provide, not to mention the fact that the ceremony itself can be a tremendously motivational evening for seldom-recognised team members.

Critics point to the fact that award nominees are often selfnominated and that the criteria for victory are subjective and arbitrary.

This is certainly evident in our industry as you often see the same names nominated across many award platforms.

Are these businesses really that good or are they just consistently entering awards?

For me, the answer is probably both. Winning new business has never been easy, so if there is a medium out there to promote your business which is not related to a sales force or traditional advertising media, then surely it cannot be ignored. However, for some, self-promotion is not easy.

Whilst I find it easy to articulate my thoughts on trade topics in my Car Dealer editorial, many people would not and I can understand why. I am as much criticised as I am complimented for my pieces and this does not bother me.

I accept that people are entitled to an opinion and that it might not be the same as my own. I write these pieces as much for my own personal and business brand-building, as I do for cathartic reasons.

You cannot stick your head above the parapet if you are not prepared to get a few rocks lobbed in your direction.

The irony of people criticising industry awards on a platform like LinkedIn is obvious. You are promoting your own opinion in the pursuit of undermining the achievement of another business or individual.

Why not change tack, get even and enter one of these things?

‘If you stick your head above the parapet, you will get a few rocks lobbed in your direction.’

James Litton is general manager – director of Volvo Cars Poole. He always has something to say about the industry he loves.

90 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Plan to get some time off showed I’m no dummy!

A

s important as health and safety is to any business, it’s a horrendously dull topic.

So it was no surprise that a loud groan echoed through our showroom a couple of weeks ago when our boss told us that some volunteers from a local ambulance service would be coming along to our dealership to teach us some essential first aid techniques.

As impressively loud as the complaining was, it did nothing to dissuade our boss, so one rainy morning, a pair of medical volunteers turned up and told us to gather round a mannequin they’d plonked on the floor.

We were taught how to carry out CPR, which essentially involved kissing the bald, rubber dummy on its lips. Once the unsettling exercise was over, the ambulance volunteers went on their way, but very kindly said they would leave the mannequin behind for a few days so that the staff who hadn’t been in the office that day could have a practice too.

Skip forward a couple of days and I was feeling ready for a couple of days off I had arranged, but I found myself stuck in one of those afternoons that seem to go on and on and on. My boss was away from the office that day, attending a nearby manufacturer conference, but I knew he would be returning home later and was likely to drive right past the dealership.

Although I was fairly confident he wouldn’t bother dropping in after a long day spent chinwagging with manufacturer executives, I was sure he would have a glance in the direction of the showroom as he drove past.

This presented a challenge, as I sit right next to quite a sizeable window. If my boss made his way past before the dealership’s closing time and saw I wasn’t sitting at my desk, it might cause him to raise an eyebrow.

Fortunately, I knew how to get around this issue.

I wandered over to the chair in the far corner of the showroom where the mannequin had been left, carried it over to my desk and sat it in front of my computer.

I then walked to the pavement outside to see how the illusion would look from the road and, I must say, the resemblance was uncanny. Thanks to the slight tint on the dealership windows and the dummy’s baldness, which matched my thinning barnet, from a distance it really did seem as though I was working away at my desk.

Problem solved! And I had a lovely afternoon off...

‘I was sure the boss would have a glance in the direction of the showroom.’

Tell us your story

Have you something to confess? Email our head of editorial (you can find her details on page three) or post it on our forum – cardealermagazine.co.uk/forum CarDealerMag.co.uk | 91

Stand out from your competition The Auto Trader Retailer Awards celebrates success in automotive retailing, from the online forecourt to the physical forecourt.

Entries are open to nominate your business until Friday 4 May 2018.

Find out more: autotraderretailerawards.co.uk

92 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Key Notes.

...in association with Traka

Auction firms who are driven by data Remarketing companies may well have useful lessons for dealers in this area, says Paul Smith

A

s a commodity, data defies traditional economic analysis. Data volumes have exploded over recent years and so too has its value. The challenge for businesses today is to harness the power of all that data flowing through their computer systems to create insights which can be put to work for commercial advantage.

By so doing, businesses can potentially transform themselves into data-driven operations. The consensus emerging is that business decisions can be made faster, and more consistently accurately, if guided by analysis of data rather than just human instinct. One market where this data-driven phenomenon seems to be gaining credence is the vehicle auction world.

For a look into the future of the automotive market as a whole, it’s worth taking a closer look at what some of the leaders in the UK car auction world are using data for. There is no doubt that the likes of BCA (British Car Auctions) and Cox Automotive are adopting this data-driven philosophy with gusto. It’s also becoming clear that this thinking is helping drive growth – and to some extent, consolidation – in the vehicle auction world on both sides of the Atlantic.

As these businesses grow, they are also collecting and analysing more vehicle data, more quickly, and using the resulting insights to drive profits up by increasing remarketing speeds.

This enables them to hold more auctions at each site, pushing more vehicles through each site, and making sure a higher percentage of vehicles are being sold at optimum prices.

To do all this number-crunching, these auction houses have built teams of data scientists who focus on constantly improving the number and quality of vehicle data sources.

The two key data sets they are plumbing are build data (basically covering the information on specific vehicles which comes from the factory itself) and transactional data (which essentially collects a large pool of similarly-specced vehicles recently sold to create an aggregated recommended retail price).

It is the large pool of transactional data which is helping to turn auction pricing into an objective science rather than a practice based on subjective, personal judgments driven by what an auction firm can afford to sell a car for to avoid losing money.

Cox Automotive owns RMS Automotive which brings together disparate data sources to suggest which cars should be sent to auction sooner than scheduled given certain market variables and historical data of how that vehicle is performing after doing X number of miles, over Y number of years and with Z blemishes to its service and maintenance record. Together, all that information gives vehicle valuations in a much tighter range than would have been possible a few years ago.

This sort of intelligence and expertise can be put to work to expand horizontally, beefing up value-added services such as de-fleeting. Car auction businesses are also pushing to expand their re-conditioning operations with a view to managing their vehicle supply chain more tightly.

The other battle is all about remarketing

accuracy and speed. How quickly can that used vehicle be inspected, valeted, photographed, priced, advertised online and moved to the nearest auction site for sale?

Consolidation is happening in auction sites as well. There is a view that running fewer, but larger, sites make sense if each site can be made more efficient, processing more sales at the optimum price. Manheim decided to consolidate its English truck, trailer and plant auction sales last year into a huge new facility in Coventry offering the UK’s ‘first and only’ weekly truck and trailer auction.

The idea is to give both sellers and buyers the best possible experience. However, these megasites also work because an increasing number of buyers are dialling into auctions through online auction services. Increased stock lists for each auction are being matched by the increased number of bidders participating via the internet.

Online auctions work for an increasing number of people who might not want to spend an entire day travelling to and from an auction site and waiting for multiple vehicles to come up.

The other advantage is that whatever the buyer is seeking, there are likely to be several vehicles matching their requirements with starting prices which tend to be closer to final sale prices.

There may well be lessons to learn from the auction market for dealerships. At the very least, it makes sense for heads of business to be looking at what data they are collecting and how they are using it to dynamically adjust pricing and, more generally, serve the customer better.

Paul Smith heads Traka Automotive, part of the ASSA Abloy Group brand Traka. ASSA Abloy bought the electronic key management software provider eTag Solutions, which was founded by him. Traka is a leader in intelligent access control, key management control solutions and keyless electronic lockers.

Keys can make you money…

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CarDealerMag.co.uk 15/12/2016 09:56| 93

Beyond finance “I’m more like a consultant, taking time to understand the dealership so that we can add real value to their business.”

Watch Aimee's video to see how: blackhorse.co.uk/beyondfinance

Aimee Winder Account Manager North East Region

A better way of doing business 94 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Long-termers.

LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Skoda Octavia vRS Our lean, green machine features a variety of touches which make everyday life just a little bit easier...

by MAL HAY @MalcolmHay

F

or a hot estate, the Skoda Octavia was a slow burn on me. But after months living with this car, I’ve come to truly appreciate it.

It has so many positive attributes I could write about but for me, one stands head and shoulders above all others.

It’s not the high-performance 2.0-litre 181bhp engine of our vRS model or the abundance of onboard tech. Instead, it’s the level of thought that’s clearly gone into making the Octavia a car for the everyman (and everywoman).

It’s as though in a factory somewhere deep in the Czech Republic, there’s a clone of me on a mission to make life a little better and journeys a little more comfortable for my family.

They’ve thought deeply about how we’ll use the car and the lifestyle we lead and have asked themselves what they can do to make the car work around that.

The end result may not be one big ‘wow’, as many of the solutions they’ve come up with are largely unnoticeable until they’re needed.

But I’ve found a smile flashing across my face many a time as I’ve presented the Octavia with a potential problem only to find that the ‘Simply Clever’ folk at Skoda have managed to come up with the answer.

Whenever I have something I need to stow out of view, there’s a conveniently-placed compartment. When I need to hang something, there’s a hook, and when I have something that may slide around the boot, they’ve even given me a set of neatly concealed Velcro holds that grip to the boot lining and stop objects from slipping.

There’s even a built-in ice scraper, tucked neatly inside the fuel cover, for those cold mornings.

It’s much the same story inside the cockpit.

In the back, there are two cup-holders built into the armrest and two USB ports to stop the kids bickering and squabbling.

And again, there are more cleverly positioned hooks and pockets that, well, just make life with the Octavia that little bit better.

Taken in isolation, any one of these things is pretty small fry and inconsequential. But when added together, they combine to make

Inside and out, our long-term Octavia vRS has so many features to recommend it to buyers

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Skoda Octavia vRS Estate Price: £35,655 Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel Power: 181bhp Torque: 380Nm Max speed: 139mph 0-60mph: 7.5 seconds MPG (combined): 55 Emissions: 134g/km Mileage: 17,455 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT: Realising just how clever those people who design and manufacture Skodas really are! the Skoda Octavia a great all-round car, whether you’re someone who needs a motor that will comfortably eat up the motorway miles or you’re a parent who needs a flexible and versatile vehicle that can cope with the demands of family life.

Our long-termer is the high-performance vRS

model with sports seating, black interior and DSG box. It’s powerful and great fun to drive – although I still think it could do with being cranked up a notch.

Whether you need the extra power of the vRS is a question of personal preference – I could take it or leave it – but even in its sportiest spec, the Octavia estate is refined, economical and offers an impressive MPG return.

Inside, it’s a pleasant place to while away the hours, too. Infotainment-wise, there’s everything you would expect from a quality car in this bracket, and everything’s well located and simple to use to boot.

For me, the opening panoramic glass roof is definitely worth having – even though it’s an optional extra – as it really brightens what is otherwise a dark interior.

Were I to be putting my money down on a car that would meet all my needs and fit my lifestyle perfectly, the Octavia would be very high on my shopping list.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 95

Long-termers.

LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Subaru Outback Tested on the mountains – and on a long drive through France.

How did this long-termer fare?

by NIGEL SWAN @motoringnut

G

rowing up, I was fortunate enough to experience road trips to the mountains for our annual ski holiday. I remember my dad packing up the Citroen CX Safari to tackle the 1,200-mile round trip, then watching him battle with snow chains when we hit the foot of the mountain.

Thirty, ahem, something years later and now it’s me who’s packing the car and doing exactly the same road trip, but what’s changed is the wagon that’s taking us to the hills. This time round, the destination was Val Thorens, France.

The car, our long-term Subaru Outback.

Now, in all honesty, my expectations were pretty high for the Outback. After all, one of its key selling points is its go-anywhere ability. In fact, if you go on to the official Subaru website (www.subaru.co.uk), there are images of it parked on gravel next to a river in a mountainous region, as well as shots of it kicking up snow on a track.

But it wasn’t just life on the mountain where it would be tested. There were the 550 miles of dull, flat, monotonous French autoroutes before that.

What I’ve really noticed is the more time you spend in a car on a long road trip, the more you start to see the finer details. Things such as the clock, which automatically changes to French time, and the Eyesight system that detects road signs, such as speed warnings, and puts them on the dash. If the car is set to miles per hour, it automatically converts the kilometres-per-hour road signs to mph so you can’t use the excuse ‘I thought it was in miles per hour, officer.’

Also, when the automatic distance setting is activated – which keeps the vehicle at a predesignated length from the car in front – it displays a little icon in the instrument cluster, and when the car automatically brakes, the brake lights activate on the display car.

The slog to the mountains was, as usual, pretty dull, with very little to report. The ride was comfortable and relaxing, though, and we found that when driving carefully, we rarely had to stop for a splash and dash – certainly a lot less often than the Honda CR-V with which we were travelling in convoy. The only slight annoyance was a certain amount of wind noise.

Once we hit the mountains, it was a pretty 96 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! But how did BK17 CFE cope with wintry conditions?

THE KNOWLEDGE Model:

Price: Engine: Power: Torque: Max speed: 0-60mph: MPG (combined): Emissions: Mileage:

Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium Lineartronic £34,995 2.0D 148bhp 350Nm 124mph 9.9 seconds 46.3 159g/km 13,257

THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT A comfortable run to the mountains. standard run up the hill. There was no heavy snowfall, so we didn’t have any issues on the ascent and the ‘all-weather’ tyres weren’t really tested to their limits. Not on the way up, anyway.

Two days into the trip, though, and one of our crew suffered an issue with his foot, which essentially brought his holiday to an end. So, rather than have him sit and listen to us talking about how good the mountain was each day, I volunteered to take him on a 200-mile round trip to Geneva airport so he could catch a flight home.

Now, the weather in Val Thorens was cold – in fact, it was pretty much as cold as it gets, with temperatures at night hitting -35 degrees, and this proved too much for the cars.

The battery on the Outback couldn’t handle it and it wouldn’t even try to turn on, let alone turn over. There wasn’t even enough power to lock the doors on the key fob. In all fairness, the Honda had issues too, although these were more along the lines of diesel freezing than batteries dying.

Once the weather warmed up, the Honda started first time.

The Subaru, however, needed a local mechanic

to give us a jump-start and then a set of ‘just in case’ jump leads totalling nearly £100.

On the run home, the Subaru needed another jump-start from the Honda before a two-and-ahalf-hour trip to do the 15 gridlocked miles to the bottom of the mountain. The reason: the snow came down, thick and heavy. In all honesty, the roads were chaos, largely because of the number of cars coming up the hill without snow chains or snow socks. This was the perfect environment to see how good the ‘all-weather’ tyres really were.

While we got down in one piece, there were a few ‘moments’ where we had to take evasive action because the tyres had no traction whatsoever. If we were to do the same journey again, I’d either get some proper winter tyres fitted or put on some snow chains.

Now we’ve returned to the UK, it’s back to reality, not only for me but for the Subaru too.

We have a few shoots in the pipeline, which will really test its load-lugging capabilities.

OTHER CARS WE’RE DRIVING

Kia Stonic Mileage: 180 This month, Ryan Hirons became the custodian of a Kia Stonic, a new addition to the Korean brand’s line-up. There’ll be a full report next month, when we’ll find out how he’s getting on with the car.

Ford Edge This car’s great on the outside, but inside? Not so hot. And behind the wheel, it’s a bit of a mixed bag...

by TOM WILTSHIRE @mctreckmeister

A

s far as I’m concerned, Ford’s at its best making small vehicles such as the Fiesta, but a weekend spent with the brand’s largest offering in the UK proved that the American manufacturer can appeal to Europe’s insatiable appetite for SUVs. The Edge offers everything that consumers cry out for – spacious dimensions, a high-up driving position, a sense of imperious invincibility and rugged styling. And taken purely on these factors, it’s a pretty great car.

As we’ve pointed out before, the Edge is both enormous and imposing, and sticking to a fiveseat layout means there’s comfortable room for four adults. Look across to the side, and you’ll find the only people sitting higher than you are those who’ve bought Range Rovers – with a starting price almost double that of the Edge.

However, though the outside gets a big tick, the interior is where Ford’s luxury pretensions begin to show cracks. The Edge’s cabin is big, yes, but though a similarly-priced Audi or Mercedes SUV might not offer as much space, they certainly feel better inside.

Every time you reach for the enormous, plasticky gear selector or the clunky infotainment display, you’re reminded that this is the same manufacturer that builds Fiestas, Mondeos and Transits. This is less of a problem on lower-spec

The Edge reminds you why big SUVs are so very popular both in the UK and Stateside

models, but when paying more than £40,000 for our ST-Line variant, it stings.

Truly premium rivals also offer buyers rather more choice. Our Edge is fitted with the higherpowered of just two engine choices – both 2.0-litre diesels. A BMW X3 can be had with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, with front or four-wheel drive dependent on trim level.

As for driving the car, it’s a mixed bag. Ask the Edge for anything more than a pleasant amble and the old-fashioned six-speed auto and agricultural diesel both make themselves known, even through the impressive cabin insulation.

The gearbox also refuses to take orders – there’s no dedicated manual mode, and after flipping it into a new gear with the steering wheel-mounted

paddles, it soon reverts to the ratio it thinks it should be in. That means you can’t really utilise engine braking on long downhill slopes – a rather annoying problem while traversing the Cotswold hills around my parents’ Cheltenham home.

But head out onto the motorway and you’re once again reminded why big SUVs are so incredibly popular both in the UK and Stateside.

The larger roads allow you to really revel in the Edge’s size. What feels cumbersome on a country lane becomes imperious on a motorway, and the modest engine and excellent sound deadening make for an effortless cruise.

The car’s American origins show through best on long-distance runs, and after a trip home recently, I arrived back on the South Coast as fresh as a daisy. So would I recommend an Edge?

For city-dwellers or keen drivers, absolutely not.

But for high-mileage motorway drivers, definitely.

THE KNOWLEDGE

BMW M240i

Seat Leon Cupra 300

Mileage: 6,121

Mileage: 7,345

The M240i has been well-used lately. Being a small, rear-wheel-drive sports car, it should have struggled given the recent snow and heavy rain, but it’s handled the conditions surprisingly well.

It had a busy time with us, with a replacement windscreen and front passenger window needed during its spell at Car Dealer Towers... and now KU67 TNX has left us. We’re already missing it!

Model: Price (as tested): Engine: Power: Torque: Max speed: 0-60mph: MPG (combined): Emissions: Mileage (to date):

Ford Edge £42,790 2.0 TDCi 207bhp 450Nm 131mph 9.4 seconds 47.9 152g/km 18,400

THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT: A journey from Gloucestershire to the South Coast that left me feeling very relaxed.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 97

The last word JA M E S B AG G OT T

Against our better judgment, we give our CEO the final say each month

EV ownership is exciting – but there are too many road blocks in the way

W

ith diesel sales in freefall, the industry’s attentions have been focused even more closely on the next doyen of the automotive free world: The electric car. Billed as the saviour of the industry, every manufacturer with a bank balance to support the whopping development costs is beavering away on its zero-emissions models.

But there are many road blocks. Let me make this clear from the start – I like electric cars. I may be a huge fan of a V8 warble or the rush of a turbo, but I’m equally enamoured by the silence of hurtling towards the future thanks to the surge of an electric motor.

But why does the whole thing have to be so difficult? With even mainstream sports car manufacturers like Jaguar entering the EV market head-first, and electric offerings in most of the big players’ model line-ups, why are there still so many stumbling blocks in the way of electric car adoption?

Stumbling blocks like the simple job of getting a home charging point installed.

It’s something I tried to arrange earlier this year but sadly it turned into the longest running saga I’ve ever had the misfortune of being embroiled in.

After some research, I decided Chargemaster was the company to use and went online to book an appointment.

There then followed such a disastrous experience that I can categorically say Chargemaster has won the ‘Worst Company James Has Ever Decided To Use’ award.

And that’s saying something, because I’ve also had BT broadband.

It was the ultimate computer-says-no scenario. The countless Chargemaster call handlers I spoke to were clearly following a script and asking for proof of things I didn’t have. Because my situation was outside the remit of their robotic instructions, I got caught in a void the likes of which only Apple users who have stared at a Spinning Beachball of Death will appreciate.

I live in an old house, on a site being redeveloped, so I admit my case isn’t run-of-themill. I would hope it’s easier to get a charging point installed in a two-up, two-down semi.

However, we live in Britain – our houses are unusual, our situations are different. When that’s the case, and especially when

you’re expecting people to adopt new technology, you need to be able to compromise.

I lost count of the number of phone calls I was forced to make to Chargemaster. At one point I gave up and asked my colleague to assist. She called them every day for what seemed like weeks attempting to battle through their red tape.

Eventually, after copious emails and back and forth, a date was booked and the charger installed. But even that wasn’t the end of it.

The bleeding thing lasted just over a month before it fell off the wall and stopped working.

It’s fixed now, but why did it have to be such a disaster? It actually makes popping to your local Shell every now and again a compelling alternative.

It’s not just this woeful tale that puts unnecessary hurdles in the way of electric car ownership. There are many more.

There’s the Ford Fiestas and Vauxhall Corsas that always seem to be parked in dedicated electric car recharging bays at supermarkets and service stations. I haven’t yet been combustion-blocked by one of these inconsiderate drivers, but my word I’d be incandescent with rage if I turned up at Fleet Services to find I needed to wait for Big John to visit the conveniences before I plug in for a half-hour fast charge.

If councils and the government are really serious about electric cars, why haven’t we got charging points everywhere? They should be on every lamppost and in every public car park with dedicated bays and fines for the owners of non-electric cars caught occupying them.

EVs need a supercharged hit of publicity if they’re to be adopted even more widely.

They need real incentives like free parking absolutely everywhere or dedicated electric car lanes on motorways. Things that would make people’s lives easier are required to persuade the general populous to adopt alternative fuels, not barriers to entry.

Perhaps my Chargemaster experience was an unusual one, but it’s things like this that put people off change. As I said at the start, I like electric cars and I couldn’t be more excited about those that are coming – but we need to concentrate just as hard on making them easy for the car-buying public to adopt as we do on encouraging people to buy them.

‘The bleeding thing lasted just over a month before it fell off the wall and stopped working.’

James Baggott is the founder of Car Dealer Magazine and chief executive officer of parent company @BaizeGroup, an automotive services provider. He now spends most of his time on Twitter @CarDealerEd and annoying the rest of us.

98 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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0115 946 6370 enquiries@frfl.co.uk www.firstesponsefinance.co.uk

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