Car Dealer Magazine Issue 127

CDX19: DATE AND VENUE REVEALED FOR NEXT YEAR’S EPIC AUTOMOTIVE EXPO

a r e g g e l r e Sup Issue 127 | October 2018 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £5

DBS IN T R A M N O T S A

HE HALO T , L A T U R B D N A UL DRIVEN: BEAUTIF NSTANT NEED FOR SPEED O MODEL WITH A C

PLUS: PORSCHE 911 CARRERA T T PUT TO THE TES

NEW AWARDS HUNT IS ON FOR AFTERMARKET EXCELLENCE

A I B M O L O C N I S S E L CAR : SOUTH T R O P E R L IA C E SP TRIP THAT AMERICAN MINIHAPPEN NEARLY DIDN’T

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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

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STAFF WRITER Ryan Hirons

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STAFF WRITER Tom Wiltshire

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Welcome.

IT’S hard to believe but it’s a whole month since I was driving south towards the equator in Colombia. I’ve still not quite recovered from the time difference, and with a few days off followed by our Road Test of the Year shoot, it’s fair to say the month has been a hectic one. How we’ve managed to get a magazine completed with quite so much in it is beyond me.

My Colombian adventure took it out of me (and the Minis we were driving), and you can find out why it was such an epic trip in my feature from pages 60 to 65.

This month we’re also launching three events – because one just isn’t enough! In the pages of this magazine, you’ll find out about the location and date for CDX 2019, our new go-karting challenge that’s not to be missed, and the allnew Aftermarket Excellence Awards.

While we’re talking about awards, the deadline for the Used Car Awards is also fast approaching – it’s October 5.

If you think you’re an award-worthy dealership, then don’t miss this opportunity to enter and you could be celebrating in fine style at The Brewery in London later in the year.

In this issue we also feature a service centre that has received one of the highest accolades available – the Queen’s Royal Warrant. Jack Barclay has been looking after her Bentleys for decades and let Car Dealer take a look inside the workshop where it all goes on.

There’s plenty to celebrate in the industry – although my column for this month might be slightly more downbeat than usual – so it’s an exciting time here at Car Dealer Towers to be planning all of these events that give great reasons for the industry to get together.

CDX is, of course, the most important date in our calendar, and it’s already looking incredible. When we went to visit the space that the expo will occupy next year it was truly awe-inspiring.

With so many possibilities, we’re rubbing our hands with glee as we plan new and innovative ways to inspire the industry in 2019!

There’s lot more to get your teeth into in this latest edition of Car Dealer too. We’ve more news from the LCV market with road tests of the new electrified Ford Transit PHEV and Volkswagen e-Crafter, plus a new column from Manheim’s director for commercial vehicles, James Davis.

Hopefully you enjoyed our Aftermarket section that launched alongside the Fully Loaded van pages last month – and both sections feature in this edition, too.

Meanwhile, features editor Jack Evans has been putting some serious metal to the test for this month’s magazine.

He got behind the wheel of our cover star the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Porsche’s 911 Carrera T and the speedy yet green Smart EQ ForTwo Cabrio.

In this month’s Focus On section, from pages 66 to 71, we take a closer look at what Startline Motor Finance, Click Dealer and eDynamix can offer your business. There’s some very interesting reading in there!

And even after all this, there’s still so much to be done in the remainder of 2018.

In two days I head back in time again for the official unveiling of a new electric car in San Francisco. I’ll see you on the other side of that with all the news from it in the next Car Dealer.

Before you know it, Bangers4Ben will be here and we’ll be cruising around Europe in some frankly ridiculous fancy-dress costumes. Never a dull moment at Car Dealer!

Enjoy the issue.

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

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Porsche 911 Carrera T

It’s stripped back and more exclusive – what does road tester Jack Evans think?

ISSUE 127 I OCTOBER 2018

Dashboard.

The Big Picture More From Leasing Around the UK Aftermarket Excellence Awards Around the World Rebecca Chaplin Big Mike Feedback Finance

Plate-change day – still special or a damp squib?

6 10 12 20 34 37 39 40 44

Features.

Royal Seal of Approval A Mini (Mis)adventure

Data File.

The Statistics Fully Loaded Aftermarket Car Dealer Club Auctions Taking Stock

Forecourt.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Porsche 911 Carrera T Smart EQ ForTwo Cabrio

48 50 53

Real Deals Market Insight Long-termers James Baggott

54 60 72 74 80 82 84 86 88 89 95 98

The Lookers Electric Charge continues

B-road bliss in our long-term Skoda Superb

Our events...

As voted for by dealers, Car Dealer Power is unique. Details of our 2018 winners are online at bit.ly/CDP-18. Watch this space for news of the 2019 event !

The Car Dealer Used Car Awards, sponsored by Black Horse, celebrate the used car industry. Get involved in this year’s event – and find out more on page 33.

The UK’s biggest automotive trade expo features the Live Stage, breakout sessions, workshops and much more.

Turn to pages 16 & 17 where we reveal details of next year’s exciting event.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

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Leasing a car is child’s play, according to the team at Motorama

THE BIG PICTURE

Motorama shows consumers how easy leasing can be Users can choose from over 9,000 models supplied by a range of major brands, reports Rebecca Chaplin.

N

ewly-launched car-leasing company Motorama has found a clever way of showing consumers how easy it is to lease a car.

The sister company of Vanarama set up a special vending machine at London Waterloo railway station last month in order to demonstrate to customers how simple and userfriendly leasing a car really is.

Commuters at the station were asked a series of questions about their lifestyle and budget, after which they were given a toy car from the vending machine.

There was also a full-size Nissan Qashqai in a huge set of toy packaging next to the vending machine, designed to emphasise the point that leasing a car is ‘child’s play’.

To top it off, commuters who answered all the questions were then entered into a competition to win a brand new Volkswagen Golf, which will be delivered to the winner’s house in another set of super-sized toy packaging.

06 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Part of Autorama Group, Motorama is a newly launched platform that lets customers lease a car online in a matter of minutes.

Users can choose from a selection of more than 9,000 models from a range of major brands or can search for a car based on their lifestyle and budget.

They’re given a quote taking into account factors such as the car they pick, their mileage and how long they want the lease to last.

The car is then delivered to their home free of charge.

Andy Alderson, CEO of Autorama, said: ‘We believe that everyone should be able to drive the car they want – and leasing makes it possible.

‘We’re setting out to fundamentally change the way people think about how they can drive a new car and, once they see how we’re disrupting the traditional car-buying experience and committing to putting them and their needs first, we’re pretty sure they’ll never want to buy a car again.’

What were the UK’s best-selling cars in August?

Around the UK, p12-13

The Motorama team at Waterloo Station

‘We’re setting out to fundamentally change the way people think about how they can drive a new car.’

Andy Alderson CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

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What’s been turning heads at Pebble Beach this year?

California dreamin’, p19

LIFESAVERS

Defibrillators to be installed at Pendragon dealerships P endragon is equipping its dealerships and service centres with life-saving defibrillators in a deal with the St John Ambulance first aid charity.

The arrangement will see the installation of the equipment at all dealerships, service centres, accident repair bodyshops and preparation centres across the group’s network Two Doncaster dealerships – Stratstone BMW and Evans Halshaw Nissan – were among the first to receive their defibrillators, which work by giving a powerful electric shock through the chest wall to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest.

Simon Dunn, regional director (north) at St John Ambulance, joined Pendragon group insurance risk leader Sharon Collins, as well as team members of both dealerships, to mark the occasion.

Marcus Hallam, head of business at BMW Doncaster, and Tom Ruff,

by DAVE BROWN @CarDealerDave

sales leader at Nissan Doncaster, were also in attendance, as were two St John volunteers who demonstrated how to use the machines. With the continuous and rapid changes in vehicle technology – particularly in automotive workshops – and the anticipated increase in the supply and servicing of electrified vehicles, Pendragon’s health and safety team felt it was essential to provide all business locations with a defibrillator.

More than 200 devices are being installed over the next month and this will extend to all Pendragon brands, including Stratstone, Evans Halshaw, Car Store and DAF. Collins said: ‘We chose St John Ambulance as our supplier because in addition to supporting the NHS with their own ambulance response

Simon Dunn hands over a defibrillator to Marcus Hallam services, they also provide first aid training for team members across all Pendragon businesses in the UK. ‘The units we are installing are fully automated, meaning if the need arises, any good Samaritan can use it with confidence and without fear. Our aim is to provide peace of mind for all team members, customers and members of the public in the event of an emergency.

‘The availability of a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death, and we are proud to be working alongside St John Ambulance on this project.’

Dunn said: ‘For each minute that passes, the survival rates of a casualty who has suffered a cardiac arrest drops by 10 per cent. This is

why quick access to a defibrillator is vital. Not only will the defibrillators benefit Pendragon’s staff and customers but the local community too, ensuring they have lifesaving equipment nearby when they need it the most.

‘We are delighted to be able to support Pendragon with the purchase of these easy-to-use defibrillators.’

‘The availability of a defibrillator can mean the difference between life and death.’

Sharon Collins

Auto Trader and Cox unite for wholesale arena

Volvo Cars plans $4.5bn flotation

AUTO Trader and Cox Automotive UK have teamed up to launch a new automotive wholesale marketplace.

To be called Dealer Auction and co-owned, it will be run by Auto Trader sales and service director Le Etta Pearce, who has held senior roles within both firms.

It aims to provide a comprehensive online auction service in the UK for fleet companies, manufacturers and retailers to dispose of their stock of vehicles. The joint venture agreement still needs to be cleared by the Competition and Markets Authority, but if it gets the go-ahead Cox Automotive will transfer its Dealer-Auction.com and Manheim

VOLVO Cars has unveiled plans for a $4.5bn stock market flotation this year after possible investors signalled that it would reach the $30bn valuation wanted by parent company Geely.

The marque’s primary listing, which has a sterling equivalent of some £3.5bn, will be in Stockholm, with a second listing planned for an Asian financial centre, according to a source close to the company. The valuation is equivalent to some £23.6bn.

It has been reported that the flotation could push Volvo Cars’ value up to as much as $40bn (circa £31.5bn).

08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Online businesses to the new service, while Auto Trader will transfer its retailer-to-retailer platform Smart Buying, which used to be known as Autotrade-mail.

It will see three businesses combined on one platform, offering a single view of a large selection of wholesale vehicles across the marketplace. Both companies have emphasised that, outside of the joint venture, the wider Cox Automotive and Auto Trader businesses will continue to operate as normal and in competition with each other.

Martin Forbes, chief executive of Cox Automotive UK, said: ‘The next five years will see an unprecedented

level of change in our industry, driven by the ever-increasing influence of digital. Cox Automotive and Auto Trader have a shared vision to transform the wholesale automotive market in the UK for the benefit of our current and future customers.’

Auto Trader chief executive Trevor Mather said: ‘I am delighted that we are creating this joint venture alongside Cox Automotive, who we have found to be forward thinking and culturally aligned to our business. We believe that together we can fundamentally improve and lead change in this market for the benefit of both wholesalers and retailers alike.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

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Harrison

MORE FROM LEASING

WLTP: there are more questions than answers

Pippa swaps the saddle for a SsangYong!

OLYMPIC medal-winning equestrian Pippa Funnell has taken possession of a new SsangYong Rexton Ultimate as brand ambassador for the marque.

Using the vehicle will help Funnell, pictured, advertise the South Korean 4×4 and SUV manufacturer at as many events as possible. Nick Laird, managing director

of SsangYong Motor UK, said: ‘We are delighted to have Pippa as one of our brand ambassadors. As a manufacturer of authentic four-wheel-drive vehicles noted for their off-road and towing abilities, we value the equestrian market enormously and are privileged to be working with a horsewoman of Pippa’s standing.’

Aston Martin gearing up for London Stock Exchange flotation

A

ston Martin has confirmed it is exploring plans to float on the London Stock Exchange.

The manufacturer of luxury cars said it was ‘announcing its potential intention to undertake an initial public offering’, ending months of speculation about its plans to go public.

It will float at least 25 per cent of its shares in the listing if its plans go ahead, and could join the blue-chip FTSE 100 if the company’s valuation is adequate.

The company could be valued as highly as £5 billion once it goes public, according to reports. The announcement was made alongside the company’s half-year financial results, which showed pre-tax profits edging higher to £20.8 million over the six months to June 30, from £20.3 million during the same period last year.

On an underlying basis, adjusted earnings rose 14 per cent to £106 million, against an eight per cent jump in revenues from £410.3 million to £444.9 million.

It said the performance was driven by its consulting business and increased revenue from sales of its special-edition vehicles, including the Vanquish Zagato family and DB4 GT Continuation models.

But the company logged a slight drop in wholesale volumes, from 2,439 in the first 10 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by TRISTAN SHALE-HESTER @tristan_shale

half of 2017 to 2,299 units in the first six months of 2018, which Aston Martin said was because of new models hitting the production line.

It said it began producing models including the DBS Superleggera, DB11 Volante, DB11 AMR and Vantage in recent months, with volumes ramping up in the second quarter to 1,336 from 963 in the first three months of the year.

Chief executive Andy Palmer said: ‘This announcement represents a key milestone in the history of the company, which is reporting strong financial results and increased global demand for its awardwinning sports cars.

‘As we continue to execute our Second Century Plan, combining a product offensive and expanding manufacturing footprint, we have the resources and balance-sheet strength to continue delivering on our growth strategy. We have continued to deliver sustainable growth, margins and value for our shareholders whilst launching three new models and variants in the first half of the year.’

Superleggera on test, p48

W

hen the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) was introduced last year and the transition from NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) values to WLTP started, there was little fanfare and a small amount of press coverage. Who really knew it would have such huge implications for dealers and pretty much everyone in the automotive industry?

Now that the September 1, 2018 deadline has passed and only WLTP-homologated new cars can be sold in Europe, there are still a lot of questions.

What’s the next deadline in the rollout? How should CO2 values be presented to customers? Are consumers aware of the implications of the new emissions test?

It’s a long list of questions, and everybody needs to be thinking about the answers. If we strip everything back to basics, the whole reason for WLTP is to provide a much more accurate basis for calculating a car’s fuel consumption and emissions and to ensure that lab measurements better reflect the on-road performance of a car. It’s about building greater trust in the vehicles that we sell and ensuring they do what we say they do.

The change will be a challenge for dealers and anybody displaying emissions information, particularly as official vehicle documents will have CO2 emission values from both the new lab test as well as the old one.

Under the tests done so far, CO2 emissions rose around 10 per cent on average, compared with the old NEDC test.

This increase could cause confusion and concern about potential tax implications, so it’s very important that any labelling is clear and transparent, and that information provided about company car tax and vehicle excise duty is accurate.

As it’s recommended that from January 1, 2019 all cars in dealerships should have only WLTP values to avoid any misunderstanding, we’re currently navigating a tricky transitional period.

So, in the meantime, while manufacturers get on with the process of testing, redeveloping and streamlining their ranges of derivatives and engines – and hopefully ensuring there are no significant supply issues – the onus is on the dealer to keep things as simple as possible for customers. And if you need help selling any pre-registered vehicles via business or personal lease deals then we’re here to help.

‘The onus is on the dealer to keep things as simple as possible for customers.’

Paul Harrison is head of strategic partnerships at ContractHireAndLeasing.com

Porsche 911 Carrera T on test

First Drive, p50

PLATE-CHANGE DAY

Still a special occasion – or an event that’s lost its spark?

D ealers across the UK reported mixed fortunes on the second plate-change day of the year – September 1 – with some celebrating increased levels of business but others saying it had ‘lost its spark’.

Harwoods Basingstoke Land Rover was one of the dealerships that did well. Its head of business, Richard Morgan, told Car Dealer Magazine: ‘The September new registration switchover continues to be positive and encouraging for us.

‘It’s no secret that the new vehicle market has had its fair share of challenges thrown at it this year, such as WLTP, electrification, Brexit uncertainty and GDPR, to name but a few. However, we still enjoyed an uplift in orders and managed to track Q3 above our performance in the same period last year, both in volume and profitability.

‘Consumers are still out there ready to purchase new vehicles, and

by TRISTAN SHALE-HESTER @tristan_shale

how we communicate and look after them is what sets us apart.

‘The franchises we represent have been very nimble, reacting quickly to the market and flexing the offers they produce, which has also supported our performance.’

However, it looks as though early September has been quieter for some dealers than they expected, with customers either having opted for cheaper deals in August or waiting a few days before picking up their 68-plate cars.

Will Blackshaw, managing director of Blackshaws in the north-east of England, which holds franchises for Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki, told Car Dealer: ‘Suzuki was very quiet because of WLTP. Customers took cars in July and August to avoid the first

registration tax, so it was very quiet in comparison to previous years because we moved quite a lot of business forward.

‘With Mitsubishi, the majority of people were happy to wait for the Monday or Tuesday to collect their cars. People still like a new plate, but if there’s a deal to be had it’s not that exciting. People aren’t bothered about getting their new cars immediately on the 1st either.’

Dealer group Snows has certainly been busy lately, performing strongly in August and not experiencing any WLTP problems.

Group chairman Stephen Snow told Car Dealer: ‘The performance across our entire portfolio has been very encouraging. Of special note are the performances of our Toyota, Seat and Peugeot divisions.

‘August proved to be a very successful month, with inquiries and sales up year-on-year. With strong marketing in place, we are delighted to report we have not seen the anticipated WLTP blip.

‘Undoubtedly, the surge in August sales was in part due to the enhanced regulations coming into force on September 1. The reality of the situation will become clearer in the weeks and months ahead.’

‘People aren’t bothered about getting their new cars immediately on the 1st.’

Will Blackshaw

Excitement as teams prepare for Bangers4Ben

MotoNovo platform free to all dealers

IT’S not long until the teams set off on the annual Car Dealer Magazine Bangers4Ben charity rally – the event that’s raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the automotive good cause over the years.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the event and to celebrate, the organisers (that’s us!) have planned a very special route with some exciting challenges built in.

Bangers4Ben 2018 will be leaving the UK on Friday, October 5, with four nights away and finishing in a secret location.

THE website findandfundmycar. com is now free for all dealers to list their stock on.

The platform has impressed dealers and consumers since its launch in January by MotoNovo Finance, also winning the Car Dealer Power Awards Product Innovation of the Year accolade.

Motor division chief executive Karl Werner has called the move to offer free listings ‘a natural evolution of the service’ following its success. ‘You can’t argue with the figures. The platform is helping dealers sell more cars and sell more finance,’ he said.

This year, we’ll be starting at Brooklands Motor Museum in Weybridge before making a run for the Channel Tunnel and France – then we’ll head to Reims.

On day two, we’ll cross another border and drive into Germany before stopping for the night in the home of Porsche – Stuttgart.

Day three will take us on some German autobahns as well as some more winding roads, then into Belgium, where we’ll stop for the night in Bruges.

Day four will see us heading to a secret location, to be revealed that

morning. When we arrive, there will be Top Gear-style challenges and prizes to be won, before a black-tie dinner to celebrate a decade of B4B! Last year, we broke records by raising a whopping £59,000 but this year we plan to do even better.

Therefore we’re challenging each team to raise more than £2,000 from fundraising and the sale of their car.

Rebecca Chaplin, editor of Car Dealer, said: ‘We have already heard a lot about how various teams are preparing for Bangers4Ben – and we’re sure this year’s event will be the best yet. It’s too late to enter as all the places have been snapped up but there will be full coverage in the December issue of Car Dealer!’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 11

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News from around the UK

What’s been hitting the headlines on the home front? Here’s a round-up of stories DARLINGTON

Seat team ‘thrilled’ with larger dealership

BRISTOL Street Motors has opened its larger Seat site in Darlington.

The dealership, which was in Haughton Road, has joined the group’s Škoda McMullen Road showroom after an investment of more than £400,000 in the combined site. In addition to a larger showroom with space for 100 vehicles – double the previous site’s capacity – the Seat dealership has taken on two more members of staff. General manager Neil Bianchi, pictured, said: ‘The team and I are thrilled by the new dealership.’

LINCOLN

Market share grows after Mazda unit is refurbed PENTAGON Motor Group has reported early and positive results since investing in its Mazda showroom and customer support facilities in Lincoln.

It took over the Mazda territory in 2015, and in

DARTFORD

GLASGOW

Caterham gets £1.15m loan for expansion

Comedy stars open new-look showroom

CATERHAM has secured a £1.15m ‘funding facility’ loan from Santander towards its long-term plan for international expansion.

A funding facility is a type of loan that lets companies borrow money over a relatively short period of time to increase their operating capital.

The £1.15m from Santander Corporate & Commercial will let the sports car manufacturer continue expanding in fast-growing global markets, as well as further develop its UK manufacturing capabilities.

12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

TWO stars from the BBC TV comedy Still Game officially opened the new-look Motorpoint Glasgow showroom.

Mark Cox, who plays ‘Tam’ Mullen, and Jane McCarry, who portrays Isa Drennan, took time out from filming the ninth and final series of the Bafta-winning programme to help welcome customers to the new showroom in Hamilton Road, Mount Vernon, following a ‘substantial’ investment by the independent car retailer.

late 2017 refurbished the entire unit. Since then, its market share has grown by almost 50 per cent while it was placed at the top of Mazda’s customer service league table for the four months to July 31.

Top-selling cars in August August 2018

Source: SMMT

Ford Fiesta Volkswagen Golf Volkswagen Polo Ford Kuga BMW 3 Series Seat Leon Honda Jazz Suzuki Swift Nissan Qashqai Kia Sportage The statistics, p72

4,552 4,180 3,207 1,902 1,847 1,506 1,490 1,390 1,374 1,321

WORCESTER

Startin Suzuki tees off with golfing pro Ian

A SUZUKI dealership in Worcester has partnered up with PGA professional golfer Ian Henry.

As part of the deal with Startin Suzuki St Peter’s dealership in Bath Road, Broomhall, Henry has been handed the keys to a branded Suzuki Vitara SZ5 compact SUV worth more than £20,000.

The partnership follows the Startin Group’s long-standing association with the Worcester Golf and Country Club’s head PGA professional, Graham Farr.

Get your tickets for the industry party of the year!

Used Car Awards, p33

NOTTINGHAM

DURHAM

Inchcape Toyota gives £1,550 to gymnasts

New sales execs join after £200k revamp

INCHCAPE UK’s Toyota retail centre in Nottingham has donated £1,550 to help refurbish Robin Hood Gymnastics Club in Sherwood.

The club provides a wide range of classes and activities for all ages and abilities. It also supports Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, which encourages and inspires young women into sport and exercise. The donation was made as part of the Toyota Fund For A Better Tomorrow – a nationwide programme of grants.

VERTU Honda Durham is expanding its team with two new sales executives following a £200,000 refurbishment.

Martin Turnbull, 46, and Aidan Weatherburn, 19, have joined the dealership as a result of the business’s growth. The refurb included a makeover of the customer areas and showroom.

The dealership was recently voted the fifth best Honda UK site, as part of a customer satisfaction survey conducted by the manufacturer.

BURY

‘I’ve told the story before, but with the glorious benefit of hindsight, there really was no better car in which to do a bank job.’

Big Mike, p39

‘Seed For A Ceed’ initiative launched

BURY dealership RRG Kia transplanted itself to a garden centre to launch the new Ceed.

Staff from RRG Kia Bury took two Ceeds to Newbank Garden Centre in nearby Radcliffe to give customers information on the new vehicle as well as book test drives.

The launch also saw the start of RRG Kia Bury’s ‘Seed For A Ceed’ campaign, with anyone booking a test drive for the Ceed having a tree seed planted for them in their garden or at the dealership.

GUILDFORD

Audi site undergoes £3m redevelopment

GUILDFORD Audi is undergoing a £3m refurbishment, with work set to be completed in October.

The redevelopment will give the dealership a larger vehicle display area as well as a private lounge where customers can configure and customise cars on an 80-inch projector screen.

The workshop will benefit from another four ramps at the recently acquired on-site preparation centre, and there’ll also be a modern handover facility.

WEST MIDLANDS

Hitting a peak on latest leg of blinding challenge LOOKERS has completed the West Midlands leg of the biggest charity drive in its history – the Lookers Electric Charge – where staff donned caps and took part dressed as characters from hit BBC TV show Peaky Blinders.

The carbon-neutral challenge in aid of motor industry charity Ben will eventually see a relay

of electric and hybrid vehicles travel 2,000 miles to destinations including all 154 of the retailer’s franchised dealerships, where a range of weird and wonderful fundraising events are being held.

Mercedes-Benz Walsall played host to members of the Shelby crime family. The electric car relay will take in all 17 of Lookers’ Midlands dealerships.

First drive Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Road tester Jack Evans delivers his verdict.

Forecourt, p48 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 13

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A better way of doing business 14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

£106m boost for zero-emission sector hailed as positive step T he National Franchised Dealers Association has welcomed news that the government is to plough £106 million into zero-emission vehicles research and development.

Theresa May made the announcement at the Zero Emission Vehicle Summit in Birmingham on September 11, as she set out plans for the UK to be at the forefront of the sector, which also covers new batteries and lowcarbon technology.

The money will include £25 million for developing batteries for electric vehicles, £20 million towards a hydrogen supply competition and £22 million for the Integrated Delivery Programme, supporting universities’ and businesses’ research.

May, pictured looking at electric cars at the summit, said: ‘I want to see Britain, once again, leading from the front and working with industries and countries around the world to spearhead change.

by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk

‘That is why I have set this country an ambitious mission: to put the UK at the forefront of the design and manufacturing of zeroemission vehicles and for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.

‘Already we are taking significant strides forward. Our electric UKmanufactured cars account for one in five sold in Europe. Our batteries are among the best in the world. And our Road to Zero Strategy is the most comprehensive plan globally – mapping out in detail how we will reach our target for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040, and for every car and van to be zero emission by 2050.

‘Today we have provided over £100 million of funding for innovators in ultra-low emission vehicles and hydrogen technology,

Cambria embarks on franchise CAMBRIA Automobiles is looking to improve its profitability by scaling back its Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Jeep franchises.

In a trading update for the 11 months leading up to July 31, 2018, the group confirmed its Fiat dealership in Warrington is being replaced by a new Peugeot showroom on the same site.

The group is also making room for two new Bentley dealerships and one Lamborghini showroom by closing its Alfa Romeo and Jeep operations in Chelmsford, as well as its Honda and Mazda operations in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Cambria also closed its lossmaking Blackburn site in June, which represented Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Renault and Volvo. The site’s freehold element is now being marketed for sale.

The group’s Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Arch concept development in Swindon was completed in July, with the Jaguar showroom next door and the Land Rover dealership in Royal Wootton Bassett both having been moved to the new site.

Building work for McLaren, JLR and Aston Martin facilities in Hatfield began in February. The

Latest news from the Car Dealer fleet

Long-termers, p95-97

FOR WHATEVER IS AROUND THE NEXT CORNER. with a further £500 million of investment from key industries in this sector. These measures will drive the design, use, uptake and infrastructure necessary for cleaner, greener vehicles – and in doing so, it will help us drastically reduce a major contributor to our global warming emissions, as we seek to meet the Paris climate change agreement.’

Commenting on the government’s plans, Sue Robinson, director of the NFDA, which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK, said: ‘It is extremely positive to see that the UK government has committed to invest £106 million towards the development of lowand zero-emission vehicles.

‘In order to improve air quality standards and ensure a consistent uptake of low-emission

vehicles, significant investments are imperative, and today’s announcement is encouraging.

‘Co-operation is key and the NFDA will continue to work alongside the government and other industry partners towards the creation of a favourable retail environment, where our members will meet the growing consumer demand for low- and zero-emission vehicles.’

‘The NFDA will continue to work alongside the government and other industry partners.’

Sue Robinson

As industry regulation and customer trends continue to change, we’re here to help.

Discover more at: blackhorse.co.uk/abetterway

shake-up in profitability drive JLR showroom is due to open in December, while the McLaren and Aston Martin dealerships will be ready in January 2019.

In total, 18 per cent of the group’s operations were either closed down or refranchised in the period, causing significant disruption to day-to-day activity.

Adjusted profit for the first half of the period was down 14.3 per cent year-on-year, while pressure on the new car market caused further difficulties in the second half.

Trading performance was down 6.4 per cent year-on-year, while unit sales were down 6.6 per cent.

However, aftersales helped increase profits by 2.5 per cent.

Mark Lavery, chief executive of Cambria Automobiles, said: ‘I am pleased that we continue to deliver solid financial results in a difficult market, which has not been helped by the government’s inconsistent messaging around its forwardlooking position on diesel engines.

‘Whilst the group’s financial results are behind the prior year, as previously flagged due to the pressures in the new car market, the board is confident of delivering a full-year result in line with market expectations.’

A better way of doing business CarDealerMag.co.uk | 15

CDX 2019 NEW VENUE

Save the date for June 12, 2019, Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre The automotive sector is facing an uncertain post-Brexit future – it’s never been more important to get insight and guidance that can help your business.

The Live Stage sessions are always popular at CDX

C

ar Dealer Magazine’s phenomenal conference and expo CDX is back, and it’ll be taking over the halls of the new Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre on Wednesday, June 12, 2019.

The automotive industry is under more pressure now than it has been for a long time – with a range of financial and political factors at play. Even when the country was in economic depression, at least there were signs that recovery was on the way, whereas today all we know is that beyond March 29, 2019 an uncertain postBrexit future beckons.

It’s easy to only see the doom and gloom, or focus purely on your own business, but it’s never been more important to join us at CDX to understand where the market is going.

The UK’s largest conference for car dealers offers an unrivalled expo that can help your business cater better for clients and make more money. It also offers an opportunity to connect with others in the sector, hear their views and generate ideas to enhance your dealership.

Once again we will be hosting a range of workshops that will educate and inform, hosted in forums within the expo floor this time, with each forum focusing on a different key theme.

Here, CDX delegates will be able to listen to case studies, understand new techniques and hear from top speakers in the industry.

This year’s event in Manchester was packed full of talks, panels and suppliers all offering fantastic guidance and exciting new products – and CDX 2019 promises to be even better!

Founder of Car Dealer Magazine James Baggott said: ‘There’s so much work that goes into CDX each year from everyone involved, so seeing it come together on the day is always incredible.

‘Both at CDX 2018 and since, the team have been speaking to those in the industry about their struggles and concerns, giving us some great

‘It’s incredibly tough out there right now for some dealers and allowing time to talk as an industry is essential.’

James Baggott plans for next summer’s event in Farnborough.

‘It’s incredibly tough out there right now for some dealers and allowing time to talk as an industry is essential.’

The Car Dealer Magazine Live Stage will feature a range of fresh topics in 2019. Our line-up of panellists and keynote speakers will be sharing their insight into the future of the industry and advice on effective ways to expand your business.

We will be looking at how changing powertrains are affecting car sales, changing retail trends, how Brexit will hit the automotive industry and more.

Car Dealer Magazine editor Rebecca Chaplin added: ‘It’s exciting to see plans coming together for CDX 2019. With so many important changes affecting the motor industry, our Live Stage

will be the perfect forum to hear top dealer and industry speakers’ thoughts on this. With a range of brilliant workshops to complement these sessions, no dealer will leave without exciting new ideas to take home to their business! We hope as many dealers as possible will attend.’

To register for your ticket to CDX 2019, and to find more information 16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CDX 2019!

Getting to Farnborough

Attending CDX is a great way to help your business survive and thrive

‘With so many important changes affecting the motor industry, our Live Stage will be the perfect forum to hear top dealer and industry speakers.’

Rebecca Chaplin

NEXT year we’ll be holding CDX at the home of the International Airshow in Farnborough.

This incredible new venue only opened earlier this year and offers a huge, dedicated conference and expo facility that we’ll be filling in June 2019.

The amazing space will see the event contained within one massive area – with workshop rooms, the Live Stage and VIP zone all in the same place, making it even easier to connect with the people with whom you want to do business.

• There are thousands of free parking spaces on site for those driving to the event.

• The venue is five minutes from the M3 and less than 15 minutes from the M25.

• It is also easily accessible by train or plane, with Farnborough railway station nearby and Heathrow just 30 minutes away.

about the event, head to the website cardealerexpo.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

18 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Dashboard.

PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE

California cool E

very year during Monterey Car Week in California, the eyes of the world turn to the Golden State’s exclusive community of Pebble Beach.

That’s because since 1950 it’s played host to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – a motor show in which the world’s most interesting, rare and valuable cars are judged on their authenticity, history, style and current condition.

With so many well-heeled car collectors in one place, it’s no wonder car manufacturers have leapt

on Pebble Beach as the ideal location to launch their impressive one-off concept cars, high-end production models and design studies.

This year was no exception, with many new cars and concepts shown off on the immaculately trimmed lawns of Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Here are some of the best for you to feast your eyes on...

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQ Silver Arrow

Audi PB18

Infiniti Prototype 10

Paying homage to the iconic W125 ‘Silver Arrow’ Grand Prix car was never going to be easy, but the 738bhp all-electric EQ Silver Arrow does it well.

With streamlined bodywork, a single-seat cockpit and retro-styled tailfin, it’s a gorgeous thing.

Another all-electric, track-focused concept – and the PB18 e-tron is rather special. It adopts the latest solid-state battery tech and quickcharging performance to reduce weight, improve convenience and deliver a blistering 764bhp.

Infiniti may not have a lot of heritage, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it had years of experience in classic motor racing with the evocative Prototype 10. It’s a single-seater electric racer designed to provide incredible driving pleasure.

BMW Z4

Bugatti Divo

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

BMW showed off the Z4 Concept at last year’s Pebble Beach, so the 2018 event was the perfect venue to display the production model. Launched in high-performance M40i form, the soft-top Z4 is sportier and more focused than its predecessor.

Bugatti’s recent creations may be more associated with cruise liners than race cars, but the new Divo changes that. Based on the Chiron, this machine is down on top speed compared with its sibling – but it’s lighter and produces bags of downforce.

Lamborghini took the opportunity to unveil its most powerful production car yet at an exclusive gathering at The Quail, ahead of Pebble Beach.

The Aventador SVJ takes the already-crazy SV and adds even more oomph.

by JACK EVANS @jackrober

Porsche Project Gold Not exactly a new car, but it’s as good as – this gloriously ‘resto-modded’ Porsche 911 is the product of Porsche’s Classic division. It features a hand-stamped aluminium chassis, new air-cooled engine and a lovingly restored 993 Turbo body.

Ferrari 488 Pista Spider America is the home of the convertible dream, so there was no better place for Ferrari to reveal the drop-top version of its most focused version of the 488. Set to be produced in limited numbers, the Pista Spider is the 50th convertible from the Italian brand, and with 710bhp at its disposal it’s also one of the most potent.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

Awards.

EXCELLENCE IN THE AFTERMARKET

Aiming high with our new accolades C ar Dealer Magazine is renowned for its gold-standard awards. The Used Car Awards and Car Dealer Power Awards are the industry honours that really matter, helping businesses to win even more trade because they give customers the confidence to spend their hard-earned cash with them.

That’s why we’ve decided to expand our prestigious honours stable by launching the Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards, sponsored by the RAC. Aimed squarely at the workshop arena, they will recognise the best and brightest businesses and individuals working in a truly tough industry.

The awards will honour service and repair professionals and business owners alike, giving them the chance to demonstrate exactly why they are the best at what they do.

This inaugural event will truly be a glittering occasion not to be missed, shining the spotlight

on a sector that really deserves recognition.

The setting for the ceremony will be the spectacular Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire (pictured), where, on Thursday, February 28, 2019, those in the running for a gong will be treated to a drinks reception and three-course meal.

If you’re triumphant on the night, we’ll pull out all the stops to give you the credit you deserve, with extensive coverage of the event.

Check out the panel below and you’ll see the categories in which you can be nominated and what the judges will be looking for.

To be in the running, all you need to do is nominate yourself or get a colleague, supplier or customer to do so.

Yes, it really is as simple as that. Then you could be basking in the glory of some welldeserved success! Read on to find out more in this special four-page launch feature...

Awards categories Manufacturer Warranty Scheme of the Year The best warranty schemes provide genuine peace of mind and turn promises into action when things go wrong. The factors that our judges will consider here include the duration of the warranty, the level of cover provided and any additional benefits.

Aftersales Team of the Year There’s no ‘I’ in team, as the saying goes. How well does your aftersales team work together?

Does it really gel? Do all the members pull together in good times and not-so-good to ensure the cogs of your business are kept running smoothly? If so, this category is for them!

Apprentice of the Year Do you employ a youngster who is a possible star of the future in the service and repair industry?

We’ll be looking for someone who’s taking their early steps on the career ladder but who already shows bags of promise and potential, is keen to learn and is willing to help.

Workshop Manager of the Year We’re looking for brilliant bosses who have really made a difference in their workshops. If they’ve driven growth in their department, helped turn around a struggling business or introduced innovation and new ideas to help things run smoothly, we want to hear more!

Technician of the Year Brilliant with brakes? Grand with gears?

Excellent with electronics? That’s what our winner in this category will need to be. We know there are thousands of talented technicians out there – we’ll be looking for the best of the best. Nominate yourself or a colleague you know and respect.

Workshop Website of the Year Gone are the days when a homepage with just words and pictures was all that was needed. That all-important and crucial information still has to be there of course, but customers these days expect much, much more. Does YOUR website stand out on the information superhighway – and for the right reasons?

MOT Centre of the Year MOTs are the foundation upon which many a successful workshop is built. Of course, the rules and regulations mean that everyone should adhere to the same standards, but there’s still room for the best to stand out. As with other categories, we’ll be looking for great customer service, user-friendly websites and general allround excellence.

Aftersales Director of the Year This accolade will go to the aftersales chief who has truly excelled in their job – and that could mean being highly motivational and a joy to work for (but we’ll want to know why exactly) just as much as it could be someone who has improved revenue to the benefit of everyone.

Franchised Workshop of the Year Independent Workshop of the Year Our winners here will have undergone a rigorous judging process involving analysis of feedback websites and mystery shopping. Two very special awards indeed!

To sponsor an award call the Car Dealer team on 023 9252 2434

20 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The famous motoring organisation backing our new awards scheme CAR Dealer Magazine is proud and delighted to announce that the RAC has agreed to be the headline sponsor of the all-new Aftermarket Excellence Awards – and we can’t think of a better partner.

After all, the RAC is one of the most famous, longest-established and best-known names in the world of motoring so it most definitely is a perfect match.

Adam O’Neill, right, the RAC’s network propositions manager, told us: ‘We’re thrilled to be closely involved with the Aftermarket Excellence Awards.

It’s high time the sector received the recognition it deserves.

‘There’s a certain amount of negativity around maintenance and repair, but we know that there are some wonderful businesses out there who use their experience and knowledge to provide an excellent level of service to their customers and help keep customers’ vehicles running smoothly.’

Asked if he thought the service and repair sector was an industry of unsung heroes,

O’Neill told us: ‘Most definitely as far as the general public is concerned.

Here at the RAC, we’re familiar with many great workshops and garages because of our long-standing roadside operations – and we’re looking forward to finding out about many more.

‘We would encourage garages of all shapes and sizes to get involved in these awards – there are plenty of categories to choose from so workshops can demonstrate their strengths.

‘Winning an Aftermarket Excellence Award is sure to give any garage a huge boost. Think about having the trophy on display at your premises, the publicity you’ll be able to enjoy as a result of your success, and the positive publicity it will generate in your local community.

‘Your customers will have confidence that you have achieved something truly worthwhile in association with the RAC – and we know that our brand is very highly valued and trusted by the motoring public. We can’t wait for the first awards night!’

Specialist Garage of the Year Do you focus on a particular marque or model, or perhaps cars from a certain country? Are you a specialist in your field? And is your business thriving and well thought of by its customers?

The operator looking to lift this trophy will have to demonstrate that they are ultra-efficient, technically competent and well organised.

Aftersales Customer Care Award Keeping the customer satisfied is all-important – especially if you want to keep that customer!

This award will go to the workshop or garage that goes the extra mile (or further) to ensure their clients have no cause for complaint.

Equipment Supplier of the Year Ramps, tools, protective clothing – there’s a lot to consider for any new workshop before the first car even comes through the doors. And of course, existing businesses may well be looking to upgrade and update their equipment on a regular basis. This is bound to be a hard-fought category – but who will take home the gong?

‘Winning an Aftermarket Excellence Award is sure to give any garage a huge boost.’

Adam O’Neill

Lifetime Achievement Award This will go to a big hitter who has made an enduring contribution to the aftermarket industry over the years.

Product Innovation of the Year We’ll be looking for a great new product introduced to the industry over the past year that has proved to be a boon for the garages and workshops of the UK. If it saves time, boosts business and is clever and convenient, it could be our winner.

Outstanding Achievement of the Year This special award looks to recognise the personality in our sector who has achieved something truly remarkable, whether it’s a one-off act that really made a difference or a consistent effort that absolutely deserves this prestigious accolade.

Most Improved Manufacturer Reliability Most Reliable European Car Most Reliable Non-European Car These three winners will be decided based on information provided by a data parter, including factors such as warranties and breakdown claims.

Please note that as such, there is no voting allowed for these categories.

Most Reliable Car Overall This winner will be either the Most Reliable European Car or the Most Reliable Non-European Car. Again, as with both those categories and the category for Most Improved Manufacturer Reliability, it can’t be voted for either.

Find out how to sponsor a category over the page

To nominate, fill out the form overleaf or go to bit.ly/AEA2019

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

Awards.

What are the awards?

Tell me more about the Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards These awards celebrate every part of the service and repair industry. After all, it’s a huge part of UK Automotive plc and a central plank of our overall economy. We believe that its importance to us all can’t be overstated – but that it lacks the recognition it deserves. These awards therefore aim to shine a light on the successful firms and individuals doing sterling work day in and day out to keep millions of cars in good working order and safe to drive.

Where is the awards night being held?

At the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire. It’s a stunning structure that’s 170m in height and has provided the perfect setting for Car Dealer Power. The tower offers stunning views both day and night, and we know that it’ll be equally as popular with our guests at the inaugural Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards.

When is it?

The Aftermarket Excellence Awards will be held on Thursday, February 28, 2019.

What’s the running order of the night?

Guests will be treated to welcome drinks. Then we take our seats for the first half of the awards, after which it’s time for dinner. Following the meal, we’ll announce the final winners. The rest of the evening is then yours to spend with colleagues, enjoy the views of glittering lights, and get busy with some networking.

Partner packages

A

s well as the headline partnership with the RAC, there are also further partnership packages on offer at the inaugural Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards.

Partner packages include:

How do I enter?

Entry is FREE and easy. You can do so online – which is by far the easier way – by going to bit.ly/AEA2019. Alternatively, you can enter by using the form in this feature and sending it to the address given. There’s no limit to the number of categories you can enter. All we ask is that you provide as much detail as possible – make your entry really stand out so that the judges sit up and take notice.

How can I sponsor an award?

There are a number of sponsorship packages.

See the panel in this feature or call the team on (023) 9252 2434.

• Sponsorship of five awards categories • Your company logo on your sponsored awards • Your chance to hand over the winners’ trophies on the night • Your company logo placed alongside all publicity of the awards categories in the run-up to the awards • A full-page advert in the post-event results issue of Car Dealer Magazine placed next to the coverage of your sponsored award(s) • Your company logo on the Car Dealer Magazine website and in social media coverage • Two tickets for the ceremony on February 28

How can I book a table?

Anyone can book a table at the Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards.

Sponsors automatically get tables as part of their packages, but there’s nothing to stop other suppliers to the industry taking a table to entertain clients. Equipment manufacturers and suppliers can come along too – bring your staff, your customers, anyone you’d like to wine and dine. Everyone’s sure to have a ball. It’s an evening filled with awards, fun and laughter!

To sponsor an award call the Car Dealer team on 023 9252 2434

22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

How to enter

E The Spinnaker Tower has proved to be a top venue for our annual Car Dealer Power Awards

ntering the Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards couldn’t be easier.

We’ve made sure it’s as simple and as straightforward as possible.

There’s a nomination form below that you can fill out and send to us in the post.

And if you want to nominate in more than one category, that’s absolutely fine – just photocopy the page as many times as you need to and pop the forms in the post to us at the address given on the form.

But the easier way to nominate is via the internet. Go to bit.ly/AEA2019 to fill in the online nomination form – it’s ideal if you’ve spotted a number of categories for which you’d like to nominate. Please give as much detail as possible about why your nominee should win, though, as it really helps when it comes to the judging process. Make that nomination form sing!

If you can’t think of any nominations for a specific category, that’s OK – you can leave it blank.

But please do get your thinking caps on, as we’re counting on you to nominate yourself or others!

Shortlists for the categories will be drawn up by our panel of judges. The winner and two highly commended places (where relevant) will then be invited to our gala awards night on February 28, 2019, with the winners going home with a very special award indeed!

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING DETAILS TO ENTER BY POST My name:..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Preferred contact telephone number:...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My email address:.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The category/categories I’d like to enter and nominee(s) are:.................................................................................................................................................................................... ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My reasons are:.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Want to enter more categories? That’s fine – just photocopy this form. Please send your form (or forms) to Car Dealer Magazine Aftermarket Excellence Awards Nominations, Blackball Media, Haslar Marine Technology Park, Haslar Road, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 2AG. If you’d like to send supporting information, that’s fine too.

NB: The closing date for entries is December 7, 2018

To nominate, fill out the form above or go to bit.ly/AEA2019

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 23

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You can offer your customers an alternative way to pay that is fair, transparent and meets their needs. Plus, we offer expert guidance through the regulatory world, allowing you to build your business with confidence.

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To maintain a quality service we may monitor or record phone calls.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

Dashboard.

Major milestone for Motor Ombudsman

Aftermarket, p80

Volkswagen to stop producing the Beetle next summer VOLKSWAGEN has decided to end production of its iconic Beetle.

The company’s American unit announced on September 13 it would end global production of the third-generation bulbous bug next July after offering two special editions for sale.

The compact Beetle was introduced in Germany in 1938 during the Nazi era and came to the US 11 years later, where it became a symbol of utilitarian transportation.

The famous car sold for about 30 years before US sales stopped in 1979. The last of the original bugs was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in 2003, by which time more than 21m had been manufactured globally.

Volkswagen revived it in 1998 as a more modern ‘New Beetle’ but it attracted mainly female buyers.

The company revamped it for the 2012 model year in an effort to make it appeal to men, giving it a flatter roof, less bulbous shape, bigger boot

The 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show

and a navigation system. US sales rose fivefold to nearly 29,000 in the first year but tailed off after that.

Last year, VW sold only 8,627, according to Autodata Corp. In the UK, only 1,598 Beetles

were sold from new in 2017 – a tiny fraction of VW’s total sales of 208,462 vehicles here last year. Volkswagen will make two last versions of the Beetle – the Final Edition SE and Final Edition SEL – but only for the US market.

RULING

Car Dealer Magazine competitor misled with false ASA claims T

he Advertising Standards Authority has confirmed that a spurious claim that a case had been ‘upheld’ against the publishers of Car Dealer is incorrect.

Danny Lee – real name Daniel Cushway – who runs dormant company ‘Showroom Events’, claimed Car Dealer publisher Blackball Media had ‘misled suppliers in its promotion of CDX’ in online adverts promoting motor trade expo CDX, and that the ASA had ‘upheld’ his complaint.

However, both statements are untrue and the ASA has apologised to Blackball Media for the way the standard advice was communicated with the complainant.

Miles Lockwood, director of complaints and investigations for the ASA, said: ‘The ASA deemed this complaint from a competitor as insufficient of need of investigation.

‘As such, the ASA issued standard advice given to all companies in cases where claims have been made against them and no investigations 26 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

have been carried out. It is not accurate to describe the advice in terms of it being an “adjudication” or “complaint upheld”.

‘These have specific meanings which are connected to the outcomes of formal investigations, which has not taken place here.’

The claims were made by Lee’s company to the motor industry in emails – which have been shared with Blackball Media – and falsely claim he has a ‘copy of the ASA adjudication’. This is not true as an

adjudication does not exist. The Advertising Standards Authority has apologised for the way it communicated to the complainant the fact that Blackball Media was simply issued standard advice, agreeing that the way it had described the situation was ‘unhelpful’.

James Baggott, CEO of Baize Group, the publisher’s parent company, said: ‘We took the complaint very seriously and were quick to point out to the ASA that it was false.

‘They deemed the complaint to be insufficient in need of an investigation and simply sent us some guideline information.

‘Falsely representing this as a “judgment” or a “case upheld” against us is simply wrong.

Stooping so low as to then present this information to attempt to gain a competitive advantage is unsurprising, but I am very pleased the ASA has confirmed its position.

‘We’re very much looking forward to next year’s CDX.’

PROJECT

Dyson plans test track for electric cars at airfield DYSON has unveiled plans for a 10-mile test track where its new electric cars will be put through their paces.

The track and other facilities at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire are part of a plan by Dyson to start selling electric cars from 2021.

The company, which was founded by billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson, bought the disused airfield two years ago and has already renovated two hangars at the 517-acre site.

That redevelopment cost £84 million, and the next phase of the airfield’s development would take Dyson’s total investment to £200 million.

About 400 automotive staff are now based at Hullavington and a further three buildings will open in the coming months, offering an additional 15,000 square metres of testing space.

Dyson chief executive Jim Rowan said: ‘Our growing automotive team is now working from Dyson’s state-of-the-art hangars at Hullavington Airfield.

‘It will quickly become a world-class vehicle-testing campus where we hope to invest £200 million, creating more highskilled jobs for Britain.’

James Baggott, p98

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

Dashboard.

MANUFACTURERS

Suzuki tops 2018 What Car? reliability survey

S

uzuki has come out on top of the What Car? Reliability Survey 2018 that saw Japanese manufacturers leading the way.

Data from around 18,000 car owners was analysed to rate 159 models across 31 brands to find out which was the most reliable.

Suzuki had a reliability rating of 97.7 per cent and Lexus was second with a score of 97.5 per cent. Toyota came in third at 96.8 per cent.

Joint fourth place – with a rating of 95.8 per cent – was shared by Japanese brands Mitsubishi and Subaru, as well as South Korean entrant Kia. The rest of the top 10 was taken by Skoda (95.6 per cent), Alfa Romeo (95.5 per cent), Hyundai (95.4 per cent) and Seat (95.2 per cent).

At the other end of the scale, Tesla was deemed the least reliable manufacturer, with a low rating of just 57.3 per cent. Land Rover was the secondworst brand on the table, scoring 76.5 per cent.

In terms of individual models, the tables followed a similar pattern. The Suzuki Sx4 S-Cross (2013 to present) and Toyota Yaris petrol (2011 to present) were in joint first place, with an incredible 100 per cent reliability rating.

Third was the all-electric Nissan Leaf (2011 to 2017) on 99.7 per cent, followed by the Toyota RAV4 4×4 (2013 to 2018) on 99.6 per cent and the BMW 3 Series (2005 to 2014) on 99.5 per cent.

In another stroke of bad luck for the American electric vehicle manufacturer, the Tesla Model S (2013 to present) was the least reliable model surveyed, at 50.9 per cent.

Land Rover’s individual models also had a sub-par performance. The Range Rover (2013 to present) was second worst on 67.3 per cent, while fourth and fifth worst places went to the Range Rover Evoque (2011 to present) on 73.2 per cent and the Land Rover Discovery (2015 to present) on 74.7 per cent respectively. Third least reliable was the Ford Edge diesel (2016 to present), with a score of 70.7 per cent.

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: ‘Reliability is a huge consideration for any prospective car buyer, as your car is likely to be your second biggest monthly expense after mortgage or rent payments. Japanese models continue to dominate the top of the reliability rankings, both for car model and brand rankings.’

BRAND EXPERIENCE

Aston Martin Works opens Mayfair heritage showroom

ASTON Martin Works has opened a heritage satellite showroom in Mayfair.

Part of the Aston Martin Brand Experience Centre in Dover Street, not only does it give people interested in buying a heritage model a convenient destination, they can also learn about the restoration services available at the Aston Martin Works site in Newport Pagnell.

Paul Spires, president of Aston Martin Works, said: ‘The expansion of our heritage showroom activity into central London enables us to engage with our customers in the location where they work and live their lifestyle. It also supports the international appeal and invigorated interest in Aston Martin heritage cars, allowing us to deliver a personal service to customers visiting the UK.’

The only viable key management solution for automotive dealerships Traka Automotive creates hundreds of opportunities every day to: • Reduce costs • Be more productive • Sell more cars • Improve customer satisfaction • Know more about how your business is performing

Email automotive@traka.com or call 0845 225 2910 traka-automotive.com 28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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15/12/2016 10:04

JOIN THE GO-KARTING CHALLENGE

Car Dealer Magazine and Close Brothers Motor Finance have teamed up to host the 2018/2019 Go-Karting Challenge.

4 regional qualifying rounds (Leeds, Southampton, Basildon and Bristol) Free to enter – either as an individual, or as a group of up to 4 people 90 minutes endurance race Top 2 teams go through to the final in Reading in March 2019

Register your interest by the 30 September for the Leeds event, which takes place on 24 October, by emailing karting@cardealermagazine.co.uk Leeds, Teamsport, South Accommodation Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1NQ CarDealerMag.co.uk | 29

Dashboard.

GO-KARTING CHALLENGE

Is your showroom the fastest in the land?

The race is on! Could you and your colleagues win our great go-karting challenge?

C

ar Dealer Magazine and Close Brothers Motor Finance have joined forces to put together an exciting new event for dealerships with a need for speed.

The Car Dealer Go-Karting Challenge will see dealerships competing against each other in 90-minute endurance races, with regional supremacy and a chance to compete in the national final on the line.

All events will take place at superb indoor karting tracks operated by TeamSport Karting.

Twelve teams of four drivers will compete in each regional qualifier, and thanks to backing from Close Brothers, there are no entry fees.

The regional rounds begin on October 24 at TeamSport’s Leeds venue, for northern dealers to test their mettle. Next up, the showrooms of the south will get the chance to do their stuff at Eastleigh on November 21. In the new year, Basildon will play host to the third qualifier on January 23, and the last localised round will take place on February 20 in Bristol.

At each event, the top two teams in the 90-minute regional qualifiers (and a couple of other top-performing teams – for details see the opposite page) will be awarded a slot in the grand final at Reading on March 28.

The winners of the final will have proved themselves to be the fastest kart racers on the forecourt! We want to have a fun, competitive set of races and we hope you’ll want to take part, so read on to find out what you need to know!

Close Brothers Motor Finance backing the action CLOSE Brothers Motor Finance is the proud sponsor of the Car Dealer Go-Karting Challenge.

The leading finance company’s sponsorship has ensured that it can happen without the need for dealer entry fees.

Sean Kemple, director of sales for Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: ‘The aim of our business is to help dealerships sell more cars to more customers more profitably, providing true expertise to our dealer partners and their customers. We achieve this through our regional branch network and over 8,000 strong dealer partnerships. Sponsoring the Car Dealer GoKarting Challenge allows us to reward and thank dealers for their support.

‘This nationwide competition will give dealers in all corners of the country the chance to let their hair down for a fun, competitive evening

of racing action with Close as their hosts! We look forward to seeing dealerships big and small forming teams and coming to race with us and Car Dealer Magazine!’

Andy Entwistle, managing director of Blackball Media, said: ‘Setting up the Car Dealer Go-Karting Challenge has been a dream of mine for a couple of years. Having Close Brothers Motor Finance on board has enabled it to become reality and it is a great name to be sponsoring this fantastic challenge.

‘I know that this event is going to be great fun, and will hopefully become one of the most anticipated challenges on our events calendar.’

Feel the need for speed? Then sign up for a chance to be part of this great 30 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Our mechanic delayed telling us he was sick

Ask Lawgistics, p82-83

Dates and tracks TeamSport karting venues and dates Round 1 – North

Leeds, October 24

Round 2 – South

Eastleigh, November 21

Round 3 – East

Basildon, January 23, 2019

Round 4 – West

Bristol, February 20

Final

Reading, March 28

EACH of the TeamSport Indoor Karting centres used in the challenge features a multi-level, professionally designed circuit. After each of the regional events, the final will take place on the spectacular 900-metre, three-level international circuit at TeamSport Reading.

Q&A What time will the racing take place?

Teams will need to arrive at the venue before 7pm. Free parking is available at every track.

Before the race begins at 8pm, there will be a mandatory drivers’ briefing and a 15-minute practice session, which will allow you to get used to the layout, the kart and the pitstops.

and gloves at each track, so there’s no need to buy any gear you don’t have.

Who can drive?

• Every driver in your team needs to be a part of the motor trade – no professional racing drivers will be allowed to race, nor any nonmotor traders.

• If you are not able to put together a team of four from your own staff, you can combine with other local dealers. As long as they work in the motor trade, they can be part of your team!

How do you sign up?

Any dealership can apply to enter this spectacular free event by emailing us at this address: karting@blackballmedia.co.uk The names of teams will be drawn out of a hat at random for each regional qualifier. You will be informed if your entry has been successful.

Will I need any gear?

No. TeamSport provides helmets, race suits

Will there be prizes?

Yes! There will be a podium ceremony at each regional round and a trophy for the winning finalist next year.

How long do we have to sign up?

Sign-ups for the opening round in Leeds must be submitted by October 5. All following rounds will be closed for entries at the end of the month prior to the event.

The final AS WITH the regional rounds, the grand final will be a 90-minute endurance event featuring 12 teams. It will comprise the top two teams from each regional heat plus the fastest thirdplace finisher. The team from the remaining competitors who have completed the fastest lap across all the regional events will also qualify, so make sure you bring a hot shoe! In addition, there will be two wildcard teams – one each from Close Brothers Motor Finance and Car Dealer Magazine publisher Blackball Media.

event at karting@blackballmedia.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 31

unleash your inner

racer

FUN FOR FAMILY, friends or on your own you 10% off when join the

Whatever the weather, there’s never a better reason to head to the track and put in some * laps. Our indoor karting experiences are suitable for kids and adults, racing as individuals or with friends. We’ve got racing formats to suit all abilities, meaning that beginners, groups and personal best-beaters are always welcome to test their mettle on the track, in a safe and professional environment. So what are you waiting for?

BOOK YOUR RACE EXPERIENCE TODAY AT TEAM-SPORT.CO.UK OR CALL 0844 9980 844* FOR MORE INFORMATION

*calls cost 5p per minute plus your telephone networks standard service charge.

32 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

more than 25 tracks NATIONWIDE

Used Car Awards.

The last-day prank I almost regretted.

My confession, p93

YOU COULD BE A WINNER!

‘The Used Car Awards have the biggest impact for us’ W ith this year’s Car Dealer Used Car Awards coming up soon, we’ve been talking to some of last year’s winners about how much their victories have helped their businesses survive and thrive.

Imperial Car Supermarkets won Used Car Supermarket of the Year in 2017, which its operations director Neil Smith told us was a huge feather in the company’s cap.

‘The Used Car Awards are obviously targeted at our sector of the industry,’ said Smith. ‘It’s the big one for us. We attend other awards ceremonies, but it’s the Used Car Awards that really impact for us. It’s always a great night – and there’s always a good atmosphere, so it’s a definite for me on the calendar and it was great for us to win last year.

‘We’ve got a policy that we’re going to try and win as many

by TRISTAN SHALE-HESTER @tristan_shale

awards as possible because it does support what we’re trying to do as a business. We’re trying to be a bit different in the market, and be a little bit more open and transparent, and when we get awards like that it’s great and it really reflects what we’re trying to do.

It’s also a great boost for the employees.

It’s good to be recognised for what we’re doing and long may it continue.

‘Right now, there’s a billboard running in Portsmouth near one of our sites that’s got ‘‘Used Car Supermarket of the Year’’ on it and we’ll promote it internally.

‘As soon as we win these awards, we’ll put them out on our blog, then they get posted on Facebook, so it’s something that we set great store by.

Imperial Car Supermarkets were named Car Supermarket of the Year last year ‘It’s recognition of what this business is doing, and it also does tend to give the customer the confidence to buy from us.

‘It’s always a big decision for someone to buy a used car from a non-franchised dealer, so it’s good to have that back-up.’

The Used Car Awards are also a huge help for smaller businesses, such as SRK Specialist Cars, whose co-owner Scott Knight told us that customers had actually made purchases at the dealership because of its Newcomer Dealership of the Year win last year.

‘It definitely helps in the same way our reviews help,’ said Knight.

‘People see that we’ve won the awards and they trust us more.’

The awards, sponsored by Black Horse, will be taking place in London on Monday, November 26 and nominations close on October 5, so get involved now!

Why you MUST be there!

The prestige: The Car Dealer Used Car Awards are sponsored by Black Horse and have become THE awards ceremony for the second-hand car sector.

Winning a trophy can give your business a terrific boost because customers will know they’ll be getting high-quality service from you.

It’s priceless: But it doesn’t cost you a bean to enter the awards.

It’s quick and easy: You can enter online.

The variety: There are more than 20 categories to choose from, so you can play to your strengths to give yourself the best chance of success.

The glamour: The event is held at The Brewery in London – an amazing venue in a great location that’s small enough to give an intimate feel to the evening yet large enough to host a fantastic celebration.

Networking: The awards ceremony gives you the opportunity to rub shoulders with fellow motoring professionals and to make top contacts with people from across the industry.

The entertainment: With food, drink, cocktails and a disco all part of the package, the awards night is also the ideal excuse for a pre-Christmas party to put on expenses!

Key information

The awards night takes place on Monday, November 26 and will be hosted by TV’s Mr Wheeler Dealer, Mike Brewer, pictured above.

Simply go to carawards.co.uk to fill in the online nomination form – you can enter as many categories as you like. Give plenty of detail, though, to help our judges decide who should go on the shortlists, which will be drawn up by our judging panel, headed by Brewer. The closing date for nominations is October 5.

If it’s tickets you’re after, we’ve got a great range of packages to suit all budgets. You can book tickets and tables by calling the Car Dealer team on 023 9252 2434.

Get your entries in and make sure those tickets are reserved! We look forward to seeing you at The Brewery on Monday, November 26…

For the full list of categories and to fill in the online nomination form go to carawards.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

Dashboard.

Around the world Dealer news from somewhere other than here

CANADA

THE Canadian Automotive Partnership Council is worried about the possibility of tariffs being placed on exports to the US. For many decades, the two countries have treated vehicle production as a joint enterprise, with components crossing the border frequently before a car rolls off the production line. Tariffs have already been imposed on exports of steel and aluminium to America, and if these were widened it could ‘harm Canada’s ability to compete on the global stage’, the council warned.

USA

FILM star Mark Wahlberg wants to open a car dealership in Detroit. It would be his second such operation, as he has already teamed up with established dealer Jay Feldman to open Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet in Columbus, Ohio.

Speaking to the Detroit Free Press in midAugust, Wahlberg said he only gets involved in businesses he ‘believes in and is passionate about’. Feldman and Wahlberg have been friends for several years and also run a burger restaurant together.

SOUTH AFRICA

AUDI, Nissan and VW provide the best customer care to people buying cars in South Africa, according to the results of a new Ipsos survey – and the trio won praise for their consistency in doing so. ‘[It’s] one of the most important factors in building a powerful brand reputation,’ Patrick Busschau, business unit director at Ipsos, told South African website Carmag.

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AUSTRALIA

CHINA

A CUSTOMER who had taken a new BMW for a test drive crashed into the dealership she was visiting when she accidentally pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. Broken glass and other bits of debris were scattered inside the building after the incident, which happened in the southern city of Guangzhou. Staff members and other customers had to move quickly to dodge the out-of-control vehicle – an X1 worth around £30,000. Two people were said to have been hurt in the incident.

IT’S a trend we’ve seen in the UK in recent years – car manufacturers opening ‘stores’ in major shopping centres – and the same is happening down under. According to Vanessa Orth, head of retail at GPT, one of the largest players in Australian shopping, ‘car companies such as Toyota and Subaru are finding new customers in our malls and are trading strongly’.

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Safe and Sound have implemented a number of new tailored Facebook advertising campaigns with all seven of our dealerships. In just a couple of weeks, these campaigns have achieved a 20% uplift in enquiries and increased our used vehicle sales as a direct result.

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Behind the scenes REBECCA CHAPLIN

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

Why there’s more than meets the eye to a seemingly successful August

C

an I have a show of hands if you pre-registered far more cars than usual in the month of August, please?

I think we can all agree that the idea that registrations were up by more than 23 per cent year-onyear in August because car buyers were panic-buying before WLTP was introduced on September 1 is ridiculous.

I can believe a lot of dealers either panic-bought or were instructed to, but not car buyers.

We know two things about WLTP: it’s going to make some new cars unsellable now we have passed September 1, and it’ll create a surplus of those cars already built, which will have to go somewhere.

Maybe I’m a cynic or maybe I’m stating the obvious, but reports of a recovering market at the beginning of this month appeared nothing more than farcical to me.

I don’t even fully understand WLTP. I keep accidentally calling it WTLP because I can’t remember the full name is Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure.

How Joe Bloggs looking for a new Volkswagen Golf can understand whether his car is more or less efficient is beyond me.

If you’ve lost faith because I can’t remember the correct order of four letters of the alphabet, let me ‘wow’ you with some numbers that back up my cunning theory.

In March, when the 18-plate was introduced, new car registrations fell by 15.7 per cent and diesel registrations fell by 37 per cent – thanks to the VED changes coming in on April 1. From April to July, diesel sales have remained between 23 and 25 per cent lower year-on-year, but in August everybody decided that diesels were OK again and this figure was only 7.7 per cent down.

News came out at the beginning of September that Volkswagen had flooded the German market with cars that wouldn’t pass the new, more stringent tests. This one brand alone registered 46.2 per cent more than it usually would in its home nation, raising the figure for all German passenger car registrations in August by 24.7 per cent.

If we take a look at the main offenders in the UK, which registered more than 50 per cent more cars than in the same month last year, there are some numbers that stand out. MG, for example, registered 400 more units in August than the same month last year, and it has suspiciously little new product…

Subaru, which seems to be having a terrible time of it in 2018,

saw registrations increase to 100 compared with 44 in August 2017.

And maybe customers are eating up deals on the Jaguar F-Pace, but it’s definitely not the I-Pace that has pushed up the manufacturer’s sales by 700 units – only 140 examples of the allelectric SUV were sold globally in August.

The unmissable rise on the list is Volkswagen, which registered 4,000 cars more in August this year compared with 2017.

Of course, it’s all speculation, but we all know there’s at least some of this going on and the rest will be price-slashing to get these unpassable motors out of the door.

Notably, the base Golf GTI won’t be available in Europe but the GTI Performance will, and BMW has had to lose the 330e plug-in hybrid and 520d Efficient Dynamics from its range.

This is where the environmental campaign against diesel goes wrong. If the cars are built, manufacturers will find a way to get their money back and dealers will try their best to sell them. However, rather than selling them on at full price, dealers will take the hit and customers will get a fantastic deal.

I’m all for introducing a new way of showing how efficient a car is – we’ve known the old system was flawed for a long time – but banning them from being sold after a particular date just shows that those in power are ignorant about the way the automotive industry works.

Now we have a surplus of diesels that don’t meet new regulations, which will be pushed to customers to get them off forecourts. It’s good that authorities can pat themselves on the back for a job well done introducing this while turning a blind eye to the results. Meanwhile, the only way to prevent them being scrapped (the very opposite of an environmentally-friendly result) is to pre-register them and continue to sell them.

And it’s also great that the industry can congratulate itself on a great month of sales, although I’m hearing it’s still a very painful time for some brands. Overall, my annoyance comes from the fact that everything is warped.

We look at the figures and report on them but they’ve all been manipulated to not tell the whole truth.

How can we, as an industry, be expected to move forward when there’s so much hidden in plain sight? I can guarantee you a large proportion of customers won’t even realise that the pre-registered car they’re buying doesn’t meet new regulations, and a whole new cycle of confusion will begin.

‘Now we have a surplus of diesels that don’t meet new regulations, which will be pushed to customers to get them off forecourts.’

Rebecca Chaplin is head of editorial at Blackball Media and the editor of Car Dealer Magazine.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37

A better way of doing business

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38 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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

The crafty customer who taught my mate how to get a free lift home

I

have a very good friend called Phat Phil, with whom I regularly prop up the bar at The Green Man. Neither of us is slim, as our names clearly suggest, and we have a comedy routine that was once funny but now just makes the barmaid, Samantha, roll her eyes.

‘Your round,’ I say to Phil.

‘So are you, you fat b*st*rd,’ he replies.

Phil, though, is both large and lazy. I’m not – I just enjoy beer and cheese far too much and ingest them in excessive amounts.

It’s not really an advisable strategy, but in the immortal words of Monty Python, I’m not dead yet, so I shall carry on.

Life’s too short not to spend it nibbling Gnarly Fox Red Leicester, and if you’ve never tried it I suggest you give it a test drive, ideally with a nutty amber ale or a glass of port.

But I digress. Phil is also a car dealer, and one of his habits after a night in The Green Man is to pop down to the local kebab shop at the end of our shift, taking me along with him.

I usually buy a special kebab – just enough to power my legs for the 20-minute walk home, and not dangerous enough to make me have a trouser accident on the way.

Phil lives a bit further away, but he usually orders just enough grub to hit the ‘free home delivery’ target of £7.50, then asks the kebab man if he can deliver him back to his house with his kebab.

The Chilli Hut’s Nissan Micra is, apparently, cheaper than an Uber, and it comes with a free doner, so what’s not to like?

The irony of all this is that Phil learnt the trick from being a car dealer, as he once had a similar stunt pulled on him.

He was on his forecourt one day when a well-dressed gentleman came on to the lot, complete with briefcase and shiny shoes.

He’d been to a business meeting locally, he said, and had clocked one of Phil’s cars on the forecourt while walking up from the station.

He was very polite and charming so, sensing a potential sale, Phil had no qualms at all about locking up his office, grabbing his trade plates, and also the keys to the silver Audi A4, which, let’s face it, was the perfect match for a shiny suit and even shinier shoes.

Phil offered to take the guy around his local test route, but as the punter ‘knew the area’, he asked if he could drive himself along roads he knew, to which Phil happily agreed. What followed was a rather protracted test drive in Birmingham’s city-centre traffic, right up to the taxi rank outside New Street railway station, where the driver promptly pulled up, opened the door and got out, disappearing into the crowd.

Much like Phil’s kebab antics, test-driving a seven-year-old A4 was clearly cheaper than taking a taxi, and given the standard of driving I see from the local minicab drivers, probably a darned sight safer, too.

In a certain way, I admire the guy’s front, and it was certainly less alarming than a test drive from hell I once endured, which ended up with me being an accessory to armed robbery – although I partly blame myself for that for allowing three bulky men to join me on a test drive of a Vauxhall Carlton GSi 3000 back in 1994. I’ve told the story before, but with the glorious benefit of hindsight there really was no better car in which to do a bank job back in the day…

Also, unlike my bank-robbing companions, the Audi driver hadn’t actually broken the law. He’d taken a liberty, of course, but other than act like a self-centred a***hole, he’d not actually done anything wrong – and let’s face it, he wouldn’t be the first Audi driver to behave like that.

Indeed, as a businessman, I think that both Audi Banker (or something that rhymes with that) and Phat Phil are both extremely canny individuals. Their methods are great money-savers, and as we all know, looking after the pennies is often what defines a successful business.

As such, I’ve been looking at ways to cut costs myself and have just taken out an Amazon Prime membership, which allows me free postage, even to overseas destinations. As ’er indoors is about to head off on her annual harridans’ week to Benidorm with her peroxide-permed mates, all I need now is a large and sturdy box and I’ll whizz her down the post office ready for the next cargo flight to Alicante. After which, it’ll be a week of The Green Man and special kebabs for me…

‘Phil is also a car dealer, and one of his habits after a night in The Green Man is to pop down to the local kebab shop.’

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 | 39

Feedback.

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

Our website at CarDealerMag.co.uk

Why do ‘buyers’ waste A COUPLE came in and spent an hour and a half viewing and testing one of my cars. Wife and husband did a 10-mile test drive each. They checked the space, pulled down all the seats, checked the documents and liked the car.

Then one hour after they left (drum roll please), ‘sorry, the mileage is too high’. Why the hell do people do this? tradegirl How do you mean ‘after they left’? Why did they say they were leaving? Eight people out of 10 will not come back after they leave, so as soon as they left you should’ve forgotten them.

Here are a few other excuses... l Need to talk to the wife (not applicable here). l Need to have a little think. l Need to get my finances in order. l Have another one to see and will definitely let you know either way. l Need to have a coffee and a bite to eat. l Need to get back to work. l Need to talk to my brother’s mate who is a mechanic. l Can I take a photo of it to show to my sister in Canada? l I am really interested, I’ll mull all my options over, you are definitely on my shortlist.

Nick M.K. I don’t know why they bother saying that. Not a single customer who has promised to let us know ‘either way’ has ever called back.

We’ve taken a leaf out of (I think it was) BHM’s book. Once the customer has looked around the car, we ask them if they are happy with everything they have seen. We know the car goes as it should, and we’ve PDI’d and tested it.

Anything they aren’t happy with upon viewing the car and paperwork is still going to be there when they get back. So, once they’ve driven it, are they happy to proceed with the purchase?

Any answer other than ‘yes’ sends them on their way with an open invitation to come back

Picture of the month

SHOWING off their culinary skills in the image above are CEO James Baggott and staff writer Tom Wiltshire, prepping food for supper after a busy Road Test of the Year driving session in north Wales. Full coverage of the annual event will appear in the next edition of Car Dealer, but if you can’t wait until then, check out our website to find out what went on (and the potential pitfalls involved in owning an EV!).

when they are ready to buy. We try to make it clear that we are a small business, and that them just coming for a quick spin around the block with no intention to buy is a complete waste of our time and money.

D&M The thing is, they’d asked me about the mileage when we set off on the test drive, so why the hell did they feel the need to waste my time if mileage was such an issue?

She was very keen, he wasn’t as much, as it was the first of the model they’d seen.

So if it’s the first you’ve seen and want to see more, why drag it out so much? Furious doesn’t begin to describe my mood. tradegirl

I can’t ever remember having such a long, drawn-out demo/excuse not to buy. You may just have been unlucky, but did you qualify them beforehand? We always ask them if they’re looking to buy today and – if it drives as well as it looks – is it the car for them?

Do they have any others to look at, have they thought about insurance and can we help with finance? (Sometimes they do have others to look at, and I personally don’t mind a test drive as it’s good for cars to have a blast-off if you’ve got a lot of stock.)

I also send them out on their own (if we like them and after taking their licence/doing the test drive log) so you don’t have too much of your time wasted. I ask them how far they are going to go and limit it usually to a half-hour demo at most. I would suggest that they really had some other issue and the mileage remark was just rubbish – but I could be wrong.

Don’t let it get to you.

NOACROSS We had a guy climbing all over an Astra yesterday for an hour. I didn’t hold his hand, I just said, ‘I will leave you in peace. There’s nothing worse than a salesman hovering over you. If you have any questions, I will be in the office’ and let them get on with it. No way am I standing there holding his hand. An hour in, he came to the office, asked two questions and boom! Sale made. justina3

A sticky situation Where does everyone source windscreen stickers from – eg ‘AUTOMATIC’, ‘FSH’, ‘NEW MOT’ etc?

Okay dokay 1975?

EPV If the best thing about a car is ‘Full MOT’ then it must be pretty undesirable.

BHM

Top tweets

40 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

@Mazda_UK Aftersales Director David Wilson-Green was here today to present Nunns with our award for Outstanding Customer Excellence. Our MD, Jeremy Griffiths, was delighted to accept the award.

Nunns Mazda Mitsubishi @NunnsofGrimsby

East London Van Centre you can do precisely that.

Mercedes-Benz Retail @MB_Retail

Business has always been about making the right connections. With a 68-plate Sprinter from Mercedes-Benz

All #Citroën passenger cars offer engines approved by new WLTP protocol as of now. For us, this is a

Which #Abarth would you prefer to have a play with? We’ve got them all at our centre in #Chester.

Swansway Group @swanswaygroup

commitment towards our customers to be able to have models which are both high-performance and virtuous, for driving with a high level of comfort.

Linda Jackson @LindaJackson It’s a beautiful day @MarshallHonda #Scarborough for #NewRegDay ... the #68Reg is here! Looking forward to a very busy 1st September.

Marshall Honda @Marshall Honda

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

On Twitter: Follow @CarDealerMag

Forum: CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

so much of our time?

A DEALER’S DILEMMA

Are replacement engines off-putting?

I’M possibly picking up a well-looked-after 2008 Golf TDi tomorrow. It had the engine replaced a few years ago. It was a professional job and there are receipts to back it up. Has this ever put punters off with you guys? Or are they happy a car has a fresh engine in it?

Mikey360 I’ll be in a similar position soon, although in my case the engine is a recon job rather than a replacement. I’ll say nowt in the advert and tell the Billy when they arrive. I think it will put most people off, like the car has been tainted somehow. It’s daft, but there you go.

EPV I assume from your careful wording the replacement engine wasn’t a NEW replacement. Assuming this to be the case, destroy every receipt and reference to it and just sell it as a ‘normal’ car. Forget all of the bull**** about ‘low-mileage engine’ or, God forbid, a reconditioned engine. Modern engines do NOT respond well to cheap recons in backstreet garages – they’re things of exceptionally fine tolerances.

BHM

Never mention new engines, rebuilds, gearboxes, resprays etc. It will scare off the punters if you do. Weird, but true.

NOACROSS I wouldn’t look twice at an advert that said a new engine had been fitted, no matter how good the workmanship was. Yes, I know there’s a chance I’ve owned a car that’s had major work done at some point but I’d rather not know. Let’s face it – even for a qualified mechanic, it’s a bit like building Ikea furniture.

You always end up with a few bits left over.

Lakeside Make no mention of it, but when they’ve gone and you’re counting the folding, ensure the receipt for the engine is in with the paperwork for the car [receipt] just in case of any future comeback. Keep it simple and don’t confuse the customer. have a word with the wife Unless it’s a new engine, fitted by the manufacturer, keep your mouth shut.

Arfur Dealy

This sale might be a can of worms A GUY sees a car of ours online, falls in love with it and wants to arrange a transport truck to collect it without viewing.

He pays a deposit, and I volunteer to send him a video of the car. If when collected it’s not as described, we’ll refund.

He’s chasing me for the video. The car had an intermittent flywheel rattle. Had he viewed the car in person, I might not have bothered to change it, as our mechanic says it has plenty of life left. I told him I haven’t done the video because the car’s been in the garage having the flywheel changed as a precaution. Instead of ‘thanks’, his response is to ask whether or not there will be a receipt for the work in the service book. Will this be a can of worms? tradegirl The only potential issue I see here is getting a signature on your PDI. I doubt the transporter will want to know and what happens when you send him on his way and Billy rings two days later with

cold feet saying he can hear bumps in the night and he wants a refund? I generally avoid this scenario; you don’t need this kind of business.

EPV EPV – that’s my worry. Now that I’ve mentioned a flywheel, surely he’ll be worried about the clutch and God knows what else. I mean the car’s fantastic, full dealer history etc. And it’s only a £2,500 car. But... PDI, fresh MOT and time will tell. tradegirl There are too many ifs and buts here. The job’s hard enough without this hassle. Tell him to get down to your place on the train. You’ll pick him up from the station and if the car isn’t as described, you’ll give him his train fare back (probably!). If he’s keen, he will make the effort.

I do this. They come on public transport and go back in the car. I tax it on my computer and they’ve already got insurance arranged, end of. have a word with the wife

Boyfriend scuppered deal – but I still have the deposit...

TOOK in the best little auto Yaris I’ve had for a long time. It’s done just 13,000 miles and the passenger seats look like they have never been sat on. It belonged to a little old lady from our village who has given up driving. Surprisingly, there are no little bumps on the bodywork – she was a very careful driver. Young lady comes in and loves it. Puts a deposit down and leaves.

All ready to go out this morning and she turns up with her car mechanic boyfriend who knows everything about the trade.

I have two other customers I’m dealing with and he starts saying it’s far too low-mileage for a 59-plate and must have been clocked or had a new clock. I explained that the car had had one owner who lives down the road etc. I mention that it’s HPI-clear and that a main dealer would verify the mileage. He wants to know why it’s not in my name if I own the car.

I have 18 cars here and none are in my name and no you can’t see the receipt for the Yaris. I promptly march him off the premises and sold the car two hours later to a very excited lady who couldn’t believe her luck.

Trouble is, I still have the first couple’s deposit and they are not answering their phone.

Pip Why are you ringing them to give them their deposit back? They’ll come crawling round soon enough to get it.

EPV Exactly that. If they ask, they shall receive. No need to assist this couple any further.

Area 51 Send them a cheque with a covering note of ‘refunded deposit’. Idiots. Their loss.

NOACROSS Put it on the 2.30 at Kempton Park. boring dave Take us all out for a curry?

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

met The publisher reserves the right to edit submissions.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

Dashboard.

RELOCATION

Excitement as £10m JLR dealership opens

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£10 million Jaguar Land Rover dealership has opened in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Staff from Farnell Land Rover Bury and Farnell Jaguar Bolton have relocated to the showroom – the new home for both brands – at the end of St Peter’s Way on the A666.

More people have been taken on to ensure the business runs smoothly and there will be the potential for further job opportunities.

The new Farnell Jaguar Land Rover Bolton retailer will be able to showcase 20 new cars and 80 used models.

It features a dedicated vehicle handover area, barista bar, interactive colour and trim display, brand merchandise area and drive-through service facility. The new site is part of an extensive investment programme by Vertu Motors, which operates the Farnell brand. It’s also in line with the Jaguar Land Rover ‘Arch’ concept with the two brands under one roof.

James Boyd, head of business at Farnell Jaguar

Land Rover, said: ‘Vertu Motors has shown a huge amount of confidence in the Bolton area. The group recently invested £3 million in its Bristol Street Motors Bolton Ford site last year.

‘Our new retailer looks amazing and it represents the Jaguar and Land Rover brands in a fantastic way. Our aim is to offer the best possible customer experience, providing exemplary service with state-of-the-art facilities.

‘This location will enable us to go above and beyond those expectations, and we are very excited about the future.’

One car Two audiences Get your cars seen in two markets at once with a single advert

* Unique motors users per month. Gumtree internal data warehouse, three-month average, August 2017–October 2017 ** Unique motors users per month. eBay internal data warehouse, three-month average, August 2017–October 2017

42 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

WARNING

Car retailers ‘are facing post-Brexit staff shortage’ UNCERTAINTY over the post-Brexit employment status of EU nationals could cause a serious recruitment shortfall in the UK’s car retailing sector.

That’s the warning from motor industry business improver Coachworks Consulting, which said that although the government had offered EU citizens currently working in the UK a settlement scheme, it was concerned about future recruitment restrictions if the UK failed to reach a freemovement-of-labour agreement with the EU. Coachworks Consulting managing director Karl Davis said: ‘The UK car retailing sector has long benefited from the skills and work ethic of employees from EU member states across all disciplines.

‘We already know that since the Brexit vote, fewer EU nationals are coming to the UK to work. With the UK government committed to achieving some form of Brexit, car retailers across the UK need urgent assurances now about who they can recruit after March 2019 if business plans being written now are to be achieved.’

LOOKERS

Profits take a hit but still pleased L ookers suffered a 14 per cent drop in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2018.

The dealer group said it had expected the year-on-year fall in adjusted operating profit before tax (from £50.2 million to £43.1 million) because the first half of 2017 had been an especially strong comparative period.

Its unaudited results for the six months to June 30 showed that total turnover was up by five per cent to £2.58 billion.

New car turnover was stable, with the reduction in volumes less than the overall market decline. Meanwhile, used car turnover increased by 12 per cent and gross profit was up four per cent. Aftersales turnover increased six per cent, while gross profit was up seven per cent.

The group invested £14 million of capital expenditure into improving dealerships, as well as strengthening its portfolio of franchise representation by closing two dealerships and opening one new site.

Lookers believes the impact of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP), which came into effect on September 1, could cause some volatility in the supply of new vehicles.

However, the group said it had seen an ‘encouraging’ level of new car orders for September – a hugely important month for the industry with the 68-plate – and was set to meet market expectations for the full year.

Chief executive Andy Bruce, pictured, said: ‘I am pleased with our performance over the first half of the year, which has been delivered despite ongoing challenging market conditions.

‘Although profits, excluding a profit of £7.6 million on the sale of a property, are down on last year, as expected, this was due to a very strong comparative period, driven by record new car sales ahead of the decline seen across the

market from April 2017. Against this backdrop, we continue to show good strategic momentum, winning market share and outperforming the wider industry, demonstrating the benefits of our clear strategy of having the right brands in the right locations, with a well-invested dealership portfolio with excellent execution.

‘We are also benefiting from our scale and our diversified business model.

‘We have an encouraging level of orders for the important month of September. Whilst the new car market has seen further reductions in 2018, the decrease appears to have stabilised and volumes remain at a historically high level. Based on our first-half performance, we expect to meet market expectations for the full year.’

Two of the UK’s largest motor marketplaces have joined forces to create one powerful sales platform.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

Finance.

JAGUAR

Zero per cent deal on new XE and XF for plate change T he award-winning Jaguar XE and XF saloons have been made available with a zero per cent finance deal for buyers looking for a new September plate change.

Customers can drive away in the latest Jaguar XE 200PS R-Sport Auto for £299 per month, paying back zero interest. The XE has won 68 major global awards since its introduction in 2014, including a number of Car of the Year titles, and Jaguar says this latest finance offer makes it more affordable than key German competitors.

The larger Jaguar XF and XF Sportbrake are also available with the new zero per cent Jaguar PCP deal, reducing the monthly cost to £349.

The offer applies to the XF 250PS R-Sport Auto and the XF Sportbrake 250PS Portfolio Auto, making them both more affordable than their main competitors, with lower monthly payments and lower deposits.

Announcing the new deals, Jaguar Land Rover UK managing director Rawdon Glover said: ‘The Jaguar XE and XF have proved time and time again that they are the best cars in

their class; you only need to look at the countless awards they have won around the world.

‘Class-leading driving dynamics, beautiful styling, excellent residual values and a fantastic range of powerful, eco-friendly Ingenium engines have kept both cars at the top of their game. And now, thanks to this

new zero per cent finance deal with lower monthly payments than our competitors, buyers have yet another reason to choose XE and XF.’ All XE and XF models are fitted with JLR’s state-of-the-art Touch Pro infotainment technology, which provides a 10-inch central touchscreen as standard.

SWORD APAK

Changing credit conditions ‘can favour dealer finance’ CONSUMER confidence is vital to car buying but August’s rise in the UK base rate to 0.75 per cent could dent that, according to Sword Apak.

An estimated 80 per cent of car buyers need credit to finalise their purchase, said the banking and wholesale finance sector software solutions provider, which added that a further challenge could be the emergence of more stringent underwriting in the lending market, with arrears levels reportedly rising C

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as well. Changing credit conditions may be unwelcome, but Sword Apak said that even with tighter credit conditions, dealers could succeed by adopting a more targeted approach to used car financing opportunities.

Executive vice-president James Powell said: ‘The recent increase in the UK base rate will impact on motor retailing with its inevitable knock-on effect on loan rates, underwriting and the cost of wholesale stocking.’

However, he added: ‘A potential

‘‘silver lining’’ to this is that tighter underwriting is more likely to impact on personal loans than secured loans, which could make dealer finance a more attractive option for consumers.

‘We saw something similar immediately following the credit crunch in 2009, when access to personal loans became more difficult and often more expensive for many consumers.’

Dealer finance availability needed to be made more apparent, he said.

RECRUITMENT

NextGear Capital appoints new finance director

NEXTGEAR Capital has announced the appointment of Amrit Singh to the role of finance director. He will be responsible for overseeing the growth strategy of NextGear Capital to continue to offer a firstclass funding programme to used car dealers.

Singh joins after eight years with Deutsche Bank, London, and brings with him a wealth of experience in the financial services industry, including the management of equity stock funding to hedge funds and pension funds.

Prior to Deutsche Bank, he spent five years in retail accounting, working for national household names such as Next and Signet (H Samuel, Ernest Jones).

Liam Quegan, MD of NextGear Capital, said: ‘Amrit will add a vast amount of experience, having worked in the fastpaced world of banking for the past eight years. We look forward to working with him going forward.’

Singh said: ‘I’m excited to be joining NextGear Capital and the Cox Automotive Group at this key time.

‘There is massive growth potential for the business over the next 12 months.’

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Time is money BEN GARSIDE

A monthly look at the world of automotive finance and marketing

Ten years on from financial crisis and it’s clear how much better things are

W

e’re now over a decade on from the financial crisis and we’ve seen plenty of change over those years. Finance companies around the world tightened their lending criteria, a number of banks and other financial institutions closed their doors and a new regulator took control with increased and improved rules.

If we go back 10 years to 2008, you’ll remember the days when the finance markets were volatile, consumer lending was starting to tighten and finally, on September 15, financial services firm and investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.

Obviously back then the words ‘banker’, ‘non-prime’, ‘sub-prime’ and ‘credit’ were all tarnished and smeared negatively across the tabloids; this was all justified at the time.

Companies around the world had been lending to high-risk sub-prime individuals, coaxing them into mortgages with low rates, and then they had been lending high amounts of credit to individuals with limited affordability. I remember it well, as I’d just purchased my first property and was focused on developing my marketing skills. But I was only just into my second year working as a junior marketer for First Response, a predominantly sub-primefocused finance company. So of course, this was an eye-opening time for me, as I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Luckily for me, I was surrounded by a great group of knowledgeable individuals who had been through a similar situation before. I was informed of the likelihood of further crashes

and the possible longevity of market depression but told not to worry as they’d assist me in my learning both in and out of work.

As we were a sub-prime company, I felt that we could have come in for some negative PR, but fortunately our vision, values and all-round company ethos implemented in 2004 meant that in the main, consumers and dealers felt we were a decent company, and I didn’t have to manage a PR fallout so early on in my career.

Now, after so many years, we can look at the UK consumer finance market with positive eyes! The majority of finance companies will have implemented new policies and procedures that I’m sure will mean the practices of old will be a distant memory. Most financial promotions that I see now adhere to the ‘clear, fair and not misleading’ advertising guidance from our regulator. Banking stress tests have also been implemented, and last year’s results showed that no bank had to strengthen its capital position. This showed a resilience to possible recessions in the UK and global economies.

Last year, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) stated: ‘Two-thirds of consumers trust banks and building societies knowing that FSCS is there to protect them.’ This is thanks to the improved compensation scheme, as today each individual enjoys full protection of up to £85,000 of their deposits.

All of these areas have seen the finance sector improve for consumers, and although we were badly affected for a number of years, it is great to see that we have learnt from our past mistakes and are doing the right things to give good customer outcomes.

‘This was an eye-opening time for me, as I had no idea what was going to happen next.’

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 MPVs

Citroen C4 SpaceTourer

Renault Scenic THE Renault Scenic arguably started the compact MPV segment, and the fourth-generation model continues to rip up the rule book with its bold looks and standard-fit 20-inch alloy wheels.

Dynamique Nav trim comes with front and rear parking sensors, a fatigue alert for the driver as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. We’ve chosen the efficient 1.5-litre diesel engine here, which combines low running costs with decent performance.

Renault is currently offering buyers a £2,000 deposit contribution. The customer then adds £3,458, followed by 36 monthly payments of £342. Over the three years, they will have shelled out £15,770. If they then wish to buy their Scenic, a final payment of £8,326 can be made. This brings the total amount payable to £24,096, which is just £6 more than the cash price.

CITROEN ditched the Picasso name for the SpaceTourer moniker earlier in the year, although the car remains largely the same.

Standard equipment on mid-spec ‘Feel’ models includes 17-inch alloy wheels, digital dials and rear parking sensors, while we’ve paired this with the 1.6-litre BlueHDI diesel engine.

Citroen is also offering a £2,000 customer deposit on its SpaceTourer, to which the customer then adds £3,000. It has quite high monthly instalments of £444.89, which means that at the end of the three years, the customer will have paid £19,016.04. They can then decide whether or not to make a final payment of £8,110, which would buy them the car.

This brings the total payable to £27,126.04 – nearly £2,300 above the car’s £24,835 cash price because of Citroen’s 9.9 per cent APR rate.

TECHNOLOGY

E-agreements ‘are the new minimum that lenders need’ E

-agreements are becoming the new minimum dealer requirement in motor finance technology because of their ability to drive finance penetration. That’s according to Startline Motor Finance, which says that without them, dealers are trapped in a 20th-century method of selling and processing finance that means they have to get agreements physically printed and signed, rather than being handled through dealer websites or e-mail.

Chief executive Paul Burgess, pictured, said; ‘Everyone knows that e-agreements drive penetration because they remove the requirement for paper from the process. They are faster and cleaner, and open up your motor finance offering to a much wider group of potential customers.

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by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk ‘The picture has changed quite quickly in the last year or so and we have moved into a situation where being able to offer e-agreements is a minimum requirement for lenders.

‘Despite this, some major players in the market are lagging behind offering the technology, which will unavoidably be having an impact on the finance performance of their dealers.’

He added that Startline had launched its own e-agreement technology in 2017 and that there had been an immediate and measurable impact on dealer finance penetration.

‘E-agreements allow a much more flexible

approach to how motor finance is sold, as well as being more FCA-friendly because they are more transparent and more easily trackable.

‘In a sense, all lenders are doing with this tech is meeting customer expectations. Today, they very much expect to be able to process their finance needs quickly and slickly online.’

Startline is midway through the current phase of its IT strategy, and Burgess said: ‘The further investment we plan to make in the next few months, especially with the appointment of a new head of IT, will make a genuine difference to our dealers and their customers.’

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Kia Carens THE Kia Carens might look a bit bland in this company but it’s still a well-equipped car and it’s the only seven-seater here.

On the ‘3’ model, standard kit includes leather seats and an electric 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat, as well as a heated steering wheel plus rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

The engine that we’ve chosen is the 1.7-litre diesel, which returns up to 62.8mpg.

A customer deposit of £3,250 is topped up by Kia’s contribution of £1,000. This is followed by 36 monthly payments of £365.78, meaning that over three years the customer will have spent £16,418.08.

They can then choose whether or not to make the final payment of £8,648.75 to buy their Carens outright.

If they decide to buy it, it brings the total amount payable to £25,066.83 – only £111.83 more than the £24,955 cash price.

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MANN ISLAND

Steady start reported for third quarter as average retailer reduces losses

Don’t underestimate human touch, says finance firm MD

THE average UK motor retailer recorded a comparatively strong performance for July, reducing their loss for the month by more than £5,000 compared with the same month the previous year, reported ASE. According to latest figures from the dealer profitability specialist, while the loss of £1,600 ‘wasn’t exactly back to the heady profits made during periods of significant fast-start bonuses’, it further emphasised the improvements being made over 2017.

Continued progress is expected during August, even though it tends to be a tough month for retailer profitability, with customers focused on holidays and momentum building towards the September plate change, it said.

However, ASE expects that August this year will probably see some reduction in the losses traditionally recorded during the month given the pre-WLTP deadline increase in new car registrations (see pages 72-73). Whether these cars have been sold, or merely registered, will prove pivotal to both August and annual profitability, it adds.

THE availability of the human touch in dealer finance is fast becoming a differentiator not to be overlooked by dealers.

That’s the view of Mann Island Finance, which says that in the rush for speed and efficiency in dealer finance, the industry can benefit by recognising the advantage it can offer of being a ‘human proposition’.

Managing director John Hughes said: ‘At Mann Island Finance, we are big fans of the benefits of digitisation and continue to invest in new technologies to improve speed, accuracy and the customer experience. However, technology may not be the key benefit of dealer finance for everyone. We should not underestimate the increasingly distinct benefit that dealer finance can offer through the human touch. The flexibility to retain the human element remains an important capability.’

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Forecourt.

FIRST DRIVE

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Jack Evans gets behind the wheel of Aston’s latest performance monster.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model as tested: Aston Martin

DBS Superleggera Price (base): £225,000 Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 Power (bhp): 715 Torque (Nm): 900 Max speed (mph): 211 0-60mph: 3.2 seconds MPG (combined): 22.9 Emissions (g/km): 285

Engine

The DBS is powered by a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12.

TARGET BUYERS: Those who want the fastest Aston available.

THE RIVALS: Ferrari 812 Superfast, Bentley Continental GT Speed, Lamborghini Aventador S. KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Incredible performance.

2. Intoxicating soundtrack.

3. Elegant looks.

Vents

Bonnet vents are a reference to the previous-generation DBS.

DEAL CLINCHER: Superleggera delivers a dramatic driving experience – and one you won’t forget.

What is it?

Aston Martin was faced with a tough act to follow when it discontinued its Vanquish S last year, but it is hoping that this – the DBS Superleggera – has what it takes to fill its shoes. Wading into battle with the Ferrari 812 Superfast firmly in its sights, the DBS is a meaner, faster adaptation of the DB11 platform. It also features a turned-up-to-11 version of Aston’s famed twin-turbo V12, which should give it more than enough performance to match its brutish looks.

What’s new?

Aston has thrown everything it could at the new DBS. Many of the vehicle’s body panels have been crafted from carbon fibre to reduce weight, while a lightweight bonded-aluminium structure helps keep its bulk down further.

There is, of course, that V12 engine too – though we’ll look at that in more detail shortly.

You also have, thanks to a double-diffuser, 48 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

a car that generates genuine downforce – 180kg at its highest speed, in fact. Make no mistake – this is one Aston that is out to deliver a driving experience that matches its jaw-dropping looks.

What’s under the bonnet?

Here’s where things get really interesting...

Powering the DBS Superleggera is a 5.2-litre twinturbocharged V12 engine, the same as you’ll find in the DB11. However, whereas that engine in the DB11 AMR produces 630bhp, the DBS kicks out 715bhp and an incredible 900Nm of torque.

With power sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF transmission, the DBS can hit 60mph in 3.2 seconds and continue onwards to a 211mph maximum speed. Keep the car in fourth gear when travelling at 50mph and you’ll crack 100mph in just 4.2 seconds.

As you’d imagine, economy figures aren’t the best. Aston claims 22.9mpg on the combined cycle, while CO2 emissions are pretty high at 285g/km. However, numbers like those are to be expected of a large, extremely powerful supercar.

What’s it like to drive?

The main thing that strikes you when you first drive the DBS Superleggera is its unquenchable thirst for speed. Plant the throttle and there’s a slight pause, then the whole car sprints forward like few other vehicles on sale today.

It’s also accompanied by an interesting, turbocharger-led exhaust note – there’s a real scream as they both spool up while accelerating.

Design

Carbon fibre has been used for a lot of the car’s panels to help keep weight down.

Brakes

Huge ceramic brakes provide plenty of stopping power.

‘Aston has thrown everything it could at the new DBS.’ The chassis is similar to that of the DB11, and in that sense it shares the same feeling of cross-country readiness; there remains a small amount of play to the suspension which, though still firm, reminds you that this is billed as an out-and-out grand tourer. Adaptive dampers are fitted as standard, and these do allow you to firm up or soften the ride – a feature that’s likely to be welcome on the UK’s rutted roads.

How does it look?

We can’t argue with the way the DBS Superleggera looks. It’s immensely imposing, with its large front grille and angled bonnet scoops (with the latter a reference to the previous-generation DBS) combining to create one angry-looking car.

The DBS comes with elegant forged wheels, and these help to contribute to the car’s overall thuggish looks. We’ve heard criticism of the lack of a traditional ‘winged’ Aston Martin badge at the rear of the car – here replaced by the brand’s

name in chromed letters – but in the flesh it doesn’t look all that bad.

What’s it like inside?

The interior of the DBS is finished beautifully, with soft leather throughout the cabin helping to create a luxurious feeling. During our time with the car, everything felt well put together and nothing squeaked or rattled – though you’d hope so, given the car’s £225,000 base price.

We’re still left underwhelmed by the main infotainment area – it’s too cluttered. That said, it’s contrasted by a steering wheel that’s beautifully shaped and trimmed in Alcantara.

What’s the spec like?

There’s plenty of kit included with the DBS as standard. You get Aston’s 8.0-inch infotainment pack – a Mercedes-borrowed system that works reasonably well despite lacking the sharpness and clarity offered by rival manufacturers – alongside

a full satellite navigation system and a premium audio system. You also get a 360-degree parking camera, which really does come in handy.

What do the press think?

Wired said: ‘This is an ideal car for overtaking on country roads as well as eating motorway miles in relative comfort.’ Goodwood Road and Racing said: ‘When you drive it, you tend not to spend too much time focusing on your surroundings because you’re too damn busy hanging on.’

What do we think?

The Aston Martin DBS Superleggera more than eclipses the Vanquish S it replaces. It feels more composed, more up to date and more exciting to drive, too. Its performance is intoxicating; the twin-turbo V12 delivers all of the drama you could possibly want from a supercar, and its styling is different enough to help it really stand out against any other car of its type on sale today.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

Forecourt.

FIRST DRIVE

Porsche 911 Carrera T

THE KNOWLEDGE

The T is a lightweight version of Porsche’s regular Carrera. Does lower mass help improve the drive? Jack Evans delivers his verdict.

What is it?

What’s under the bonnet?

How does it look?

You’ve heard of the Porsche 911 GT3, right? The stripped-out, ultra-focused version of Porsche’s already-capable 911? Accompanied by a price in excess of £100,000 (as well as a waiting list stretching far into the future), it’s a car few will ever be able to buy. So Porsche has applied the same measures to its base 911 Carrera to create this – the Carrera T. It’s lighter and more exclusive than Porsche’s entry-level 911 but costs close to £25,000 less than the range-topping GT3.

The Carrera T gets the same turbocharged flat-six as you’ll find in the base car, and just as it does in that car, it produces 365bhp and 450Nm of torque. Hitting 60mph takes a respectable 4.3 seconds, while all-in you’ll be doing 182mph.

Power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed manual gearbox, and Porsche claims decent economy figures too.

Our test car had its performance repertoire bolstered with the addition of Porsche’s ceramic composite brakes (a £6,018 option), while active suspension management with a ride height dropped by 20mm over the regular Carrera featured as standard. A sports exhaust comes as part of the Carrera T’s basic price too.

Yes, the current-generation 911 may look a lot like the previous incarnation and the one before that – but you can’t fault it for the way it turns heads without being overly flash. Many have criticised Porsche for its slow evolution of the 911’s styling, but we think it just gets better with each new generation.

What’s new?

The Carrera T boasts no additional power nor torque over the regular Carrera, but what it does offer is lightness. The rear seats have been removed, while the glass used for the windows and windscreen is thinner. There’s less in the way of sound-deadening, too. Interestingly enough, although the rear seats have been removed along with the air conditioning and infotainment system, these can be added back in for no extra cost. Only a few kilos have been dropped compared with the standard 911 and yet, though many things have been removed, the T costs over £7,500 more than the regular Carrera. As is often the case with Porsche, you're paying more but getting less!

50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

What’s it like to drive?

The regular Carrera is a well-sorted, impeccably balanced sports car, and to elevate this without radically changing the mechanicals or the power output is an impressive achievement indeed. It’s why the Carrera T feels, in truth, pretty much the same as the base car. That’s no bad thing at all, though; it’s still effortlessly engaging, capable on a day-to-day basis and so beautifully damped for UK roads it feels at home on almost any surface.

What’s it like inside?

Model: Porsche 911 Carrera T Price (as tested): £99,983 Engine: Turbocharged flat-six Power (bhp): 365 Torque (Nm): 450 Max speed (mph): 182 0-60mph: 4.3 seconds MPG: 29.7 Emissions (g/km): 215 TARGET BUYERS: Those who want a lighter, slightly harder Carrera.

THE RIVALS: Jaguar F-Type V6, Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M2.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Brisk performance.

2. Useable on day-to-day basis.

3. Feels more special than base Carrera.

You won’t find all that much ‘new’ tech in the cabin of the Carrera T. Porsche’s infotainment system is present and correct, but save for that there’s very little to prod or buttons to press. But here’s the kicker – it’s all the better for it.

The spot-on driving position makes damn sure that you’re in the perfect place to pilot the car, while the steering wheel has plenty of adjustment in it.

while the high-definition 4.6inch screen ahead of the driver is wonderfully clear.

What’s the spec like?

What do the press think?

There’s plenty of kit included for the Carrera T’s base £85,576 price, including heated front sports seats with four-way electric adjustment and Porsche’s own infotainment system, which houses satellite navigation and media functions, along with Apple CarPlay.

Full LED headlights are an optional extra on our test car and provide excellent visibility at night,

Car Magazine said: ‘The T is just as much of a tasty thing to drive as the rest of the Carrera range.’

DEAL CLINCHER: The Carrera T elevates the regular Carrera experience.

What do we think?

The Carrera T makes for a rather compelling package. It’s quick, good to look at and feels special.

Is it different enough to a regular Carrera to warrant a close-to-£7,700 premium over the regular car? Just.

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Forecourt.

FIRST DRIVE

Smart EQ ForTwo Cabrio

THE KNOWLEDGE

Smart’s two-seater city car is quite the motoring icon – and Jack Evans spent some time driving its all-electric cabriolet iteration recently. Here’s his verdict.

What is it?

The EQ ForTwo is an all-electric version of Smart’s iconic two-seater city car. It makes sense – the ForTwo has always been designed as a city car, and electric cars benefit from being used in conurbations where charging points are more abundant than in less populated areas.

Mercedes claims 99 miles on a full charge, and it’ll take 40 minutes to charge up from flat via a wallbox, or six hours through a conventional three-pin domestic socket.

Is that range achievable in reality?

Not exactly – in fact, the range displayed on the dash plummets like a stone on the motorway.

What’s new?

What’s it like to drive?

If you took the Smart on face value alone, you’d think that very little had changed over the regular, petrol-powered ForTwo. The dinky proportions remain, the minute turning circle is still delightfully present and the bulbous, rounded looks are in keeping with past generations of Smart cars. But delve a little deeper, and you’ll notice the smoother front grille, while underneath the petrol cap there’s a charging point, rather than space for a fuel nozzle.

The nimble handling is ideal for darting in and out of traffic, while the almost incomprehensibly small turning circle is great for general manoeuvrability. The steering itself actually has some weight to it, and this gives a little added confidence at higher speeds.

The instant slug of torque that you get from an electric powertrain is especially useful in a car of this size, and up until the 40mph mark you’re quicker than the vast majority of cars on the road. Granted, after this the Smart begins to become a little breathless, though.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Smart gets drive from a three-phase synchronous motor, linked to a lithium-ion battery. The combination produces 81bhp, and a decent 160Nm of torque. The sprint to 60mph may not be quick at 11.6 seconds, but it feels pacier than that thanks to the immediate delivery of that torque. All in, you’ll do 99mph.

When it comes to range,

How does it look?

The Smart ForTwo ticks all of the styling boxes for a city car; it’s compact without appearing too dinky, has some premium styling touches such as 16-inch alloy wheels and features fibre-optic running lights too. It’s – ahem – a smartlooking thing indeed, and should

Smart EQ ForTwo Cabrio Price: £27,430 Engine: 60kW electric motor with 17.6 kWh battery Power (bhp): 81 Torque (Nm): 160 Max speed (mph): 99 0-60mph: 11.6 Range (miles): 99 Emissions (g/km): 0 Model:

appeal to those who want a stylish inner-city mode of transport.

Our test car came in cabriolet form, which was a welcome feature during our rare hot summer.

What’s it like inside?

There’s a lot more space inside than you’d expect, with a general airiness to the cabin that’s surprising given the car’s tiny footprint. There’s not a huge amount of storage to be found, though there is a useful drawer underneath the gearstick for hiding items away from prying eyes.

Boot space is not what you’d call cavernous but there’s around 300 litres to play with – more than enough for a few shopping bags.

What’s the spec like?

Prices for the Smart ForTwo EQ start at £27,135, or £22,635 when including the plug-in car grant. For that you get a rear-view camera (not exactly essential in a car of this size), heated seats and ambient lighting. You also get Smart’s media system, accessed via a seven-inch touchscreen. In practice this system didn’t impress; on numerous times it locked completely and wouldn’t allow us to even play a radio station, and even switching the car off and back on again failed to rectify the issue. When it did eventually work, however, it operated well.

TARGET BUYERS: Those who want a premium urban runaround.

THE RIVALS: Renault Zoe, Renault Twizy, BMW i3.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Low running costs.

2. Decent around-town performance.

3. Short charging times.

DEAL CLINCHER: The Smart EQ makes perfect sense for city dwellers who don't want to stray too far.

What do the press think?

CarKeys said: ‘For those who never leave the city and want a quirky urban car, the ForTwo EQ makes a great choice.’

What do we think?

As a prospect for an inner-city driver, the Smart EQ makes plenty of sense. It’s nimble, easy to drive and quick to charge via high-output charging points. However, those looking to travel further afield may find it a little too limiting.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

Feature.

Royal

SEAL OF APPROVAL Rebecca Chaplin minds her Ps and Qs as she’s afforded the privilege of a behind-the-scenes tour at world-renowned Bentley dealership Jack Barclay.

J

ack Barclay is a dealership with an enviable reputation in the industry. As the oldest and largest Bentley dealer in the world, it’s trusted by owners for buying, selling, storing and servicing cars – even those of the highest order.

The business’s service centre in Burr Road, Wandsworth, caters for its very top clients from across the globe. It’s no exaggeration to say that it looks after kings and queens, and it has a royal warrant above the door to prove it.

In 2000, Jack Barclay became part of the H.R. Owen Group, but there’s a definite sense that if you work here you are Jack Barclay through and through.

Aftersales director David Fellowes showed me around this two-acre site. Although it’s less than 10 years old, it still harbours some icons from the group’s 91-year history. It was previously a bus depot, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it was now some sort of MI6 store for specialist vehicles.

‘Have a look at this,’ says Fellowes. ‘Do you feel how heavy that is? That’s a bullet-proof Bentley.

You can see it’s got specialist glass too.’

I’m allowed a quick look at some of these cars but no photos. The service centre caters for 54 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

cars of all ages, and it’s the only Bentley garage certified to work on pre-1955 cars, but today there is a selection of new Continental GTs that will be inspected here before going to other dealerships.

We walk around the huge site and Fellowes reels off stories of customer care taken to the absolute extreme.

Only recently, a customer had flown in from the UAE and was going to use his Bentley in the UK, but a last-minute change of plan meant he had to fly to Paris before he could come and collect it. A quick call to Jack Barclay and one of the drivers is on the next Eurotunnel shuttle in his car, ready for him to collect from his hotel the next morning.

The 24-bay workshop alone is enough to leave your jaw on the floor, with everything from new Bentaygas to historic Rolls-Royces – a previous marque for the brand but its specialist legacy lives on – filling them.

Beyond here is where the vast number of parts are stored – everything from brand new to a collection of classic parts that may never even need to be used. However, Jack Barclay’s service team collect them when they can to ensure they’re prepared should the need arise.

The building continues even further, becoming

Jack Barclay’s 24-bay workshop is a treasure

By royal appointment, don’tcha know?

‘I think Jack Barclay is the best company one can work for. Having experienced other garages, there’s none better than this.’

trove of precious metal

Master technician Andy Hull at work

David Fellowes explains the illustrious history of this iconic dealership to Rebecca CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

Feature.

The original Jack Barclay sign has pride of place above the cars that have come from around the world to be worked on

No job is too big or too small for the bodyshop at Burr Road in SW18

Shahzad Alvi – service manager to the VIPs

Attention to detail is a top priority, with the service centre stocking every Bentley part imaginable

storage for the rich and famous around the world.

Fellowes points out football stars’ cars – one in particular has his security team’s fleet of Bentleys serviced here. Registration plates from all over the globe demonstrate how renowned this dealership is, with everywhere from the Emirates to Monaco covered.

service manager Shahzad Alvi has spent 42 years with the business.

Polite, modest and reserved, Alvi has a story for almost every car and knows every client’s needs like the back of his hand.

‘I started off as an apprentice back in 1976, did my apprenticeship here with Jack Barclay up until 1980, and after that I went to Saudi Arabia and worked for the company there.

‘I came back and worked for some Volkswagen dealerships, and then in ’88 I rejoined Jack Barclay. From that date is the 30 years, otherwise the span goes to 42 years,’ he tells me.

‘I think Jack Barclay is the best company one can work for. Having experienced other garages, there’s none better than this, even in Saudi Arabia. Although the showrooms are glamorous over there, here it is much more environmentally friendly, the customers are more down to earth and we are far advanced here.’

T

urn the corner and we move into the specialist bodyshop, where the Jack Barclay technicians are trained to the highest standards and are able to make even major damage disappear, leaving the vehicle looking brand new.

There’s one man in particular I’ve come to speak to though, and it’s 30 years to the day since he began this particular stint with Jack Barclay as I sit down with him to talk about what is an exceptionally special role. In total, however, 56 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

When it comes to special customers, Alvi is the first port of call. The royal family’s Bentleys are all serviced here in Wandsworth, and those very special customers are always able to get hold of him. Some of the cars you would have seen for royal weddings or when the Queen arrives in her maroon Bentley would have been serviced by this dealership.

‘I started as an apprentice technician and then worked in the parts department, but the main idea was to get into the service adviser role.

‘I worked my way into that position before being made senior service adviser, then a few years later I was offered the service manager’s position. With that came the responsibilities of looking after the VIPs, royal cars and dignitaries.’

It’s a career that has meant Alvi has had to stretch his customer service skills to the absolute limit and then a step further, but it has also taken him all over the

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world and to several events at the palace, too.

‘I love it. It was a proud moment for me and obviously it was a unique opportunity.

‘One can’t shy away from it. I’ve even had meetings with all of the VIPs at the royal palaces and other foreign embassies.

‘With this role, I often go to Saudi Arabia and I meet my clients over there. That’s the unique thing about this job: clients who have got houses over here, cars here or families.

‘The Royal Mews, where all of the royal cars are based, have my contact number and can reach me 24/7. There was one occasion when the car was at Windsor and there was a problem with it on a Sunday afternoon and I had to arrange to get it from there to Burr Road.

‘To be honest with you, if there is some problem with a car over the weekend I’ll get a phone call and I just need to get the car shifted here. I’ll get the car transported here, make sure I’ve got staff available to work on it, and get on to it straight away.

‘The role is really making arrangements and making sure it’s a quick response.’

The service for Jack Barclay’s VIPs goes above and beyond just collecting, delivering and repairing cars, though. With it comes a personal relationship, and Alvi is happy to help his clients whether they’re in the UK or not.

He explained: ‘One customer from Saudi Arabia comes here often and goes back, but he’d ordered an unusual size of shoes for his son. The shop phoned him and said that the shoes were ready, so he rang me and said: ‘‘Shaz, can you go to Sloane Square where a shop has some special shoes for my son? Can you give them to my cousin who is flying out tonight?’’ It was a matter of two hours to get that sorted. I looked after his car while he was here, so it’s a relationship we’ve built on.

‘Another client of mine lived opposite the Connaught Hotel and due to illness he moved to Spain and wanted to sell his flat. He asked me if I could sell it on his behalf.

‘I took that opportunity and sold it for him – a one-bedroom flat for £1 million. I did it as a favour for him though, because I once had a disc problem in my back and he offered me a private operation. I declined it, but it was that gesture from him that I remembered. That’s something I’ll never forget, and I always tell my friends: ‘‘This is how you should be.’’’

At the time of my visit to Jack Barclay, the team were preparing for the Saudi Arabian cars that fly into London for the summer, with Alvi explaining that some clients will send their cars ahead on their private jets and once their UK house is in order they’ll follow with their families.

It’s safe to say the royals, in the UK and abroad, are in safe hands with Jack Barclay – at least, their Bentleys definitely are. [CD]

58 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Interview

Feature.

Ken Choo is the new CEO of H.R. Owen Group but you might also know him as the chief executive of Cardiff City FC. We find out from the luxury dealership owner what the name Jack Barclay means to the brand.

How important is Jack Barclay to the H.R. Owen Group?

Jack Barclay is a London icon, with a history stretching all the way back to 1927 – it is the oldest Bentley dealership in the world.

It is very important to the H.R. Owen Group and as such we will continue to invest in this flagship dealership. We have recently completed a £2.5 million total refurbishment, bringing the very latest Bentley Motors corporate identity, but at the same time keeping the art deco historic Jack Barclay touches intact, including the boardroom.

It’s now a completely unique Bentley showroom; a mix of history and cutting-edge design and technology. It is the perfect shop window for the Bentley brand and the world of H.R. Owen. With the introduction of new models such as the GT, we are very confident that our investment will pay dividends for many years to come.

Jack Barclay itself is just one of four H.R. Owen Bentley showrooms, representing 25 per cent of the total Bentley network in the UK. Those four sites are responsible for almost 40 per cent of all new Bentleys sold in the UK, of which Jack Barclay represents about half.

How important is the royal connection to the brand?

Our royal warrant at the Jack Barclay aftersales facility in Burr Road is something that we’re incredibly proud of. We work hard to provide all of our customers with the best possible service, and the seal of approval from the royal family is really the ultimate affirmation that we’ve been successful in fulfilling that desire.

What sets apart the Jack Barclay aftersales centre in Burr Road?

Burr Road is the largest Bentley aftersales facility in the world in terms of vehicle turnover, and it’s also one of the most advanced. The Bentley brand is constantly evolving, most recently with the arrival of the new Continental GT, and we need to make sure we have the right equipment, experience and skills to exceed all the expectations of our aftersales customers.

With a history that stretches as far back as Jack Barclay’s, it’s also important that we maintain the parts and expertise for Bentley models made far into the last century. We’re the only pre1955-authorised aftersales facility in the UK, so Burr Road is really working from the cutting edge to vintage Bentley icons.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

Feature.

A MINI (MIS)ADVENTURE

N A I B M COLO !

E L A T R CA

60 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘Between stunning scenery we were quizzed again and again about where we were going.’

South America is truly a continent of contrasts, as Rebecca Chaplin found out when she was invited to put a Mini Countryman SE Cooper to the ultimate test there. But first she needed the actual car...

I

’ve learnt a few things in the past week.

Never trust a German with a mad plan and never fly to a remote part of the world without an itinerary would both be key.

Also, good Colombian coffee isn’t as easy to find as you’d think and vegetarian isn’t a thing in South America. However, the most important thing I’ve learnt would have to be that the best things come in small packages.

That’s not me saying I spent the past seven days sampling Colombia’s primo supremo export.

My time in the country was far more stressful, involved constantly falling asleep and travelling at an average speed of 24mph – but we were able to do this from the petit seats of a Mini Countryman SE Cooper.

There are a lot of things about this trip that seem logical, but there’s always more to the story that makes no sense at all. For starters, driving Minis on an epic journey taps into the sense of adventure that those of you who sell them know so much about.

Historically, Minis made a name for themselves as more than just tiny city cars. They campaigned in rallies, drove across brutal terrains and were cherished across the globe. These three Countrymans – with nothing more than standard additions – already look the part. The SE in their name means they’re also plug-in hybrids – something that might make you raise an eyebrow when you consider the distances we’d be doing.

Charging points we would see at Asda or which can be easily installed at most houses aren’t a regular sight in South America, so it was unlikely we’d be doing much, if any, plugging in.

The honest reason the Mini has been chosen for this mega journey is because of its lovable nature, we’re told. Taking any BMW would be too flashy, but the Mini garners waves and smiles from everyone who sees it.

Either way, we stick out like a sore thumb. You can buy a Mini in South America, but no-one is really buying. I saw four on the entire journey and as many classics as new ones. Despite the terrain, you can’t actually buy a four-wheel-drive All4 like we have because everyone seems to drive a front-wheel-drive car.

We’d be making stops to meet Mini executives, and some have never even seen these cars before – let alone actually in the country that they work.

With little purpose for the trip but a sense of adventure, I was prepared to put these cars through some extreme testing.

Colombia, however, did not agree...

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 61

Feature.

I

arrived in Cartagena about 7am. Things were already not going well after our connecting flight from Bogota almost didn’t happen because we were clueless as to where we would be staying and the border force weren’t keen on that at all. Eventually, though, they got sick of waiting and let us through.

Then our transfer from the airport to our hotel – which we now knew the name of – didn’t arrive. After much back and forth with the hotel, our host and the hotel again, they told us that 7am was ‘too early’, so we had to make alternative arrangements.

‘At least we were on the way to the hotel’ and ‘this can’t get any worse, can it?’ we commented.

Smiles, handshakes and small talk about the flight went on as we met our host from Mini – the madman who had masterminded this trip – and got checked into the hotel.

The plan was to head south on the Pan American highway to Ecuador, but apart from that snippet I had no information. So, of course, my first question was ‘when do we leave?’

‘We don’t have the cars,’ he grinned with an exhausted expression. ‘We’ve been told every day that they will be arriving but they never do.

‘The guys are at the port right now hoping to get them, but we don’t even know if the ship has arrived yet.’

You see, this was a very small part of the three Mini Countryman SE Coopers’ journeys. They started in North America and had followed the road through Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica before entering Panama, where they had to get on a ship. This is, in theory, a twoday trip if you include getting the cars through customs. For our cars, it would take 10 days...

Initially, our flights out were delayed by five days and we’d been informed that storms in the Caribbean had held up the ship. The Mini team had been told this consistently but had begun to believe it might not quite be the case, particularly as they couldn’t find any record of a storm there.

The tracker on the cars and the ship seemed to jump all over the place too. Sometimes it’d be at the port, sometimes elsewhere and, occasionally, nowhere. At this point, my drive story was looking like it would be pretty light on actual driving, as so far I’d only seen a road from the back seat of a Kia taxi and a Citroen minibus, but how wrong could I be?

The thing we learnt in Colombia was that you always had to wait.

Being on time wasn’t really in their ethos, and it seemed that every obstacle could be eventually remedied with a bit of patience.

However, after almost three days in Cartagena and still no cars this was wearing thin.

You can therefore imagine our elation as the three red Minis appeared at the hotel, complete with extra petrol cans, spare wheels and little room for anything else.

We piled in, and I was eager to jump in the driver’s seat first...

62 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

On the road at last! But the sun is setting fast, so we need to get a wriggle on

T

The port of Cartagena as seen from our hotel room, and the beautiful Old Town he excitement of finally being on the road to Ecuador was short-lived, though, as within 10 minutes of setting off I followed the sat nav away from the rest of the group.

We darted around and soon hit the first toll of many in Colombia: a shocking 8,200 Colombian pesos, which actually equates to about £2.50, but what followed was well worth the fee.

Just beyond the barrier, and passing the port these cars had come from less than an hour ago, we finally got a taste of Colombia’s true beauty.

From Cartagena, which is a city of two halves as the walled, colourful and weathered Old Town meets the skyscrapers and sharp lines of its modern counterpart, the greens of the jungle exploded from the side of the road.

All of a sudden, the busy roads became empty, smooth and winding as we headed higher into

the hills. We were driving head-on into the setting sun and it was approaching 6pm. The cars had arrived not long after 3pm, you see, and once we’d packed and filled up with fuel it was closer to 4. Plus we had an itinerary to catch up on. The race was on...

Earlier in the week, we’d been told that our first stop would be Medellin – a name you’ll recognise from Narcos on Netflix – which would take anywhere between 10 and 18 hours to get to.

Testing a car by driving it through the night, on a stint longer than most people would drive in a day, would certainly break us into this mammoth drive. And break us it did. The gorgeous smooth roads were short-lived, and before we knew it our spines were being crushed by roads that were crumbling away or had had worse repairs than those we complain about in the UK. This didn’t slow us down as we powered

Delays give us time to explore the Old Town

‘All of a sudden, the busy roads became empty, smooth and winding as we headed higher into the hills.’

A night-time stop for fuel en route to Medellin

Much relief as the Minis finally arrive after their epic voyage around the Caribbean – and our first stop is just down the road to fill ’em up!

A local man fails to sell us any hats

through the night, though. It was as we began climbing the sides of great hills before dropping down the other side via tight and twisting roads that things really held us back.

Those in cars such as ours were in the minority.

We weren’t the only ones waiting for containers to arrive on ships, and because fuel is so cheap, it’s more economical to transport them by lorry to other parts of the continent. That brought our midnight drive to a crawl as we followed these gigantic vehicles up steep slopes and around tight bends. Some lorries weren’t in the mood to wait either, deciding to make daring overtakes past us approaching blind corners, which only helped us stay alert as we raced to make it to Medellin.

With three of us in the car, there was plenty to discuss – between warbling along to Colombia’s singing sweetheart Shakira and drinking more Red Bulls than even a grown adult should be

allowed to consume – including how difficult we find it to fall asleep in cars while travelling.

Thirty minutes later, at about midnight, I woke up in the back of the car to see one of my colleagues in the passenger seat had also drifted off while the other was still driving into the blackness. It’d be another five hours before we would arrive at our hotel for the night with a few hours of shut-eye to prepare us for the next day’s drive to Cali.

W

aking in the morning and the sunshine was glorious, making a muchneeded change to last night’s pitch-black view dotted with the lights of the many houses littering the hills of Medellin. In the light of day the CarDealerMag.co.uk | 63

Feature. expanse this city covers is quite incredible and we were able to make a detour into one of the areas of housing – called comunas – to see it from the other side. The steep hills are linked by even steeper steps, sweeping roads and even escalators in areas, creating a tapestry of brickwork.

Our detour was short-lived, though, because the day ahead would require another day of more than 10 hours on the road, which had already created some tension in the group.

Driving in the day – and hopefully arriving on the same day – was already making our second day of driving sweeter though.

However, our optimism was short-lived, and I should never have told myself that things couldn’t get any worse. As the Minis stood at the bottom of a valley and in the shade of huge green hills, that target of getting to our next hotel before 9pm was drifting further away.

After what had been a pretty smooth day of driving, we took the opportunity to swap drivers only to find that the road beyond had been dug away. Stopping frequently to pay more tolls, it was another twist of the knife as surfaces became worse and worse.

The sun fell below the horizon and our offroading course became more vague and even more dusty. Road rules went out of the window as every vehicle on the road vied for position to get home faster. It’s a situation for which most wouldn’t even consider choosing a hybrid vehicle. There were long waits followed by miles of roadworks, and although we covered little over 100km in about three hours, we also barely used any fuel.

It was a shame that we wouldn’t be charging by plugging in, but the speed at which the Countrymans were able to charge by driving downhill made this the ideal terrain. By the time we reached any city areas with more traffic, we were able to cruise around on pure EV for miles.

Once again, we all struggled to stay awake as time ticked on, but this time our photographer managed to seamlessly shut his laptop screen as he fell asleep in the passenger seat, marking the end of our working day.

We rolled into Cali at 11pm and were grateful to have made it to beds bigger than the back seat of a Mini, with enough time for a full night’s sleep before a more reasonable drive to Pasto in the morning.

W

e would be climbing higher to Pasto, which isn’t far from the Ecuadorian border, reaching some of the highest altitudes these cars would probably ever experience. Thanks to the Mini infotainment system, we were able to track our longitude, latitude and altitude – something I would never have found useful before, but as we approached the equator I couldn’t stop myself from looking at it.

Around every corner the scenery became more dramatic and we found ourselves sheltered as we 64 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

dropped into the valleys, where temperatures rose to close to 40 degrees, before we climbed back up again to almost 3,000m and saw temperatures fall to 14 within half an hour.

The altitude in Pasto meant I was asleep very quickly despite our elation at arriving in the city before the light had gone.

We were only four days in by this point but it felt like we’d been in these Minis for weeks.

Leaving for Quito in Ecuador the next morning, the Minis were desperate for fuel and stations to refuel were becoming few and far between. It was looking like we may have to break into the petrol cans on the roof, so we radioed through to the Volkswagen bus that was leading our convoy.

There was some German banter back and forth and Moritz, who’d been driving with us, laughed with a sigh. I did my best not to pay attention in school, so every time this happened I had accepted that most of it was probably at our expense and would remain a mystery, but this reaction meant that this time I had to know.

‘They asked how many miles of range we have left and I said 20, then they laughed and said they have 300.’ There you have it: if you’re going to do a journey such as this then buy a diesel Volkswagen.

Today would be the dreaded border crossing, where we would have to justify why we’d flown to Cartagena, jumped into some cars from Germany and headed for the border. And that was just to get us across, after which our escorts would have to make the same justifications for the cars.

The bad news for the Mini team was that the official who had stamped their passports on entering Colombia hadn’t rotated it from July to August, making it appear they’d been in the country a month longer than they actually had.

After some back and forth, though, suspicions were quelled and the Germans were allowed to leave. Two hours later – the quickest border crossing for the cars yet – the British car was approved and we sped past the border force. Well worth the wait.

We were out on our own for the first time in what felt like forever, and the change as we drove away from Colombia was instant. The shape of the mountains altered in such a dramatic way it was almost unbelievable.

I’ll admit I knew very little about Ecuador, and it was such a minor part of our trip that I didn’t really research it. All of a sudden, the country felt wealthier. There were real bus stops, sculptures on roundabouts and the roads were glorious. I know it doesn’t sound like much but these two countries were worlds apart.

The Ecuadorian military and police presence was hugely different too. Between stunning scenery we were quizzed again and again about where we were going, where had we been and why were two English journalists and a German in a car they’d never seen before?

We were so exhausted and famished as we reached the hotel that it didn’t even sink in until later that evening that we wouldn’t be getting back in our Mini again.

The convoy curves around the mountains of

A much-needed rest for our backs

Top of the world! (Almost...)

‘Go straight to Ecuador for beautiful roads like a race track, scenery to die for, coffee and loads of chocolate.’

Colombia as we try to make up time on our second day

Ecuador’s mountain roads were a sweet reward once we’d crossed the border into the country

On the home stretch, we raced to the hotel in Quito, where we waved goodbye to our Minis

O

ver dinner, we found out that they’d have to leave us the following morning. They would be carrying on further south on the Pan American Highway while we flew back to Blighty.

Here’s my travel guide to Colombia: don’t bother driving. That is, unless you really love driving regardless of the terrain, distance and vehicle. Definitely don’t try to ship your car from Panama – at least, not if you have a schedule that you need to keep to. Go straight to Ecuador for beautiful roads like a race track, scenery to die for, coffee and loads of chocolate.

The Minis though? Who’d have thought that a hybrid crossover of a city car would actually be great fun to drive around and the only upside to those terrible roadworks? The perfect balance between sporty Cooper driving with slightly softer suspension.

Despite the blisteringly hot days contrasted with freezing temperatures, the highs and the lows, it survived it all in style.

It still wouldn’t be my second, third or even fourth choice if I decided to do this insane drive again, but it’s fair to say this tiny SUV certainly surprised me. [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 65

66 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Focus on.

Startline Motor Finance

New ‘flexible prime’ PCP already a big hit at franchise dealerships STARTLINE

W: startlinemotorfinance.com E: enquiries@startlinemotorfinance.com

A

newly launched PCP product from Startline Motor Finance is already seeing 50 per cent penetration at some franchise dealerships.

It is designed to be offered by dealers alongside PCPs from traditional prime lenders and suggested as an alternative source of funding when applicants are declined. However, it offers APRs and general terms similar to those offered by prime lenders rather than resembling a sub-prime product.

CEO Paul Burgess said: ‘At some of our most important franchise dealer customers, half the business that we have written in the last month is for the PCP which, to us, shows that the product has immediately found quite an important niche in the market. In many cases, we are helping dealers to sell cars, and customers to buy them, in a way that would be otherwise unavailable.

‘Certainly, interest is high from a wide range of franchise and independent dealers.

They recognise that it is an innovation that could potentially open up PCP to a wider market that has previously been ignored by the motor finance sector.’

Paul explained that the PCP product was designed for customers who have been rejected by prime lenders even though they are good credit risks, because they do not meet requirements based on their work patterns or other socio-economic factors.

‘We live in a changing world, and just because someone rents their home or works on a series of temporary contracts, they should not be excluded from a fair approach to motor finance. Around 20 per cent of used car buyers fall into this category.

‘Our underwriting takes a closer look at the circumstances of the person making the finance application, often entering into a dialogue with them and with the dealer.

‘The thinking is that if we can gain an understanding of that person’s overall financial position, then we can work to arrive at a solution

Chief operating officer Gregor Sutherland, left, and chief executive officer Paul Burgess that meets their needs. It’s a more holistic process. Crucially, we provide a third option for dealers who currently only offer prime and sub-prime lenders. Too many customers who do not meet prime criteria are passed straight to sub-prime lenders when they remain good credit risks, we believe. Flexible prime has very much been created for these people and their particular circumstances.’

A whole range of flexible prime products The new PCP product forms part of a range of products that include the core Startline hire purchase product and Finishline, which was launched last year. The latter is designed to provide a further hire purchase option, being targeted at used car buyers who narrowly fail to meet the company’s primary lending criteria but

‘Too many customers who do not meet prime criteria are passed straight to subprime lenders when they remain good credit risks.’

Paul Burgess

are still good-quality applicants. Paul said: ‘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.’

About Startline Motor Finance Headquartered in Glasgow, Startline Motor Finance is run by a highly experienced motor finance team and has a sales presence throughout the whole of the UK. More details at startlinemotorfinance.com or email enquiries@startlinemotorfinance.com CarDealerMag.co.uk | 67

Focus on.

Click Dealer

Interconnectivity is key for the modern-day dealership CLICK DEALER

T: 01782 454354

E: cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk

D

igitisation has changed how customers buy products for ever, which in turn has caused dealerships to adapt the ways in which they operate. In fact, being a dealer is no longer a simple affair at all, especially when faced with an array of different systems, spreadsheets and even the odd Post-it note, just to get through the daily admin.

Stock, enquiries, sales, website, CRM, marketing, invoicing, accounting, profit and VAT reports, FCA Gabriel – a dealer’s to-do list is endless. But what stands out the most when trying to tackle these tasks is that hardly any of these systems and spreadsheets talk to each other, which means multiple log-ins, duplicated data entry and a lot of wasted time.

It’s time to stop juggling multiple systems Juggling so many systems just to keep everything in sync is not only inefficient but it also sounds frustrating and painful! Which is why dealership performance partners, Click Dealer, created an end-to-end system, which encompasses all this functionality and more, to help busy dealers save time and increase profitability significantly.

Click Dealer can provide integrated modules which can be taken out individually or collectively, enabling a far more efficient way to process business.

The digital dealership experts offer a combined DMS and website platform, which in turn links into an enhanced lead management suite.

All this is seamlessly interconnected to industry-leading CRM and marketing modules as part of a frictionless operation, refined over almost 20 years of technical experience in the automotive sector.

A specialist, in-house Automotive Search Engine Marketing Team is on hand to help drive more traffic to dealers’ websites, all of which is tracked. As well as the award-winning online retailing platform ClickEngage, which can be easily embedded into any website, enabling dealers to sell their vehicles directly online, Click Dealer offers everything the modern-day

dealership requires in one solution, designed to cater for their every need.

From digital invoicing to accounts integration Inside ClickDMS (which was recently voted DMS of the Year by readers of this very magazine), the digital invoice system is linked to dealers’ marketing databases and everything is GDPRcompliant, so they’re fully set up to utilise customer retention campaigns to great effect.

The DMS also captures all the data, so that it can automatically generate reports from acquiring stock, right through to selling it, and for every KPI in between, giving businesses a 360-degree insight into their overall performance.

ClickDMS is already set up to be fully compliant with next April’s digital VAT changes implemented by HMRC and can even send AutoTrader portal enquiries straight to dealers’ inboxes, to make sure that they remain compliant and prevent any lucrative leads from slipping through the net.

Click Dealer doesn’t believe in re-inventing the wheel, so where possible its systems are integrated with external platforms, so data can be shared to save time and combat double entering.

A fine example of this is the ClickDMS accounts function which exports to both Sage and Xero.

The customer is king It’s impossible to maintain an all-encompassing system such as Click Dealer’s without the support

68 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

of sector-leading customer service. Like most dealers, The Clickers appreciate a cup of tea and a chat, which is why their implementation and customer service team are available by phone for dealers to speak to directly. With a glowing fivestar Google review rating, Click Dealer takes great pride in putting its dealers first and helping them is always the number-one priority for the marketleading automotive software provider.

Click Dealer director and head of customer care, Pippa Rawlinson, left, said: ‘I am very proud of our market-leading reputation for customer care and we always go the extra mile to ensure our clients feel the Clicker love.

‘From the very beginning we invested heavily in our customer services team because we wanted to be there for our dealers and help them whenever they had a problem. We’re not the sort of company who get the contract signed and then suddenly don’t care any more.

‘In fact, we don’t have a hefty notice period, such is our confidence in the products and services that we provide.’

For dealers who are looking to save time, simplify processes and increase profitability in their business through one end-to-end system, Click Dealer believes that it can help and has years of experience in doing just that! l To find out if Click Dealer could be the performance partner for your dealership, please contact us today on 01782 454354 or cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 69

Focus on. eDynamix

Revolutionise your aftersales operation with eDynamix EDYNAMIX

B

T: 0845 413 0000 W: edynamix.com

efore the advent of the technological age, life in the motor trade was predominantly paper-based and users worked with one system at the most. Then the emergence of new technologies brought with it a plethora of different systems specifically designed to digitise these processes.

Whether it was carrying out a vehicle health check, selling a service plan or reminding customers about their service and MOT, users were expected to work with multiple systems, each one having a different log-in. To add to the confusion, not all of these systems integrated with each other, and even when they did, there remained a lot of double-keying.

This opened the door to data inconsistency, process inefficiencies and general mistakes.

70 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

eDynamix never charges set-up fees, nor do we insist on tied-in contracts for any of our current portfolio of products, which include: Currently, you could argue not much has changed. In fact, it could be said that things are worse than ever as even more processes and systems have emerged. We have now evolved to recording and sending videos to customers and tracking sales enquiries as they progress from enquiry to sale.

In 2010, eDynamix was created to provide service plans to dealers. Subsequently, it became apparent that there was a necessity to build a solution that encompasses ALL the daily aftersales processes from one log-in. Within a few short years eDynamix was able to offer service plans; iVHC; a service & MOT CRM system; a video platform; and much, much more. All of which not only integrate fully with each other but also integrate with the majority of DMS systems. eDynamix now offers a full complement of aftersales solutions and is now moving into the sales arena to bring sales and aftersales together in a way that’s never been done before.

System and process efficiencies, as well as usability and functional richness are paramount to the eDynamix vision. Hence, in addition to

• eVHC • Service plans • Follow-up CRM • Online bookings • Customer surveys • Automated customer app • Repair and finance plans • Sales & aftersales video • Sales lead management • Used stock management • Connect management app • Courtesy car management • GDPR consent management • GDPR marketing data cleansing • MOT history and data cleansing • WIP/debtor control management

integration with DMS applications, integration is also available with other data providers such as DVLA, DVSA & VOSA, Auto Trader, Glass’s, Cap HPI, TPS, MPS and many more.

To find out more or to book a demo, contact eDynamix on 0845 413 0000.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 71

Data file.

Thestatistics

| SMMT SALES DATA | TAKING STOCK | STRONG GROWTH

Attractive summer deals give UK new car market a boost during August

Y

ear-on-year demand for new cars increased by a healthy 23 per cent in August, according to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

A total of 94,094 new cars were registered in the month as the market responded to regulatory changes, with cost-savvy buyers taking advantage of some compelling deals in what is always one of the year’s smallest months.

Demand was up across the board, with consumers and fleets boosting year-on-year registrations by 23.3 per cent and 19.7 per cent respectively, while the smaller business sector rose 166.4 per cent, equivalent to an uplift of around 1,500 units against August last year.

Superminis remained the most popular buy, followed by small family and dual-purpose cars, with the luxury saloon and city car segments recording the most notable growth – up 120.8 per cent and 39.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, the UK’s growing range of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars continued to attract buyers, with a record one in 12 people choosing one.

Demand surged by a substantial 88.7 per cent, with the sector accounting for

eight per cent of the market – its highest consumers renewed confidence in the level ever – as billions of pounds of performance of all vehicles, helping manufacturer investment help deliver them choose the latest, cleanest more ultra-low and zero-emission technology that best suits their driving models to the market. needs, whether that be petrol, diesel, In the year to date, the overall market hybrid or plug-in.’ remains down by 4.2 per cent, in line Sean Kemple, director of sales at Close with forecasts after a turbulent first eight Brothers Motor Finance, said: ‘This spike months. However, demand remains in car registrations is almost certainly a at a high level, with more than 1.5 reaction to the incoming Worldwide million new cars featuring the Harmonised Light Vehicle Test latest in advanced safety, Procedure. Manufacturers emissions and convenience have offered a wealth of technology joining British incentives to shift stock roads so far in 2018. before the new rules come SMMT chief executive into play, with dealers and Mike Hawes said: ‘It’s great customers alike benefiting to see such strong growth, from the race to outrun the particularly in the important Mike Hawes new regulation. electric vehicle market. However, ‘Moving into Q4, there will given August is always a small month likely be a time lag as manufacturers in new car registrations ahead of the grapple with the new measures, important plate-change month of potentially leading to a shortage of September, it would be wrong to view vehicles in the new car market. Dealers the market as booming. need to ensure that they’re trading stock ‘Indeed, this past month has seen efficiently, especially cars that may not some significant variances as regulatory meet the new emissions test. With the changes have disrupted some supplies. incoming new stock drought, having the In the long term, however, the new right used cars on the forecourt is more emissions certification test will give important than ever.’

SMMT sales data Aug/year to date

5

Top

Most-improved manufacturers in August McLaren

+567%

Aston Martin +310% MG +224% Suzuki +147% Subaru +127%

5

Bottom

Worst-performing manufacturers in August

Infiniti -80% Chevrolet -75% DS -72% SsangYong -38% Nissan -33%

All eyes on September after many people tempted to buy early SEPTEMBER’S registration figures will give a more accurate picture of the state of the UK’s new car market, according to Ian Gilmartin, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays Corporate Banking.

He added: ‘At first glance, the highest August new car registrations this century appear to be an extraordinary achievement, and the efforts made to secure sales over the summer shouldn’t be entirely dismissed. However, we need to consider 72 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

this result more cautiously, as regulatory changes that came into force at the start of September led to some very generous deals being offered in August which will have brought sales forward.

‘In any case, August figures can’t be used as a bellwether for the overall state of the industry. To give some context, September sales are typically five or six times bigger than August, with buyers rushing to snap up new-plate models. All eyes

will now be on next month’s data to get a better picture of where we stand.’

Sue Robinson, director of the National Franchised Dealers’ Association, said: ‘We strongly urge the government to use the Autumn Budget to clarify its position on diesel, vehicle emissions and vehicle taxes. Going forward, we expect the market to remain distorted during September and the remainder of the year.’

Volvo

Skoda

+35% August 2018 Marque

2018

-5%

August 2017

% market share

2017

Year-to-date (YTD)

% market share

% change

2018

% market share

2017

% market share

% change

Abarth

187

0.20

152

0.20

23.03

3,531

0.22

2,720

0.17

29.82

Alfa Romeo

155

0.16

143

0.19

8.39

2,953

0.19

3,168

0.19

-6.79

Alpine

109

0.12

0

0.00

0.00

120

0.01

0

0.00

0.00

86

0.09

21

0.03

309.52

896

0.06

1,087

0.07

-17.57

7,581

8.06

6,301

8.24

20.31

110,304

7.02

108,916

6.64

1.27

160

0.17

75

0.10

113.33

1,239

0.08

1,164

0.07

6.44

5,998

6.37

4,607

6.03

30.19

108,372

6.89

106,328

6.48

1.92

Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW

1

0.00

4

0.01

-75.00

29

0.00

53

0.00

-45.28

1,786

1.90

2,054

2.69

-13.05

33,464

2.13

35,109

2.14

-4.69

Dacia

811

0.86

769

1.01

5.46

15,794

1.00

16,616

1.01

-4.95

DS

88

0.09

312

0.41

-71.79

4,200

0.27

5,981

0.36

-29.78

Fiat

1,099

1.17

1,283

1.68

-14.34

23,331

1.48

31,913

1.95

-26.89

Ford

Chevrolet Citroen

11,208

11.91

9,234

12.08

21.38

172,777

10.99

194,484

11.86

-11.16

Honda

3,612

3.84

1,886

2.47

91.52

36,905

2.35

34,953

2.13

5.58

Hyundai

2,689

2.86

2,441

3.19

10.16

59,696

3.80

58,728

3.58

1.65

Infiniti

44

0.05

216

0.28

-79.63

623

0.04

2,688

0.16

-76.82

Jaguar

1,242

1.32

565

0.74

119.82

21,628

1.38

23,155

1.41

-6.59 -9.05

232

0.25

207

0.27

12.08

4,032

0.26

4,433

0.27

Kia

3,552

3.77

3,060

4.00

16.08

62,427

3.97

60,865

3.71

2.57

Land Rover

2,202

2.34

1,512

1.98

45.63

47,477

3.02

52,452

3.20

-9.48

Jeep

Lexus

270

0.29

205

0.27

31.71

7,962

0.51

7,490

0.46

6.30

Lotus

18

0.02

15

0.02

20.00

163

0.01

208

0.01

-21.63 -20.14

49

0.05

53

0.07

-7.55

896

0.06

1,122

0.07

1,589

1.69

1,209

1.58

31.43

25,992

1.65

26,247

1.60

-0.97

40

0.04

6

0.01

566.67

498

0.03

327

0.02

52.29

4,868

5.17

4,738

6.20

2.74

107,605

6.85

114,912

7.01

-6.36

MG

586

0.62

181

0.24

223.76

5,685

0.36

2,479

0.15

129.33

Mini

1,867

1.98

1,524

1.99

22.51

39,343

2.50

39,519

2.41

-0.45

781

0.83

436

0.57

79.13

12,425

0.79

10,387

0.63

19.62

Nissan

2,480

2.64

3,710

4.85

-33.15

68,373

4.35

98,581

6.01

-30.64

Peugeot

3,966

4.21

2,601

3.40

52.48

54,516

3.47

55,008

3.35

-0.89

Porsche

347

0.37

294

0.38

18.03

9,979

0.63

8,899

0.54

12.14

Renault

1,871

1.99

1,852

2.42

1.03

39,703

2.53

46,268

2.82

-14.19 25.95

Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz

Mitsubishi

Seat

3,624

3.85

2,232

2.92

62.37

45,209

2.88

35,894

2.19

Skoda

2,772

2.95

2,918

3.82

-5.00

50,715

3.23

52,507

3.20

-3.41

smart

277

0.29

303

0.40

-8.58

4,643

0.30

7,059

0.43

-34.23

62

0.07

100

0.13

-38.00

1,819

0.12

2,551

0.16

-28.69

Subaru

100

0.11

44

0.06

127.27

1,839

0.12

1,608

0.10

14.37

Suzuki

4,336

4.61

1,758

2.30

146.64

29,319

1.87

26,366

1.61

11.20

Toyota

3,620

3.85

2,742

3.59

32.02

66,651

4.24

65,580

4.00

1.63

Vauxhall

5,078

5.40

6,678

8.74

-23.96

114,809

7.30

130,693

7.97

-12.15

Volkswagen

11,255

11.96

6,923

9.06

62.57

141,402

9.00

129,044

7.87

9.58

Volvo

1,059

1.13

786

1.03

34.73

29,045

1.85

28,709

1.75

1.17

95

0.10

19

0.02

400.00

534

0.03

471

0.03

13.38

242

0.26

264

0.35

-8.33

3,063

0.19

3,499

0.21

-12.46

23.11

1,571,986

SsangYong

Other British Other imports Total

94,094

76,433

1,640,241

-4.16 Figures supplied by SMMT

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

LCV news.

Fullyloaded

| LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES | FLEET | REVIEWS |

PULSE REPORT

Long-term value growth for LCVs

THE scorching weather and summer holiday period brought a little pressure to the July auction marketplace with values slipping from £7,463 in June to £7,221, reported BCA. However, the longer-term trend continues to show value growth across the LCV sector, with year-on-year values ahead by £668 (10.1 per cent) and July’s figure being the fifth highest on record.

Bidding continued to be very competitive, said BCA.

MOTOR SHOW

Special occasion for LCV maker Maxus

MAXUS will be showcasing four variants of its new range of zero-emissions EV80 batteryelectric vans at the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover this month.

The event is the first major international motor show in Europe for the light commercial vehicle manufacturer and subsidiary of China’s largest vehicle manufacturer SAIC Motor. Two EV80 vans will be available for visitors to test-drive at the show.

74 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

ANALYSIS

AEB on vans ‘could cut crashes by up to 2,500’ F

itting autonomous emergency braking systems as standard on all commercial vehicles in the UK could stop almost 2,500 crashes per year, says Volkswagen.

Analysis of Department for Transport van accident statistics reveals 2,496 incidents involving vans weighing up to 3.5 tonnes could have been avoided if autonomous emergency braking systems had been fitted – preventing 348 deaths and serious injuries.

Across the car industry, autonomous emergency braking has the potential to save 1,000 lives and 120,000 casualties over the next 10

years, with AEB leading to a realworld accident reduction of 38 per cent, according to Thatcham.

Since June 1, 2017, all buyers of a new VW Caddy, Transporter or Crafter have had AEB systems (front assist with city emergency braking) fitted as standard, making Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles the only manufacturer to offer the tech as standard across its van range. The technology is regarded

by Thatcham Research as ‘probably the most significant development in vehicle safety since the seat belt’.

Carl zu Dohna, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles,

said: ‘We are proud to be leading the way with AEB standard across our van range. Ensuring our customers have the safest and most reliable commercial vehicles is all part of our Working With You promise.

‘Autonomous emergency braking systems mean safer vehicles, fewer accidents and therefore reduced downtime and lower costs, as well as the potential to save lives.’

AEB systems also have the potential to cut third-party insurance claims by 45 per cent, meaning lower costs and less time off the road for van drivers and fleet operators.

Top-selling LCVs in August Ford Transit Custom 2,439 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1,820 Ford Transit 1,657 Volkswagen Transporter 825 Ford Ranger 737

Source: SMMT

Peugeot Partner Peugeot Boxer Ford Transit Connect Vauxhall Vivaro Citroen Berlingo

678 674 651 640 514

LCV registrations, p76

First look

First drive

Ford’s Transit PHEV prototype

Battery-powered version of VW Crafter

Sliding doors WITH CRAIG CHEETHAM

A look at the world of buying and selling vans and pick-ups

Clean Van Commitment should act as catalyst that charging network needs

T

hey may not sound very sexy, but commercial vehicles are spearheading a technological revolution.

Their size and usage patterns make them ideal testbeds for EV technology, and following an announcement earlier this month by a government department, they’re also set to be the catalyst to Britain’s electric vehicle charging network finally getting the attention it needs if we’re to embrace electro-mobility as a genuine alternative to fossil fuels. That may sound like a very backward-looking statement, but it isn’t. For as good as EVs are, they’re still the minority: the preserve of early adopters and those who want to be seen to be green. Buying and running one is still a compromise, no matter how good the product or the sales manager that promotes it. In the cold light of day, to use an EV you have to think ahead and avoid spontaneous journeys.

But with the new Clean Van Commitment led by the Department for Transport, all that’s about to change – and that’s fact rather than speculation. A total of 16 major fleets have signed up to the scheme, in which they commit to buying 2,400 electric vans before 2020 and a total of 28,000 by 2025.

And there are some big players in the game – Tesco, Network Rail and Anglian Water, to name but a few. The companies will invest an initial £40 million over the next two years to increase the use of electric vans, and will be working closely with EV manufacturers to expand the number of these vehicles on their fleets.

If companies as large as these are prepared to embrace e-mobility, then e-mobility must be prepared to embrace them, and the promise of 28,000 vehicles guaranteed to be in constant use across the UK, morning, noon and night, will be enough for the companies themselves, as well as the energy suppliers, to invest

in the necessary framework to ensure they can be used without compromise. With infrastructure and range anxiety being the biggest barriers to people buying an electric vehicle, an investment like this, on a macro scale, is exactly what’s needed in order to get more EVs on the road, create a used vehicle sales and support network and to educate the masses about how they can and will be used as a viable alternative to petrol or diesel.

There’s even talk of introducing green number plates, which EV drivers can then use to show off their environmental credentials, but moreover benefit from certain green benefits, such as free parking and a dispensation to drive down bus lanes in congested urban areas.

This is the kind of incentive that can save businesses money, and the Clean Van Commitment isn’t limited to the 16 companies that first sign up – more will be recruited as the scheme grows and kicks in, especially if they start to see the benefit.

If you’re selling EVs at the moment, this could be big news, as once the large fleets start using them more, the private punters and small business users will follow – and these are a dealer’s bread and butter. EVs are already big news in the van market, with Renault and Nissan dealers seeing good profits off the back of them. Volkswagen, Ford, Mercedes, Citroen and Peugeot are also charging ahead, with the latter having just sealed a huge deal with Royal Mail to put an entire fleet of electric Partners on the road.

If you’re not selling EVs at the moment you need to do so or you risk being left behind. They’re no longer the sole preserve of beardy weirdies. The EV charging network has always been a chicken-and-egg situation, and with the Clean Van Commitment and its multi-million-pound partners, the chicken is now in the building. The eggs are sure to follow.

‘In the cold light of day, to use an EV you have to think ahead and avoid spontaneous journeys.’

Craig Cheetham is an experienced automotive journalist with specialist knowledge of the LCV sector.

Turn over the page for more LCV stories CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

LCV news.

LATEST STATISTICS

Fluctuations in demand will mean ongoing uncertainty, says SMMT THE British light commercial vehicle market grew during August, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

A total of 16,394 new LCVs were registered – a five per cent increase in demand.

Pick-ups experienced the largest rise (up 21.4 per cent) while demand for large vans saw a 14.6

per cent increase to take over two-thirds (67.2 per cent) of all van registrations. It was a different picture for small- and medium-sized vans, which fell 9.3 per cent and 29.7 per cent respectively.

Year-to-date registrations are down 2.2 per cent, with 220,399 new LCVs joining British roads so far this year, as fluctuating registrations caused

by variations in fleet-buying cycles and business confidence continued to affect the market.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘While year-to-date figures show the market remains at a reasonably high level, weak business confidence and uncertainty means fluctuations in demand will likely continue throughout the year.’

Registrations of new commercial vehicles less than 3.5 t August 2018 Marque

2018

Figures supplied by SMMT

August 2017

% market share

2017

Year-to-date (YTD)

% market share

% change

2018

% market share

2017

% market share

% change

Ford

5,685

34.68

5,008

32.06

13.52

78,189

35.48

72,470

32.16

7.89

Volkswagen

1,839

11.22

1,737

11.12

5.87

26,472

12.01

25,473

11.31

3.92

Peugeot

1,704

10.39

1,926

12.33

-11.53

23,064

10.46

23,013

10.21

0.22

Citroen

1,011

6.17

1,120

7.17

-9.73

17,303

7.85

17,272

7.67

0.18

Vauxhall

1,193

7.28

1,385

8.87

-13.86

15,697

7.12

18,205

8.08

-13.78

Mercedes

2,095

12.78

1,358

8.69

54.27

15,415

6.99

18,179

8.07

-15.20

Renault

557

3.40

606

3.88

-8.09

9,430

4.28

12,932

5.74

-27.08

Nissan

508

3.10

421

2.70

20.67

8,383

3.80

10,523

4.67

-20.34

Mitsubishi

291

1.78

267

1.71

8.99

6,435

2.92

6,298

2.80

2.18

Toyota

287

1.75

321

2.06

-10.59

6,206

2.82

6,394

2.84

-2.94

Fiat

449

2.74

582

3.73

-22.85

5,645

2.56

7,345

3.26

-23.14

Isuzu

197

1.20

380

2.43

-48.16

2,907

1.32

3,446

1.53

-15.64

Iveco

222

1.35

267

1.71

-16.85

2,029

0.92

1,938

0.86

4.70

Renault Trucks

65

0.40

147

0.94

-55.78

981

0.45

847

0.38

15.82

Land Rover

31

0.19

0

0.00

0.00

779

0.35

20

0.01

3795.00 69.17

41

0.25

25

0.16

64.00

406

0.18

240

0.11

MAN

120

0.73

0

0.00

0.00

381

0.17

0

0.00

0.00

LDV

56

0.34

31

0.20

80.65

291

0.13

215

0.10

35.35

SsangYong

32

0.20

31

0.20

3.23

202

0.09

293

0.13

-31.06

4

0.02

3

0.02

33.33

100

0.05

106

0.05

-5.66

Isuzu Trucks

Mitsubishi Fuso Dacia

7

0.04

2

0.01

250.00

55

0.02

45

0.02

22.22

Hyundai

0

0.00

1

0.01

0.00

25

0.01

30

0.01

-16.67

0

0.00

1

0.01

0.00

4

0.00

27

0.01

-85.19

16,394

100.00

15,619

100.00

4.96

220,399

100.00

225,311

100.00

-2.18

Great Wall Total light CV

Registrations of new commercial vehicles 3.5 t to 6.0 t August 2018 Marque

2018

Peugeot Ford

Figures supplied by SMMT

August 2017

% market share

2017

Year-to-date (YTD)

% market share

% change

2018

% market share

2017

% market share

% change

205

33.23

37

9.16

454.05

1,844

30.75

359

7.87

413.65

76

12.32

143

35.40

-46.85

1,259

20.99

1,432

31.38

-12.08 16.40

79

12.80

71

17.57

11.27

1,249

20.83

1,073

23.52

Mercedes

184

29.82

94

23.27

95.74

1,160

19.34

1,075

23.56

7.91

Iveco

48

7.78

22

5.45

118.18

228

3.80

272

5.96

-16.18

Citroen

2

0.32

10

2.48

-80.00

75

1.25

52

1.14

44.23

Vauxhall

8

1.30

19

4.70

-57.89

61

1.02

91

1.99

-32.97

Fiat

Renault

5

0.81

7

1.73

-28.57

50

0.83

48

1.05

4.17

Volkswagen

4

0.65

1

0.25

300.00

47

0.78

113

2.48

-58.41

MAN

4

0.65

0

0.00

0.00

14

0.23

0

0.00

0.00

Isuzu Trucks

1

0.16

0

0.00

0.00

8

0.13

19

0.42

-57.89

Renault Trucks

1

0.16

0

0.00

0.00

2

0.03

2

0.04

0.00

Nissan Total heavy CV

76 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

0

0.00

0

0.00

0.00

0

0.00

27

0.59

0.00

617

100.00

404

100.00

52.72

5,997

100.00

4,563

100.00

31.43

CV Spotlight.

...in association with Manheim

The storm of acronyms that is making life so fascinating There’s never been a more dynamic time for the LCV sector. James Davis explains why...

N

ever before in my 25 years in this industry have so many factors lined up to influence the fortunes of new and used vans. Our trade is currently caught up in a storm of acronyms: ULEZ, CAZ, WLTP, RDE and RFL to name just a few. It’s a remarkable time. But what does all this mean for you and your customers?

In this, my first column for Car Dealer, I’m going to share my view of what two of these acronyms – ULEZ and CAZ – mean to those of us involved in the buying and selling of LCVs. A Clean Air Zone (CAZ) is an area in which a local authority can introduce measures to improve air quality, with the focus on reducing vehicle pollution. Measures can include charging for entry or restricting usage during peak times, with pre-Euro 6 diesel vans a high-priority target. Five cities – Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, Nottingham and Southampton – have been mandated to introduce CAZs by 2020, but with a further 23 local authorities earmarked to join them and another 33 currently considering their options, it’s a safe bet CAZs will be a way of life throughout the UK in the not-too-distant future.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) is a supersized version of a CAZ for London and goes live in April next year. The only diesel vans exempt from the ULEZ charge will be those with Euro 6 units, and the minimum standard for petrol van exemption will be Euro 4.

Much of the detail around how the CAZs will operate is yet to be confirmed, but what we do know is that operating some

LCVs in urban areas is set to become really quite expensive.

But what does this all mean to you and me?

It’s surely good news for the trade – an open sales opportunity as the nation’s fleet operators look to dispose of their non-compliant stock.

In one respect, yes. Indeed, one recent online poll suggested that 78 per cent of respondents plan to upgrade their CVs in the face of ULEZ and CAZ zones, while just 10 per cent said they would pay the fine. But this offers only one perspective. The number and profile of this particular survey’s respondents aren’t stated, but I would suggest they weren’t made up of the sole traders and SMEs that own the lion’s share of the UK’s 4.1 million vans.

Few of these owners are in newer, compliant stock. In fact, some 30 per cent of the national LCV car parc is more than 10 years old.

And while the legislation is designed to accelerate these older vehicles’ journey to the scrap heap, the realities of running a small

business means that unlike fleet operators, who have the financial clout and economies of scale to implement wholesale replacement programmes, many smaller operators will simply have little choice but to pay the penalty – at least until that becomes economically unviable.

Those looking to upgrade via the used market will find themselves up against stiff competition.

Demand for Euro 6 stock is strong, but with the average first-life period for a van ranging from five to 10 years, only a modest proportion of the used van market will be of this spec.

Factor in WLTP plus the mass confusion surrounding the impact of its rollout and the volume of Euro 6 vehicles in particular hitting the used market could very well fall short of demand.

It’s far from a doom-and-gloom situation, though – we’ve just reported another recordbreaking month, with average selling prices up 18 per cent on July 2017’s numbers – but there’s no doubt the air quality agenda will impact on the behaviour of both new and used LCV buyers in the months to come.

Will it drive demand for flexi-rentals, or even a switch to petrol or alternative-fuel vehicles? In the medium term my money’s not on the latter, while the former will almost certainly rise in popularity – and have its own influence on the used market.

Perhaps the only certainties are diesel will continue to dominate the world of LCVs for some time to come and this is a fascinating time to be in the game.

And that’s why I love commercials!

Who is James Davis? James has worked in the auction world for more than 25 years, with five years spent as a vendor for a major CV leasing company.

The majority of his career has been in the CV remarketing auction arena and he has been Manheim’s director of commercial vehicles for eight years.

The UK’s Number 1 CV Auction Company manheim.co.uk/commercials CarDealerMag.co.uk | 77

LCV news.

FIRST LOOK

Ford Transit PHEV prototype

Tom Wiltshire enjoys a very early drive of the world’s first purpose-built hybrid van – but what did he make of it?

FIRST DRIVE

Volkswagen e-Crafter

Ryan Hirons tests a batterypowered variant of the Crafter van, suitable for firms that operate strictly within the city limits.

What is it?

charge to be used when conditions require it, and THE KNOWLEDGE This is an early prototype ‘EV Auto’ allows the van to of Ford’s Transit PHEV – the decide for itself based on world’s first purpose-built Model as tested: Ford Transit load and driving style. hybrid van. It’s a series

PHEV prototype More interesting is the hybrid, meaning the engine Price: TBA addition of geofencing – a never directly drives the Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder way for the van to switch

with electric motor wheels, and mates a automatically into pure-EV Power (bhp): 67 compact battery and motor Max speed (mph): 70 mode if it detects it’s within combination with the 1.0-litre Range:

31 miles (battery) a certain geographical area. turbocharged petrol engine

310 miles (combined) This tech is being tried out that’s familiar across Ford’s in the London congestion passenger range. charging zone and could be The goal is simple – to the future of reducing inner-city emissions. create an alternative to a diesel van that stays on the right side of emissions regulations, while What’s it like inside? offering more flexibility than a pure-electric van Most importantly for commercial customers, that’s tied down to charging points and only the Transit’s load area is totally unaffected – offers a limited range. as is its payload. Up front, we can’t really judge the cab – systems that will be What’s under the bonnet? integrated on the production model are These prototype models aren’t running the just ugly additions on these prototypes. production powertrain. The 67bhp electric motor is likely to be around twice as powerful when this van hits the market in 2019, so it’s not really fair to judge it based on its sedate performance during our test drive.

The battery pack is flat and lies underneath the floor, so it doesn’t intrude on the load area, while under the bonnet a 1.0-litre petrol engine kicks in when the battery charge is low.

What’s it like to drive?

Production models will have three drive modes to choose from. ‘EV Now’ runs the Transit PHEV as a pure-electric vehicle for up to 31 miles, ‘EV Later’ keeps the battery at a constant state of 78 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

What do we think?

Though it’s hard to gauge a full picture from this very early prototype, we think Ford could be on to a winner with this van. The benefits of going electric, such as congestion charge exemption, 31 miles of dirt-cheap motoring and staying on the right side of emissions regulations, are all balanced out with the ability to head further afield if your needs demand it.

What is it?

With the world turning towards electric mobility, it’s only a matter of time before commercial vehicles become a mainstream target of electrification for a number of manufacturers — and Volkswagen is one of the first to go down this route.

This is the Volkswagen e-Crafter, which — as you may have guessed by the fact that it follows the trend of sticking an ‘e’ in front of electric stuff — is a battery-powered variant of the Crafter van, aimed squarely at town-based businesses.

What’s new?

Although the Crafter has been around in its current guise since early 2017, Volkswagen insists the battery powertrain is not shoehorned in — rather, the platform was designed with electrification in mind.

That aside, there’s little else to distinguish it from the van it’s based on. The German firm has introduced this to give city-going business users a van that works with anti-fossil fuel regulations and also reduces costs over the long term.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model as tested: Volkswagen e-Crafter Price: N/A Engine: Electric Power (bhp): 134 Torque (Nm): 230 Max speed (mph): 56 0-60mph: N/A Range (miles): 107 Emissions (g/km): 0

What’s under the bonnet?

Powering the e-Crafter is an electric motor lifted from the e-Golf, which sends power to the front wheels. The system develops 134bhp and 230Nm of torque, with the van’s top speed capped at 56mph. As for range, Volkswagen claims 107 miles on the NEDC cycle on a full charge with the battery capable of fast-charging as standard. Of course, being electric, emissions aren’t a concern.

As with all electric machinery, the e-Crafter delivers a fair bit of punch. Although not exactly quick, the instant and constant torque makes it potent enough for zipping around town and it isn’t hampered much by a medium load of cargo.

What’s it like to drive?

The e-Crafter, much like its fossil-fuel-powered sibling, is rather car-like to drive considering it’s a huge van. Its electric steering is well weighted, and it’s also quite a manoeuvrable machine.

Large, double-stacked mirrors make visibility a breeze – aided further by the standard inclusion of a reversing camera.

But while the e-Crafter may be ideal for business use in town, it falls flat if you’re looking to cover long distances. With a maximum top speed of 56mph and a claimed range of 107 miles, it’s hard to imagine it as anything other than an inner-city workhorse. VW recognises this, though, pitching it as a machine for the local grind.

How does it look?

Despite being electric, the e-Crafter does well in making no huge visual fuss of its battery-powered mechanicals. It looks just like a regular Crafter, aside from a bit of badging and a lack of exhaust

pipes, and that’s a good thing in this case. The design is sharp, with Volkswagen’s corporate look heading it up, while standard LED headlights help it stand out on the road.

Otherwise, it’s all very standard – slab sides and tall dimensions – but this is, of course, a machine designed for functionality over form.

What’s it like inside?

Being a van, it’s all about space and ruggedness for the Volkswagen e-Crafter.

It may have hard, scratchy plastics in the cabin but they’re there for a good reason. Along with plenty of cubby holes and other storage spots, the interior has been designed to handle anything thrown its way. It’s also recognisably VW inside, with the family dashboard making a sharp and stylish appearance.

What about its intended purpose, though?

The e-Crafter has a payload of up to 1.72 tonnes, with space for four wooden pallets to fit in comfortably, making it well up to the task of an inner-city machine. Unlike its diesel stablemates though, the e-Crafter isn’t rated for towing – making it a hard sell to anyone looking for trailer functionality with their van.

What’s the spec like?

Creature comforts are pretty minimal for the e-Crafter – after all, it’s a workhorse, not a luxury machine – but there’s plenty of gear to improve safety and make the van a more practical and liveable machine.

Standard features include ParkPilot assistance, cameras at both the front and rear of the vehicle, automatic post-collision braking (the first in its

TARGET BUYERS: Urban business.

THE RIVALS: Volkswagen Crafter diesel, Ford Transit.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Perfect for inner-city use.

2. Well equipped.

3. Shows hope for the electric commercial future.

DEAL CLINCHER: It’s an economical, yet practical, option for citybound businesses. class to boast this), cruise control with lane keep assistance, and cross wind assist.

There are a few creature comforts. There’s a full-colour infotainment display complete with navigation and Bluetooth support, plus a heated windscreen and heated ‘comfort’ seats.

What do the press think?

Auto Express said: ‘It’s easy to get on with and comfortable to drive, but it’s still a niche choice.’

Autocar added: ‘Electric vans like this one will soon be a regular sight on our streets.’

What do we think?

The Volkswagen e-Crafter shows there’s a place in the current world for electric vans, and also gives us hope that they’ll continue to grow stronger in the future. With great town usability and a respectable payload, it definitely makes sense as an inner-city runabout.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 79

Workshop.

Aftermarket

SERVICING & REPAIRS | PRODUCT NEWS | PEOPLE & PLACES

NEW TOOL

Useful upgrade from Absolute Alignment

ABSOLUTE Alignment, the UK’s leading supplier of wheel alignment equipment, has designed an all-new tool for workshops to make four-wheel alignment simpler and quicker.

Developed specifically for use with Bluetooth Pro and Bluetooth Lite wheel aligners, currently Absolute Alignment’s most popular products, a newly-launched drop bracket means wheel alignment can be carried out on a two-post lift or chassis lift with a high-tech and lightweight alternative to the popular wheel alignment stands.

This equipment upgrade is available now.

TRAINING

Electrified vehicle courses are big hit

ALLIANZ Partners’ new electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid training course has been met with an overwhelming response from industry professionals.

Launched in partnership with the Institute of Vehicle Recovery, the free courses were quickly oversubscribed, highlighting the demand for training in EV technology within the independent recovery market.

80 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

TENTH ANNIVERSARY

A major milestone for Motor Ombudsman

by DAVE BROWN @CarDealerDave

T

he Motor Ombudsman, the automotive dispute resolution provider, is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the launch of its Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair.

The code was introduced in 2008 in response to the need to improve standards within the service and repair sector, and to reduce the number of consumer complaints.

Today, it is one of the four trading standards-approved codes to be offered by The Motor Ombudsman, which cover the entire customer purchase and vehicle ownership experience, and is also the most comprehensive and longest-running code of its kind.

Unveiled with the backing of the Office of Fair Trading, consumer groups and the service and repair sector, the code was designed to ensure that individuals receive honest and fair service when visiting an accredited business for work on their car.

It quickly became recognised as the new industry benchmark for the standards expected of garages, which surpassed those required by law, and saw more than 5,000 businesses voluntarily subscribing

The Service and Repair Code has been refined over the years to the best-practice operating guidelines in its first few months.

Since then, the Service and Repair Code has evolved and been refined in its content to accommodate the arrival of the Consumer Rights Act and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Regulations in 2015, as well as the transition from Motor Codes to The Motor Ombudsman the following year.

This means that more than 7,500 independent garages, franchised car dealerships and vehicle manufacturer-authorised repairers across the UK, which are now accredited to the code, provide

motorists with the very highest levels of service and workmanship.

Bill Fennell, chief ombudsman and managing director of The Motor Ombudsman, said: ‘The tenth anniversary of our Service and Repair Code is significant.

‘It is not only an important milestone, but it’s also a cause for celebration of the sustained efforts that have been made by businesses, through the means of selfregulation, to reverse the negative image that tarnished the service and repair arena in 2008. The future of the sector is certainly looking bright based on current trends.’

Euro Car Parts calls for Type Approval for exhaust sales EURO Car Parts is demanding tighter regulation around the sales of exhaust systems as the Department for Transport looks to reduce the number of non-compliant products sold and fitted in the UK. Martin Gray, chief executive of

the motor factor, said: ‘While it is a legal requirement in the UK for all catalytic converters to meet Type Approval standards, we have no such stipulation regarding exhaust systems. Such a standard will ensure that all repairers are fitting exhausts

manufactured to the same quality as OE equivalents and extensively tested for fitment ease, noise and back pressure.’

Type Approved systems are legally required in Ireland and other European countries but not the UK.

IAAF

Mike promoted to membership role

THE Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) is delighted to announce that Mike Smallbone has been promoted to the position of head of membership development.

Smallbone joined the federation in September 2015 and has been instrumental in IAAF membership recruitment, along with successfully raising the profile of the IAAF’s activities at trade events and also spearheading the ‘Your Car Your Choice’ campaign.

He has more than 35 years’ experience in the automotive industry, having had roles with Halfords, Cafco Automotive, Allparts Automotive and the Parts Alliance, where he worked as business development manager heading up the group’s garage programmes.

In his new role, Smallbone will be tasked with working more closely with existing IAAF members and ensuring they benefit fully from the wide range of benefits available from the federation.

He will also be responsible for creating new initiatives, products and services that support members’ businesses and increasing awareness of the IAAF’s wide-ranging activities.

IAAF chief executive Wendy Williamson said: ‘Mike has been extremely effective since joining the IAAF and has successfully taken our message out to new and existing members. His promotion is richly deserved.’

A ‘worrying’ number of cars are leaving dealerships after a service despite ‘red work’ needing doing

SEEING RED

Safety fears as drivers ignore work warnings L

ess than half of vehicles flagged as needing urgently required work during services were actually repaired in June 2018.

That’s the shock finding of latest data compiled by electronic vehicle health check provider autoVHC. It revealed that just 57 per cent of urgently-required MOT-failing ‘red work’ was carried out in June, with the other motorists leaving dealerships with no repairs made.

The sample size was 139,000 vehicles across 500 dealerships, averaging 278 vehicles per dealer.

The data shows how many unsafe cars are currently on Britain’s roads. Those showing as needing ‘red work’ are vehicles where issues exist that pose serious safety risks

by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk

and in many cases will mean the owner is breaking the law if they continue to drive.

Although the number of cars visiting dealerships remained consistent when compared with the previous year, the amount of ‘red work’ flagged on average by dealerships increased by 30 per cent.

Less urgent but still important ‘amber work’ had an even poorer rate of repair, with just 15 per cent of vehicles leaving a garage with their problems rectified.

Although these issues may not result in an MOT fail, they still

require attention, and can become dangerous in extreme conditions.

Chris Saunders, business unit director of autoVHC, said: ‘It’s obviously incredibly worrying to see the amount of dangerous vehicles that are currently on Britain’s roads.

‘As a motorist, vehicle health should always be a top priority, particularly if an eVHC flags a fault in the ‘‘red work’’ category.’

He added: ‘Vehicles can be incredibly sensitive, and something as trivial as a pothole can result in a major fault on a car.

‘It’s therefore important that motorists ensure their vehicle has regular services and health checks in addition to MOTs.’

RAC backs EU move to update tyre labelling regulations THE RAC has welcomed EU plans to update and improve current tyre-labelling regulations to give consumers more information when buying tyres.

Legislation was first introduced in November 2012 requiring all tyres to carry labels with information about fuel efficiency, wet grip and road noise generated.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘Strengthening the regulations is good news for UK motorists and road safety generally. Currently, there is no requirement for

tyre fitters to show labels at the point of purchase, so motorists are oblivious to the pros and cons of the tyres they are buying. Updating the regulations should fix this by making it mandatory for tyre labels to be shown to motorists in all situations.’

Details about snow and ice performance will be included and other information such as ratings for mileage, wear and a potential indication for re-treaded tyres could be added in future.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 81

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

Mechanic was sick but delayed telling us Q

One of our mechanics failed to turn up for work one morning and was absent for a few days afterwards. We eventually received a sick note, even though his employment contract says he was required to tell us he was sick on the morning of the first day of his absence at the latest. The sick note is backdated to the first day of his illness, but we decided to withhold the sick pay due for the initial unnotified days of his sickness. Are we entitled to do so?

Let us assume your mechanic does not have any entitlement to additional contractual sick pay. The amount of pay he gets on incapacity days is limited to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). There are two separate issues here: notification of sickness and provision of medical evidence.

In order to be entitled to SSP, the employee is required under the relevant regulations to notify the employer of his sickness. Your mechanic failed to notify you of his sickness in the manner you prescribed and without any apparent good reason.

He therefore loses his entitlement to SSP for

A

the period of unnotified sickness under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992.

It must be stressed that it is important the employer sets out the requirements for sickness notification either in the employment contract or in a policy as to the time frame and the manner of the notification. The regulations set out some limitations. The employer cannot insist that the sickness is notified: l In person; l Earlier than the first day of illness or by a specified time on the first day; l More than once every seven days; l On a document supplied by the employer or on a printed form; l On a medical certificate.

If the employer hasn’t set any rules as to the sickness notification, the fall-back position under the regulations is quite generous towards the employee. The sickness must be notified within seven days of becoming ill, and the notification must be in writing unless agreed otherwise.

The employee may have a good reason to delay with notification of sickness. HMRC oversees administration of SSP and notes two examples when late notification should be excused: if the employee lives alone with no means of contacting the employer on time, or if the employee is seriously ill, admitted to hospital and there is no-one who could tell the employer.

If the employee informs of his or her sickness in a timely manner, late submission of evidence of sickness does not invalidate entitlement to SSP. Naturally, without appropriate medical evidence, the employer is not in a position to say that the SSP scheme requirements are met.

Once the evidence is received, albeit late, the lateness in itself does not entitle the employer to withhold the SSP. Of course, within the first seven days the illness would be normally self-certified.

The employer has complete freedom, within the boundaries of reasonableness, to impose notification requirements as to contractual sick pay above the SSP.

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82 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Out of tune..?

Q

We sold on sale or return an Audi RS that had been remapped six months beforehand. It was still under the manufacturer’s warranty, but the customer broke down and had the car recovered to Audi, which invalidated the warranty on discovering it had been ‘tuned’.

The customer has asked that we cover the cost of his repair.

The car was adequately described to the customer, and he doesn’t claim it was misrepresented. However, he appears to be suggesting that the remapping was not carried out with reasonable care and skill, and therefore caused the car to be faulty at the point of sale.

You haven’t advised as to what has gone wrong and, in the circumstances, the only option is to obtain an independent thirdparty expert view on whether the remapping issue meant the car was not of satisfactory quality or fit for purpose at the point of sale. It is arguably a well-known fact that remapping invalidates manufacturer engine warranties, so the customer took the risk by taking the car to a main dealer.

It’s a tricky issue and one for which expert opinion is required.

A

WANT TO UPGRADE?

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Complicated matter surrounding Discovery Sport sale was untangled without any hassle THE Essex Car Group is a used car dealership that specialises in prestige and sports cars from manufacturers such as BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes and Porsche. It currently has around 40 cars on its site but will soon be increasing the number of cars it has advertised.

Kenny Barber has been director at the Brentwood business for two years, and while he has been signed up to Lawgistics at the dealership throughout that time, he has also worked with it on numerous occasions at past retailers.

Barber praised Lawgistics’ fast response times and useful advice.

He said: ‘Whenever I’ve had to call, there have always been quick response times to both our initial contact and any action that’s needed. Accurate advice has always helped, too. It’s a great service,

which is exactly why I use it.’

While Barber explained that he had a few minor cases when first taking over the dealership, more recently he has had to enlist the help of Lawgistics for a difficult case involving a Land Rover Discovery Sport and a customer who was trying to pull the wool over their eyes. It was a complex situation involving an attempted fraud, but Lawgistics helped by getting everything sorted.

Barber said that ideally, no-one should need to obtain legal advice during the course of running a business, but he added: ‘When you do require it, you need to be guided in the right direction, and that’s exactly what Lawgistics does.

‘It saves me a lot of time and helps to take some of the worry and stress out of the job. Signing up to Lawgistics would be the best move that a dealership could make. It’s great, and not only does it look after your interests, it looks after you. I highly recommend Lawgistics.’

Ted Welford

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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.

There really is a package for everyone with Lawgistics.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 83

Auctions.

Manheim leadership team boosted.

Recruitment: p91

JOINT VENTURE

‘Last Chance To Buy’ sales service launched

A

new series of online car and van auctions for dealers is being launched by Volkswagen Financial Services UK. Taking place from 9am to 3pm every other Thursday through epyx’s 1link Disposal Network platform and called Last Chance To Buy, sales will be made up of stock unsold through previous online channels, offered with a competitive start price and unique among VWFS online sales in being open to all buyers registered with epyx.

They will have a wide range of Volkswagen, Audi, Seat, Škoda, Porsche and Volkswagen Commercial vehicles, from selected prestige models through to mainstream stock.

Vehicles are offered with a detailed cosmetic condition report, high-res studio images on eligible stock, and known faults or relevant sales information declared.

In addition to the competitive fees, VWFS also offers a fixed £99 + VAT equalised rate for all deliveries within mainland UK and delivery from £215 + VAT for Northern Ireland.

Martin Woollam, remarketing general manager at VWFS, said: ‘We use a wide variety of online and physical sales as part of our structured approach to remarketing and these sales are a new part of that

evolving remarketing strategy. With high conversion rates for our fixed-price stock, this online auction is the last chance to buy these attractively priced vehicles before they are moved to a physical auction.’

Vicky Gardner, pictured, head of remarketing at epyx, added: ‘We have been working with VWFS on online stock remarketing for more than three years and have developed a range of sales options for different types of stock and different dealer audiences.

‘For us, it is all about helping our leasing company clients remarket stock efficiently and at the best price while helping dealers find the cars and vans they need. These new sales will be open to a potential audience of more than 2,000 dealers, so we expect interest to be very high.’

1link Disposal Network is one of the longest-established sources of trade stock in the UK.

1600S that went for £86,000 to a rare 1999 BMW Z3 M Coupe that fetched £47,000.

And a 1935 Fox and Nicholl Singer Le Mans team car will return to these shores for the first time in 80 years after it was flown out to South Africa in 1938, following 4/4/18 12:01 Page 1 its purchase by a UK buyer for £71,000.

he plate change period inevitably sees volumes increase in the wholesale markets and BCA’s data intelligence shows that inventory levels typically remain healthy during October and November.

Appetite for used vehicles has been extremely strong this year. However, as supply and demand are often finely balanced during this period, ensuring appropriate processes are in place to maximise values on resale is vital.

The wholesale markets naturally see a rise in partexchange volumes and in the rush to clear non-retail stock, it is important to remember the basics of remarketing and focus on providing the detail to maximise values.

Presentation and preparation are a given, but don’t forget the paperwork when consigning vehicles for sale.

Of course, not every part-exchange will have a full service history but provide as much as possible.

If the V5C, MOT and service history are available, make sure they are present at the point of remarketing. The presence of the V5C means no delays in onward selling if the vehicle goes back into the trade, and the service history creates a view of how well the vehicle has been maintained, as well as helping to confirm the mileage.

In fact, any service history can have a real effect on the potential price a vehicle might achieve. Building buyer confidence is hugely important and even hardened trade buyers value the comfort of knowing their judgment is supported with provenance information.

Missing spare keys, manuals, charging cables for EVs, radio/audio codes, spare wheels, tyre repair kits and locking wheel nuts are all expensive irritations for buyers and will be reflected in the bidding so it is vital that part-exchange processes account for these and that they are available at the point of sale. In summary, think like a buyer when you are selling and it will help you maximise the value of your part-exchanges when you send vehicles for sale.

Stuart Pearson is BCA UK’s chief operating officer for remarketing. Visit bca.co.uk or call 0345 600 6644.

Fixed cost buyers premium User friendly website & stock locator. On-line bidding

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84 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Paperwork is vital if you want to maximise value

Excellent variety of weekly stock from premium sources

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AUCTION STATIONS

T

Coys celebrates success in South Africa THE world’s first classic car auction in South Africa broke new ground for international classic car auctioneers Coys.

Taking place on the private Steyn Estate, north-west of Johannesburg, on August 11, the auction saw fabulous results for a range Car dealer new strip ad Revised of cars from a 1973 Renault Alpine A110

Pearson

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 85

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

Good levels of attendance and rising values in a busy August Holidays? What holidays? Trading was strong and steady despite the UK’s scorching summer heatwave, reports Stuart Pearson, chief operating officer for BCA’s UK remarketing operation.

A

verage used car values rose by £234 (2.4 per cent) across the board at BCA during August, as we reported a strong trading month even with the distractions of the holiday season and the continued exceptionally hot weather.

Used car values at BCA defied seasonal pressures and rose alongside the mercury to reach £9,697 in August – the secondhighest average monthly figure on record at BCA. The market at BCA continued to show its strength, with average year-on-year values for August rising by £613 – a 6.7 per cent increase over the 12-month period. Both fleet/lease and dealer part-exchange values hit record levels during August at BCA. Nearly-new values have risen by a third yearon-year and climbed above £25,000 in August – one of the highest figures on record and the fifth consecutive monthly rise.

Sales attendance remained high during

the month, with professional buyers bidding competitively, both in-lane and online. With a dynamic trading environment, we saw average values rise across the board as a result.

Used car trading has been strong and steady over the summer months at BCA, with good levels of demand from buyers and rising conversion rates. Much of this demand is driven by the preferred or exclusive remarketing arrangements BCA has with many of the bestknown and largest contract hire operators and dealer groups, which means BCA delivers the highest volumes of best-quality stock direct to auction.

Average fleet & lease values reached record levels at BCA for the fourth time this year, rising by £122 (1.0 per cent) to £11,223, with retained value against original MRP (manufacturer’s retail price) improving by three-

Average value of used car in fleet & lease sector :

£11,223

86 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

quarters of one percentage point to 44.09 per cent.

Year-on-year values improved by £689 (6.5 per cent), with age rising and mileage falling, although both by small margins.

Average dealer part-exchange values improved by £32 (0.5 per cent) to £5,065 – the seventh consecutive month of record average values in this sector at BCA. Year-on-year values were ahead by £390, representing an 8.3 per cent increase over the 12-month period, with age and mileage decreasing.

Values for nearly-new vehicles continued to increase, rising by £656 (2.6 per cent) to £25,033.

This was the fifth consecutive monthly rise in this sector at BCA. Year-on-year values were up by £6,277 – a substantial 33.4 per cent increase compared with 2017. As always, the effect of model mix and availability is significant in this very low-volume sector.

Average dealer part-exchange values:

£5,065

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 87

Real Deals.

The unloved Corvette that is starting to come into its own Adam Weller hails an ugly duckling that has transformed into a vehicle with a rising reputation.

E

ven though the United Kingdom is too small, understated and European to ever truly become ‘USA Junior’, it’s clear to see that we love America.

We adore their food, their entertainers and the image of their culture that we’ve shaped across the generations, eg, diners, Route 66, Nascar, California’s beaches and the vibrant streets of New York.

And where cars are concerned, we think of vehicles with a V8 engine at the front and a retractable roof in the back. In other words, we think of the muscle car classics – and even more so, we think of the Corvette.

Introduced in 1953, Chevrolet’s sports car quickly cemented itself as one of the cornerstones of the American performance car scene, and in 1984 the firm revitalised the range with the C4, taking over after a 14-year tenure for the C3.

The design was highly futuristic for the time, and the performance focus for the C4 was shifted from the engine to the handling and braking. In part, this was because of the US’s ever-changing emissions regulations, which effectively choked high-powered engines at the time.

The 12-year run of the C4 Chevrolet Corvette wasn’t the biggest success story. The deviation from the traditional Corvette formula and styling that had remained largely familiar for upwards of 20 years, plus the fact that the C5 that followed was more popular, both went against the C4’s reputation among enthusiasts.

But now it seems like a lot of these ugly ducklings from famous lineages are starting to

This shade of yellow is now a popular colour for the Corvette

88 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

This 1991 model only has around 19,000 miles on the clock receive appreciation. The front-engine Porsches of the ’80s are held in a higher regard now than they were a decade ago, and it seems the C4 is heading the same way.

Admittedly, a lot of this new wave of admiration seems to be directed at the powerful ZR-1 and special models such as the 1996 Grand Sport. The car on this page is, of course, neither of those – it’s a standard C4 convertible, with the ‘tame’ 247bhp, 5.7-litre V8 engine of the pre-1992 models, paired with an automatic gearbox.

Currently for sale at Allan Noble Cyprus Garage in Thackley, West Yorkshire, for £15,999, it’s a 1991 model with just 19,000 miles on the clock and, unlike some C4s, blessedly free of the boring browns and other dark colours that seem to have been favoured at the time. This shade of yellow is now a popular colour for the Corvette, thanks to its subsequent Le Mans successes.

The car also features a full leather interior, air conditioning, electric windows and seats, plus cruise control.

With the C4’s reputation finally ascending, and the news that Chevrolet looks set to well

and truly break tradition with the upcoming mid-engined C8, it could be a great time to buy this car. It’s an exceedingly low-mileage example in superb, unrestored, 100 per cent original condition. As such, it’s safe to say it’s the closest thing to buying a ‘new’ Corvette for under £20k.

As we see it, there are three valid options for the new owner of this car.

The first is to use it as a weekend cruiser.

Option two is much the same but we could see some enthusiasts deciding to take it to a Chevrolet V8 specialist to wring some more oomph from the relatively choked standard powertrain – this would, of course, remove the benefit of originality at resale, so they would have to be in it for passion over profit. Option three is to use it sparingly: Keep it under 30,000 miles, watch the market, and wait for the car to increase in value thanks to its prime condition.

No matter which route you choose, it‘s safe to say you’ll get what you want out of this C4, whether it’s going for a drive with your shades on, pretending you’re in an early-’90s rock music video, or flipping it for profit down the line.

Market Insight.

...in association with ASE-global.com

Lookers is set to increase its Ford representation, according to reports

The rumour mill indicates that more transactions are ahead...

August was steady with automotive retail stocks experiencing stability after a tough July, says Mike Jones.

A

ugust is traditionally a quiet month for listed stocks, with few transactions during the holiday season.

After a tough July, during which the motor retail average dropped by over five per cent, we saw a slight bounce in August, largely driven by movement in Pendragon’s share price.

Despite the raft of half-year earnings announcements, there was little movement in the majority of share prices.

Now that we are into September, I expect to see activity pick up with an increasing number of transactions lined up to take place and the market coming to terms with the performance impact of the new WLTP regulations.

Share price performance During the month we saw Teleios increase its holding in Pendragon, following on from July’s purchase, to over 14 per cent. This now represents a very significant holding and it will be interesting to see what their intentions are for the company. In addition, we saw Hosking Partners, acting for discretionary client portfolios, take just over five per cent.

This interest unsurprisingly produced an increase in the share price. We also saw some movement in Lookers shareholdings following on from the announcement of their half-year

Share price movement since the start of 2018

Share price movement over the past month

Pendragon

-12.3%

7.1%

Vertu

-2.5%

0.5%

Lookers

2.5%

0.6%

Inchcape

-11.6%

-1.9%

Cambria

-7.4%

-3.4%

Caffyns

2.4%

0.0%

Marshall

-3.9%

0.9%

Motorpoint

7.9%

-2.9%

BCA

14.8%

0.2%

Auto Trader

27.2%

5.6%

results. Artemis and JO Hambro grew their holdings to over five per cent, with Standard Life Aberdeen dropping their holding from 9.98 per cent to 3.14 per cent.

Financial performance During the month, we saw a continuation of the half-year results season with Pendragon kicking off a busy week. Their results were disappointing, with profit before tax down £20 million, resulting

in the narrative being focused onto their used car strategic growth and expansion of the Pinewood side of the business. Most surprising, given this focus, was a 16 per cent drop in like-for-like used vehicle gross profits.

Lookers announced their half-year results which contained a drop in adjusted operating profits of nine per cent. Performance in used cars continued to grow, with volume increases more than compensating for a drop in margins.

Aftersales also improved at the volume and margin levels, with new car profits falling back.

Marshall produced the best performance of the lot, seeing a record H1 profit which was up on 2017 by 1.2 per cent and featured growth in used and aftersales profits, plus growth in used vehicle margins. This performance was very creditable given the strength of the comparative period.

Transactional activity Whilst there were no acquisitions or disposals formally announced in the month, the rumour mill is certainly picking up. Lookers appears set to increase its Ford presence according to industry news, with other groups also rumoured to be circling acquisitions. I expect further activity as we move through September and into quarter four.

Mike Jones is chairman of dealer profitability specialist ASE plc. You can read his column here every month.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 89

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Recruitment.

HIGH-QUALITY COURSES

MANHEIM

Leadership team boosted

by Tamara’s appointment MANHEIM has appointed Tamara Brown to its sales leadership team.

She joined the business in August and will initially take up the role of corporate and manufacturer sales director to cover for Hayley Warrington, who is on maternity leave.

Brown went to Manheim, part of Cox Automotive and the leading UK provider of integrated products and services for the vehicle remarketing sector, from her role as used car and remarketing manager for Mazda UK, where she held multiple dealer-facing roles in sales and franchising.

Her key focus will be on managing and achieving volume and revenue-growth targets, strengthening the contract portfolio, and working in partnership with Manheim customers and other Cox Automotive businesses to deliver the best possible experience and value.

Pete Bell, MD of Manheim, said: ‘Tamara joins an experienced and well-respected sales team, which, combined with her extensive and proven expertise in the sector, will set her up for success.’

Skills training will help you make real Progress!

N

orwich-based automotive recruitment specialist Progress Recruitment Solutions has launched a new programme of skills training for sales and aftersales professionals.

Aimed at increasing sales and improving profits, the six courses include ‘Excellence In Aftersales’, ‘Finance and Insurance IMI Accreditation’ and ‘IMI Quality Assured Vehicle Management’.

Progress Recruitment has partnered with Happy Workplaces, an associate company of staff development experts Get The Edge, to deliver the courses, which run from single-day sessions to three-day retreats. Get The Edge has 20 years’ experience in the professional development of individuals and teams, working with several vehicle manufacturers as an IMI Approved Centre of Excellence.

Laura Rycroft, managing director of Progress Recruitment, said: ‘We found from speaking to clients that vehicle manufacturer training didn’t always take into consideration the specific

individual circumstances or needs of different teams and businesses. The variety of high-quality courses will also appeal to businesses not under the umbrella of a manufacturer enforcing their compulsory training obligations.’

Progress Recruitment claims many such businesses simply don’t offer or even have access to suitable training, despite the proven business benefits of investing in staff development.

‘The aim is to give all of our clients, including service workshops and independent used car dealers, access to manufacturer-level training that suits their needs,’ said Rycroft.

The courses aim to stimulate managers and leaders into finding a fresh perspective on business challenges, encouraging them to draw upon their individual strengths and capabilities to deliver sustainable improved performance.

Visit progressrecruitment.co.uk/salesmanagement-training to find out more. To inquire about availability, call the Progress Recruitment training team on 01603 717187.

Alice, Moneypenny Receptionist.

More sales 24/7 brilliant service Happy customers When Moneypenny looks after your calls and chats.

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moneypenny.com 0333 202 1005 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 91

Data file.

James Litton

TRADER TALES

Brave campaign could show the way for future strategies

T

he aspiration of any teenager in the ’90s was to own a pair of Nike Air Max. These things were not cheap; it took a lot of newspaper deliveries and pots washed, etc, to buy some. Sure, other trainers like Adidas Gazelle or Puma Clyde gave them a run for their money, but Nike Air Max were the business.

Part of the allure was the Nike brand itself. Seen as cool and edgy thanks to athletes like Michael Jordan and Andre Agassi, the other sportswear brands just could not compete.

However, over the years the Nike brand suffered more downs than ups. In the 1990s, you could only buy Nike products in the best sports shops. Fast-forward to today and you’ll find a plethora of Nike products in various Mike Ashley-owned emporiums. Hardly the mark of a premium product. This is notwithstanding the child labour scandals of the late 2000s.

So it was with great surprise and joy that I saw that American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick had been chosen as the face of the Nike Just Do It 30th anniversary.

For those who don’t know, Kaepernick could be described as the personification of American political polarisation. American football is the heart and soul of American sport, and no one position embodies ideals of leadership, strength and performance more than the quarterback.

While quarterbacking the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem to protest at social injustices. It provoked the ire of many a patriot, but was equally lauded by those on the left of the political spectrum who felt that racial, financial and political justice was (is) in short supply. It was clear, reading many social media posts at the time, that there wasn’t a lot of middle ground. There was even a vitriolic tweet from Donald Trump calling Kaepernick (and those who showed solidarity and knelt with him) ‘sons of bitches’.

We find ourselves in 2018, and having been released by the 49ers at the end of the 2016 season, Kaepernick has yet to find another job, despite taking the 49ers to the Superbowl in 2012. This has led to a legal case against the NFL and its owners, alleging collusion to not employ him as a direct result of his political stand.

This campaign by Nike is extremely brave and perhaps points to marketing strategies of the future. Social media was awash with Nike mentions; the haters burning Nike products or taking scissors to them, the supporters declaring their intention to buy more Nike merchandise.

Perhaps it’s time for companies to show some identity and values beyond the vanilla marketing speak you might read on their websites. I for one would applaud it.

‘There was even a vitriolic tweet from Donald Trump.’

James Litton is general manager – director of Volvo Cars Poole. He always has something to say about the industry he loves.

92 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Laxative lark on my last day was a prank too far

W

hile you still need to work hard during your period of notice after quitting, no-one can blame you for having a bit of fun – especially on your last day with the company...

I used to work at a small, independent garage but was looking forward to making the move to a larger franchised outfit. The moment I handed in my letter of resignation, I started planning some first-class pranks for the sales team I’d been working with for the previous few years. My first one was to wrap a sales executive’s desk in cling film, which was taken surprisingly well.

Another member of the team was less amused, though, when I stapled his jacket to his chair. Then, it was time for my grand finale!

On my last day, I came into the office with a plate of cupcakes that I’d lovingly baked the evening before and handed them round to each member of the team. Of course, there was a catch.

While most of the cakes were safe to eat, I had prepared one especially for my grumpy old manager by spiking it with some laxatives.

I handed it over to him, managing to disguise my grin, and he grunted a terse thank you before placing it down on his desk. I watched and waited from a distance for him to take that all-important bite, but what happened next wasn’t what I had planned.

An unsuspecting punter walked into the showroom and started talking to my manager, who put on his best customer service smile and acted all friendly.

After talking for a few minutes, my manager tried to win the customer’s favour by offering him the cupcake!

I gasped in horror and prayed the laxatives weren’t too strong as I watched the man take a bite. But they were.

Some time passed while the conversation continued, until the customer asked where the loos were and uncomfortably walked to the back of the dealership.

The sounds that came out of there for the next hour or so were the kind that must haunt the dreams of war veterans. Luckily, when he emerged drenched in sweat, the customer’s embarrassment outweighed his anger, and he quickly left the premises.

If looks could kill, the glare my manager gave me would have been my demise, but he couldn’t prove it was me and I was out of there at the end of the day. That was certainly one lucky escape!

‘If looks could kill, my manager’s glare would have been my demise.’

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 | 93

Key Notes.

...in association with Traka

WLTP sales disruption – how bad does it look in new-plate month?

Paul Smith investigates the new emission test’s impact on manufacturers

I

t seems Volkswagen Audi Group vehicles are the most adversely affected by the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) emission test requirements, as from this month no new vehicles can be sold unless they’ve been tested using the tougher and more time-consuming requirements alongside Real Driving Emissions (RDE) testing.

Volkswagen test stations in Wolfsburg and Fallersleben have been working flat-out to put all new cars through WLTP and RDE testing. VW has detailed its new testing regime in some detail and it’s very onerous.

Each vehicle is secured on a roller dynamometer for the 30-minute WLTP driving cycle. At Wolfsburg, they operate a three-shift system virtually around the clock across 21 dynamometers. The course that WLTP testers have to work through is 23 miles long with numerous cycles of acceleration and braking at an average speed of 47km/h – considerably higher than the previous New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) tests.

All VWs are then transferred to its RDE test centre in Fallersleben, where they are tested for 90 to 120 minutes with a 50kg mobile measuring device attached to each car’s exhaust system to measure emissions accurately while being driven on the road.

So why was the September deadline so important as regards WLTP testing? The reason is that from that date all newly registered vehicles need to be tested – even existing models. So from now on, registration of new vehicles will simply not be permitted unless they’ve been through WLTP and RDE testing,

whereas for the last year only newly launched models and engines have had to be tested to these new standards.

For light commercial vehicles, the deadline is September 1, 2019.

To give you an idea of what the new test is producing in terms of emissions results, it’s worth looking at Autovista’s numbers. It ran NEDC versus WLTP comparison tests on a specific variant of a premium-brand D-segment model that is a popular choice for fleet buyers and found that model had CO2 emissions ranging from 152166g/km as measured by the WLTP test whereas the NEDC test on the same variant generated emissions of just 124-136g/km.

It goes without saying that these sorts of changes will have tax liability implications amounting to a significantly larger tax bill for fleet owners. Each model variant has to be tested separately, as every spoiler, set of low-profile tyres, panoramic roof, etc, needs to be checked for additional emissions ratings.

Fitting 18-inch instead of more standard 17-inch wheels adds about 2g/km more CO2 emissions, for example.

There is a great deal of speculation that the prestige OEMs will push to rationalise their ranges in view of the new highly onerous testing requirements. BMW has already announced plans to reduce engine variants and equipment options, while VW has admitted that some engine transmission models will be unavailable from this month.

Non-availability of cars in a plate-change month is a bigger problem than it used to be because PCP purchases will hit their three- or

four-year contract end dates this month and if customers can’t trade into a new car because it’s not available, that’s going to force brand defections.

Some OEMs have sought to mitigate the damage by getting dealers that have non-WLTPcertified cars registered before September 1.

We are thus likely to see quite a lot of pre-regs selling online at knock-down prices from lateSeptember onwards. SMMT numbers already reveal pre-reg increases from July. Its latest numbers show VW registrations up by nearly 19 per cent from July 2017’s numbers.

Set against the backdrop of the punishing dieselgate scandal that erupted 3½ years ago and VW’s headlong pursuit of electric vehicle and battery tech development since 2017, it’s hardly surprising the group has struggled to complete all WLTP testing in time for this month’s deadline.

Will this affect your sales figures? It seems likely that VAG vehicles (that’s VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Skoda and Seat) will be affected for a little while longer, but the problems look surmountable within the next two to three months. It may, however, mean that new vehicle orders will go undelivered for longer. Some customers will inevitably run out of patience waiting for some models to be WLTP-certified.

In extreme cases, dealers of extras-laden models may find options have suddenly disappeared.

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…

Find out how at www.traka-automotive.com The only viable key management solution for automotive Email automotive@traka.com or call 0845 225 2910 94 | CarDealerMag.co.uk traka-auto 1-6pg.indd 1

15/12/2016 09:56

Long-termers.

LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Skoda Superb Sportline 4x4 No more dawdling behind cyclists and caravanners... this is a car that can power past them with ease.

by MAL HAY @MalcolmHay

B

ritain’s roads can be a real nightmare in the summer… you tend to encounter an endless stream of roadworks, tractors, horses, caravanners and packs of middle-aged men cycling in Lycra.

But this glorious summer, with the sun blazing and the Skoda Superb Sportline at my disposal, I’ve rediscovered the joys of our nation’s winding B-roads and narrow lanes. Rather than dreading the sight of the aforementioned irritants, I’ve been seeking them out and gobbling them up like Pac Man after Pac Dots.

Every brightly coloured cyclist means another opportunity to enjoy this wonderful car – the power and responsiveness of its engine, the swiftness of its gear changes and the accuracy of its steering – again.

No longer must I suffer as I sit there doing less than 20 and find myself unable to get past.

Instead, a quick flick of the gear lever prompts the DSG box to pop me straight into manual mode and the flappy paddle gearshifts on the steering wheel are then at my disposal.

Drop a couple of gears and the Superb’s frankly, well, Superb, 2.0-litre TSI engine roars like a lion that’s been kicked in the privates.

Now, the slightest gap in oncoming traffic is all it takes to blast past, with a simple press of the accelerator delivering rocket-like power instantly.

In the blink of an eye you’re past the hold-up and can begin seeking out your next overtaking challenge. It’s great when not overtaking too.

In those rare moments when a twisting country road opens up in front of you, it’s a joy to switch away from the effortless automatic transmission to manual gear changes and engage sports mode for a stiffer ride and more urgency.

Even at speed, there’s next to no body roll and the car feels totally planted in corners giving you the confidence to use even more of its power.

This car is everything you want a sports variant to be and offers that most magical ingredient of all… fun.

So many cars like this boast a bigger engine, a fancy body kit and a smug ‘sports-inspired’ badge but fail to deliver. In reality they’re limp,

Mal has rediscovered the joys of navigating Britain’s B-roads behind the wheel of KU18 ZNH

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Skoda Superb Sportline 4x4 Price: £39,935 Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol Power: 276bhp Torque: 349Nm Max speed: 155mph 0-60mph: 5.8 seconds Fuel economy (combined): 39.8 Emissions (CO2): 160g/km Mileage: 6,391 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT: Enjoying some wonderful summer motoring in a car for all seasons. un-dynamic and bitterly disappointing. The Skoda Superb Sportline is the polar opposite. It’s exceptionally exciting to drive, and rewards you in a way few other cars of its type can.

But despite its wicked streak, the model can be

exceptionally tame, too. Drive it sensibly around town and it’s as comfortable and practical as any other variant in the Superb line-up while on long trips it’s refined and economical.

And unlike other sports models, no materials have been scrimped on to save weight. The attractive cabin feels robust, exceptionally well put together and all materials have a quality, premium feel.

Our model – KU18 ZNH – in stunning Quartz Grey metallic paint, is also fitted with a number of optional extras that have made summer driving even cooler, including an electric sunroof and refrigerated glove box.

There’s also a really handy 13v socket in the boot, useful for powering accessories and pumping up airbeds on summer camping trips.

All in all, this is a great car for anyone looking for a top-quality family saloon, with personality, power and passion and, at £39,935 even when loaded with options, it’s competitively priced, too.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 95

Long-termers.

LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Seat Arona Xcellence Lux Clever technology continues to be a highlight of life with Seat’s comfortable and capable Arona.

by DAVE BROWN @CarDealerDave

W

hen you’re behind the wheel of our long-term Seat Arona, it’s easy to forget how little experience the Spanish manufacturer had of building SUVs until recently.

In fact, its first such offering – the larger Ateca – only arrived in showrooms two years ago.

Its blend of dynamism, comfort and connectivity instantly won it legions of fans – and the prize for being the What Car? Small SUV of the Year for 2017.

Fast forward a year or so and the Arona was the new kid on the block. It received just as rapturous a reception and even won the same award for 2018 (in the £16,000-£20,000 price bracket).

Spanish eyes would definitely have been smiling at such a double triumph.

It’s not difficult to see why the Arona has been a hit – it really does tick an awful lot of boxes when it comes to the engine range available, design, connectivity and comfort.

Recent weeks have seen me take KM67XUU on journeys it must be pretty familiar with by now.

From my home on the South Coast, the weekends tend to involve trips to Gloucestershire (friends and family) and central London (work).

Whether cruising along the M4 or tackling a rural Cotswolds B-road, the Arona is perfectly happy and gets everyone to their destination in style, comfort and safety.

Passengers quite often pose questions about the car and of course, I do my best to answer but one had me stumped recently. I was simply asked how much ground it had covered in the time it had been with us. A quick glance down at the odometer revealed that the distance we’d travelled that day was in the region of 100 miles but could I find the overall total? Er, no – and the manual didn’t really help either.

Definitely time to go online and check out one of the many Seat forums that exist on the internet – and it wasn’t long before I discovered that the figure would be displayed on the dash if the active cruise control stalk to the left of the steering wheel was pushed forward as far as it would go. Interesting and maybe not something I would have thought of doing. Anyway, it worked!

This month, I have really been appreciating 96 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Dave’s parking went a bit awry as he positioned our long-term Arona for its latest photocall

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Seat Arona Xcellence Lux Price (as tested): £22,095 Engine: 1.0 TSI six-speed manual Power: 113bhp Torque: 200Nm Max speed: 113mph 0-60mph: 9.6 seconds Fuel economy (combined): 56.5 Emissions (CO2): 114g/km Mileage: 6,652 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Sorting out a very minor quibble with the way the odometer display works. some of the car’s stand-out features. Of course, they’ve all been there since its first day with us – and there are plenty of gadgets and gizmos, as befitting a top-of-the-range Xcellence Lux example.

Tired of fumbling around for your keys when you have your hands full? An Arona can detect the key in your pocket and as soon as you reach for the door handle, it’ll unlock automatically. No need to put a key in the ignition either as you can just start the car at the touch of a button.

To be fair, it’s a great system but to introduce a tiny niggle, the car does occasionally say it can’t detect the key when it’s definitely in the vehicle.

This only usually leads to a delay of half a second or so, however, and definitely deserves a place in the ‘first world problems’ file.

Those good people at Seat should definitely enjoy a glass of sangria to celebrate what they’ve achieved with this car – if they haven’t already.

OTHER CARS WE’RE DRIVING

Kia Stonic Mileage: 7,956 Our Kia Stonic has seen quite a bit of action this month, running a number of errands around Car Dealer HQ. Despite the workload, it’s still ticking over very nicely with no issues to report.

VW Transporter Kombi Our well-appointed VW has shown itself to be an ideal companion for a very busy camera crew.

by ZAAK ANDREWS @zaakandtweet

F

or as long as I can remember, VW vans – in whatever guise – have always been vehicles that have enjoyed incredible levels of popularity.

Sure, many tradesmen would argue that the Ford Transit has been the backbone of the nation for decades, but I wouldn’t use one of those for anything other than hauling loads or filling with tools. Our Volkswagen Transporter Kombi ‘Edition’ offers so much more. In fact, there is little I have found it can’t do.

The vehicle of choice in the TV/film industry is always a VW Transporter for crews, and after spending a fair amount of time with it recently, it’s easy to see why – everything just makes sense.

Shooting high-quality video often involves having large quantities of kit. Travelling with this not only demands space but also durability, refined driving manners and ideally, good fuel economy. KY18 PXF has consistently delivered in all of these areas.

The seats up front in our van are comfortable, and come with the added bonus of arm rests which make the masses of miles home after a busy shoot that much more bearable – something you definitely want and need after fuelling your near-on-12-hour day with coffee and full-fat Coke.

The fact that our example is a Kombi has also meant that when we have needed to, we’ve

Good-looking, economical and with plenty of space on board, KY18 PXF has impressed Zaak

taken extra crew rather than extra crew and their vehicles, and it’s also managed to transport a fivestrong camping party without a complaint or the slightest hint of an, ‘are we there yet?’

Let’s talk cargo – not containers on a ship of course, but the cargo area of our van. At 5.8m3, it’s competitively sized and it’s also lined with a rubber floor. It has more than ample space for what we need. It can accommodate two main cameras in their travel cases, a case of lenses, two

tripods, two drones, radios, 10 GoPro cameras in a large travel case, a plethora of rigging equipment and suction cups.

Tool-wise, it’s perfect for the job and for the weekend, it can happily carry all camping necessities to cater for five people for two nights – tents, sleeping bags, clothes, airbeds, a barbecue and some food, with a little bit of space to rest a dog bed on top – should you have a pet pooch.

Volkswagen’s claimed combined fuel economy figure of 45.6mpg for this van in daily life has been incredibly accurate too; on longer runs, we’ve even seen up to around 52mpg. As I said, having good fuel economy from your crew vehicle is quite high up on the priority list for us and to be able to see high 40s whilst eating up the M25, the M40 and the M6 (almost fully laden) amongst many more A and B roads in the last few weeks has been super-impressive.

All in all, it’s been a very pleasant few weeks running this van, and it has made working, commuting and weekend living a blast. I look forward to what the future may bring with it – hopefully a few more activity-based weekends.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Vauxhall Grandland

Citroen C3 Aircross

Mileage: 9,342

Mileage: 10,392

The car’s been making a funny noise, so it’s had a trip home to Luton to allow Vauxhall’s press garage to investigate. That’s only after a disappointing dealer experience left us none the wiser...

A brief respite from daily duties for KS67 OVH as long-term custodian Cheryl is currently abroad on a work assignment. No doubt the keys will be snaffled by another member of the team soon.

Model: Volkswagen Kombi Edition T30 SWB Price: £39,789 Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel Power: 148bhp Torque: 340Nm Max speed: 113mph 0-60mph: 11.7s Fuel economy: 45.6mpg Emissions (CO2): 162g/km Mileage: 3,342 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT: Putting KY18 PXF to good use, whether it be for business (filming) or pleasure (camping).

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

Dyson’s switched on in so many ways but electric car may be a dream too far

I

first came across Dyson when I was about nine years old. Well, I think I was about nine years old – all I know is I was acutely aware that my mother had a very annoying hoovering habit.

By annoying, I mean she always seemed to do it when Byker Grove was on and my God I loved those Geordies.

The problem became a lot worse when mother dearest got herself one of those new-fangled ‘bag-less’ hoovers. Oh, the power of its dust-busting was incredible, she would enthuse. And no bags to throw away, either! What joy was this?

As a nine-year-old, I couldn’t quite work out why bags were such a great problem in a hoover. In my pre-pubescent mind, the thought of dust being contained within a handy bag that could then be thrown away conveniently was far more sensible. Of course, I’m lying, I could barely work out how they made Tangtastic sweets so sour when they were covered in sugar, let alone worry about a dusty bag in a hoover.

But enough about hoovering; my point is Dyson. Here was a firm making a product that everyone needed but no-one thought needed improving until they did. Remove the bag, make it have a miniature hurricane in a plastic tube, build it in random shades of yellow and purple and all the mums would want one, and if that meant using it during Byker Grove then so be it.

Fast-forward more years than I care to think about and Dyson is about to enter the world of electric cars. In sleepy Wiltshire, the now-billionaire vacuumcleaning entrepreneur is done at turning his hand to improving hoovers and fans, as well as hand and hair dryers, and is instead blowing all that hot air at a car market desperate for innovation.

But does Sir James really understand the sheer scale of what lies ahead? He probably does, but surely he must have taken a cursory glance across the pond at how the task of massproducing electric cars has turned money-moving expert Elon Musk from tech darling into a bile-spewing, Twitterranting egotistical maniac.

Doesn’t that worry the mildmannered man from the shires?

We’ve known Dyson has been working on his electric car for a little over a year now, and

this month the firm’s plans for a huge test facility at Hullavington Airfield brought the Dyson electric car headlines back into the limelight. That got me thinking again about just what a Dyson car will be like – and, importantly for all of you, how is he going to sell it?

Look back at the man’s innovations and they’ve all been quite revolutionary. Okay, so a hand dryer that you stick your justwashed mitts into then have all the scum of those who haven’t quite washed theirs properly blown on to yours might not seem that appealing now, but when they first came out I know people who visited toilets just to use an Airblade.

Same goes for those hoovers. Mum was certainly pretty happy when she finally got her hands on one of the strangely coloured carpet cleaners, and I’ve seen the look of excitement on people’s faces when they realise they can stick their hands through the middle of a Dyson fan and not get their fingers chopped off.

Dyson is pretty good at taking everyday gadgets and giving them a twist – just enough to make them that little bit better. But can he do it with an electric car? And when even a company such as trillion-dollar monolith Apple has given up with its plan, can he stay the course? What electric cars need are longer ranges, faster charging times and an infrastructure that actually works.

They need plugs that fit in all chargers, they need to be easy to understand and use, and they can’t force users to make the choice between putting the heating on or getting home in the winter.

Dyson has a huge task on his hands – he’s entering a market that’s developing fast, with many mainstream car manufacturers starting to catch up with the likes of Tesla. Look at Jaguar and its radical iPace for proof of that. The first-to-market advantage that Tesla managed to scoop has gone – now it’s a race for mass production, mass adoption and mass sales.

I can’t help but feel Dyson has turned up so late to the party that all the sandwiches have gone crispy around the edges.

And what about sales? People like to touch and feel a new car. What Dyson needs is a partner – an established manufacturer with the infrastructure in place to help with the nitty-gritty. They can let Dyson get on with solving the problems that no-one else seems able to while they deal with selling it. It’s a fascinating conundrum and one I’m enjoying watching unfold almost as much as PJ and Duncan’s fledgling pop career. Almost.

‘Does Sir James really understand the sheer scale of what lies ahead?’

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.

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