Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 169

Issue 169 | April 2022 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £6

INTERVIEW

‘I CONSIDER MYSELF A BIT OF A DISRUPTOR’ NISSAN UK MD

CX-5 FIRST DRIVE

MAZDA

PLUS: WE GET BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE VAUXHALL GRANDLAND, RENAULT MEGANE E-TECH AND KIA PROCEED

INVESTIGATION

USED CAR PRICES: WHY THEY WENT UP AND WILL IT CONTINUE?

NEWS • STORM HAVOC AT DEALERSHIP • AUDI Q4 E-TRON UPDATED • GOOGLE THREAT TO ADS? • HYBRID ENGINE FOR JUKE • CHORLEY BUYS BCC SITES • BOOST FOR DRIVE STAFF • MUSTANG RANGE EXPANDED

PLUS: HOW MANY CAR DEALERS DOES EACH BRAND HAVE?

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THE BOSS FOUNDER James Baggott

james@thebaize.com Twitter: @CarDealerEd

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE EDITOR James Batchelor

james.batchelor@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @JRRBatchelor

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR John Bowman john@blackballmedia.co.uk

STAFF WRITER Jack Williams

jack.williams@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @JournoJack25

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER Jon Reay jon@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @JonReay

HEAD OF DESIGN Graeme Windell

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CONTRIBUTORS Darren Cassey, Rebecca Chaplin, Jack Evans, Nigel Swan, Ted Welford

FINANCE FINANCE MANAGER Kate Gordon kate@blackballmedia.co.uk

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Kevin Day

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ACCOUNT MANAGER Michelle Searle

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WELCOME. N

ot wanting to sound like a politician on Question Time but I’ve been out and about quite a bit in the community recently, visiting a number of dealerships of all shapes and sizes. And I’ve decided that most showrooms do the complete opposite of what manufacturer bigwigs think they do – they put off the customer from transacting.

That’s a heinous thing to say I know, but please bear with me. Ever since the year dot, showrooms have been a car manufacturer’s shop window and therefore they quite often have to encapsulate exactly what that carmaker’s brand is all about, its identity and the type of product the customer is buying. It’s why, of course, a showroom selling £15,000 hatchbacks looks, feels and even smells different to a dealership shifting £75,000 saloons. Arguably, it shouldn’t be the case, but it is.

A couple of weeks ago, I visited a showroom belonging to a ‘premium’ manufacturer to look at a used car, and on entering I was met by a ‘host’ and then asked to wait. Nothing wrong with that, but when I cast my eye in the direction of the rest of the showroom, there was row upon row of desks for the sales people. It was like waiting to be questioned at the passport office.

I’m not the average customer, I’m well aware of that, but customers are getting so educated these days that I think the traditional showroom selling experience is changing for good. I chatted with Alfa Romeo’s UK boss Damien Dally a few weeks ago (Alfa Romeo Tonale on pages 8-9 & Batch Chat on page 19) and he explained just how knowledgeable customers are becoming.

One of the primary reasons why they’re so well informed these days is, surprise surprise, the internet – but especially in the past two years.

The number of carmakers launching ‘virtual showrooms’ is growing all the time and it seems like customers are loving them – and I can see why.

I visited Nissan’s Live Showroom this month (pages 6-7) and nestled in a busy business park and behind unassuming smokedglass doors were three of the brand’s most popular current models. The star of the show was, of course, the long-awaited new Ariya SUV, which was sitting in a room decked out with traditional Japanese sliding doors and a pretty, fake blossom tree.

Customers book a session with a product expert via Nissan’s website, who then, via a smartphone or other mobile device, gives them a remote, walk-round tour of the vehicle they’re interested in. No question is too stupid and the showroom is open between 11am and 11pm, seven days a week. Customers can then buy directly online or their details are passed on to a dealer who can arrange a test drive, finance and everything else.

When I visited, I was told it had become enormously popular. So popular in fact that although it was originally designed for the new Qashqai, it had been opened up to include the Leaf and Ariya. Why? Because customers aren’t just interested in the cars but are desperate to learn more about living with an electric car. And let’s face it, a traditional dealership is rarely the right environment to ask simple questions such as ‘what is a heat pump?’, ‘what on earth does kWh mean?’ and so on.

So, what is the new car dealership of the future? It’s a place where customers will arrive just for the enjoyable part of the car-buying process, such as the test drive, without the line of sales people haggling with punters. For some dealers, this is already the present – and I’m okay with that.

The number of carmakers launching ‘virtual showrooms’ is growing all the time and it seems like customers are loving them.

JAMES BATCHELOR Associate editor CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

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04 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

34

IGNITION. ISSUE 169 | APRIL 2022

38 CONTENTS

6 42

FEATURE

‘It’s hoped the Tonale will catapult Alfa back on to the shortlists of many premium customers.’

8

14

36

61

INVESTIGATION

‘The huge shortfall of new cars entering the market will be felt for at least the next few years.’

10

COMMENT

‘The landscape gardener chappie who delivered a Jaguar S-Type to me was absolutely salt-of-the-earth.’

20

Interview: Nissan boss Car news round-up News digest Feedback Business news Car Dealer Live & podcasts Finance Supplier news

6 26 28 46 48 50 52 55

COMMENT James Batchelor Big Mike James Litton

19 20 23

INVESTIGATIONS Why did used car prices go up?

10 How many car dealers does each brand have?

14 Why 72 could be the new 22 16 FORECOURT Mazda CX-5 Vauxhall Grandland Renault Megane E-Tech Kia Proceed

34 36 38 40

FEATURES Alfa Romeo Tonale Car racing games Cool stuff

8 42 44

DATA FILE The Statistics LCV news Suppliers Guide Long-termers

56 58 60 61

FORECOURT

‘As the first push into a new age of electric Renaults, the Megane is a very exciting prospect.’

38 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

INTERVIEW

‘I CONSIDER MYSELF A BIT OF A DISRUPTOR’ There’s nothing Nissan Motor GB’s MD Andrew Humberstone likes better than a challenge, reports James Batchelor.

Y

ou could forgive Andrew Humberstone for feeling hard done by at the hand he’s been dealt, but far from it.

He was made managing director of Nissan Motor GB in January 2020, replacing Kalyana Sivagnanam, but just a couple of months later... well, we all know what happened.

‘There are so many external disruptors. It’s actually one of the reasons why I love the industry space so much,’ he says with a little smile.

‘There are the ones you can predict and the ones you can’t. Covid – we didn’t predict that. Ukraine – we didn’t predict that either.’

He continues: ‘But, you know, there’s so much going on in our space – whether it’s online, shifting consumer behaviour, changing manufacturing concepts, or whether it’s managing waste and energy. Or perhaps it’s even the surging costs of raw materials – it’s all of these things.

‘It’s all happening. It’s really quite dynamic. And if I think back five, six years ago, it all was so different. It was a very stable, structured 20-year plan – you knew what products were coming and the pipelines were very visible.

‘It’s a different world now.’

For this interview, we met in Nissan’s Live Showroom in Watford. It opened last year but was recently expanded because of a shift in consumers’ wishes to communicate with Nissan digitally. It’s a retail concept you’d find hard to imagine from Nissan pre-pandemic, and perfectly demonstrates Humberstone’s belief that the industry has changed.

Behind the polite smile, it’s clear Humberstone is a very confident leader, with clear ideas on where he wants to take this very Japanese of Japanese car brands.

‘I consider myself a bit of a disruptor,’ he states.

‘I always put my hand up and head above the parapet to take on challenges to problems.

When I look at a business, I always say, what are the isomorphic elements that need to be adjusted? What are the key challenges that we’re not touching? Because if a business is just operating, you’re looking at tweaks, small tweaks, which optimise on performance and efficiencies.

‘But then you start stepping back and saying, “Well, hang on, what does our own model look like in 15 to 20 years’ time? And what are we doing about it today?”

‘We recently got the opportunity to present a White Paper to Makoto Uchida, our global CEO, on innovation and ideas that we had for the UK where we wanted to be the case 06 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

We’re about to launch five amazing new products and the current model works. It works for our dealers.

Andrew Humberstone Managing director of Nissan Motor GB

James Batchelor is shown the new Nissan Ariya

There are the ones you can predict and the ones you can’t. Covid – we didn’t predict that. Ukraine – we didn’t predict that either.

Andrew Humberstone Managing director of Nissan Motor GB

Take a walk-round tour day or night seven days a week Andrew Humberstone was speaking to Car Dealer at Nissan’s new Live Showroom in Watford.

The new Ariya and Leaf on display at the Live Showroom study market – how, as an important market, can we make a difference and move ahead, given where our customers are, given where the mindset is for digitisation, online technology, and so many other elements?

‘I would argue all of that was very predictable – we just didn’t know what the timeline was. Covid was just an accelerant on those, but it was an inevitable one.’

Nissan’s UK dealer network is currently undergoing a refresh, with showrooms sporting a new corporate image, and with the brand entering a busy period for new products while having to adjust to changing customer purchasing behaviours, Humberstone knows that he has to keep dealers happy.

‘Customers are telling us that they still want to have a relationship with their dealer, specifically at the point of actual acquisition and collection, and the service experience.

‘So we are looking at a new concept, which, if I use old-fashioned terminology, is “fewer, bigger, better”. We want to have bigger partners, look at our ideal network plan and question “how do we manage this going forwards in order to drive dealer profitability?”

‘We’ve seen a fantastic improvement in return on sales – we’re sitting at 2.7 per cent.

Sales are up on last year, profitability is up on last year and customer satisfaction is up on every single matrix.’

Humberstone believes that this year dealers will improve on the 68,000 sales the brand managed in 2021, and that 2023 ‘will be even better’ thanks to a ‘plethora of products arriving at perfect time’.

It’s for that very reason that switching to an agency sales model is off the table – for the short term, at least.

‘So many people are looking at this [agency sales] and there’s so much discussion. I would say, arguably, it’s being overanalysed,’ he said.

‘What I would look at is what’s working for my dealers – that’s my key priority. We’re about to launch five amazing new products and the current model works. It works for our dealers.

‘That’s what we’re focusing on for 2022 and 2023 and that’s where our energy is.’

When pushed on whether an agency sales model could be introduced after 2023, Humberstone doubled down on not wanting to ‘disrupt’ the current model.

‘Time will tell,’ he said. ‘But if I go back to the number of new models we’re launching, the big picture strategy and the £1bn investment into Sunderland that Nissan has made, we’ve got so much going on.

‘We want to focus on really driving our business forward. We are really focused and busy with that, and the last thing we want to do is disrupt our dealer network at this particular point.’

THE Live Showroom is open from 11am to 11pm seven days a week. Customers can request live walk-rounds of the Leaf, Qashqai and new Ariya via Nissan’s website. They can then ‘visit’ the showroom via a smartphone or other mobile device, where they’re greeted in person by one of Nissan’s product experts.

The expert gives the customer a walk-round tour of the cars, answering questions, and visitors can then find out about offers before choosing which model they want via the e-commerce platform. Leads are then passed on to dealers.

Nissan says it understood that not everyone felt at home in a traditional showroom environment and that Covid concerns had also kept some people indoors, but the Live Showroom removed both of these issues.

The facility initially launched last year for the then-new Qashqai, but it has since been expanded to include the Leaf and Ariya electric models after Nissan received positive customer feedback.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

FEATURE

ALFA ROMEO

TONALE

Alfa Romeo has finally revealed the full production version of the Tonale – a baby SUV that’ll bolster the Italian brand’s UK model range.

James Batchelor takes a look around the car.

T

he Tonale was first revealed at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Its launch was pushed back but the Stellantis-owned firm has now revealed the full production version.

With a simple three-trim line-up and powered by mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, it’s hoped the Tonale will catapult Alfa back on to the shortlists of many premium customers.

The new car, which sits under the Stelvio SUV, will get its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, followed by order books opening in July.

The mild-hybrid will be the first car to arrive in September, followed by the plug-in hybrid in December.

Alfa plans to introduce one new model a year to its showrooms over the next 10 years and will be a fully electric brand by 2027.

The Tonale sparks a renewed focus on quality – both in terms of product and customer experience.

In the UK, the Tonale is tasked with taking the lion’s share of Alfa sales. ‘Last year we sold 1,600 cars, which was disappointing,’ Alfa Romeo and Jeep UK MD Damien Dally told Car Dealer.

‘We will be pushing to sell 2,5003,000 Tonales a year.’

08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Engines

The Tonale will only be available with two electrified engines to begin with. Arriving first, in September, will be a 1.5-litre petrol mild-hybrid using a 48-volt battery and a compact 15kW electric motor mounted within the gearbox. In December, a plug-in hybrid will launch, using a 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine sending power to the front wheels, while an electric motor will drive the rears, providing all-wheel drive. Total power will be 272bhp, with an all-electric range of 37 miles.

Technology

The Tonale is equipped with level 2 autonomous driving systems, which allow the car to automatically handle acceleration and braking when the system is activated. There’s also Amazon Alexa, which even allows the owner to select the car as a place to which Amazon parcels can be delivered. All cars come with two large screens running an Android operating system and incorporating 4G connectivity with overthe-air updates as standard.

Styling

The Tonale incorporates many traditional Alfa Romeo styling cues, such as the triangular ‘Scudetto’ shield and the ‘3+3’ headlights that take inspiration from the classic SZ Zagato. The strong shoulder line harks back to the GT-line seen on the 1960s GT Junior, while the Tonale can be specified with alloy wheels in Alfa’s traditional ‘tele dial’ pattern, ranging from 17 to 20 inches.

Platform

The Tonale shares its underpinnings with other Fiat-Chrysler models such as the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X, plus a lot of those cars’ hardware. Thanks to the flexible platform, Alfa Romeo could make a pure-electric version of the Tonale.

TRANSITION

Alfa Romeo and DS Automobiles confirm 2023 switch to agency agreements with their dealers Interior

Alfa Romeo has paid a lot of attention to the interior with better quality plastics and detailing. The dashboard is angled towards the driver and there’s Alfa’s traditional twin binnacle design for the instrument cluster. All models get ambient lighting and the infotainment system is shared not with the Alfa Giulia and Stelvio, but the new Fiat 500e. Three trims will be available: Ti and Super plus a ‘Speciale’ launch edition model.

A

by James Batchelor @JRRBatchelor

lfa Romeo and DS Automobiles will roll out agency agreements with their UK dealers as soon as next year.

The two manufacturers, which sit in the premium division of Stellantis’s group of car brands, have told their separate dealer networks they will be transitioning to an agency sales model in May 2023.

Alfa Romeo and Jeep UK managing director Damien Dally told Car Dealer at the UK reveal of the new Tonale that the move will bring ‘consistency’ to the Italian brand’s dealer network and customer service – the latter being a key focus for Dally this year and beyond.

A DS Automobiles spokesperson confirmed that the French premium brand will switch from franchise to agency next year.

The two brands will join Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen in transitioning to agency sales.

If Stellantis’s plan keeps to schedule in May 2023, it will be exactly two years since the car group served its 931-strong European dealer network with a two-year notice in a bid to ‘streamline’ operations.

It put dealers into categories ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, with ‘A’ dealers guaranteed a future relationship, ‘B’ requiring discussions and plans to be drawn up for a future partnership, while ‘C’ dealers faced likely termination.

Dally told Car Dealer that a small number of the 46-strong UK Alfa Romeo dealer network were in the ‘C’ category.

NEW FOCUS ON QUALITY

Rear styling

Just like at the front, the Tonale looks here to other models in Alfa’s rich back catalogue of designs. The strong horizontal light bar is a reference to cars such as the 164 saloon, while the rear window shape, particularly the pointed bottom edge, resembles the 1930s 8C 2900B and more recent models such as the Alfa 8C Competizione and 147 hatchback.

An agency model sees retailers paid a handling fee for dealing with new car sales.

The manufacturer sells the cars directly to consumers via its main website, often with a no-haggle pricing structure.

One of the appealing features for car manufacturers is that they control the customer transaction and it makes the process consistent across the network, while the dealer can focus on delivering excellent customer service.

Dally is clear the quality of its customer service needs to improve. ‘It’s important we’re able to deliver the right customer experience, which has, let’s be honest, been an area we’ve been inconsistent with previously. We need to make sure that when the customer walks into an Alfa Romeo showroom they get a dedicated level of experience.

‘Our customers are incredibly knowledgeable when they come into the showroom, so we have to be 20 per cent better than they are. The danger is if you’re not, then you don’t fulfil the brand promise.

‘We need to make sure we have the right partners with the right viable business proposition so that they can deliver our brand values to our customer base.

‘With agency, there is a lot of concern – humans don’t like change, but I think change is good and healthy.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

INVESTIGATION

USED CAR PRICES WHY THEY WENT UP WILL IT CONTINUE?

Soaring used car prices have been a strange quirk of the pandemic – but for how long will these used car values remain high? Is there a used car price crash around the corner? Editor-in-chief James Baggott investigates.

J

ust as day follows night, the rule in the car world has always been that new vehicles lose money the minute you drive them off the forecourt.

Everyone knows you pay a premium to drive around in a new car with the latest registration but that it’ll lose money until the day you come to sell it.

That was until the pandemic turned all that on its head.

A swirl of market forces combined to spin the impossible around, and since Covid-19 arrived on the scene we’ve actually witnessed used car prices grow.

And we’re not just talking single digits here.

Since the start of 2021, used car prices have risen by nearly 30 per cent, with some models rising by as much as 70 per cent.

But what caused this strange phenomenon? What was the catalyst that turned the used car market on its head and, importantly, for how long can high used car prices remain?

WHY DID USED CAR PRICES GO UP?

At the sharp end of used car pricing throughout the pandemic was Derren Martin, recently promoted to director of valuations at trade pricing firm Cap HPI. He takes us back to March 2020 and the start of the pandemic when the first lockdown forced car dealers to close their doors.

During that time, few car sales were being made and there was confusion as to whether doing deals was even allowed.

For 10 weeks, as the country hid inside watching Netflix, used car transactions plummeted.

‘The used car retail market hit the ground running from day one of reopening after lockdown, if not before,’ explained Martin.

‘There was immediate pent-up demand from consumers that had been wanting or needing to buy during the lockdown period, plus those that were by then reluctant to travel on public transport.’

The start of a new used car world order had begun.

10 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The used car retail market hit the ground running from day one of reopening after lockdown, if not before.

Derren Martin Cap HPI

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SPECIAL CAR DEALER LIVE VIDEO

FEAR OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SENT USED CAR PRICES RISING

C

oncerns over catching Covid-19 meant trains, buses and the Tube were the first catalyst for used car price growth.

People who had to travel during the lockdown shunned public transport and took to their cars instead.

London Tube use dropped to 10 per cent of normal numbers, while train journeys fell to as low as four per cent of normal working weekdays.

For those public transport users who didn’t have a car, that meant finding one.

‘During the first lockdown, there was a desire, where possible, to stay in your own space and off public transport,’ said Jim Holder, editorial director of What Car? Used car expert Steve Young from industry analyst ICDP says it was this fear of Covid-19 that first gave a boost to the used car market.

‘Personal health concerns during 2020, pre-vaccine, meant that for those who did need to commute, a personal car became far more attractive than public transport,’ he told Car Dealer.

‘This drove demand for goodquality, smaller, cheap cars which exceeded the available supply.’

This started to slowly lift prices at the bottom end of the market, which had a knock-on effect up the chain.

‘Smaller, cheaper cars were sought after, as were older premium cars, particularly those over five years old,’ said Cap HPI’s Derren Martin, as people swapped season tickets for second hand motors.

PENT-UP DEMAND PUSHED USED CAR PRICES UP FURTHER

D

Tickets to ride lost their appeal

uring the months that followed the first lockdown, there was a combination of those looking for alternative forms of transport coupled with people who had to replace their cars but hadn’t been able to.

This meant car dealers enjoyed a grand reopening.

‘While the buildings may have been closed during lockdown, in the background many car dealers were still taking inquiries and orders, so there was plenty of follow-up activity required,’ said Cap HPI’s Derren Martin.

‘Add to this, some members of the public were looking to sell a more expensive used car and replace it with a cheaper one to realise cash, and all this meant that used car outlets were busy, both online and physically.’

During that first lockdown, most dealers had held firm on their prices – the used car market had effectively been paused.

That meant prices started off where they had been before the doors were shut and slowly, but surely, began to rise.

AA president Edmund King said: ‘The surge in price growth really began after the first easing of lockdown restrictions in summer 2020, when pent-up demand built up during the early stages of the pandemic was finally unleashed.’

Jayson Whittington, from trade used car price experts Glass’s, said that the initial trickle of custom quickly became a flood.

‘Demand began outstripping supply, leading to increased hammer prices at auction and subsequently an uplift in residual values,’ he said.

As showrooms reopened, advertising giant Auto Trader saw consumer searches rocket on its platform, too.

‘As lockdown came to an end, we saw a massive surge in consumer demand, which, coupled with the low levels of supply caused by auction closures, had an immediate impact on average prices,’ said insight director Richard Walker.

LOCKDOWN SAVERS SPLASHED OUT ON USED CARS

T

A

PRODUCTION ISSUES fter two further lockdowns, the start of 2021 saw dealers now used to selling cars with their doors shut and customers happy to buy them online.

But while this kept the wheels turning, it wasn’t until the country emerged from the winter months of the third lockdown in April that prices really took off.

‘From April 2021 onwards, the market was on fire,’ said Cap HPI’s Derren Martin.

Used car supermarket Carshop operated successfully online during the lockdowns, but when customers were allowed back into showrooms, boss Nigel Hurley said things just got better and better.

‘When we emerged from lockdown in April 2021, Continues over page

Workers at the Nissan factory

here was another strange quirk of the pandemic that also saw an increase in used car buying activity – so-called ‘accidental savers’.

With no meals out to enjoy or non-essential shops in which to spend their cash, many consumers saved considerable sums of money during the lockdowns.

Experts predicted £184bn was tucked away in savings accounts, and many decided to spend that money on a new car.

Cap HPI’s Derren Martin said: ‘Consumers were buying cars rather than going on holiday, making that aspirational purchase due to having money in their pocket from a lack of social activity during lockdown.’

But while this kept values strong and pushed some of them upwards slightly in specific segments – notably sports cars and the sort of models people buy as a ‘treat’ – it had nothing like the impact on pricing that 2021 was to bring.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 11

INVESTIGATION Continued from previous page there was significant pent-up demand within the market in the same way there was in 2020. However, the crucial difference this time was the global semiconductor shortage and supply chain issues affecting new car manufacturing,’ he said.

‘This resulted in a smaller supply of new cars and very long lead times on new car orders.’

The semiconductor issue meant there was a shortage of the microchips that were needed to power thousands of electrical components used in every new car.

The average new model uses around 2,000 of these scarce chips and without them manufacturers simply couldn’t keep production lines going.

With fewer new cars rolling out of factories, a cog fell off the great used car machine.

‘What followed was something we have never experienced before,’ said Hurley.

‘For many years now, the manufacturers have been motivated to grow their new car market share, and this put pressure on the retailers to meet those growth expectations.

‘This created a false demand for new cars as retailers churned demonstrator and service loan fleets and on occasion would self-register cars.

‘In addition, the manufacturers were seeking out their own channels to distribute sales. These cars, along with the retailers’ nearlynew stock, would flood the used car market.

‘This then drove down prices as supply and demand for these cars was out of balance.’

It was this false sales channel that had been stopped dead by the parts shortages and was sending used car prices skywards.

12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The impact of the microchip crisis has been profound

WHY DO SEMICONDUCTOR SHORTAGES AFFECT USED CAR PRICES?

A

s 2021 continued and the extent of the semiconductor shortage became clear, used car prices began to rise fast.

By mid-2021, reports suggested that the supply of semiconductors wasn’t going to be fixed anytime soon – some even predicted that it could last well into 2023.

‘Unlike other commodities, automotive is a small player in the overall semiconductor market, and other, larger customers – mobile phones, gaming, home entertainment, etc – had stepped in to absorb the capacity released by automotive [when production lines slowed down during the pandemic],’ said Steve Young from ICDP. ‘The demand for these other products had increased during the pandemic, so new capacity had to be added to meet the demands of all customers – automotive was then at the back of the queue.’

With far fewer new cars coming out of factories, the supply of cars was choked from the top.

Auto Trader’s Richard Walker said the impact was ‘profound’.

‘It has caused prices to rocket far beyond what the market has ever seen before, with five years’ worth of growth condensed into just seven months,’ he said.

Leasing companies, which would usually fuel the used car market, couldn’t renew their fleets so held on to their cars for longer.

New car buyers unprepared to wait months, sometimes even years, for a new model turned to the used car market instead – and they were happy to pay a premium for the privilege.

‘Long lead times led to significant levels of extensions in the leasing sector, as well as fewer partexchanges hitting the market,’ explained Glass’s Guide editor Jayson Whittington.

‘Those unwilling to wait the long lead times necessary to take delivery of a new car turned to the used car market instead.’

The huge shortfall of new cars entering the market will be felt for at least the next few years.

Richard Walker, Auto Trader’s insight director

WHY DO USED CARS COST MORE THAN NEW?

T

his once-in-a-lifetime combination of conspiring factors brought a simmering used car market to the boil and prices rose nearly 30 per cent in a year.

‘AA data shows a five-year-old Mini Hatch ended up costing 15 per cent more in 2021 than a three-year-old one did in 2019,’ said Edmund King.

Cap HPI’s Derren Martin had been keeping a close eye on the price rises and was shocked by what he saw.

‘On average, cars went up by 27.6 per cent during 2021, with many cars going up by thousands of pounds,’ he said.

His data shows a three-year-old Toyota Auris went up by 68 per cent during 2021, a Vauxhall Zafira 64 per cent and a Mercedes V-Class 59 per cent.

And these weren’t anomalies. Here we list 25 models that rose the most during 2021 – and there were many more posting positive growth.

E

Don’t expect the bubble to burst just yet

HIGH USED CAR DEMAND WILL CONTINUE FOR SOME TIME

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE CAR DEALER LIVE INVESTIGATION

WILL USED CAR PRICES KEEP RISING IN 2022?

xperts say what happens next to used car prices in 2022 will be generally more of the same – but with the spectre of the rising cost of living looming large as well.

While those dramatic gains in used car values won’t be as apparent, with new car supply still seriously affected, prices certainly aren’t going to plummet.

‘Those unbelievable 50-to-60 per cent price increases we saw last year won’t be seen this year, but if you’re expecting to see any sort of bubble bursting, you’re going to be disappointed,’ said Cap HPI’s Derren Martin.

‘There’s not going to be a crash. There simply aren’t enough used cars out there to burst that bubble.’

Glass’s Guide experts agree.

‘It is likely that disrupted used car supply will continue for at least the next couple of years, and consequently the outlook remains positive for residual values,’ said the firm’s Jayson Whittington.

‘We expect some depreciation this year, as it seems unlikely values can maintain their current levels, but only by around four to five per cent.’

Fewer new car sales on the 22-plate will likely keep used car prices high for some time to come.

Auto Trader points to the fact that 1.5m fewer new cars have been sold since 2020 – which will cause shortages for years.

‘The huge shortfall of new cars entering the market will be felt for at least the next few years as younger vehicles become increasingly scarce,’ said the firm’s Richard Walker.

Cox Automotive used car expert Philip Nothard said there were ‘no rational reasons’ for the used car market to be suddenly flooded with stock and thus negatively affect prices.

‘Following the acceleration of increase we observed in used values over the past 18 to 24 months, we do expect stabilisation and a return to what many may describe as a typical monthly depreciation, but this will be a prolonged movement and will take some time,’ he said.

But there are concerns with some about the cost of living beginning to squeeze the wallets of those previously happy to splash out on a used vehicle.

What Car?’s Jim Holder said: ‘There’s the threat of the rising cost of living and a looming, sharp recession that not-so-distant history from 2008/9 suggests can paralyse the car market. Some might argue that it is new car sales that will suffer most at a time of economic hardship, but it’s hard to believe that inflated used car prices will hold if the squeeze on everyday costs continues.

‘The turmoil certainly isn’t over yet.’

C

ar dealers we spoke to are gearing up for continued high demand for used models but are also mindful that the cost of living may dampen demand.

Chris Wiseman, who runs Wessex Garages, which is a Kia, Hyundai, Nissan and Mazda dealer, said: ‘I suspect the used car market to remain reasonably buoyant for the remainder of 2022.

‘But margins are likely to reduce slightly if consumer demand falls away for economic reasons.’

Edmund King at the AA thinks the craziness might just be coming to an end.

‘This upward trend cannot continue forever, and prices are likely to stabilise this year,’ he said.

‘However, some models may continue to see prices grow because fewer new cars were sold in 2020 and 2021, meaning there are also fewer nearly-new vehicles entering the second-hand market.’

Shoreham Vehicle Auctions boss Alex Wright thinks that consumers may actually grow tired of paying more for a used model and will instead be happy to join the waiting list for a new one instead.

‘The market has peaked, with prices set to continue to bubble along at their current level,’ he said.

‘Consumers now feel prices are too dear and so are prepared to wait for their next new car rather than pay close to retail money for a six-month-old car.’

But even he thinks it could be 2023 before we see the used car market return to anything like normal again. If there even is such a thing any more…

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 13

INVESTIGATION: EXCLUSIVE 2022 DATA

HOW MANY CAR DEALERS DOES EACH BRAND HAVE? • 202 FRANCHISED DEALERSHIPS CLOSED THEIR DOORS FOR GOOD LAST YEAR • VAUXHALL SHED THE MOST CAR DEALERSHIPS WITH 58 SHUTTING UP SHOP • FULL LIST OF NUMBER OF DEALERSHIPS FOR EACH BRAND REVEALED

by Rebecca Chaplin @BelieveBecca

M

ore than 200 franchised car dealerships closed last year as manufacturers slashed their networks.

In total, 202 sites were lost, taking the number of UK franchised car dealerships from 4,766 to 4,564, according to exclusive Car Dealer Magazine data.

The majority of the losses came from Mitsubishi pulling out of sales in the UK with the loss of all 100 car sales sites.

However, new owner IM Group said it now has 105 aftersales service centres with a further three satellite sites instead.

Ford still has the most car dealerships in the UK with a total of 335 dealers as of January 31, 2022 – but it did lose 25 dealers in the preceding 12 months.

Vauxhall lost the most dealerships in the year, slashing 58 of its car dealers, taking it to 224 sites.

It declined to comment on the drop when contacted by Car Dealer.

Of 51 car brands on the list, 24 lost one or more dealership in the past 12 months.

This is the second year that Car Dealer has compiled the list of new car dealerships.

Figures from the last research are included for comparison in the full list on the next page.

Stellantis brands made up five of the top 10 biggest fallers this time around.

This included Vauxhall’s 58 sites, Fiat losing 14, Abarth eight, Peugeot seven and DS six.

SOME MANUFACTURERS GREW

The list wasn’t all bad news, though, as there were 15 manufacturers that expanded their network, with MG topping the highest climbers.

It added 24 new dealerships in 12 months, making it the 12th biggest network in the UK with 144 sales sites.

Seat also added seven new dealerships, followed by Subaru and Alpine with six each.

The French sports car brand nearly doubled its count in just 12 months.

Jim Holder, editorial director of Haymarket Automotive, said: ‘The rationalisation of dealership numbers is likely to be a long-term trend as manufacturers work out how best to service customers.

‘It’s clear that the bigger operators are moving towards a future of fewer dealerships covering larger areas, likely with investments in online sales portals and more flexible purchasing journeys, including home delivery, to help cover the geographical gaps.

‘I imagine that the trend for smaller dealerships, in town or in shopping mall outlets, will also accelerate.

‘With dealership visits falling prior to purchase, and habits changing quickly as a result of the pandemic, this is likely just the start of this trend – although it’s clear from the expansion investments from smaller manufacturers that there is still an optimum level of coverage that is required to succeed.’

14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

THE TOP

3

335 DEALERSHIPS

224 DEALERSHIPS

192 DEALERSHIPS

HOW MANY CAR DEALERS DOES EACH BRAND HAVE?

It’s clear that the bigger operators are moving towards a future of fewer dealerships covering larger areas, likely with investments in online sales portals and more flexible purchasing journeys.

Jim Holder Editorial director of Haymarket Automotive

Brand

Number of dealerships in 2022

Number of dealerships in 2021

Change

Ford

335

360

-25

Vauxhall

224

282

-58

Kia

192

190

2

Toyota

181

181

0

Volkswagen

180

181

-1

Peugeot

179

186

-7

Hyundai

165

165

0

Nissan

165

167

-2

Dacia

154

154

0

Renault

154

152

2

Suzuki

149

150

-1

MG

144

120

24

BMW

135

135

0

Citroen

133

137

-4

Mini

130

132

-2

Honda

129

135

-6

Seat

129

122

7

Skoda

129

127

2

Mercedes-Benz

124

122

2

Mazda

122

121

1

Audi

115

120

-5

Land Rover

113

114

-1

Fiat

113

127

-14

Isuzu

100

102

-2

Volvo

95

100

-5

Abarth

86

94

-8

Jaguar

83

86

-3

Subaru

71

65

6

SsangYong

65

68

-3

Cupra

55

57

-2

Jeep

53

58

-5

Smart

49

50

-1

Lexus

46

45

1

Porsche

46

45

1

Alfa Romeo

45

47

-2

DS

26

32

-6

Tesla

25

21

4

Aston Martin

20

16

4

Bentley

20

20

0

Alpine

13

7

6

Lotus

13

15

-2

Ferrari

12

12

0

Lamborghini

11

10

1

Maserati

10

11

-1

McLaren

9

9

0

Rolls-Royce

7

7

0

Caterham

5

5

0

Bugatti

2

2

0

Polestar

2

2

0

Genesis

1

0

Mitsubishi

0

100

1 -100 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 15

FEATURE

WHY 72 COULD BE THE NEW 22

March is poised to be supplanted by September as the big month for dealers this year because of supply delays continuing to cause headaches.

I

t may be the time of year where car dealers are traditionally building up to a bumper sales month, but the end of 2022’s first quarter looks set to be a March like no other, with production and availability delays hampering every single car manufacturer.

With big names such as Ford quoting a three-to-seven-month delay on new car orders and Land Rover going as far as to say that orders placed in March won’t be filled until at least September, according to a recent report by Auto Express, the usual annual new car sales bonanza is falling at the first hurdle – and it could be the September plate change from 22 to 72 that finally sees things get back on track.

The reason behind it is a well-documented hangover from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, brought about by a shortage of semiconductor components from factories in Japan, South Korea and China, as well as smaller producers in Thailand and Malaysia.

The reason the availability crisis is occurring two years down the line is because of bulk ordering, with manufacturers of vehicles (as well as consumer tech) buying the semiconductors in seven-figure volumes. The supply has been running out and it’s affecting the entire automotive sector.

It’s having an effect on commercial vehicles, too. Just recently, supermarket giant Tesco extended the lease contracts on its existing vans from six to eight years because of supply shortages from Mercedes-Benz and Iveco, seeing home delivery vans in service with up to half a million miles on the clock.

The delays have led to a surge in demand for electric vehicles, which require fewer semiconductor-supported components. Sales of new EVs leapt by 15 per cent year on year in a car market down 28 per cent in April, with electric vans seeing an astonishing boost of more than 347 per cent.

Ford, which is struggling with petrol and diesel vehicle supply, saw its EV sales increase by 53 per cent in the same month, helping it to cement its position at the top of the van market at least.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: ‘Global supply shortages and economic headwinds remain a challenge, and the [delivery] sector’s switch to zero-emission vehicles must become mainstream. More electrified models are coming on to the market this year, but we need the charge-point rollout to accelerate, giving more operators greater confidence to transition to the latest electric vans.’

Meanwhile, in the car market, manufacturers that had previously seen a less hurtful impact from the semiconductor supply crisis are seeing a slowdown too, with MG – a company that broke all previous sales records in 2021 – advising its dealer network to stop 16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The Mini factory in Oxford halted production temporarily

Global supply shortages and economic headwinds remain a challenge.

Mike Hawes Chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders

The semiconductor crisis has been causing issues with the supply of new cars

MG dealers are being asked to just order from pipeline stock

taking factory-build orders for new petrol-powered cars until further notice. In a statement, the company’s commercial director, Guy Pigounakis, said: ‘We are aware of some suggestions on social media platforms that MG is discouraging its dealers from taking orders for petrol-engined cars.

‘Like all car manufacturers, we are seeing some short-term issues with limited supply due to a global shortage of semiconductor components, and we have been encouraging our dealer partners to explore EV options with customers, as we believe our electrified powertrains and the extended range of our EVs will give them broader appeal, including to traditional ICE customers. We have seen a very strong start to 2022 with a lot of demand for our new cars, which has led to some short-term delays in the supply of certain models, and our dealers are being asked to order only from pipeline stock.’

But what of the long-term availability issues relating to semiconductor supplies?

Analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence say that new vehicle production is starting to exceed their output plans. ‘Uncertainty around chip shortages still continues and automakers will reach pre-Covid production levels if they boost five to 10 per cent of their output,’ wrote Masahiro Wakasugi – a Bloomberg analayst – last month.

‘They’re being patient because demand for new cars is piling up,’ he said. ‘But for now, automakers can’t do anything so they have no choice but to wait.’

Most forecasters are predicting the situation to ease in the third and fourth quarters of 2022. If so, then September could also prove a rocky road at a time where sales should be booming.

It’s certainly having an effect on manufacturing, with BMW’s Mini plant in Oxford suspending production for three weeks in February.

Hawes added: ‘Global supply issues and structural changes are squeezing output while model changes impact production scheduling.

‘The UK automotive manufacturing industry is, however, fundamentally strong and recent investment announcements are testament to the potential for growth, not least in terms of rising EV (electric vehicle) production.

‘Every measure must be taken if we are to secure a bright, electrified future for our world-class automotive manufacturing base and the high-skilled, high-value jobs it creates across Britain.’ UK car production forecasts for 2022 have been revised down from the body’s autumn outlook by 2.4 per cent to around 979,000 units.

Like all car manufacturers, we are seeing some short-term issues with limited supply due to a global shortage of semiconductor components.

Guy Pigounakis MG commercial director

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

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Alfa Romeo hits reset button AGAIN – but this time it feels different...

I

There will be a product blitz like we’ve never seen before from the famed Milanese carmaker.

know for a fact that many dealers reading this will have seen the words ‘Alfa’, ‘Romeo’ and ‘rebirth’ half a dozen times over the past 30 years, so this is hardly anything new.

Even in my relatively short career in this industry (12 years and counting), I’ve used those words at least once. Or possibly twice. I forget.

And that’s the point. Every single time a carmaker such as Alfa Romeo claims it’s starting over again, the party poppers pop to celebrate a new saviour model but the light is extinguished soon after. We quickly move on and forget.

But this time – stay with me – the renaissance might actually work. Firstly, under the guiding hand of new CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato, this most passionate of fabled Italian car brands has turned a profit for the first time in goodness knows how long. To put that into context, he only got the keys to the CEO’s washroom at the start of 2021.

Speaking to Car Dealer four months ago, Imparato put it quite starkly. He (along with Stellantis money) is going to kick Alfa’s reputation for flaky quality, dire customer service and its penchant for discounting metal down the autostrada for good. He’s removing the ‘toxicity’ within the company, as he put it.

There’s a 10-year plan but, crucially, the next five are ‘completely locked in, validated and funded’. Under this plan, Alfa Romeo will turn electric, naturally, but there will be a product blitz like we’ve never seen before from the famed Milanese carmaker. Dealers will have one model in their showrooms every year for the next 10. For a brand the size of Alfa Romeo, that’s both exciting and rather worrying at the same time.

But there’s little cause for concern, since in contrast to previous times when models were steamrollered out of Italy, Alfa doesn’t plan on chasing volume. Instead, it’ll properly live up to its new premium positioning within the Stellantis empire of brands.

The Tonale (see pages 8 and 9), which will get its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, is the first step in this bombardment. Arguably, it’s the most undramatic aspect of the great Alfa renaissance as it’s a mild- and plug-in hybrid crossover. But – and this is pivotal – it should provide a bit of profit and sense of where the brand is going.

In time, there’s likely to be a new Spider sports car plus, if we’re really lucky, more exclusive one-offs such as the recent Giulia GTAm. Even Alfa was surprised at how easily it could sell a £150,000 saloon car with a roll-cage instead of backseats.

So, with Imparato in charge and Stellantis providing the cash, the plans sound right.

But there’s one big question mark hanging over all of this: the dealers.

Why? Well, Stellantis – along with Mercedes and Volkswagen – has confirmed that agency sales are coming. For Alfa Romeo, it’ll be as soon as next year.

In the UK, it’s uncertain exactly what shape this will take, but the brand’s UK boss Damien Dally told me recently it’ll bring ‘consistency’ to the dealer network and to Alfa’s newfound sense of getting the customer experience right.

Last year, Stellantis’s dealers were put on a two-year notice, with retailers placed into ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ categories. The ‘C’ dealers face likely termination, and a small number of Alfa dealers are in this band.

Dally told me that getting the customer experience right is an enormous priority of his and for the brand on a wider level outside of the UK. ‘We need to make sure that when the customer walks into an Alfa Romeo showroom they get a dedicated level of experience,’ he said.

‘We need to make sure we have the right partners with the right viable business proposition so that they can deliver our brand values to our customer base.’

Desirable and well-made cars sold by an enthusiastic, high-quality dealer network under a brand that’s profitable. Sounds rather good, doesn’t it?

JAMES BAGGOTT WILL BE BACK NEXT MONTH

Batch chat

COMMENT

JAMES BATCHELOR

WHILE THE CEO’S AWAY, BATCH STEPS INTO THE BREACH TO HAVE HIS SAY James Batchelor James – aka Batch – started at Car Dealer in 2010, becoming editor in 2013. He then worked for Auto Express and Carbuyer, went freelance in 2020, and became Car Dealer’s associate editor in October 2021.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

Big Mike OUR MAN ON THE INSIDE SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON THE CAR BUSINESS

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.

20 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

COMMENT

Stupid is as stupid does when it comes to private sellers

W

ith auctions becoming more and more high-end and prohibitively priced, and with used cars in general now costing the same to buy as the debt of a small African nation, I’ve found myself turning more and more to the private ‘for sale’ pages to procure my used car stock.

And from this, I’ve learnt a number of things. First of all, the sheer number of illiterate and stupid people in Britain is actually quite terrifying, and having seen the way that they advertise their cars for sale, I’m amazed they’re even capable of getting up and getting dressed in the morning (if indeed they do, or have any reason to, which I doubt).

Quite apart from the fact that they will quite happily take a photograph of the car with a wheelie bin, fence or tree in the way, or even better, will place an advert with a picture of only half a car in it to start with, many of them will then also come up with a list of rules before you even dare to contact them.

As someone who buys a lot of cars, this frustrates me most of all. I know that you’re not ‘giving it away’ and that also to suggest ‘no idiots’ in your advert means you may have encountered a few in the past (so have I, believe me….) and that’s absolutely fair enough. But sometimes you might need to stop and think why you believe these people to be idiots to start with.

Doesn’t the fact that they’re not parting with their cash to buy your car suggest it may not always be them who’s the idiot?

And then there are the sheer number of cars listed for sale that end with the description of the one thing that the car ‘just needs doing’ (always at the end of the ad, not the start).

According to almost every Facebook Marketplace or eBay vendor, whatever it is that the car ‘just needs’ costs less than £50 and will take 10 minutes to fit, which leads me to a very simple question: Why haven’t they done it then?

If a car really does just need £50 and 10 minutes’ work spending on it, it’s going to be worth a lot more if you spend that time and money. And if you really can’t afford to spend money on a £50 car repair, I think that – quite frankly – I don’t want to be buying a car from you, as I dread to think what other critical maintenance you might have overlooked by not wanting to spend any money.

Or could it be that the £10 turbo pipe that’s at fault actually involves the removal of the engine or gearbox to fit it, and the only possible way to get it done by a mechanic for £50 is by sleeping with them or threatening to sell their deepest, darkest secrets to the gutter press – although in all fairness, neither of these approaches has worked for me in the past.

As a general rule then, I tend to overlook any car that’s advertised for sale with strict rules about a zero-tolerance approach to idiots or with repairs that ‘just need doing’, and tend to filter out the ones that appear to be good value and have been described by people who are at least semi-literate and who are offering cars that they don’t necessarily know the true value of in today’s bafflingly and irritatingly expensive used car market.

Sometimes you get lucky. Indeed, the landscape gardener chappie who delivered a Jaguar S-Type to me last week on his trailer while on the way to a job was absolutely salt-of-the-earth, and I almost felt guilty about stealing the thing for

They will quite happily take a photograph of the car with a wheelie bin, fence or tree in the way, or even better, will place an advert with a picture of only half a car in it.

£1,500 – not a bad price for a car that was in immaculate condition with just 80,000 miles on the clock, with stacks of history, and would easily sell for three times that to the right buyer in the right market. Indeed, it just has. Like I said, I ALMOST felt sorry for him, but in those circumstances I’m far too smug.

Sadly, it’s not always easy, and even though you do tend to get a good feel for the seller of a car by talking to them (if, indeed, speech is something they’re capable of in more than three-word sentences and the occasional grunt, especially where I live in the West Midlands), you don’t always get it right.

Last week, I travelled over 50 miles to go and look at a Volvo that had been beautifully described and even came with some quite clear and in-focus photographs, but the vendor had neglected to show any pictures of the passenger side of the vehicle – a large part of which had been taken out by a bin truck. When questioned, he rather sheepishly told me that he didn’t think anybody would mind ‘at that price’.

I’d understand if it was a trolley dent or even a bit of a scratch in the paint, but this thing was battered to the point of being unsaleable and I had just wasted almost a day of my time travelling up and down the M6 to go and look at it. He could at least have said it was bent in the advert.

And that’s the challenge of being independent these days – stock is getting poor in quality and harder and harder to find, so some days you can put in an entire shift and not even take home a penny. It’s a good job that the big paydays are still there (albeit a bit less frequently) to compensate for the time that we have to spend dealing with idiots – and by that, I mean sellers as well as buyers. No idiots please. Thank you.

The landscape gardener chappie who delivered a Jaguar S-Type to me last week was absolutely salt-of-theearth, and I almost felt guilty about stealing the thing for £1,500.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Here’s how the car sales people landscape could look in 10 years’ time...

I

I’d love to see more diversity at all levels of motor businesses and not just to tick PR boxes.

wrote a piece recently in which I spoke about the types of car sales people I’d worked with in the past and how, during my 20year career, the roguish cliché breed had been marginalised to independents through legislation and consumer behaviours.

It clearly struck a chord with many people, as I received plenty of comments stating that they too had known sales people with a devious intent. That prompted me to think about what car sales people might be like a decade from now...

More diverse: Diversity has improved over the past decade, and the last sales team I was part of was almost evenly split between men and women. There was also ethnic and sexual orientation diversity. But what’s still not prevalent enough is representation of these groups at senior manager and board level. I’d love to see more diversity at all levels of motor businesses and not just to tick PR boxes.

Older and more part-time: For many years, the anti-social nature of the motor trade’s hours forced many employees with families or other commitments to look for careers out of the industry, and many talented individuals were lost this way. However, with a change of emphasis on experience rather than sales craft likely to happen, older people who could perhaps work a three-day week or afternoons only are likely to be sought after. This has been the case in DIY stores and supermarkets for years and the motor trade is no different.

More connected: Barely a day goes by without a dealer in my social media feed publishing a product video made in-house with a sales team member. While tailored videos are very popular, I can see video production moving from marketing to within sales teams as content-hungry consumers do even more research prior to a visit to a facility. The trick is monetising this activity to either sales results or advertising revenue.

Less well paid: For the past two decades, sales teams every year have had to do more for the same – or for less in some cases. However, if you take an industry-average sales wage across the franchised business, the job is still very well paid. But as teams become more part-time and potentially bigger, I can see remuneration moving to a straightforward hourly rate with perhaps team incentives.

Digitised: I have written before about the success of McDonald’s having introduced self-service screens in restaurants. With agency sales models likely to dominate most manufacturer networks, there is no reason why buyers cannot simply come in, sit in a car and then configure their order in store without even talking to a human.

No F&I focus: Regulatory and compliance requirements are getting so onerous that, given the dwindling returns from selling F&I products, it’s likely this won’t form part of a human sales transaction.

I envisage a digital process that can be completed in store or at home – or even removed from the product portfolio altogether.

I’m not sure how radical some of these will appear to readers. It’s true that there will always be a need for someone to ‘sell’ a car, but how that end result is achieved is going to continue to evolve.

Trader Tales

COMMENT

JAMES LITTON

CASTING AN EXPERIENCED EYE ON THE WIDE AND CHALLENGING WORLD OF MOTOR SALES

James Litton is an automotive retail consultant who always has something to say about the industry he loves.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 23

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Auto Trader data deal will boost dealer help

C

lose Brothers Motor Finance has launched a trailblazing new partnership with Auto Trader. Its dealer partners can now use a clever new tool, powered by Auto Trader data, that gives them a better understanding of regional trends, stock inefficiencies and consumer behaviour.

The motor finance provider believes the powerful insight tool gives dealers the ability to unlock their full potential when it comes to buying and selling stock.

Managing Director Seán Kemple explained: ‘We fund a large number of dealers’ forecourts, so we can see the stock on dealer forecourts.

‘We take Auto Trader’s market-leading data and speak to the dealer to aid the sale of those vehicles – what demand is in the marketplace and how those vehicles should be priced depending on their strategy to either move the vehicles as quickly as possible to release profit, or maximise profit over a longer period of time.

‘That’s just one part of it – the other is also what consumer demand we’re seeing coming through our partner classified sites like Auto Trader.

‘These tell us what’s about to hit the forecourt.’

Kemple added that it’s never been more important for dealerships to have crucial data at their fingertips.

‘If you cast your mind back to 12 to 18 months ago, we were seeing a lot of dealers saying: “I’m not going to pay those prices because I’m afraid of retailing at the prices I’m going to be purchasing at”, he commented.

‘Having the data to understand what consumers are willing to pay, what price points they’re searching for, allows us to work with a number of those dealers to help them.

‘At one point we were seeing dealers at 50 per cent of their forecourts because they were too concerned to buy the stock at the prices that were selling at wholesale.’

The insight tool is a ‘value-added service’ to Close Brothers Motor Finance’s dealer partners, said Kemple. He added that it was delivered through their account managers who turn the data into actions specific to the dealer’s business goals.

Kemple also explained how unique the new insight tool was in the market.

‘I can be confident to say that nobody else is working at this depth,’ he told Car Dealer in the interview that you can watch by clicking on the link on the right.

‘This is really unique in terms of the joint venture with Auto Trader – to bring that data in and start working with the dealer partner.

‘It’s not just catching up in the market or being competitive, it’s market-defining.

‘We’re seeing some great success stories – dealers increasing prices on vehicles based on demand that goes against everything in a dealer’s DNA.’ There’s more to come, added Kemple.

‘We’re currently working on something for the motorbike sector – that will be an industry-first, as nobody is really providing live data into the motorcycle market.

‘We also want to focus in on the LCV market.’

Buying is getting back to how it was USED car buyers are starting to return to more pre-pandemic purchasing trends, while used vans are still flying off forecourts.

That’s the word from Seán Kemple, who described in our interview how much of the erratic purchasing behaviour seen for the past two years in the used car market had started to stabilise, while in the LCVs sector the opposite was true.

Dealers experienced a rush of customers wanting to finance and purchase practical – and often cheaper – second-hand cars to avoid using public transport, and saw a rise in interest in expensive and exotic cars as some buyers wanted to treat themselves.

‘Those trends aren’t as prominent as they were when the country was coming out of each lockdown,’ said Kemple.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE CAR DEALER LIVE INTERVIEW WITH SEÁN KEMPLE

For more information visit closemotorfinance.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

DASHBOARD

CAR NEWS ROUND-UP

Manufacturers have been busy refining existing models and producing new ones. We look at 10 of the results...

AUDI

Q4 e-tron EV gets faster charging with update AUDI has given its electric Q4 e-tron model a number of updates.

One of the most important is faster charging, although it only applies to the larger battery sizes with a 76.6kWh capacity, which now charge at up to 135kW. These are the 40- and 50-badged models in both SUV and Sportback sizes.

SKODA

Sporty Fabia Monte Carlo is now available to order SKODA'S new Fabia Monte Carlo is available to order now from £20,925.

The sporty addition to the Fabia range has been a mainstay of the line-up since 2011 and is now the rangetopping model.

This new version gains plenty of standard equipment and sits on the largest alloy wheels of the entire Fabia range, with 17-inch black diamond-cut alloy wheels on all four corners.

Redesigned bumpers are fitted too, as well as gloss black door mirrors and a radiator grille finished in the same shade. All cars get Monte Carlo badging and black Skoda lettering as well.

26 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

It's particularly noticeable on the 40 models, with the optimal five to 80 per cent charge time dropping from 38 minutes to 29, while 50 models see a reduction from 38 to 36.

The improvements have come from optimisation of the battery’s thermal management and control systems.

RENAULT

Austral SUV unveiled in Kadjar's place RENAULT has released the Austral with a bold exterior design and a variety of electrified powertrains.

The replacement for the popular Kadjar has a striking design as well as a high-tech interior. It’s also based on the new CMF-CD platform, which has been developed alongside alliance partners Mitsubishi and Nissan.

Only hybrid powertrains will be available. The first uses a 1.2-litre threecylinder turbocharged petrol engine linked with an electric motor, with outputs of either 157 or 196bhp. Renault claims it’ll emit just 105g/km CO2.

There’s also a mild-hybrid version of that same engine that links the petrol motor with a 48-volt battery and belt-integrated starter-generator, which helps to take some of the strain off the engine when accelerating.

VW

Updated T-Roc goes on sale from £25k

VOLKSWAGEN’S updated T-Roc is now on sale, with prices starting from £25,000.

Among the revisions – applied to five-door and cabriolet models – the front end has new headlights.

The air inlets have also been reshaped and are connected by a black trim piece.

The tail lights have been given new LED graphics, while the rear bumper has been reprofiled, too.

It now has a simplified lineup of three trims – Life, Style and R-Line.

MAZDA

CX-60 arrives as range-topping SUV

VW

Electric ID.Buzz reinvents icon MAZDA’S new CX-60 has gone on sale with prices starting from £43,950.

Available in three specs, it joins the CX-5 in the range of SUVs, topping the line-up.

It's been launched with Mazda’s first plug-in hybrid powertrain, which links a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 100kW electric motor and 17.8kWh battery.

Together, you get 322bhp and 500Nm, making it Mazda’s most powerful road car. A combined fuel consumption of 188mpg alongside emissions of 33g/km CO2 is claimed, as is up to 42 miles of range.

FORD

Click here to watch the Mustang California Special

Mustang range expanded with California Edition FORD has unveiled a new addition to its Mustang line-up of cars with a new California Edition.

Available in convertible form only, it starts from £52,105 and features a variety of retro-inspired design touches.

The California Edition takes inspiration from a 1967 Shelby GT notchback coupe prototype named the California Special. It featured a blacked-out grille, fog lights and side racing stripes, with a limited number of cars put into production in 1968.

This version also has a black front grille, while lower side stripes in black, grey and red run along the car’s length. They also have a hidden ‘California Special’ script that can’t be seen in low light but gets more prominent in stronger sunlight.

FISKER

Ocean EV makes European debut after LA showcase FISKER revealed its Ocean electric SUV in Europe for the first time at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Previously showcased at the Los Angeles motor show last year, the Ocean is expected to hit UK roads in the second quarter of 2023. The five-seater Ocean – which will start from £34,490 – will be available in three trim levels.

Entry-level Sport models bring a range of up to 250 miles from its single motor. Step up to Ultra and you get Fisker’s ‘hyperrange’ battery, which brings the car’s range to 380 miles.

Finally, there is Extreme specification, with up to 391 miles claimed between charges.

VOLVO

C40 line-up gets new single motor version

VOLVO has introduced a single-motor version of its electric C40 Recharge.

Sitting alongside the existing dual-motor variant, the new model combines a single motor with a 69kWh battery to deliver up to 269 miles between charges. The more powerful version, for context, has a range of up to 273 miles but uses a larger 75kWh battery.

The single motor’s charging ability means a 10 to 80 per cent charge is possible in 32 minutes via a rapid charger.

VOLKSWAGEN has unveiled the ID.Buzz as its new electric MPV and van that pays homage to the T1 – one of the brand’s most iconic models.

Originally shown in concept form more than five years ago, the production version has surprisingly few changes, with Volkswagen stressing that ‘form follows function’.

The ID.Buzz will launch in two forms: an MPV version and a van – the ID.Buzz Cargo.

The passenger model will debut as a five-seater, with six- and seven-seaters and an extended wheelbase to follow.

Key details include bold LED lights that run into the Volkswagen emblem.

NISSAN

Juke to gain hybrid engine NISSAN has announced that a hybrid engine will join the Juke line-up.

The popular compact crossover’s range is expanding with the addition of the powertrain, which uses components from both Nissan and its alliance partner Renault to bring extra performance and efficiency.

The hybrid powertrain uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine that was developed specifically for use in a hybrid setup, and is combined with an electric motor to make 143bhp.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

DASHBOARD RETAIL

Polestar now has Space in Solihull

HERE ARE TASTERS OF STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

NEWS DIGEST CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR THE FULL STORY c

POLESTAR has opened its third UK Space in Solihull town centre.

The Space, which is at the Touchwood shopping centre, joins the Swedish electric performance brand’s similar outlets at London Westfield and Manchester’s Trafford Centre.

They have a direct-toconsumer, digital-first approach with ‘product specialists’ who aren’t on a commission.

Jonathan Goodman, head of Polestar UK, said it was ‘in a pivotal retail destination in the Midlands’.

MOTORPOINT

Mayor cuts ribbon to open 16th store

DEVASTATION

‘Catastrophic damage’ caused as Storm Eunice brings scaffolding crashing down on to cars A CAR showroom in Bristol was forced to shut for the day after Storm Eunice caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage.

Scaffolding came crashing down on some 15 cars at Roadworthy Suzuki, but fortunately nobody was hurt. The site in Fishponds Road shut as it was declared unsafe and a clean-up operation took place. In a Facebook message that day, the owners said: ‘We have suffered catastrophic damage to our dealership as a result of Storm Eunice.’ It reopened the next day.

Picture courtesy of roadworthy suzuki

TAKEOVER

BMW Group to absorb Alpina

MOTORPOINT’S new Maidstone store was given the civic seal of approval when the town’s mayor declared it well and truly open.

The car supermarket, which arrived in Kent with its 16th store, saw Cllr Fay Gooch performing an official ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebrating the fact it meant a jobs boost, with 30 roles being created.

‘I was really excited and honoured to open this wonderful new Motorpoint Maidstone store,’ she said.

‘It’s fantastic news!’

28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

BMW has acquired the Alpina brand in a deal that will start in 2025 after close to 60 years of working with the firm.

The two companies initially agreed a new five-year working arrangement in 2020 and will honour that before the takeover happens.

However, once the arrangement expires on December 31, 2025, Alpina will become part of the BMW Group for the first time.

RIVALRY

Even Alfa was surprised at how easily it could sell a £150,000 saloon car with a roll-cage instead of backseats.

James Batchelor p19

Google launches new vehicle ads format

GOOGLE has launched a new vehicle ads format that looks set to shake up the way cars are advertised online.

Unveiled at Nada, it shows cars for sale directly in Google Search from car dealers. It’ll put Google in direct competition with the likes of Auto Trader, eBay Motors Group and Carwow and is available in the States now. Car Dealer asked Google when it’d be coming to the UK and was told it’ll arrive in more regions ‘later this year’.

New CEO at Aston Barclay.

Supplier News: p55

‘The hybrid powertrain is particularly good to drive and should mean fantastic running costs if kept well charged.’

Forecourt: p36

SPONSORSHIP

BENEFITS

Vertu agrees fresh More rewards for Yorkshire cricket deal Drive employees

PURCHASE

Mackie Motors is bought by Park’s

T S A C D PO Driven by

VERTU Motors has agreed a new sponsorship deal with Yorkshire County Cricket Club after severing links in November after a race row.

Vertu has teamed up with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation – the club’s official charity arm.

The club was rocked by excaptain Azeem Rafiq’s claims of institutionalised racism. Now it is being run by Lord Kamlesh Patel, who is bringing in changes.

Vertu ceo robert forrester is pictured with lord patel

DRIVE Motor Retail has brought in a comprehensive new employee reward scheme to entice the next generation of automotive workers while also helping existing staff.

The new set of benefits includes extra annual leave and an enhanced referral scheme. A range of health benefits is also being introduced.

Rob Keenan, pictured right with fellow MD Stuart Harrison, said: ‘We are thrilled to announce this new set of benefits, which I believe puts us ahead of the industry standard.’

CARZAM

Top executive leaves after three months

FORMER Paddy Power chief executive Andy McCue has left his post as executive chairman of online used car dealer Carzam just over three months after joining.

The ex-CEO of the Irish bookmaker joined Carzam on November 23 after a fundraising round brought in £112m for the rival to Cazoo and Cinch.

However, an update posted to Companies House said his position as a board member was terminated on March 7.

PARK’S Motor Group has bought Mackie Motors.

The Renault, Nissan, Dacia and MG sites in Arbroath and Brechin will now trade as Park’s. All staff will keep their jobs at the dealerships.

MD Kevin Mackie said: ‘It was a hugely difficult and emotional process for me, given our family history in the industry over the last 45 years. However, I am confident that in selling the dealerships to Park’s I have found a new owner who shares the same ethos.’

OM R F M A E THE T EALER CAR DBOUT TALK ATEST THE LAAND NEWSVIEWS IN INTER EGULAR THIS R ST PODCA

PREDICTION

The sheer number of illiterate and stupid people in Britain is actually quite terrifying.

Big Mike p20

Luxury car prices ‘are set to tumble’

E R E H K C CLI

SUPERCAR salesman Tom Hartley says sales have slowed since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview, which you can watch above, Hartley says the devastating war has caused business to drop 50 per cent.

And the Car Dealer Lifetime Achievement Award winner said that while supercar prices might be strong now, a drop is on the horizon.

Hartley also revealed he was setting up a base in Knightsbridge.

PAST O T N E T S TO LI ES OF THE EPISODEALER CAR DASTS PODC Turn over page to catch up on more stories

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 29

DASHBOARD HENDY

Philippa Forrester signs up to EV site

ENVIRONMENTALIST, TV presenter and author Philippa Forrester has been signed up to the Hendy EV website to help steer customers towards an electric future.

Chief executive Paul Hendy said: ‘There are still misconceptions about the transition, so Philippa will be helping us with a range of informative videos.’ Forrester said: ‘Switching to electric is very different to swapping between petrol and diesel cars but that doesn’t mean it is difficult.’

CHANGES

Busseys to close Dereham branch

HERE ARE TASTERS OF STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

NEWS DIGEST CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR THE FULL STORY

DES RES?

For sale: Four-bedroom family home complete with car dealership – Yours for £665,000...

A HOUSE has been put on the market that has its own car dealership thrown in as well.

The detached property in Routh not only has four bedrooms but also boasts a 45-vehicle purpose-built showroom. According to the listing on Rightmove, the owners of the dealership – RB2000 – are looking to semi-retire after 22 years.

The business, which also has permission for caravan storage, is said to have an annual turnover of more than £700,000. It’s being offered for £665,000 with no chain.

Picture via Rightmove

WRAPPED

PMS lends Micra to help prostate charity

FORD and Peugeot dealership Busseys is to shut its Dereham branch as it doesn’t fit in with the manufacturers’ plans.

That’s according to MD Paul Bussey, who also said in the Eastern Daily Press the dealership chain wasn’t immune to changes in the automotive industry as it shifted towards electrified vehicles.

All the staff were to be offered jobs at the company’s other branches in Norwich, Fakenham and Attleborough.

Picture: google street view 30 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

HAVERFORDWEST dealership PMS has wrapped a Nissan Micra to be used by Prostate Cymru to help raise awareness of the cancer.

The supermini will be used by the charity at events across Wales throughout the year. PMS boss John Green, who was named Fundraiser of the Year by Prostate Cymru last year, said: ‘It is so important to raise awareness of a condition that affects so many men and their families and friends across Wales.’

322

STANDALONE

Unity expands with MG in Coventry

The brake horsepower of Mazda’s new CX-60 – its most powerful road car.

Car news p26

UNITY Automotive has opened a standalone MG dealership in Coventry to run alongside its multifranchise showroom in the city that also sells the marque.

Coventry MG is operating from Pilot Park in tandem with Unity Coventry at Balsall Common, which represents Isuzu, SsangYong and Subaru as well. Unity said it was expanding with the brand, which had led it to offer two MG locations within 10 miles of each other.

You might have to watch your bank balance if you fancy this cool item!

‘Quote.’

Feature: pXX

Feature: p44

ACQUISITION

Chorley Group buys two BCC showrooms

CHORLEY Group has bought BCC Cars’ Citroen dealerships in Blackburn and Bolton.

The deal – for an undisclosed sum – now sees them trading respectively as Chorley Group Citroen Blackburn and Bolton.

Adam Turner, Chorley Group’s MD, said it marked the latest stage of the group’s strategic growth plans.

Pictured from left are Adam Turner, BCC founder Mike Holt and Chorley chairman Andrew Turner

AMBITION

Cupra has double vision for 2022

CUPRA says it plans to double the size of its global dealer network, sales and turnover this year.

Making the announcement to mark the manufacturer’s fourth anniversary, chief executive Wayne Griffiths said: ‘The plans we have in store for 2022 include the intention to double our sales, double our turnover and double our sales network.’ Cupra launched as a standalone brand alongside owner Seat in 2018.

FRANCHISE

I’d love to see more diversity at all levels of motor businesses and not just to tick PR boxes.

James Litton p23

EVENT

Thruxton thrills are on the way again

HENDY Group is promising petrolheads high-octane entertainment when its Performance Open Day returns to Thruxton after its inaugural event last year.

Taking place on July 24, it’ll feature car displays, live music and track stars including stunt driver Paul Swift wowing crowds again just as he did in 2021.

There will also be a skid-pan experience as well as junior driving sessions.

JT Hughes adds Isuzu to portfolio

JT HUGHES Group has added Isuzu to its portfolio of franchises.

The car retailer said it hoped to increase its existing client base with the manufacturer’s new range of pick-ups.

Isuzu joins the Honda, Hyundai, Ineos, Kia and XBus marques at JT Hughes, which has showrooms in Shrewsbury, Telford and Newtown.

Managing director John Hughes said: ‘We are immensely excited to forge this new partnership with Isuzu.’

VOLVO CARS

New site beckons in Shrewsbury

A NEW multi-million-pound Volvo showroom is set to open its doors in Shrewsbury this summer.

Volvo Cars Shrewsbury will offer sales, servicing, MOT tests and repairs from July at the new-look showroom in Old Potts Way when it moves some 3.5 miles from its current site in Featherbed Lane.

MD Chris Carr said: ‘We’re incredibly excited and looking forward to welcoming customers to our new home.’

BITE-SIZE Click on the text box for the full story

LOST: At least 4,000 luxury cars – including Porsche and Bentley models – have been lost after the ship carrying them sank in the mid-Atlantic. The Felicity Ace suffered a catastrophic fire while taking VW Group models from Germany to the United States.

IPO: Porsche could be floated on the stock market in an IPO that could value the sports car manufacturer as high as £166bn.

German owners VW and the Piech and Porsche families have confirmed they have agreed in principle to look at an IPO.

MONEY: TrustFord is to pay staff who aren’t apprentices the Real Living Wage as a minimum hourly rate from April. That translates as £9.90 an hour and £11.05 for those working in London. Flexible working hours have also been introduced.

BOOST: Aston Martin is to create more than 100 jobs at its St Athan factory as it prepares to put its new range-topping SUV into production. The DBX707 will arrive later this quarter and more than 100 extra technicians are being recruited to build it.

REACH: LEVC has appointed three more dealers in Spain. The new franchises in Bilbao, Malaga and Valencia extend its reach in Spain to five centres, following the appointment in 2021 of Ronda 15 in Barcelona and Auto Elia in Madrid.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 31

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32 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

PARTNER

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Count your blessings Darren Selig, founder and chief commercial officer of high-end vehicle finance lender JBR Capital, reflects on how the past months have brought significant difficulties for the automotive sector and customers, with plenty more to come, but none of which compare remotely with the challenges faced by many people elsewhere in the world today.

Due to the global semiconductor shortage, the supply of new and used prestige and high-performance cars dried to a very expensive trickle.

Darren Selig JBR Capital founder and chief commercial officer

T

here’s an old story about how you can get rid of all your problems by taking off your shoes and tying them to a tree. All you have to do is walk around the tree and take someone else’s shoes. And, of course, their problems.

Over the past few years there are plenty of people within the automotive industry, and many customers, who would dearly love to get rid of their problems. Whether you were for or against Brexit, there was barely time to breathe a sigh of relief that the issue had, finally, at least to some degree, been sorted out before troubling stories about a mysterious pneumonia began to emerge from China.

And this time the scary pandemic movie turned out to be real, with Covid closing virtually every car factory and dealership across the world and playing havoc with customers’ lives and their personal finance. Then, finally, in the spring of 2021, we got a sense of the world slowly beginning to emerge from Covid.

Certainly, at JBR Capital we experienced the busiest period in our company’s history, lending £158m in 2021, to meet the pent-up demand and help our customers fund their automotive passion. Not that all the problems in the world had gone away – of course they hadn’t. Covid was still around, as indeed remains the case today, and in addition, the automotive industry was beset with a new barrage of problems.

Due to the global semiconductor shortage, the supply of new and used prestige and high-performance cars dried to a very expensive trickle. And yet still, everyone – businesses and customers alike – gritted their teeth and got on with it, more than happy to put up with increased waiting times and higher prices and just glad to be able to enjoy some sort of freedom and normality again.

Demand for high-end vehicles boomed, even if the supply to meet it wasn’t really there. People began to talk about the new roaring Twenties to mirror the decade of decadence enjoyed by some after the First World War and the Spanish flu. Back then, the party continued for 10 years until the Wall Street Crash of 1929. But there are numerous signs that our post-Covid Twenties may not roar so long and so loudly.

However, I am confident that the fundamentals of our economy are resilient and that new and used prestige cars will continue to hold, if not indeed increase, their value. And why do I say that? Because the semiconductor shortage supply is not going away any time soon. If anything, it’s getting worse and extremely limited supply will guarantee strong values – it’s simple market forces.

But only a fool would ignore the evidence that the moderate headwind we were facing just a few weeks ago brought on by rising interest rates is starting to feel decidedly blustery. It’s not quite at gale force yet, but it may soon get there, given the energy price shock and spiralling fuel costs.

So, you might be tempted to tie your shoes, and your problems, to that tree. But remember, you must take someone else’s shoes and their problems with you before you leave. Mostly, when you see other people’s challenges, you are content to put your own shoes back on because, sometimes, it’s worth reminding ourselves that the problems we think we have are not actually problems at all.

For more information visit jbrcapital.com CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

FORECOURT

MAZDA CX-5 Mazda has tweaked its popular CX-5 SUV, so Ted Welford headed to the Scottish Highlands to put it to the test.

Under the bonnet

THE KNOWLEDGE Mazda CX-5 2.2D 184PS AWD GT Sport Auto Price (as tested): £39,965 Engine: 2.2-litre turbo diesel Power: 181bhp Torque: 445Nm Max speed: 129mph O-60mph: 9.4 seconds MPG (combined): 42.8 Emissions: 173g/km CO2

34 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The 2.2-litre turbo diesel pumps out 181bhp and 445Nm of torque.

WHAT IS IT? Launched a decade ago, the CX-5 remains Mazda’s largest vehicle of this type in the UK (for the time being at least) and continues to make up around a quarter of the Japanese firm’s registrations here in Britain. Now the manufacturer is introducing an updated version.

WHAT’S NEW? Key styling changes include new LED lights at the front and rear. There are also two new options – a more rugged-looking Newground model alongside the stealthier Sport Black version. Mazda has made small tweaks to the dynamics, too, plus it now has adjustable driving modes exclusively on petrol cars paired with an automatic gearbox.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? The engine choice remains identical to before, with a choice of 2.0-litre petrol, 2.5-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel. Unlike plenty of rivals, there’s still no electrified option.

We got a chance to drive all engines, but spent the majority of the time in the diesel, with our test car using the more powerful 181bhp unit (a 148bhp version is also offered), which was paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox and came with all-wheel-drive. It can take the CX-5 to 60mph in 9.4 seconds and head on to a top speed of 129mph. It’s not the most efficient, though, with Mazda claiming just 42.8mpg and 173g/km CO2 emissions. The frontwheel-drive version with a manual gearbox will be noticeably more efficient.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? Twisty Scottish Highlands passes wouldn’t be the first choice of road to test a family SUV on, and many in this class would soon show themselves up if you tried to put your foot down. Not the CX-5, though.

If you want a fun SUV to drive, this Mazda is where you should put your money. It feels nimble and agile, while the well-weighted steering makes such a refreshing change from the ultra-lightweight setups that many crossovers feature. This diesel, with its healthy 445Nm of torque, also suits the CX-5 brilliantly, although it does have the usual gruffness that cars powered this way tend to.

When you want to settle things down a bit, though, its outstanding cruising refinement really shines through. One of the few complaints is that the ride can be overly unsettled over potholes, but it’s largely impressively comfortable.

HOW DOES IT LOOK? We’re particular fans of the new LED lights, which display a cool twin signature, while the bumpers and grille get a slight redesign. There are three quite clear looks available, though, with the Newground version being the most welcome addition if you value that more rugged styling, even if it’s ironic that it’s sold exclusively with front-wheel drive…

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE? Mazda interiors are up there with the best and show how you can still do ‘premium’ without using the largest touchscreen and digital dials as humanly possible.

Our top-spec GT Sport car also gets some particularly great features, such as soft brown nappa leather seats and genuine wood trim. It’s without doubt one of the best cabins on any car costing under £50,000.

As for practicality, the CX-5’s boot measures a plentiful 506 litres, with additional space beneath the boot floor. Rear room isn’t its strongest attribute, though, as legroom will be quite tight for an adult sitting behind a taller driver.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? Prices for the CX-5 start from £28,145 and that buys an SE-L-trim car. While it might be the lowest spec, the equipment certainly isn’t lacking, with features including LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, a 10.25-inch media system and adaptive cruise control.

For another £1,000, the Newground brings smart 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, revised styling, an electric driver’s seat and heated front seats. Next up is the Sport, priced from £30,765, which comes brimming with features, including black leather seats, a head-up display and a Bose sound system. Sport Black comes next and gains 19-inch alloy wheels, along with additional black trim inside and out. Given it costs £2,000 more than the standard Sport, though, it seems hard to justify. Right at the top of the range, the GT Sport gets everything you could possibly want, including ventilated front seats, body-coloured lower trim and a 360-degree camera system, with these starting from £33,645.

WHAT DO THE PRESS THINK? Auto Express said: ‘When considered alongside its rivals, it seems relatively affordable, given the level of kit on offer.’ Car said: ‘The good-value Mazda CX-5 still has plenty going for it, despite being off the pace in terms of powertrain options.’

WHAT DO WE THINK? There are a range of welcome changes that only make this SUV more appealing. We already knew it looked the part, came generously equipped and was superb to drive, but it’s now more refined, even smarter to look at and comes with a range of stylish new trim levels. The lack of electrified option might put you off the CX-5, but if it doesn’t, this remains one of the best cars in its class.

TARGET BUYERS:

Style

Families looking for a stylish yet fun-to-drive SUV.

The facelift gives the Mazda new LED lights and includes new bumper and grille designs.

THE RIVALS: Ford Kuga Kia Sportage Nissan Qashqai

Inside

The cabin of the CX-5 has one of the best interiors of any car costing under £50,000.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Extra new trim levels bring added style.

2. Generous level of standard equipment.

3. Premium-feeling interior.

DEAL CLINCHER:

There are a range of welcome changes that only make this SUV more appealing.

This is an SUV that puts a big tick in most boxes and is among the best in its class.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 35

FORECOURT

VAUXHALL GRANDLAND

Under the bonnet

A 1.6-litre petrol engine with electric motor combine to give the Grandland 222bhp.

Vauxhall has given the Grandland a comprehensive mid-life makeover.

Darren Cassey got behind the wheel...

THE KNOWLEDGE Vauxhall Grandland Plug-in Hybrid-e Price (as tested): £33,820 Engine: 1.6-litre petrol engine and electric motor Power: 222bhp Torque: 360Nm Max speed: 140mph O-60mph: 8.9 seconds MPG (combined): 192 Emissions: 31g/km CO2

WHAT IS IT? Last year, the Vauxhall Corsa was the UK’s best-selling car and the new Astra has been well received by reviewers, too. A new Grandland represents an opportunity to keep this upward trend going. On paper it’s all positive, with a refreshed face and much improved on-board technology – and now we’ve had a chance to get behind the wheel in the UK to find out if the reality is just as good.

WHAT’S NEW? The front end in particular looks completely different, gaining the firm’s ‘Vizor’ design that makes it look like the rest of the range. The new Pure Panel infotainment display puts in an appearance here as well, while there are also improved driver-assistance systems, comfortable seats and a simplified range of trims.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? The hybrid is the main story here, as manufacturers are keen to get drivers behind the wheel of their electrified models. This is a plug-in unit that combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 222bhp. There’s also a 13.2kWh battery that has a range of up to 39 miles, which makes it useful for urban trips when fully charged.

The fuel economy of 192mpg will be a big draw, although bear in mind this is only achievable by those who can charge the battery regularly.

You’ll also have the choice of a 1.2-litre petrol engine and 1.5-litre diesel engine, which promise fuel economy of up to 45.6mpg and 54.3mpg respectively.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? We got behind the wheel of both the hybrid and regular petrol, and the common theme to both was that the Grandland is a pleasant car to travel about in. The steering weights are well judged and the pedals are easily accustomed to. It’s pretty comfortable on poor roads but doesn’t roll too much in corners, either.

The petrol doesn’t have much in the way of performance, with acceleration reluctant rather than enthusiastic. However, the hybrid is much more palatable – it’s hardly lightning-quick but feels much less stressed keeping pace with the hustle and bustle of urban traffic. Its electric output could do with being a little gentler when pulling away from a stop to smooth out the driving experience, but it’s a minor bugbear.

36 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

HOW DOES IT LOOK? On the face of it, the Grandland is a handsome car. Vauxhall’s Vizor front end looks great and has been well applied elsewhere in the range. The large black bar between the headlights gives it a unique, sleek appearance, while the lower bumper with its larger air intakes have a hint of sportiness.

The rear hasn’t quite been given the same spruce-up. In isolation it looks fine, but taken alongside that sparkly new front it looks a little soft and incohesive.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE? In short, less inspiring. In pictures it looks like there’s been a tick upmarket, but once you’re behind the wheel there’s no doubt it’s closer to a budget model. The digital instrument display looks great but the infotainment looks awkward – the screen’s real estate appears smaller than it is because of the shiny black surround.

The materials are far from cheap and nasty but they’re certainly not premium. It all feels just a little cold and practical. The boot has 514 litres of space and this rises to 1,652 with the rear seats down. Hybrid models have a decent chunk less – 390 and 1,528 litres – because of the packaging of the batteries.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? There are just three trims. Called Design, GS Line and Ultimate, they’re effectively value, sporty, and all-the-bells-and-whistles respectively.

Design models start at £25,810 and include LED headlights and tail lights, cruise control, a seven-inch infotainment display, climate control plus 17-inch alloy wheels. GS Line starts at £28,070 and adds a rear parking camera, 10-inch infotainment display, sports style front seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and a black roof. Top-spec Ultimate models start at £31,570 and include pixel LED headlights, a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control, wireless charger, Alcantara upholstery, 19-inch alloy wheels and much more.

WHAT DO THE PRESS THINK? What Car? said the Grandland was ‘competitively priced in most trim levels’, while Auto Express said it lacked character but ‘those after something sensible and well built should definitely add it to their list’.

The hybrid powertrain is particularly good to drive and should mean fantastic running costs if kept well charged.

WHAT DO WE THINK? It has a smart exterior and the trim levels offer great value for money. The hybrid powertrain is particularly good to drive and should mean fantastic running costs if kept well charged.

The interior is less inspiring and cements the Grandland’s position as a decent – if a little drab – family car. There’s a lot to like, but it remains firmly in the middle of the pack in this segment, with plenty of rivals offering more appealing alternatives, even if they do cost a little more.

Style

Design updates give the Grandland a refreshed front and a sleek look.

TARGET BUYERS:

Family and fleet buyers looking for a low-cost SUV.

THE RIVALS: Skoda Karoq Peugeot 3008 Toyota Rav4

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Smart new look.

2. Efficient hybrid engine.

3. Comfortable ride.

DEAL CLINCHER: Cabin

There are some nice touches but it doesn’t have a premium feel.

The digital instrument display looks great, though.

It looks good, is very comfortable and represents decent value for money.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37

FORECOURT

RENAULT MEGANE E-TECH

THE KNOWLEDGE Renault Megane E-Tech Electric

Price (as tested): £TBC Engine: Single electric motor Power: 215bhp Torque: 300Nm Max speed: 93mph O-60mph: 7.2 seconds Range: 292 miles Emissions: N/A

Under the bonnet The Megane E-Tech comes with a choice of two powertrains, producing 129 or 215bhp.

The Megane E-Tech arrives with a load of new technology as well as a cutting-edge platform. Jack Evans put one through its paces in Spain.

WHAT IS IT? The Megane E-Tech Electric is the first in a whole new generation of Renault EVs. It’s also the first vehicle to be made entirely at Renault’s new ‘industrial hub’ in the north of France.

WHAT’S NEW? Crucial to the new Megane E-Tech Electric is the CMF-EV platform. Dedicated to electric cars rather than being adapted from an existing layout, it should make the E-Tech Electric as good to drive as possible, since the batteries are fitted under the floor, improving the centre of gravity and giving better handling and improved cornering responses.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? The Megane E-Tech Electric comes with two powertrains. Both use the same electric motor but offer 129 or 215bhp, while the option of a 40kWh or 60kWh battery brings respective ranges of 186 or 292 miles. In terms of performance, we’re looking at 0-60mph in 10.3 seconds for the less powerful version or 7.2 seconds in the tip-top version. Renault also covers the battery with an eight-year warranty and it’ll replace it should the battery drop below 70 per cent of its nominal capacity. Drivers can check this through a dedicated app.

It can accept a charge of up to 130kW, which means that 186 miles of range could be added in 30 minutes to the smaller battery option when hooked up to a rapid charger. A full charge via a 7.4kW home wallbox will take just over six hours for the smaller battery version or just over nine for the larger.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? We were in the most powerful version of the Megane E-Tech, which brings a good slug of power and brisk acceleration as and when you need it. There’s a decent amount of pace away from a standing start, but at moderate speeds the Megane feels pretty normal – and that’s no bad thing. Renault has quickened the steering on the E-Tech too and although this is a help around town, it can mean it feels a little light at greater speeds.

The roads on our Spanish test route were wonderfully smooth – so we’ll have to reserve final judgement on the Megane’s ride until we have it in the UK – but through fast, flowing bends it felt composed and settled. It’s also fantastically quiet and refined, with the vast majority of exterior road and wind noise isolated from entering the cabin.

38 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

TARGET BUYERS:

Those who want to get the cutting-edge Megane model.

THE RIVALS:

Volkswagen ID.3 Kia e-Niro Skoda Enyaq iV

Looks The E-Tech’s design includes some interesting features and futuristic touches, including a lightbar at the rear.

Interior Up front the driver and passenger are well catered for with regard to space but it’s restricted in the back.

The Megane E-Tech Electric is a progressive step forward for Renault.

KEY SELLING POINTS:

1. Decent driving experience.

2. Good in-car tech.

3. Striking looks.

DEAL CLINCHER:

The new Megane E-Tech shows that cars don’t have to become boring in a switch to EV.

HOW DOES IT LOOK? It’s a great-looking design in the metal, with loads of interesting features and futuristic touches. The design of the car actually makes it seem a little bigger than it is in reality, too, while round the back we’ve got the now ever-present lightbar and quite a high bootline.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE? Headroom and legroom are both quite tight for those in the back, while the letterbox-sized rear screen means visibility there is pretty restricted. Sitting up front, you’ve got a nice view of the road ahead, with passenger and driver well catered for in terms of space. When it comes to the boot, there are 440 litres accessed via a very high load lip that drops into a deep area. Renault has also created an under-boot floor space for the cables.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? The Megane E-Tech adopts a new, twin-screen wraparound setup that really does look the business. The main infotainment screen is detailed but easy to operate, with clear graphics and plenty of information. It also adopts Google’s technology – a smart move since features such as Maps or Spotify are now very well integrated and will be second nature to most.

We just wish Renault had cleaned up the stalks at the side of the wheel. There are now three on the right-hand side and this just feels like too many. Jump in the car, grab a gear and it feels as though it wouldn’t be too hard to set the indicators off by mistake.

WHAT DO THE PRESS THINK? Top Gear said: ‘A desirable family hatch that just happens to be electric. Fantastic interior, too.’ Autocar said: ‘More fun than most electric family hatches, yet also efficient and comfortable, the Megane E-Tech Electric is comprehensive and compelling.’

WHAT DO WE THINK? The Megane E-Tech Electric is a progressive step forward for Renault. It looks great, will have more than enough performance (in this most powerful version at least) for most drivers and has a good rate of charge. It falters in some areas – namely practicality – but there’s a good chance that Renault will expand on the platform underpinning the Megane and deliver a car for those who need more space. But as the first push into a new age of electric Renaults, the Megane is a very exciting prospect.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 39

FORECOURT

THE KNOWLEDGE

KIA PROCEED

Kia’s funky ProCeed has been subtly updated for 2022. Ted Welford sees if it’s worth considering.

WHAT IS IT? It was an unusual move in 2019 when Kia changed the ProCeed from a three-door version of the regular Ceed hatchback to a bold, slightly oddball shooting brake estate. It helped bring the brand further upmarket with its style-led design, and now Kia’s tweaked it.

WHAT’S NEW? The front end gets the bulk of the changes, including new lights and a redesigned gloss black grille. Inside are more premium materials, while a larger 10.25-inch touchscreen and smart digital instrument cluster both help to give it a modern lift.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? Kia has dropped the diesel engine option, leaving two petrols to choose from. At the top of the range is a 201bhp 1.6-litre in the sportier GT, but our test car gets a 1.5-litre turbocharged unit replacing the 1.4-litre. Buyers have a choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic – our test car using the latter.

Kia ProCeed 1.5 T-GDI GT-Line S DCT Price (as tested): £30,240 Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol Power: 158bhp Torque: 253Nm Max speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 8.6 seconds MPG: 46.3 Emissions: 139g/km CO2

TARGET BUYERS:

Those looking for a more stylish alternative to a conventional estate car/SUV.

THE RIVALS:

Ford Focus Estate Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake Volkswagen Golf Estate

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? There’s the phrase ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’, but the ProCeed is more the reverse of that – not quite having the sporty driving experience to go with its racy styling. It’s by no means poor behind the wheel, just a bit average. The view out of the rear is also quite bad.

KEY SELLING POINTS:

HOW DOES IT LOOK? Its glamorous and sleek design are a far cry from Kias of old, while the LED light bar at the rear gives it some cool presence on the road at night. The new LED headlights are pretty smart, too – especially the indicators, which point the way the ProCeed is turning.

DEAL CLINCHER:

1. Smart, glamorous design.

2. Generous equipment levels.

3. Very pleasant interior.

The ProCeed is a car that looks and feels far more expensive than it actually is.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE? With more softer-touch materials introduced as part of this update, the ProCeed’s cabin now has the interior to match the glamorous exterior style. But the 594-litre boot is limited by the sloping roof, while it’s pretty shallow, too. Rear space isn’t all that good, either.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? Even as standard, the ProCeed GT-Line gets plenty of kit, including heated front seats, LED rear lights and a reversing camera. The sporty GT has dynamic tweaks and a more powerful engine plus LED headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels and smart sports seats. The GT-Line S, meanwhile, boasts features such as a sunroof, electric boot and JBL sound system.

WHAT DO WE THINK? The changes on the ProCeed reinforce what a great piece of design this Kia remains, and one that’s undoubtedly helped attract new customers to the South Korean firm. The smarter interior has certainly helped improve it further, but the compromised practicality and middling driving experience mean it’s by no means an all-rounder. However, if you’re tired of the same old hatchback/estate formula and want something refreshingly different to the swathes of new SUVs, the ProCeed deserves a look.

40 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Style

The ProCeed has a glamorous and sleek look while the LED light bar on the rear gives it a cool presence at night.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

FEATURE

FEEL THE NEED FOR

SPEED It’s set to be a bumper year for racing games fans, with a new Gran Turismo one highlight. Darren Cassey checks out the best releases for 2022 here.

T

he video game industry is huge, having overtaken the movie business during the coronavirus pandemic as people were forced to stay at home and keep themselves occupied.

It was already on track to take the top spot before the pandemic, and while genres such as shoot-em-ups tend to get the biggest headlines, car racing games are quietly one of the most important sectors.

Many games, in particular the onlinefocused iRacing, saw their popularity boom during lockdown as frustrated racing drivers took to the virtual circuit to get their competitive fix.

For racing games fans, 2022 could be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Here are some titles already released or yet to look forward to.

42 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Click the picture to watch the trailer

Gran Turismo 7 – March 4

The Gran Turismo franchise is responsible for nurturing a huge number of car enthusiasts since the first game was released on the original PlayStation. Since then, it has become one of the biggest franchises in gaming, and has even helped gamers become real-life racers.

The next instalment was released on PlayStation 4 and 5 on March 4, and it attempts to take the game back to its roots, with players starting at the bottom of the racing rung and working to the top.

There’s also an online mode so you can go head to head with drivers from around the world, while a hugely detailed climate system should bring realistic weather.

Need for Speed 2022 – TBC

Forza Motorsport – TBC

The only downside to Gran Turismo is that it’s a PlayStation exclusive, meaning PC and Xbox players can’t give it a spin.

That’s where Forza Motorsport comes in.

Essentially acting as the Xbox alternative to the GT series, over the years it has also developed the open world arcade-style Forza Horizon.

This year, though, we’re getting a new Forza Motorsport, which focuses on circuit racing and builds up from the game’s slower cars to the fastest in the world.

Aside from a gorgeous trailer released in 2020, we know next to nothing about this instalment, but expect it to be feature-packed to make the most of the nextgeneration console hardware.

Speaking of massive racing game franchises, we’re getting a new Need for Speed game this year. While GT made its name as a circuit racer, NFS sees heavily modified road cars used on city streets.

Pretty much nothing is known about the game, aside from a vague ‘late 2022’ release date. However, it’s being made

by Criterion, which made some NFS games before, including 2010’s much-loved Hot Pursuit.

Unless there’s a massive departure from previous games in the series, we can expect lots of highly tuned cars, beautiful real world locations and regular face-offs with the police.

Click the picture to watch the trailer

F1 2022 – TBC

Much like football has Fifa, racing games have the F1 series. Each year, Codemasters releases the latest iteration in the series, which is based around that season’s Formula 1 championship.

This year’s release will be more hotly anticipated than usual, though, as a new set of car regulations has brought a heightened level of intrigue to the championship, and fans will be eager to get behind the wheel.

Expect the usual career mode as well as the popular My Team, which sees players create a team at the bottom of the championship and develop the car to become a world beater.

Grid Legends – February 25

Grid Legends has just gone on sale and provides a curious alternative to the typical racing game genres. While most arcade-style games have some kind of story mode, Grid uses a combination of computer graphics and real-world actors to tell the story of your driver’s journey up the racing ranks.

Tracks are typically in city centre locations such as London, with a festival vibe to the surroundings.

You can also create your own races to challenge others, with disciplines such as drifting and elimination-based set-ups.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown – September 22

The Test Drive franchise goes back an incredibly long way, but it hasn’t seen regular releases such as some of the others here. However, the Test Drive name returns after publisher Nacon bought the rights.

The new game’s name hints at a follow-up to the groundbreaking open-world Test Drive Unlimited, released on the Xbox 360 in 2006.

That game was set in a faithful recreation of Oahu, Hawaii, while the new game is poised to feature a complete recreation of Hong Kong. It should be pretty spectacular!

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

FEATURE.

COOL STUFF We’re nearly at the start of spring – what a relief to be through winter, right? It would seem that certain companies are sensing the brighter weather too and have been really pushing hard to bring new, more innovative products to market.

Let’s see some of the best to have come out recently.

Omega Speedmaster ’57

£8,800

OMEGA has a fine history of creating some of the most sought-after watches. So how do you keep things, well, ticking over? In Omega’s case, that’s to refine its Speedmaster, with the new-for-2022 Speedmaster ’57, bringing a manual-wind chronograph movement as well as a more streamlined design.

The titanium timepiece is also available in eye-catching shades, such as green, burgundy and blue.

Sip Champagnes

From £50 per month

THE element of surprise can be quite a nice thing, can’t it? Combine that with champagne and you could be on to a winner. That’s what Sip Champagnes offers. Each month, it’ll deliver top fizz to your door, accompanied by information and tasting notes.

Packages start from £50 per month for one bottle of bubbly, up to £500 a month for between six and nine bottles. Cheers!

Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro

£999 THE world of laptops and tablets is showing no sign of slowing down, despite people using their smartphones for more functions than ever.

Samsung is still very much in the game, too, with the new Galaxy Book2 Pro being revealed at the recent Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona.

It’s got a basic approach to design but packs a serious punch, courtesy of cutting-edge Intel chips, 64-watt charging capability and an HD webcam that can shoot in 1080p.

Apple iPhone SE

£419

APPLE seems to have a near-continuous stream of new products, but its budgetfriendly SE has always been a smartphone worth talking about. This new version has the same classic features as its predecessor and now comes with a faster processor, which makes it quicker than the iPhone 8.

It’s also been given a better camera and improved battery life, as well as a decent range of colours.

44 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Busy start to 2022 for ECA E astbourne Car Auctions (ECA) has had a busy start to the new year, with many of its existing vendors committing to long-term remarketing programmes.

Since being established in 1967, ECA has grown in size and volume and currently remarkets approximately 10,000 vehicles a year through its purpose-built facility.

As well as remarketing, ECA stores and undertakes vehicle logistics from a secure storage facility. A fleet of specialist multiload vehicle transporters control auction collections, inter-branch stock movements and nationwide delivery. All vehicles are professionally inspected by trained NAMAgrade inspectors as part of the service.

Along the way, the dedication and hard work of the employees has seen the company gain recognition by the motoring organisation the AA. ECA was also highly commended at the 2016 Car Dealer Power awards and won the 2018 Herald Business Award.

Clients who have committed to partner with ECA in 2022 and beyond include UK Power Networks, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Eastbourne Motoring Centre, St Leonards Motors, Caffyns, Bartlett Seat, Kap and The Yeomans Group.

Post-Covid, many auction houses moved towards online-only auction programmes, but ECA continues with physical auctions supported by an industry-recognised live online bidding platform.

As part of the post-Covid relaunch, ECA completely revamped its website and buying platform to accommodate the extra demand, with multiple new trade buyers active since relaunch.

The complete range of services now includes: Timed Sales Selected vehicles are offered into an online auction for a set period of time, usually 24 or 48 hours.

Warranty The warranty can be for a car with up to 150,000 miles on the clock or up to 15 years old. The warranty can be sold on to the private buyer, thus giving peace of mind. The warranty can be bought to last months or years.

Vehicle Finance Eastbourne Car Auctions (ECA) now offers vehicle finance through V12 and NextGear Capital. This enables dealers to purchase and finance vehicles in one easy transaction.

Collection and Delivery ECA has a fleet of Euro 6-compliant vehicle transporters together with a large team of plated drivers, which enables prompt deliveries to and from anywhere in the UK. Car Storage Facility The company now has off-site secure storage for up to 600 vehicles. It currently stores cars for six of its auction partners. Dealership delivery and inter-branch transfer is offered as part of this service.

Vehicle Inspections Using the National Association of Motor Auctions, every vehicle coming to auction is graded from 1-5.

Your4Court The app was developed in response to the stocking requirements of dealer groups. Dealerships can continue to promote vehicles on their forecourt for a retail sale, but also offer them for a trade sale opportunity through Your4Court. The app is visible to ECA account customers only, NOT the private buyer.

Vendor feedback Caffyns are very pleased to have reached an agreement with ECA and look forward to continuing to build on our alreadystrong relationship. Since we have been using ECA, we have benefited from their professional, forward-thinking attitude and have enjoyed a simple, no-fuss approach to our day-to-day business.

Gary Holman, regional director of Caffyns

When appointing a supply partner, SLM look at the core values behind that supplier. We have always been impressed with the way ECA conduct their business. The relationship that we have built with both ECA and their customers has seen impressive results for us, and I feel that a new two-year partnership will only see this relationship grow further.

Jason Barlow, SLM group director

For more information visit ebca.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 45

FEEDBACK TOP TWEETS

This month, readers debated the future of selling cars online or offline

Andy Goss @andygoss58

There is another message too. Embrace omnichannel or your financial viability is questionable. It’s not just online. Digital plus physical.

Bruce J Beaton @beaton_bruce

The established dealers are disrupting new kids in town.

Son bought an @astonmartin, picking up @VolvoCarUK XC90 today @MarshallMotorGp #Miltonkeynes All done with hybrid of online and phone. @CazooUK don’t have the stock to be serious.

Ceir Cymru @CeirCymru

They [Cazoo] have a fair stock but the prices are obnoxiously beyond reality. Long term, their greed will become their downfall. They serve no one except themselves.

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

Have you suffered any debit card chargebacks?

I have had two chargebacks now where the card machine company has just gone straight in and snatched my money, on a debit card too, where there has been a customer moaning about them buying a used car but expecting a new car. Obviously it’s not the case as we prep and MOT everything but it’s annoying that telling lies and altering the facts can have consequences like this.

I might add this was chip and PIN, customer present. So beware Section 75 rule on debit cards.

Blenheim Car Sales Harsh! Not sure what you can do about that! If you try a clawback on a takeaway they’ll block your card.

But that doesn’t work for us car dealers?

Metcars Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act only covers credit cards – nothing to do with debit cards.

Debit cards fall under the banks’ voluntary ‘chargeback’ scheme, which has no legal backing…

Halfpenny

PICTURE OF THE MONTH

If you have a Visa/Mastercard debit card, do they come under Section 75? Tbh, I’ve never understood why many debit cards are also ‘with’ someone such as Mastercard.

BHM Debit and pre-paid credit cards aren’t covered

by Section 75 of the CCA. Only credit cards.

Debit cards are provided by Mastercard, Visa and AmEx. These companies run the payment system. The cards are then issued to customers A baby and two adults were rescued from this Land Rover by the banks and ‘linked’ to the customer’s after Storm Eunice hit. The 4x4 got stuck in floodwater bank account. Debit card chargeback has after driving through a brook in East Leake. The baby was no backing in law. It’s a voluntary scheme. rescued from the back seat by a relative, but the adults had If a customer has a problem with a car then to scramble on to the roof and were rescued by firefighters, they can complain to the card issuer (bank) who said it was a warning how dangerous water could be. who passes this to the provider (eg, MC). If MC agrees with the customer then they will make a chargeback. But as a seller you can challenge this. Customer has 120 days after noticing a problem in which to make a chargeback claim.

Unfortunately, MC, Visa, etc are so powerful there’s not much you can do about a chargeback in practice.

Halfpenny I have had two credit card chargebacks attempted. Both have been unsuccessful. As far as I see it, the only reason this would fail or go wrong is if you don’t respond and challenge the chargeback.

Rory RSC So far I have had two of these (debit cards) and I have challenged them successfully, with the funds returned. Just annoying that you are presumed to be at fault from the start and have to take time out of your day to prove you did nothing wrong.

Blenheim Car Sales

More and more of our readers are joining the debate – and it couldn’t be 46 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Forum: CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

SUPPLY CHAIN

Are you finding it hard to get car parts?

I bought a Hyundai i10 2010. Nice car with a main dealer service history, MOT without any advisories. Clutch felt a bit heavy, though, so I took it to my mechanic. He said the cables seemed fine but it needed a new clutch.

However, looking at Euro Car Parts, there are no clutches available. On other sites, they are also hard to find. Is anyone else struggling for car parts?

Slademotors Yes. One local factor can’t seem to get clutches but the other one I use can. It makes no sense to me.

BHM Heard there’s a big backlog on Kia and Hyundai clutches at the min for some reason.

A neighbour’s clutch went on her i10. She’s in her 80s and took it back to Hyundai only to be told they can’t get the parts for eight weeks, then she tried a local clutch specialist who said the same.

Lakeside Main dealer has stock but for £165-plus.

Slademotors It’ll be the cable but it feels like the clutch

itself has seized. The cable rusts inside and the outer cable and the joints seize.

Trust me, it’s not the clutch. We’ve done loads. The i10 cable on the clutch is absolute rubbish.

David Horgan

We’ve teamed up with Car Sales Memes to bring you a few of their funniest captions and slogans each month. Enjoy!

We struggled a couple of weeks ago to get a clutch for a Hyundai i10 1.2. None of the local factors had stock or any idea when they would get any either. We got one off eBay in the end. It was just under £100 and we had to wait a week for him to get the stock in. He’s now advertised them for £119.

We are also struggling with headlamps.

Ended up getting a set for a Q5 from Audi.

We ordered them with euros, but after about a week they cancelled the order as they couldn’t get the pattern ones. The bonkers thing was the new ones from Audi were cheaper than second-hand ones on eBay. These really are strange times!

BMX Bandits It really is mental. Someone quoted me a second-hand clutch for £120 on Espares… I think this is an indication that car prices will go up again.

Slademotors

Mystery surrounds origins of 2012/2015 Astra I’ve been offered an Astra but despite being a 2012, logbook states it was first registered in October 2015. Any ideas? Garage who supplied the customer said it just wasn’t registered until 2015, but MOT history shows it was 11k miles at that stage!

Huggins Is it a UK-spec car? It could be an Irish exMotab car.

BMX Bandits Thanks BMX – that would make sense as it’s

also an auto. Have you any experience of selling these Irish imports?

Huggins Yes, I’ve sold quite a few. No real issues as long as it’s UK spec. Just change the reg date on the Auto Trader ad back to 2012.

BMX Bandits It could also be from the armed forces overseas VAT exemption scheme – squaddies buying UK-spec cars abroad cheaper.

BHM

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

Search for Car Sales Memes on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give them a follow!

Car Dealer reserves the right to edit comments CarDealerMag.co.uk | 47

DASHBOARD

BUSINESS NEWS

A ROUND-UP OF WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING ACROSS THE WORLD RESCUE

GOING UP

Studio Retail bought out of administration

MIKE Ashley’s Frasers Group has bought online retail business Studio Retail out of administration, saving 1,500 jobs, it said.

The company behind Sports Direct and Evans Cycles bought the firm for £26.8m after it went bust in February and saw its shares suspended from the stock market. Studio Retail, formerly known as Findel until 2019, had struggled during the pandemic.

Postage costs to rise as Royal Mail adapts THE price of a first-class stamp is to increase by 10p to 95p, the Royal Mail has announced.

Second-class stamps will go up by 2p to 68p, with the new prices coming into effect on April 4. Royal Mail said there had been a long-term decline in letter usage, coupled with rising inflation. Chief commercial officer Nick Landon said: ‘Whilst the number of letters our postmen and women deliver has declined from around 20 billion a year to around seven billion since 2004/5, the number of addresses they have to deliver to has grown by around 3.5 million in the same period.’ He also highlighted the shift from letters to parcels and said the universal service had to adapt.

SETTLEMENT

Barclays to pay millions over Premier FX failure

DROPPED

‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ slogan ditched JOHN Lewis is killing off its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ promise to customers after the shop said the rise of online retailers such as Amazon had pulled the rug from underneath the pledge.

The business said the promise was from a different era and will be retired this summer.

It added that it would still monitor prices at its rivals, but that now it will invest £500m in keeping prices down without customers having to shop around.

48 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

THE Financial Conduct Authority has fined Barclays £783,800 for oversight failings in its relationship with collapsed payments firm Premier FX. Barclays was Premier FX’s sole banker in the UK. Following the distribution by the liquidator amounting to 9p for every £1 lost, Barclays will also make up the £10,076,943.75 difference.

2013 WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

INCREASE

Suez Canal hikes transit fees as global trade rises

TRANSIT fees for ships passing through the Suez Canal have been increased.

The canal authority said they were ‘in line with the significant growth in global trade’ and cited its development and enhancement of the service. Fees for LPG, chemical tankers and other liquid bulk tankers are up by a tenth. Vessels carrying vehicles, natural gas and general cargo must pay seven per cent more, while five per cent extra is now payable by oil and crude tankers plus dry bulk ships.

RULING

Customs repayments to EU ordered

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Finance Provider of the Year (Sub-Prime)

THE government faces having to make significant customs repayments to the EU following a court ruling that it was negligent in allowing European markets to be flooded with Chinese-made clothes and shoes.

The European Court of Justice said the UK had ‘failed to fulfil its obligations’ in relation to customs control by failing to ‘combat fraud with regards to undervalued imports of textiles and footwear from China’.

PARTNER WITH AN AWARD-WINNING COMPANY 0115 946 6260

enquiries@frfl.co.uk

frfl.co.uk/car CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

DASHBOARD

INDUSTRY VIEWS NEWS AND THOUGHTS FROM CAR DEALER LIVE CAP HPI

Prices may have dipped but £7,000 used car will give better margins than £15,000 one

U

sed car prices fell slightly in February – a performance that has been described as ‘surprising’. New data shown to Car Dealer reveals prices for used cars at the three-year, 60,000-mile mark slipped by 0.3 per cent, or equivalent to just under £100.

However, while it was a small amount, expectations were for the market to rise slightly or at least remain level with January’s zero per cent performance. Cap HPI’s director of valuations, Derren Martin, said: ‘It’s a little bit weaker than I expected it to be.

‘January saw prices improve a little as the month went on and that carried into the first week of February. But prices turned after that and ended up at 0.3 per cent down.

‘I thought it might be level or maybe a small improvement, but the fact that it has dropped at three years is a little bit surprising, especially when you consider we’re still about 25 per cent lower on our trade volumes

than pre-Covid at this time of year.’ The 0.3 per cent drop comes off the back of a completely flat performance in January, and 1.4 and 1.2 per cent drops in December and November 2021 respectively.

But while the overall figure was down, there was still some interesting activity within the market, said Martin.

‘Older cars are performing a lot stronger and have gone up in value,’ he said.

‘At the 10-year point they’ve gone up by 2.6 per cent, so there’s some definite strength in that cheaper end of the market.

‘We’ve also broken that down by value and you can see cars under and around £12,000 are going up in value.

‘Also, if you’re a dealer, you can make better margins on a £7,000 car than a £15,000 car. Maybe you buy two £7,000 cars instead of one £15,000 car – that sort of thing is definitely going on.’

AUTOCAR

T S A C D PO Driven by

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MORE CAR DEALER PODCASTS

50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

MG bucks the industry trend with positive news for profitability as well as its retailers

A

utocar executive editor Rachel Burgess spoke about the brands that are bucking the trend. MG grew the most, with 24 new dealerships in 2021, and Burgess said it sounded like it wouldn’t be slowing anytime soon.

‘I was speaking to the MG commercial director this week and I did have a good chat with him about dealerships because I think they’ve just announced another one this week.

‘I said what was the goal here in terms of the number of sites and he said another 20 or 30 maybe,’ she said.

‘They’re still very much invested in growing sites. They are planning to launch online but they

don’t expect much from it. Their buyers want to go to a physical site, and their observation is that while online retailing did grow during Covid for obvious reasons, it has started to decline again and people are returning to showrooms, although not quite to the same levels they were.

‘It’s a very positive story for MG at the moment, not only for their profitability but also, I gather, for their retailers.’

She added: ‘I think most people I know, across two maybe three generations, would not buy a car without being able to be up close with it. Whether some younger generations will then go and choose to buy it all online later, I don’t know.’

The latest from our fleet.

Long-termers: p61

Watch our Car Dealer Live broadcasts as they go out or catch up on any that you’ve missed at: cardealermagazine.co.uk/live IVENDI

Ransomware attack on Emil Frey should have served as a wake-up call to dealers in the UK

C

yberattacks have been a constant threat to dealers in recent years, and iVendi CEO James Tew told how dealers can take action to protect themselves.

When one of the largest car dealerships in Europe – Emil Frey in Switzerland – confirmed that it had suffered a ransomware attack, Tew said that some dealers should have used this as a wake-up call.

‘It’s a topic very close to my heart and my wallet. We spend an absolute fortune on online security as a business,’ he said.

‘We’re a mission-critical supplier to a number of banks in the UK and in Germany, and therefore we’re handling a huge amount of personal data.

‘We take the accreditation very seriously, and we have a whole security and compliance team based on it.

‘However, do the retailers take this seriously? Unfortunately, not as seriously as they should. It is a problem area for us, because sometimes it comes down to cost –

dealers want to know does it do what I want and what’s the cost? I suspect next time Emil Frey puts out a tender, cybersecurity will be high up their list of requirements and they’ll probably be willing to pay a premium for a partner who takes it seriously.’

It’s something that can affect many parts of a dealership’s operations – from the suppliers it uses to its own internal practices.

‘There are plenty of examples where we see lackadaisical solutions put into the market that just aren’t secure.

‘It’s imperative that when retailers are looking for solution providers they ask the simple questions: What accreditations have they got? Can they provide evidence that they take security seriously?

‘And there is a huge amount of personal data, bearing in mind we’re taking finance application data. The amount of PII [personal identifiable information] that exists in the motor trade is huge.’

It’s a topic very close to my heart and my wallet. We spend an absolute fortune on online security as a business.

James Tew iVendi CEO

WESSEX GARAGES

I think it’s been a lot quieter than we’d normally expect it to be.

Chris Wiseman Wessex Garages

No midnight handovers on March 1 – deliveries are taking place throughout the month instead

I

t was plate-change month in March but it was looking different for a lot of dealerships.

Wessex Garages managing director Chris Wiseman said there had been no midnight handovers and instead they would be delivering cars as they arrived throughout the month.

‘I think it’s been a lot quieter than we’d normally expect it to be, mainly because we’ve been delivering all of the way through February as well,’ he said.

‘I saw your stats on the new car reg in February and that kind of says it all – while it was down on pre-pandemic it was up on last year. We’ve seen people wanting to take delivery of

their cars nearly as soon as they get them in.’ He added: ‘We didn’t see that pent-up “let’s get it out on March 1” but we haven’t got all of the cars at the moment and we’re going to be delivering right the way through the month.’

This continues to be a daily issue, with Wiseman explaining that supply ‘absorbs most of my time during the week, trying to figure out what’s happening and what effect that will have on the month’s results’.

He added that it wasn’t getting any easier for car dealers who were having to explain the delays to customers but quite often didn’t have the information readily to hand.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51

DASHBOARD

FINANCE NEWS STARTLINE

New head of HR joins for latest growth phase COMMISSION

Warning as no-win no-fee solicitors step up campaign

N

by James Baggott james@blackballmedia.co.uk

o-win no-fee solicitors have ramped up their campaign to target car dealers over finance commissions. Legal experts and car dealerships have reported an influx of letters from solicitors, with a trickle of complaints turning into a flood.

Franchise and independent car dealers are being targeted by legal firms over finance commission, with some letters labelled ‘pre-court action’.

Motor trade legal expert Lawgistics has seen a huge rise in cases among its clients, with many sent threatening letters from solicitors. Claims management companies are encouraging consumers to sign up if they think they have been ‘missold’, with the action filling the claims void left by the PPI scandal.

Lawgistics legal adviser John McDougall said: ‘When the FCA conducted their review of motor finance discretionary commission models and consumer credit commission disclosure back in 2019, did they realise that they were creating another “no-win, no-fee” opportunity?’ He explained that the letters were often ‘fishing exercises’ by solicitors as they looked to find out how much commission was earned by the car dealers.

Lawgistics encourages car dealers to send letters to it and it will respond on their behalf.

It confirmed that, so far, none had resulted in a court claim for its members.

Specialist adviser Automotive Compliance said claims had risen since the FCA amended commission disclosure rules on January 28, 2021. The authority banned certain commission models and told dealers that any commission earned had to be made more prominent. The legal letters appear to come in three forms: a blanket approach referencing an alleged lack of commission disclosure, a subject access request, and some labelled ‘pre-court action’.

52 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

STARTLINE Motor Finance has appointed Amanda Miller as its new head of HR to make the company ‘one of the most attractive employers in the motor finance sector’.

She will be responsible for all people management and development initiatives for the business, which employs around 170 members of staff.

Miller said: ‘Startline now has a sizeable workforce for a business of its kind and has ambitious plans for further expansion, with a stated aim of taking three per cent of the overall used car motor finance market in the medium term.

‘In support of this growth, the business needs to attract and retain the highest-calibre people and already much effort has been put into key initiatives to build and maintain a high level of engagement.’

Chief executive Paul Burgess said: ‘Head of HR is a crucial role for Startline as we embark on our latest growth phase and we are very pleased to welcome Mandy to the business.

‘She has an impeccable track record and has already made a positive impact since joining.’

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

TIME IS MONEY RICHARD PYGOTT

A MONTHLY LOOK AT THE WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE FINANCE AND MARKETING

Get social media working for you with ‘Rule of Three’

I

Richard Pygott is digital marketer for First Response.

Call him on 0115 946 6365 or email richard. pygott@frfl.co.uk

’m pretty sure that like me you’ve recorded your favourite TV series and every time the adverts come on, you scramble for the remote to fast-forward to the actual programme you wanted to watch. YouTube is no different – ‘Skip Ads’ is a familiar phrase to many that have ever tried to watch a video on YouTube, where your finger or mouse pointer hovers over where this button is set to appear, and there’s increased frustration when there is no option to skip the adverts at all!

If you consider how people like to ‘Skip Ads’, go and look at your own social media posts for your business. Is it just adverts for your stock? Could potential customers be skipping your adverts just as you skip adverts, too?

We have constructed an in-depth guide on how to make social media work for you and have taken three of the tips to get you started. We call it ‘The Rule of Three’, which should increase your social media presence and stop customers skipping you!

Rule 1 – Inform: You can still inform people about new arrivals of stock, but you can also expand that to staff work anniversaries and other news within your business.

Informing people of what you’ve sold is also a good method – why not ask customers if they mind having a photo taken at handover with their new car? You can also look to inform people on what’s happening in the area that may be relevant and important.

Rule 2 – Educate: You and your staff are the experts when it comes to vehicles, so why not share that knowledge with your customers? Post content that educates customers on how they can maintain their vehicles more effectively. Maybe even consider posting about what the most common MOT failures are and how they can take action to avoid such failures. Displaying that you are an expert in your field will make customers aware that you are on hand to assist, even after a sale has been completed.

Rule 3 – Entertain: Who doesn’t like a good laugh? Some people are more comfortable in front of the camera than others. Perhaps you have a member of staff who’d be more than happy to take this creative task. Just ask around – you might be surprised. It doesn’t have to be content that you’ve created either, it could be a post that you found funny and want to share with your customers.

If you can do these three types of posts on your business’s social media pages, you are a lot more likely to gain engagement from your following and potentially increase the number of followers than what you would if you just posted adverts of stock that you have for sale. However, always try to keep your posts relevant to what you sell – not a rule, just a guideline.

Want to know more? Check out our Social Media Guide For Our Dealer Partners 2022.

Could potential customers be skipping your adverts just as you skip adverts, too?

PARTNER WITH AN AWARD-WINNING COMPANY 0115 946 6260

enquiries@frfl.co.uk

frfl.co.uk/car CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

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DASHBOARD

SUPPLIER NEWS

A ROUND-UP OF WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY WARRANTYWISE

UK ‘heading for EV servicing skills gap’

THE rising number of electric vehicles could be hampered by a shortage of EV-certified motor technicians, says the boss of one of the UK’s top warranty suppliers.

Lawrence Whittaker, the CEO of Warrantywise, says the UK is ‘heading head-first into a skills gap’ as the uptake of EVs continues to soar. Just 6.5 per cent of the UK’s motor technicians are qualified to work on EVs but BEV registrations soared by 154 per cent last year.

WHAT CAR?

Discounts of more than 15 per cent offered CAR dealers were offering discounts of more than 15 per cent ahead of the March plate change, research by What Car? found.

Its target price mystery shopper data showed that manufacturers were continuing to offer significant savings on new factory order models, despite the ongoing semiconductor shortage affecting lead times. Jeep dealers were offering the largest cash discount on the Renegade SUV, with a 15.9 per cent saving, while the Nissan Micra was available with a 13 per cent discount.

IVENDI

EV terms are added to intuitive online search

EV terms have been added by iVendi to its recently introduced intuitive online search in what’s believed to be an industry first.

Rob Severs, senior vice-president of product, said: ‘Car buyers are becoming both more curious and more informed about electric vehicles, so now is very much the right moment to be introducing this enhancement. Over the last 12 months, we have had a 100 per cent increase in pure EV searches.’

MOTORWAY

Could potential customers be skipping your adverts just as you skip adverts, too?

Richard Pygott p53

ASTON BARCLAY

Partnership deal signed with Autovia

Tom Marley promoted to chief executive role

USED car marketplace Motorway has signed a partnership deal with Autovia that it says will see it connect with millions of car owners via the UK’s biggest motoring titles.

Car owners visiting any of the automotive content and commerce growth platform’s media brands, such as Auto Express, evo, Car Buyer, DrivingElectric, Car Throttle and Octane, will see ‘Sell Your Car’ placements encouraging them to click through to Motorway.

THE Aston Barclay Group has appointed Tom Marley as its CEO effective from March 1.

He has moved up from managing director of The Car Buying Group – the consumer-to-business digital enterprise acquired by Aston Barclay in 2018. Marley said: ‘I’m excited to be leading the group, which has successfully navigated its way through the past two years. During that time, we have invested heavily in improving the business.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

DATA FILE

STATISTICS

THE LATEST REGISTRATION FIGURES

SMMT

SALES DATA

FEBRUARY/YEAR TO DATE

TOP

PLEA

Bumper month for BEVs as February sees rise and fall

CARS SOLD IN FEBRUARY 2022

by John Bowman john@blackballmedia.co.uk

U

K new car registrations rose by 15 per cent in February with 58,994 new cars driven off forecourts, according to latest figures from the SMMT. The increase of 7,682 units was versus the same month in 2021, when the pandemic shut the UK’s showrooms.

But registrations were actually down by 25.9 per cent on the February 2020 pre-pandemic figure of 79,594, thanks to constraints on vehicle supply caused by semiconductor shortages. Compared with February 2021, when showrooms were closed and only click-andcollect was permitted, private registrations rose by 30 per cent.

Large fleet registrations stayed stable – up by two per cent – suggesting that manufacturers are prioritising private customers, which accounted for more than 80 per cent of growth. And while business purchases grew by 110.7 per cent, that actually only equated to a rise of 693 units.

But it was another bumper month for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), which took a 17.7 per cent market share to reach 10,417 units.

Registrations of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), meanwhile, rose to 4,677 units and a 7.9 per cent share of the market.

When combined with hybrid (HEV) registrations (6,883), EVs accounted for more than a third of all new cars leaving dealerships.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘Despite February’s traditional low registration numbers, consumers are switching to EVs in ever-increasing numbers. More than ever, infrastructure investment needs to accelerate to match this growth.

‘The government must use its upcoming Spring Statement to enable this transition, continuing support for home and workplace charging, boosting public chargepoint rollout to tackle charging anxiety and, given the massive increase in energy prices, reducing VAT on public charging points.

‘This will energise both consumer and business confidence and accelerate our switch to zero-emission mobility.’

Model

Regs

Vauxhall Corsa

1,997

Mini

1,775

Vauxhall Mokka

1,465

Tesla Model Y

1,306

Tesla Model 3

1,275

Kia Niro

1,184

Ford Puma

1,165

Peugeot 2008

984

Hyundai Kona

966

Ford Kuga

952

Public chargepoint provision needs to be accelerated, says SMMT ACCELERATED public chargepoint provision is needed as EV registration figures boom, said the SMMT. Investments were being made, but at a pace that still lagged behind plug-in vehicle uptake. The SMMT published a seven-point plan in February to increase the number of

public on-street chargers ahead of need. But April will see the effective end of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which has provided vital funds for homeowners to install their own chargepoint, said the body.

Ahead of the government’s Spring Statement on March 23, the SMMT wants

an extension to the EVHS and its business counterpart, the Workplace Charging Scheme, beyond 2025 to ensure EV uptake remains on track to meet net-zero deadlines.

It also wants VAT on electricity used for public charging points to be cut to match that paid for home use.

Click here to see our top 10 rolling sales charts for February 2021 to February 2022 56 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Market drops.

LCV news: p58

-62%

+227%

ABARTH

HONDA

Figures supplied by SMMT

FEBRUARY 2022 Marque

2022

% market share

FEBRUARY 2021 2021

YEAR TO DATE

% market share

% change

2022

% market share

2021

% market share

% change -41.27

Abarth

25

0.04

65

0.13

-61.54

74

0.04

126

0.09

Alfa Romeo

51

0.09

30

0.06

70.00

149

0.09

114

0.08

30.70

Alpine

2

0.00

0

0.00

0.00

32

0.02

5

0.00

540.00

3,310

5.61

3,715

7.24

-10.90

11,877

6.82

10,298

7.27

15.33

57

0.10

28

0.05

103.57

191

0.11

117

0.08

63.25

BMW

4,583

7.77

3,939

7.68

16.35

12,963

7.45

10,941

7.73

18.48

Citroen

1,726

2.93

1,099

2.14

57.05

3,376

1.94

2,578

1.82

30.95

Cupra

226

0.38

78

0.15

189.74

880

0.51

291

0.21

202.41

Dacia

379

0.64

293

0.57

29.35

2,232

1.28

1,127

0.80

98.05

DS

85

0.14

73

0.14

16.44

399

0.23

182

0.13

119.23

Fiat

667

1.13

425

0.83

56.94

1,995

1.15

837

0.59

138.35

4,448

7.54

5,129

10.00

-13.28

11,904

6.84

13,835

9.77

-13.96

Audi Bentley

Ford Genesis

5

0.01

0

0.00

0.00

20

0.01

0

0.00

0.00

Honda

1,618

2.74

495

0.96

226.87

4,163

2.39

1,465

1.03

184.16

Hyundai

3,116

5.28

1,258

2.45

147.69

8,740

5.02

4,357

3.08

100.60

Jaguar

351

0.59

334

0.65

5.09

1,010

0.58

1,248

0.88

-19.07

78

0.13

120

0.23

-35.00

274

0.16

285

0.20

-3.86

3,795

6.43

2,873

5.60

32.09

14,299

8.21

9,144

6.46

56.38 -31.77

Jeep Kia Land Rover

902

1.53

1,837

3.58

-50.90

3,729

2.14

5,465

3.86

Lexus

300

0.51

192

0.37

56.25

1,158

0.67

818

0.58

41.56

22

0.04

12

0.02

83.33

89

0.05

62

0.04

43.55 161.98

Maserati

Mazda

1,205

2.04

496

0.97

142.94

3,259

1.87

1,244

0.88

Mercedes-Benz

3,476

5.89

3,787

7.38

-8.21

9,831

5.65

10,387

7.34

-5.35

MG

911

1.54

831

1.62

9.63

4,471

2.57

2,205

1.56

102.77

Mini

2,539

4.30

1,557

3.03

63.07

5,989

3.44

3,227

2.28

85.59

0

0.00

210

0.41

0.00

0

0.00

572

0.40

0.00

Nissan

1,468

2.49

2,275

4.43

-35.47

5,847

3.36

6,908

4.88

-15.36

Peugeot

2,698

4.57

1,950

3.80

38.36

6,736

3.87

4,881

3.45

38.00

Polestar

331

0.56

261

0.51

26.82

649

0.37

587

0.41

10.56

Porsche

377

0.64

193

0.38

95.34

1,690

0.97

1,112

0.79

51.98

Mitsubishi

Renault

951

1.61

698

1.36

36.25

3,332

1.91

2,279

1.61

46.20

Seat

882

1.50

1,524

2.97

-42.13

3,049

1.75

3,978

2.81

-23.35

Skoda

1,892

3.21

2,243

4.37

-15.65

5,105

2.93

5,331

3.77

-4.24

Smart

54

0.09

59

0.11

-8.47

149

0.09

143

0.10

4.20

SsangYong

37

0.06

17

0.03

117.65

157

0.09

64

0.05

145.31

Subaru

31

0.05

22

0.04

40.91

120

0.07

52

0.04

130.77

Suzuki

771

1.31

511

1.00

50.88

1,740

1.00

971

0.69

79.20

Toyota

3,675

6.23

2,358

4.60

55.85

11,705

6.72

6,872

4.85

70.33

Vauxhall

4,467

7.57

3,359

6.55

32.99

11,029

6.34

8,958

6.33

23.12

Volkswagen

3,283

5.56

4,952

9.65

-33.70

11,797

6.78

12,521

8.84

-5.78

1,513

2.56

1,788

3.48

-15.38

4,837

2.78

4,968

3.51

-2.64

54

0.09

67

0.13

-19.40

254

0.15

224

0.16

13.39

2,633

4.46

159

0.31

1,555.97

2,781

1.60

782

0.55

255.63

14.97

174,081

Volvo Other British Other imports Total

58,994

51,312

141,561

22.97

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

DATA FILE

DECLINE

LCV NEWS

Market dropped by six per cent in February

by John Bowman john@blackballmedia.co.uk THE light commercial vehicle market dropped by six per cent to 16,165 units in February versus the same month last year, according to latest SMMT figures.

But despite the worldwide shortage of semiconductors and increasing economic headwinds, including inflation, the market was still 14.6 per cent above the February 2020 pre-pandemic figure of 14,103, which the SMMT said reflected continued demand from key sectors. The battery-electric sector’s figures grew by 347.6 per cent, with 1,741 units registered. Chief executive Mike Hawes said: ‘More electrified models are coming on to the market this year, but we need the chargepoint roll-out to accelerate, giving more operators greater confidence to transition to the latest electric vans.’

REGISTRATIONS OF NEW COMMERCIAL VEHICLES LESS THAN 3.5 TONNES Marque

Ford Peugeot Citroen Vauxhall Mercedes Volkswagen Toyota Maxus Renault Iveco Fiat Renault Trucks Isuzu Isuzu Trucks Nissan Land Rover MAN SsangYong Fuso LEVC Suzuki LDV Mitsubishi Total light CV

Figures supplied by SMMT

FEBRUARY 2022

2022

5,188 2,596 2,463 1,417 1,353 1,066 489 338 218 216 172 150 129 105 79 59 58 29 17 14 9 0 0 16,165

% market share

FEBRUARY 2021

2021

32.09 16.06 15.24 8.77 8.37 6.59 3.03 2.09 1.35 1.34 1.06 0.93 0.80 0.65 0.49 0.36

6,109 1,748 1,062 1,699 1,579 1,289 744 33 985 240 419 148 105 84 388 49

0.36 0.18 0.11 0.09 0.06 0.00 0.00 100.00

208 3 14 7 0 23 269 17,205

YEAR TO DATE

% market share

% change

2022

35.51 10.16 6.17 9.88 9.18 7.49 4.32 0.19 5.73 1.39 2.44 0.86 0.61 0.49 2.26 0.28

-15.08 48.51 131.92 -16.60 -14.31 -17.30 -34.27 924.24 -77.87 -10.00 -58.95 1.35 22.86 25.00 -79.64 20.41

11,429 3,876 3,884 3,628 3,068 2,876 1,270 723 513 429 480 266 276 221 149 314

1.21 0.02 0.08 0.04 0.00 0.13 1.56 100.00

-72.12 866.67 21.43 100.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -6.04

119 114 41 41 14 0 0 33,731

% market share

2021

33.88 11.49 11.51 10.76 9.10 8.53 3.77 2.14 1.52 1.27 1.42 0.79 0.82 0.66 0.44 0.93

13,457 4,133 2,934 4,513 3,875 3,413 1,769 50 2,537 413 927 322 223 177 1,138 132

0.35 0.34 0.12 0.12 0.04 0.00 0.00 100.00

454 20 33 10 0 39 665 41,234

REGISTRATIONS OF NEW COMMERCIAL VEHICLES 3.5 TONNES TO 6.0 TONNES Marque

FEBRUARY 2022

2022

Mercedes Peugeot Ford Fiat Citroen Iveco Volkswagen Renault Trucks Isuzu Trucks

% market share

FEBRUARY 2021

2021

% market share

% change

-51.56 -6.82 17.14 -53.49 2,300.00 166.67 7.69 -83.33 0.00

% market share

32.64 10.02 7.12 10.94 9.40 8.28 4.29 0.12 6.15 1.00 2.25 0.78 0.54 0.43 2.76 0.32

-15.07 -6.22 32.38 -19.61 -20.83 -15.73 -28.21 1,346.00 -79.78 3.87 -48.22 -17.39 23.77 24.86 -86.91 137.88

1.10 0.05 0.08 0.02 0.00 0.09 1.61 100.00

-73.79 470.00 24.24 310.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -18.20

212 99 72 159 7 31 36 28 5

% market share

% change

31.22 14.58 10.60 23.42 1.03 4.57 5.30 4.12 0.74

-25.94 24.24 -13.89 -51.57 371.43 29.03 -41.67 -60.71 60.00

25.00 16.53 16.53 16.13 9.68 6.45 5.65 1.61 1.61

128 44 35 86 1 6 13 24 4

35.36 12.15 9.67 23.76 0.28 1.66 3.59 6.63 1.10

Other imports

1

0.40

11

3.04

-90.91

8

1.47

12

1.77

-33.33

MAN

1

0.40

9

2.49

-88.89

2

0.37

15

2.21

-86.67

Renault

0

0.00

0

0.00

0.00

1

0.18

1

0.15

0.00

Vauxhall

0

0.00

1

0.28

0.00

0

0.00

2

0.29

0.00

248

100.00

362

100.00

-31.49

543

100.00

679

100.00

-20.03

58 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

28.91 22.65 11.42 14.18 6.08 7.37 3.87 2.03 1.47

2021

62 41 41 40 24 16 14 4 4

Total heavy CV

157 123 62 77 33 40 21 11 8

% change

Figures supplied by SMMT

YEAR TO DATE

2022

% market share

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TO THE BIG AWARDS 2022!

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2022

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

DATA FILE

SUPPLIERS GUIDE

LOOKING FOR A MOTOR TRADE SUPPLIER? YOU CAN FIND THE DETAILS OF SELECTED COMPANIES HERE Auctions & Trade-To-Trade Sales

Finance

Lead Management

Trade Bodies

Warranty Providers

BCA

First Response

iVendi

Ben

Momentum Warranties

Automotive Ecommerce

Finance

Legal & Compliance

Vehicle Photography

Warranty Providers

GForces

Forza Finance

Lawgistics

Dealer 360

Warranty Administration Services

W: bca.co.uk T: 0344 875 3480 E: customerservices@bca.com Info: BCA’s remarketing programmes deliver volume, choice and availability for buyers, and speed, efficiency and market-leading returns for sellers.

W: gforces.co.uk T: 01622 391904 Info: GForces delivers class-leading ecommerce solutions. We work with global vehicle manufacturers, the world’s largest dealer groups and independent retailers around the planet.

W: firstresponsefinance.co.uk T: 0115 946 6317 E: marketing@frfl.co.uk Info: First Response is an awardwinning UK finance company providing simple financial solutions.

Get in touch and let us help increase your profits.

W: forzafinance.co.uk T: 01245 245678 Info: Benefit from Forza Finance’s expertise, choice of products and lenders. Their personal approach will help you achieve higher levels of finance penetration and, ultimately, sell more cars.

W: ivendi.com T: 0330 229 0028 E: tellmemore@ivendi.com Info: iVendi delivers a fully connected platform that engages consumers, converts buyers and manages transactions of vehicles online and in the showroom.

W: lawgistics.co.uk T: 01480 455500 E: sales@lawgistics.co.uk Info: The legal experts for the motor trade, giving advice and support to our industry for over 15 years. Not anti-consumer, just pro-trader.

W: ben.org.uk T: 0808 131 1333 Info: Ben is a not-for-profit organisation that partners with the automotive industry to provide support for life to its people and their families.

W: dealer360.co.uk T: 01270 780855 E: nicky.spratt@ukturntables.com Info: UK makers of photo booths incorporating our turntables for car, van and motorcycle dealers. Our software controls turntable and cameras – a onestop solution.

W: momentumwarranties.co.uk T: 0330 445 0059 E: support@momentumwarranties.co.uk Info: How long does your warranty company make you wait? We pay claims into your bank within 45 minutes. The most advanced warranty programme in the UK.

W: warrantyadmin.co.uk T: 01522 515600 E: tellmemore@warrantyadmin.co.uk Info: Unlock new profit and aftersales flexibility with Crystal Clear Warranty.

Ideal for franchised dealers, groups and independents.

Data

HR & People Management

Marketing, PR & Video

Vehicle Tracking

Warranty Providers

Real World Analytics

HR Manager

OnCue Communications

Meta Trak

Warrantywise

DMS

Insurance

Marketing, PR & Video

Warranty Providers

Warranty Providers

DealerDesk

Tradesure

Marketing Delivery

Autoprotect

WMS

W: realworldanalytics.com T: 0808 1890 617 E: auto@realworldanalytics.com Info: We are a SaaS-based data analytics solution provider for multisite dealers. Our business intelligence tools help customers make faster and better decisions.

W: dealerdesk.co.uk E: contact@dealerdesk.co.uk Info: Modernise your stock management, advertising, communication, sales and website.

DealerDesk provides you with easyto-use tools designed to simplify your dealership management.

W: hrmanager.co.uk T: 01480 455500 E: info@hrmanager.co.uk Info: HR Manager is Lawgistics’ new digital compliance portal designed to assist employers in managing their legal obligations, responsibilities and duties.

W: tradesureinsurance.co.uk T: 0121 248 9313 Info: Providing motor trade insurance to full- and part-time motor traders in the UK, the Tradesure team are reliable professionals who know how to help you.

W: oncuecomms.com T: 020 8125 3880 Info: We are a leading provider of PR, video and events services to the automotive industry. The PR team has a proven track record of securing high-value, big-impact media coverage.

W: marketingdelivery.co.uk/ T: 01892 599911 E: get.in.touch@marketingdelivery.co.uk Info: Our SocialStock helps target prospects with tailored stock remarketing and social media advertising tools, and automated lead capture for Facebook.

W: metatrak.co.uk T: 020 8867 2340 E: enquiries@metatrak.co.uk Info: Total vehicle security. Clever tracking technology, advanced immobilisation, 24/7 monitoring and an easy-to-use app. Security. Connectivity.

Peace of mind.

W: autoprotect.co.uk

T: 01279 406888 E: sales@autoprotect.net Info: AutoProtect offers a full portfolio of award-winning protection products, including GAP. We lead the market with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot.

W: warrantywise.co.uk/dealer T: 0800 001 4551 E: dealers@warrantywise.co.uk Info: Warrantywise sells over 100,000 warranties per year.

Quentin Willson personally designed Warrantywise to be the UK’s best used car warranty.

W: wmsgroup.co.uk T: 01844 293810 E: sales@wmsgroup.co.uk Info: Open 24/7, we offer award-winning warranty products for FCA- and non-FCA-registered dealerships.

Key Control

Oil & Lubricants

Warranty Providers

Website Design & Digital Marketing

Traka

Mobil™

Car Care Plan

Bluesky Interactive

Finance

Lead Management

Recruitment

Warranty Providers

Website Design & Digital Marketing

Close Brothers Motor Finance

GardX AD-Vantage

WeRecruit Auto

Händler Protect

Haswent

Finance

Blue Motor Finance

W: blue.co.uk T: 020 3005 9331 E: dealersupport@blue.co.uk Info: Blue is transforming the car finance market, making car ownership simple and flexible and providing motor traders with access to essential finance.

W: closemotorfinance.co.uk/ Info: Close Brothers Motor Finance are a specialist finance provider, working with over 8,000 dealer partners to offer flexible finance solutions for car, motorcycle and LCV customers.

W: traka-automotive.com T: 0333 355 3726 E: automotive@traka.com Info: Bespoke software and electronic key management cabinets to deliver the most effective solution to dealerships to manage their keys and vehicles.

W: gardx.co.uk/gardx-ad-vantage T: 01243 376426 E: goforaspin@gardx.co.uk Info: The award-winning 360 service offers an engaging display of the vehicle while additionally presenting profitable F&I products to a consumer.

W: mobil.co.uk T: 0800 0857 420 Info: Whether using Mobil 1™ or Mobil Super™, Mobil™ engine oils meet or exceed the latest standards of the oil industry and vehicle manufacturers.

W: werecruitauto.co.uk T: 01603 550041 Info: Permanent recruitment – here to assist businesses within the automotive sector find the best fit for their company in terms of skillset, experience and culture.

W: carcareplan.com T: 0344 573 8000 Info: Car Care Plan is a leading provider of motor protection products, trusted around the world to deliver quality protection with integrity and a customer-oriented outlook.

W: handlerprotect.com T: 0800 088 7889 E: sales@handlerprotect.com Info: Händler Protect is an exclusive dealer warranty provider. Proud to partner and represent more than 1,000-plus ‘active’ independent motor dealers across the UK each month.

W: blueskyinteractive.co.uk T: 01926 651000 Info: Bluesky Interactive drive dealer websites and digital marketing forward thanks to game-changing innovation, the latest technology and our exceptional relationships with our clients.

W: haswent.com T: 020 3920 6164 E: hello@haswent.com Info: Composer is a next-gen automotive platform. You have extensive stock management options, and you’ll gain a brilliantly responsive new website.

To have your details included email sales@blackballmedia.co.uk and ask for Suppliers Guide listings 60 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

LONG-TERMERS

NISSAN QASHQAI THE KNOWLEDGE Nissan Qashqai Tekna

Price (as tested): £32,710 Engine: 1.3 DIG-T Power: 156bhp Torque: 260Nm Max speed: 128mph 0-60mph: 9.3 seconds Economy (combined): 44.1 mpg Emissions: 145g/km CO2 Mileage: 8,238

This month’s highlight: Enjoying the wonderful heated seats on a chilly February day!

OTHER CARS WE’RE DRIVING

Volvo XC40 Recharge Mileage: 9,512 After 10 months and nearly 10,000 miles, it’s sadly time to wave goodbye to KM70 XKO.

Citroen C3 Aircross Mileage: 4,228

The latest addition to the fleet certainly has plenty of style... and some very comfy seats!

A new Qashqai has joined the long-termer fleet, bringing a sharp new look and a fresh interior. Dave Brown reports.

A

fter almost 12 months as one of our long-term loan cars, the compact and capable Juke has left us to be replaced by one of the newest cars in Nissan’s stable. This time, we’ve been allocated an example of the car that got the crossover party started way back in 2007 – the Juke’s bigger brother, Qashqai – with the current version having gone on sale just last year.

Needless to say, OE21 NXC moves the game on enormously compared with the inaugural model launched in the year Tony Blair’s tenure as prime minister came to an end and Rihanna spent 10 weeks at number one with Umbrella.

But it does share some characteristics with its predecessors, of course, boasting many of the traits that led to the first iteration becoming such a success and the inspiration for a plethora of rival models by other manufacturers, with its blend of hatchback compactness, SUV practicality and elevated driving position that attracts so many motorists.

Nissan has upgraded how it looks, with a more noticeable stance, sharp LED lighting and optional 20-inch alloy wheels.

There’s plenty of space inside for all the family and their belongings, yet its roomy interior is cleverly contained within an aerodynamic and compact body.

As it’s such a recent addition to the fleet, we’ve yet to truly test it in all conditions, but it’s fair to say the car has already established itself as a worthy successor to our long-term Juke.

Our trip to swap them over involved a jaunt around the M25 on a pretty dismal day and a photoshoot in a busy part of west London.

The Qashqai’s ride was as comfortable as you’d expect as we skirted Heathrow Airport on the way to our destination – thanks in no small part to the wonderful heated seats that were a real boon on a chilly February day.

The car’s 1.3-litre petrol engine features ‘mild hybrid’ technology that enhances efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions while driving. It feels ready and responsive, and the six-speed manual gearbox is more than up to the job.

A new e-Power powertrain that’s coming soon will combine electric vehicle technology with the convenience of a petrol engine to give a more EV-type feel.

There’s so much I’ve yet to mention about the car in terms of its interior and exterior styling, security and safety features, plus audio and navigation functionality, and I’ll be able to explore those elements fully in future reports.

But if I can mention one tiny thing to begin with... One characteristic I’ve noticed, both on the journey to collect the car and on shorter hops since, is a little ‘double beep’ sound in the cabin – and I can’t work out what it is!

Sometimes I hear it fairly frequently but often not at all, and it’s not seemingly linked to any visible alerts in front of the driver. Anyway, it’s a very minor inconvenience, which I’m sure can be eradicated easily enough.

So all in all, it’s early days, but life with OE21 NXC has been good so far. The car has already attracted one or two complimentary comments from my neighbours, thanks to its eye-catching magnetic blue paint job (a £745 optional extra) and pearl black roof (£400).

With spring just around the corner and the diary filling up for March and April, many adventures await, I’m sure.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 61

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