Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 26 by Blackball Media

CarDealer. Issue 26 | May 2010 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

[ RECRUITMENT – The best interview questions p74 ]

Driving the future of the motor trade

ghost stories

we spend 24 hours with Rolls-Royce’s latest... (literally)

cold, hungry scared of the dark

car pR disasters How the big names lost the plot

TELL YOUr MANUFACTUrEr WHAT YOU EMPOWERING DEALERS rEALLY THINK OF THEM... AND WIN PrIZES! CarDealerIss26.indd 1

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start Issue 26 | May 2010

DAMN you Twitter and our helpful followers. When we were offered a Rolls-Royce Ghost to try for just 24 hours we knew we needed to make them count, so we asked the Twitterverse what we should do. The ideas came in thick and fast. They ranged from the weird to the wonderful to the downright scary, but it was this one that caught our eye: ‘Why don’t you live in it for 24 hours and make the most of it? It costs as much as a house after all.’ Ok, we know it’s probably been done before, but still that sounded like fun and Rolls-Royce had said we needed to make sure it was secure overnight... As you’ll read on page 36, we elaborated on the original plan somewhat, but it still revolved around commercial manager Duncan and I sleeping in a £200,000 car on a campsite in Dorset. We used the adventure as a way of marking the launch of Car Dealer Exclusive too. This is a special booklet that is sent to all new subscribers to the magazine. It’s packed with special features and exclusive offers for Car Dealer’s new readers. To get your hands on one you need to make sure you’ve paid for your subscription – just £17.24 a year – and it’ll be

sent to you along with your first copy of the magazine. Subscriptions can be made online, simply type – bit.ly/CDsubs – into your web browser to be taken straight to the right page. GIANT ISSUE THIS month you’ll notice we’ve put on a bit of weight and have grown in size to accommodate a whole host of features. There are interviews with the brains behind three clever propositions for the motor trade including a chat with Motoring.co.uk, Cartakeback and a look at the price-drop website UKcarexchange. We’ve also delved into the archives to unearth the PR disasters car marques have been forced to overcome. Remember the toppling Mercedes A-Class or Audi TT spoiler saga? Well these and more can be found on page 46. We’ve also got a bumper batch of road tests for you to enjoy. Now sponsored by oil experts Mobil 1, every month the suppliers of lubricants to Formula 1’s best teams will give you advice on the top-up packs to offer buyers when they purchase their new car. These are a great source of profits for dealers and by thinking about selling them at the same time as the

three things not to Miss... Jct600 chief car dealer power

Recruitment

car dealer chats to John tordoff, the man in charge at dealer group Jct600 [p16]

car dealer launches a new recruitment section with a special promise [p74]

there’s still time to tell us what you think of your manufacturer and suppliers [p55]

new car you could see impressive returns. recruitment INTERVIEWING can be just as scary as being interviewed, especially if you don’t know what to ask. That’s why, for the launch of our new recruitment section, we asked the experts what their favourite question is and why. The answers they give on page 74 are fascinating. We’ve also launched a price-beating promise for our recruitment advertisers. We guarantee to BEAT any price you’re currently paying for print recruitment adverts. All we need to see is a quote or an invoice and we’ll better it. No quibbles. Give our new girl, Jade, a call to find out we mean business on (023) 9252 2434. Enjoy the issue...

James Baggott, Editor

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dashboard 06

Feedback

McLaren launch

10 12 14

Ferrari’s new look Focus RS500 Scrappage scrapped

JCT600 Interview

19 20 23

On The Spot Big Mike Finance

Issue 26 | May 2010

Opinion from the web and Twitter F1 stars unveil the MP4-12C

It’s the end of the road for scheme John Tordoff chats to Car Dealer

‘Could you get by without a bed, toilet and kitchen, happy in the knowledge you owned a Rolls-Royce? Probably not, but still we intended to find out anyway.’ [ Living with a Ghost: p36-44 ]

forecourt

27 28 30 32 35 49 51

Alfa Romeo MultiAir Seat Ibiza FR TDI Porsche Boxster Spyder Skoda Superb Estate Jaguar XJ Cult Car: Honda NSX Sales Legend: Metro

features 36

Living with a Ghost

46 52

Car PR disasters UKcarexchange

Car Dealer Power

We spend 24 hours in a Rolls-Royce

How price-drop website works There’s still time to take part

Cartakeback

Innovative firm’s latest idea

Motoring.co.uk

We catch up with the team

Hidden Gems

Three clever ideas for your business

66 69 71 74 77 79 80 82

Auctions Right Click Dot Com Recruitment Trader Directory Suppliers Guide Used Cars Sub Prime Time

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feedback Your comments posted online at CarDealerMag.co.uk – add yours now to be included And from the Twitterverse: Follow the editor on Twitter @CarDealerEd to join the conversation

The debate hots up on our website Used Predictions Wrong

Link: bit.ly/UsedPred THIS article is 100 per cent true. We have seen the prices at auction in the past two months going insane. But the customer will never pay crazy prices for used inventory, they have a lot of tools to guide them into buying right. We are a very small dealership in Florida and we are having a hard time buying cars at the right price to avoid getting burned if the market changes. It is very hard to buy at the auctions; there’s a lot of junk that requires a lot of work to be saleable. Erich Wolmart, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Toyota Prius prices up

Link: bit.ly/PriusPri SORRY, but I don’t believe anyone sold a third generation Prius for under £10k. Can Exchange & Mart give you evidence? A quick look at Exchange & Mart’s own listings shows only 19 Prius, and only one 2nd generation for under £10k, with most above £11K. Data from CAP & Glass’s suggests prices have either been steady or gone up through February. Scott Brownlee, Toyota, via CarDealerMag.co.uk SCOTT, you’re quite right that nobody would have sold a third gen Prius for under £10k. To clear up this matter - we only looked at the average asking price of three-year-old Prius models as advertised by dealers on ExchangeandMart.co.uk, for each month December through to February. We are currently investigating March figures and are confident that these will be in line with those quoted by CAP and Glass’s. Michael Tang, Exchange & Mart, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Dealer saves scrapper!

Link: bit.ly/ScrapPor HERO of the day! Good to see there are still dealers out there with a bit of passion for the job! Neill Watson, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Motor Codes MOT demand

Link: bit.ly/MotCodes MOTOR Codes offers nothing of value to the MOT accreditation process. What is required is for all MOT scheme staff to be subjected to the same vetting as a police officer, because there are currently no checks. Chris Mason should understand that Motor Codes cannot provide a catch-all. James Gardner, via CarDealerMag.co.uk MOTOR Codes is not suggesting a change to the assessment VOSA makes of MOT centres, it aims to compliment it, ensuring standards are consistent in the service and repair areas of MOT businesses. MOT garages subscribing to the Code will also benefit from increased custom, a means of tracking customer satisfaction and an independent dispute resolution service operated by Motor Codes. Motor Codes, in response to James Gardner, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Jaguar XJ coming out

Link: bit.ly/JaguarXJ I OWN two Jaguar dealers in New Jersey, and we are very excited about the future. It’s the new Jaguar; we have a great new owner, great engineering and design,

From the Twitterverse CarDealerEd Tweeted during our 24 hours in a Rolls-Royce feature: ‘Just received a snotty email from camping club PR about staying at their site in a Rolls-Royce.’

How short-sighted are these PR people! They could have used that to the max – press release: Ghost stays on camp... via @MOTOrCArS

Has it given them a tents headache? via @TomHyundai

Obviously you are going to publish the letter. via @stuartg917

You’re kidding! Surely they don’t have a rule banning Rolls Royces. via @Total911 Miserable buggers. Maybe it’s all this rain ruining their days of tent-pitching joy? via @Dear_Blank

Get involved. Follow the editor on Twitter @CarDealerEd or @CarDealerMag to join the conversation great staff, and a great future. Jaguars are fast and beautiful, and did I say fast!? Great customer reactions to the new line-up… Dennis Squitieri, via CarDealerMag.co.uk JUST don’t forget maybe a longer, four-seater version of the XJ to take on the Rapide. Make it slicker, without the slight hunch back of the Rapide, or Porsche’s Panamera. And please make a V12 with none of that plastic engine cover stuff, so that people will lift the bonnet just to look at the engine, rather than drive the car - and limited numbers would be ideal! MB, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Toyota introduce a five year warranty

Link: bit.ly/toyota5 I WAS a bit put out that Toyota are offering three years free servicing or a five year warranty on their new cars, because I paid for and got a new Verso on the Thursday before it was announced and there was no mention of this at all. After contacting the dealer today I was told they’d give me the warranty or free servicing offer. Dave Green, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Hyundai’s ‘scrap scheme’

Link: bit.ly/HyunScrap CALLED at Richmond Hyundai, Portsmouth and walked out after 15 minutes having completed ‘happy returns’ offer for £499 and given eight-week delivery date. This is fine as I can run my current i10 for a couple of months more with no loss to me before the new one arrives. Sussex fan, via CarDealerMag.co.uk MY HUSBAND signed up for the scheme a few days ago, it really was only £499, we thought it was a great offer. The salesman at the Hyundai dealer we bought our car from last year said that each dealer only has a certain number of cars allocated so it’s best to get in quick. We will get our new car at the end of the month. The dealer at Morecambe did have a few cars left but he said they were being snapped up fast. J robinson, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

Polo Car of the Year

Link: bit.ly/PoloCOTY THOROUGHLY deserved by VW. A pace setter, the rest of the pack will struggle to come anywhere near. Paul, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

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We want to talk to you... Monday to Friday – 8am to 8pm Saturday – 8am to 5pm Sunday & Bank Holidays – 10am to 5pm

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dashboard

Three dealers for McLaren in the UK Dealers will have to be the best as ‘good enough for McLaren, is not good’ McLAREN Automotive will be represented by just three retailers in the UK, Car Dealer can reveal. In an exclusive interview, McLaren’s head of network development, David Lumley-Wood, said he would be in a position to announce who has been selected in the next few weeks. ‘We’re progressing very well and interest remains very strong from potential partners,’ said Lumley-Wood. ‘We’ll start off with a small number of dealers, probably around three and then as the network viability grows we’ll add more.’ Chairman Ron Dennis added that some retailers in the worldwide network had already been picked, but said they were still analysing the business plans of others. Some 600 retailers around the world expressed interest in taking on the McLaren franchise. That was short-listed down to 150 and then 70 were asked for full business plans. From that, just 35 were selected to be rolled out in the first wave of dealers. Lumley-Wood spoke to Car Dealer at the official unveiling to the world’s press of the MP4-12C supercar. ‘We want McLaren buyers to have the best-ever retailer experience,’ said Antony Sheriff, McLaren Automotive MD. ‘It will be the best, because for McLaren, good

Hill

What happens if it all goes horribly wrong? Ron Dennis cracked out the big guns for the McLaren MP4-12C launch enough is not good.’ Currently McLaren is taking serious expressions of interest in the £170,000 MP412C on its website – of which it’s had 1,700 for the first year’s allocation of 1,000 cars. Once the network is set up these potential customers will be passed on to dealers. Dennis explained how every McLaren dealer will be expected to stock every serviceable part for the 12C before they even start selling cars. This is so customers can always have their cars fixed and serviced when they want. These parts would then be ordered automatically. ‘The 12C is good news for McLaren, good news for UK PLC and car enthusiasts everywhere – and of course good news for me,’ added Dennis. [JB]

INSIDE MCLArEN TECHNOLOGY CENTrE watch our exclusive video of our day with McLaren, hear their plans for dealers across the world and see F1 stars ask for their company cars type – bit.ly/insidemclaren – into a web browser

rolls-royce hasn’t ruled out diesel power ROLLS-ROYCE has refused to rule out a diesel or hybrid model from its range at some stage in the future. David Archibald, regional director for Europe and South Africa, told Car Dealer Rolls-Royce was well set up to ‘piggy-back’ on the technology pioneered by owners BMW. ‘One of the benefits of being part of the BMW Group is that we will be able to accept whatever they’re doing in terms of power trains if it’s right for Rolls-Royce,’ he said. ‘There are no fixed plans at the moment but whatever is there we’ll be able to piggyback on and utilise that in our own range.’ Asked if that meant there could one day be a

Net gains

diesel powered Phantom or Ghost, Archibald added: ‘Nothing has been ruled out at this stage. We never say never so it’s a case of watch this space!’ BMW has been at the forefront of green technology and already has a working hydrogen powered 7-Series. Its diesel engines are also class-leading. [JB] See Archibald talk to Car Dealer on video. Type – bit.ly/dieselroller – into a web browser

his month I want to raise awareness of an aspect of the web that is very rarely considered within most business sectors – not just automotive. I’m talking about the importance of assessing your web partners and suppliers in areas such as disaster recovery and continuity of service. Why is this important? Well, imagine the scenario. You spend a lot of time and effort coming up with how you wish to enact your plans for the web. You may have even spent serious time evaluating web design and engaging various suppliers to add the ‘sparkle’ that you are looking for. Once it is presented to you, the finished work may even be exactly as you hoped it would be. However, exactly how robust is the disaster recovery and continuity plan of the supplier that you work with? ‘In a nutshell, In a nutshell, your your guaranteed and continued guaranteed and web offering is only as good continued web as the suppliers that you work with. To evidence this, offering is only car dealers and groups of as good as the all sizes regularly contact me with a view to integrate suppliers that Codeweavers services into you work with.’ their websites. I am surprised at how few businesses that work with dealer websites actively promote the robustness and reliability of the services they offer. For example, do you have a service level agreement (SLA) with any of your web partners? This document is essential and will cover all aspects of the service provided. It should include how the service will be supported, what the acceptable ‘downtime’ in any given time period will be, and what steps the business has for disaster recover. It is important to stress that strong SLAs are not the sole preserve of large companies! Websites (or services allied to your website) can go awry. When they do, how important is it to you that your business employs a supplier that is prepared for this eventuality with a tested and focused recovery plan? Whether it’s in areas such as data storage and security (there are still businesses out there that have their client’s data on a single server at home…) or the exact process for notification in the event of ‘downtime’ (a process that should really be automated). Codeweavers has invested heavily in its continuity and security infrastructure. Have you asked your suppliers whether they’ve done the same? I sincerely hope that you won’t get any nasty surprises…

Who is Martin Hill? Martin is commercial director at Codeweavers. Learn more about how he can help you at Codeweavers.net or call 0870 443 0888.

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dashboard Alfa boss wants ‘dealer association’

ALFA ROMEO chief Andrew Humberstone wants dealers to have a more strategic role in the network’s future. The Fiat Group Automobiles chief told us he wants the network’s dealer council to become the ‘Alfa Romeo Dealer Association’. ‘We want them to come up with ideas and general topics that need addressing,’ said Humberstone. ‘We’d then work together to address these issues.’

Nissan boss predicts 1.8m for UK market NISSAN UK boss Paul Willcox is confident about the market in 2010. He predicts total registrations will be around 1.8m, down on last year but that’s still higher than many of his contemporaries. He said: ‘I’m very confident about the coming 12 months.’

Ferrari’s fresh dealer look unveiled Chief says new retailer design will help buyers ‘feel part of the family’ FERRARI North Europe manager Matteo Torre says its new dealer ID will help retailers meet a 2010 priority. ‘Today, it is all about giving customers the right brand experience,’ he told Car Dealer. ‘I know our group processes are good, and the cars are legendary. Our dealers also know how to sell the car really well. ‘What we need to focus on now is staying close to that customer, and ensuring they feel and become part of the Ferrari family.’ This is why Torre wants 90 per cent of the UK Ferrari network to incorporate the new ID within the next two years. ‘This Solihull site will be the showcase, that we’ll show to others. The advantage here is that they started from scratch, so anything was possible,’ he said. ‘We are realistic though and realise other dealers will have constraints. We will work with them to best incorporate the new ID without the need for a complete new development.’

New Ferrari ID showcased by Graypaul FErArrI has just opened its first UK dealership to carry the cutting edge new worldwide corporate ID. Graypaul’s new £5m dealership in Solihull, Birmingham, is the fourth Sytner Group franchise. It has been built fast, taking just 12 months to Torre says he wants to protect the profitability of the Ferrari car dealer network. ‘We want the investment back from them, and this is the only way to help that.’ The brand has not suffered in the

GADGETS

replace the firm’s temporary premises in Bromsgrove. This came after the franchise was acquired from Nick Whale Sportscars. The slick new car dealer has a flash showroom with space for up to 10 cars where, ordinarily, Ferrari and Maserati models will be shown. recession like other supercar makers, though. Sales were down five per cent in 2009, back to 2007 levels. However, rivals in Ferrari’s marketplace contributed to an average decline of 40 per cent! [rA]

...reviews by James Baggott

Buddy, barbecues and bird houses TAKING calls in your car doesn’t have to mean breaking the law – but you will need a handsfree kit. The SuperTooth Buddy is one of the latest and connects to your mobile via Bluetooth. It’s got excellent sound quality, is easy to pair and can connect to two mobiles at the same time. It can be charged in your car but offers 20 hours talk time and 1,000 hours standby on a single charge. It connects to your phone automatically and clips up out of the way on your sun visor. £49, supertooth.net EVER feel guilty about cleaning your car? Nope, us neither – but there are motorists out there willing to drive around dirty vehicles with the excuse they’re ‘saving water’. But now, with the arrival of Pro Dry Clean Waterless Car Wash & Wax, there’s no excuse for having a dirty car. You simply spray on the solution, it lifts and traps the dirt and you wipe it off. It’s guaranteed not to scratch your car and there’s enough for seven cleans. £9.99, permaclear-carcare.co.uk SPRING means the arrival of hayfever, travellers and nesting birds. If you want to do your bit for nature, you could give the latter the home they deserve with this caravan nesting box! It’s made from sturdy materials

‘You could always buy one and recreate your favourite Top Gear destruction stunt instead.’ and the entrance for your feathered friends is incorporated into the door. If you don’t give a stuff about birds, you could always buy one and recreate your favourite Top Gear destruction stunt instead! £14.99. firebox.com DISPOSABLE BBQs are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They last five minutes and cook more grass underneath than food on the grill! This flat-pack pressed-steel version is far better. The Notebook BBQ folds up completely flat for easy storage in your boot and despite its slim proportions, it extends to offer a

45x30cm cooking space. Just remember to let it cool before packing it away… £21.99, firebox.com IF YOU’RE heading to a motor race this summer and plan on camping, now you can even take the kitchen sink with you! This portable version folds down to fit in the palm of your hand, but is designed to pop up when you fill it with water. A stiff steel ring holds your soap suds inside and two sturdy handles make it easy to carry around. £12.99, firebox.com

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UK to get just 101 Focus rS500s

Dramatic 350bhp, matt black special edition marks the end of the rS run FORD has pulled the covers off a dramatic Focus RS special edition – finished in a matt black wrap! The 350bhp 2.5-litre turbo RS500 will be limited to 500 units and UK car dealers have been allocated 101 of them. Thank our love affair with the hot hatch for this. Indeed, Ford has also revealed total Focus RS production will exceed 11,000 cars when assembly

ends in September. This is way up on the 7,000 originally estimated: again, a high proportion of those have come to the UK. ‘We were determined to mark the end of production for the current and acclaimed Focus RS with something even more special,’ said Joe Bakaj, Ford of Europe’s vice-president for product development. ‘This vehicle joins a long line of iconic RS

Share watch

Diesel to play a key role in the success of new 5 Series

Fords and is a worthy recipient of the RS500 name.’ The matt finish is fitted in a dedicated 3M factory near the German plant. This is applied to a standard Panther Black focus. 3M agents will support Ford dealers Europe wide to aid repairs too. As well as the special wrap, the car gets a black finish for the 19-inch alloys and red brake calipers. There’s further red finishing for interior stitching, in contrast to a standard car’s blue detailing. Mechanically, the engine has 15 per cent more power than standard – a 45bhp boost takes it up to 350bhp at 6,000rpm. Changes include a larger intercooler and air filter box, bigger exhaust downpipe and an uprated fuel pump. So, what’ll it do 0-60mph in? Try 5.4 seconds… Prices are yet to be announced, but rest assured, Car Dealer Magazine will be keeping a beady eye out for them. [rA]

BMW will sell 70 per cent of its new 5 Series to corporate buyers, and they prefer diesel models; 90 per cent of 5 Series sold are diesel-powered, and more than six-in-10 of these will be the 520d. Such margins of sales superiority come within a sector that brand manager Michelle roberts doesn’t expect to grow. ‘The executive car sector is a stable, reputable one which attracts mature buyers,’ she told Car Dealer Magazine. Instead, volume growth will come from derivatives in the sector, such as the BMW 5 Series GT. roberts expects the new 5 Series to sell around 12,000 units in a full year. roberts told us that there are ‘no plans’ to launch a business-special ES model, despite the importance of corporate sales for BMW dealers, but there WILL be a racy M Sport version, in around nine months time. Car dealers should expect one option in particular to prove popular, too. Even though it is not standard, half of 520d buyers will select the automatic gearbox option. ‘On 3.0-litre cars and above, it’s 90 per cent auto.’ So, why not make it standard? ‘Some people do still like manual, and it helps set us apart from some other brands,’ said roberts. It will almost be a must-have on the 530d. Selecting it sees the car’s CO2 figure drop to the 160g/km business benchmark, making this, we suspect, the first option for many. [rA]

More than 60 per cent of 5 Series sold will be a 520d

...in association with ASE-global.com

Interesting March movements M

arch has produced a series of interesting share price movements among the listed stocks as the market reacted to final results for 2009, a series of trading updates and continued concerns over the state of the post-scrappage market with new car volumes forecast to be depressed for a number of years. The message from the majority of the businesses has been remarkably consistent – the first quarter has produced a good performance, there is a positive outlook for after-sales and used vehicles for the remainder of 2010. However, new cars are likely to be depressed now the scrappage scheme has ended and the new showroom tax is introduced. The net effect of all of these has been to drive the majority of share prices down, with only Lookers remaining above its value on January 1. The Lookers share price has shown steady growth since early February bolstered by record finalised results for 2009, positive management statements over trading for the first quarter and the reassurance provided by Peter Jones increasing his stake in the company.

‘April is also likely to see a new entrant to the group of publically listed motor retailers.’ Lookers is also benefiting from the uncertainty over vehicle sales levels having spent a number of years promoting the importance and strength of its after-sales business. As a direct result they are being favourably viewed by the market when looking at the inherent motor sector uncertainties for the remainder of 2010. After a strong start to the year, the Pendragon share price has fallen below its December 2009 level despite positive trading updates. This pattern is mirrored by both Vertu and HR Owen, with early 2010 gains having been recently reversed. The posting of strong results for 2009 was built into share prices during the summer of last year, with the market price being currently much more concerned over an uncertain outlook for 2010. In addition to normal trading reviews HR Owen has announced that it is to carry out a ‘fundamental

strategic review’ of operations aimed at ensuring more robust cashflow and profits. Inchcape has shown significant share price gains in recent weeks recovering the losses seen during January and February. Through regional diversity Inchcape is less linked to the specific worries afflicting the UK new car sector. This may lead it to improve new vehicle sales and profitability faster then its peers. April is also likely to see a new entrant to the group of publically listed motor retailers with Cambria Automobiles announcing its intention to float on AIM. The listing will enable a reduction of the percentage of the company owned by private equity business Promethean in addition to providing an alternative method of raising capital to fund future acquisitions. As far as the overall sector is concerned it will only be once we start seeing some registration data and trading updates for the second quarter of 2010 that we are likely to see some real direction in the share price movements. If you have any questions on the above, call me on 0161 493 1930. Mike Jones, ASE director

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dashboard Glass’s sees shift to online valuations

SOME 25 per cent of Glass’s Guide customers have started using new online used car valuation site GlassNet to source prices. More than 90 per cent of all UK dealers rely on Glass’s data for their valuations, so the rapid uptake of GlassNet suggests a new digital trend in the sector. ‘Ease of use and accuracy are critical factors driving this shift to web-based valuations, especially now VRMpowered valuations are more readily available,’ said Glass’s Vik Barodia.

More on GlassNet in next month’s issue

Volvo falls into Chinese hands CHINESE car maker Geely has snapped up Swedish brand Volvo from Ford for a ‘bargain’ £1.2bn. The agreement, signed on March 29, marked the end of a firesale of Blue Oval brands, having sold off Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata last year. The deal means a huge loss for Ford, which bought Volvo for 6.5bn dollars in 1999. ‘The sale represents a milestone for Geely,’ said the company’s chairman Li Shufu.

They think it’s all over... it is now!

IT’S over and this time there are no extensions! Scrappage finally came to an end on March 31. The industry-boosting scheme is set to go down in history as a landmark in the UK car dealer world. Up to the end of March, 378,978 new car buyers have been helped into new cars. But the real significance of the scheme could be greater still. Scrappage worked wonders in getting buyers into showrooms – and it was the price-led, easy-tounderstand offers that were key to this. You only need to look at how similar the deals are below that are taking over to see that. On the day the scheme ended, business secretary Lord Mandelson said: ‘The scheme was always time limited and as it closes I am pleased to see scrappage has delivered the results we aimed for – not just for manufacturers, but for the whole industry and its supply chain. ‘The figures show that this scheme gave vital support, boosting demand when the industry needed it most,

See our chat on video with the Nissan MD – Log on to: bit.ly/Nissanchat Stay up to date every day at CarDealerMag.co.uk

FOrD Ford has introduced a raft of lower-priced models. The list prices of the Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy have all been trimmed with up to 15 per cent off. These cars are called Blue Tag models, and Ford promises more will join the range later this year.

NISSAN Nissan is offering a minimum £2,000 trade-in price against any new British-built car. It applies to part exchanges seven years or older. Unlike the scrappage scheme, old cars won’t be crushed, Nissan is instead off-setting costs by letting dealers sell them on.

THE AFTEr SCrAP OFFErS HYUNDAI Korean maker Hyundai won big under scrappage and hopes its Trade & Upgrade deal will continue the theme in 2010. This generous scrappage-type scheme gives owners of cars aged over seven years the same £2,000 discount as before.

Nissan Leaf to be built at Sunderland NISSAN has announced the Leaf electric vehicle will be built at its Sunderland plant. Sunderland will now become Europe’s largest electric car production plant, with cars rolling off the lines from early 2013. Initial production will be around 50,000.

scheme not come along. SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt praised the ‘largely self-funding’ scheme as it drew to a close. He said: ‘The scrappage scheme has given a muchneeded stimulus to the UK motor industry, boosting sales and production volumes and protecting jobs. Around 20 per cent of all new cars bought over the last 10 months came through the scheme.’

WITH the start of the 2010 tax year, buyers of new cars were hit by big changes to the vehicle excise duty system, which means a rise of £545 in first year tax for models in the highest emissions band. Cars emitting more than 255g/km CO2 will be stung for a first-year tax bill of £950! On the flipside, cars producing less than 130g/ km will get free first year road tax. For cars producing between 121-130g/km CO2 – that’s an effective reduction of £120. As more than seven per cent of the new car market falls into this category, it’s a big saving, says the government. Even so, the SMMT is not happy. Chief executive Paul Everitt said: ‘We are disappointed government didn’t take the opportunity in the Budget to defer the introduction of the first year rate or the increase in standard VED rates. ‘Environmental taxes need to be clear and consistent so that motorists can be confident that they will reap the benefits from their decision.’ As for the technicalities, motorists will pay the first year rate of VED when buying their car, reverting to the new standard rate for every subsequent year.

Scrappage scheme finally comes to an end, now the real hard work starts helping to position the auto sector to meet the challenges of building a strong, low-carbon future.’ The significance of the scheme has been huge. Government figures show up to 4,000 jobs were supported by it. Stats also show more than half of scrappage buyers had never bought a new car before – and 56 per cent reckon they would not have bought a new car at all had the

Showroom tax comes in

KIA Kia has called its post-scrap offer the Seven Year Switch. It plays on the marque’s industry-leading seven-year warranty and is aimed at owners of cars seven years and older. It guarantees a trade-in discount of £1,500 on certain models.

Car Dealer launches App for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad CAR DEALER has launched an App for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch so you can keep up-to-date on the go! The App – which was built by AppCreatives.co.uk and is available in the iTunes store now – aggregates the Car Dealer website news feeds in a user-friendly format for the

iPhone. Designed to fit perfectly on the phone’s screen, you can now get your daily fix of Car Dealer news, features and road tests without having to zoom in and out on a slow loading browser. The App – which costs 59p – is made up of four sections: Our latest news feed, editor’s

blog, road tests and CDTV, our channel that takes users straight to our videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the magazine from within the App. Updated every weekday, the Car Dealer App is a must for any forward-thinking motor trade professional.

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dashboard

Family affair JCT600 is enjoying a record start to 2010, but boss John Tordoff is insistent his staff keep their feet on the ground. Here he talks to JAMES BAGGOTT about his plans

ohn Tordoff is the man in charge at JCT600, the family-owned dealer group. He’s been involved with the firm – the 13th biggest dealer group in the UK – since 1988 when he joined the team, aged 24, as general manager of the company’s Leeds Porsche dealership. In 2003 he moved to the head office as chief executive and has been leading from the top ever since. ‘No two days are the same,’ he says. ‘There’s a huge amount of variety and I meet lots of interesting people.’ Here, he takes time out of his busy schedule to chat to Car Dealer.

What are your thoughts on the market after scrappage? I think it will have an impact, but I think it is difficult to say how much. As a group we don’t have any of the brands that have really benfitted from scrappage – the Hyundais and Kias – so we’ve not massively benfitted from it. Having said that we’ve done more than 1,000 scrappage orders across the group and our biggest success here has been Volkswagen.

Name John Tordoff Job title Chief executive of JCT600 Age 46 Family Married, three sons and one daughter Drives Audi S4 Avant Lives Leeds CV Joined the family business in 1988 after spending five years working in a chartered accountants practice. Previous roles at JCT600 include dealership accountant and general manager before taking on the role of chief executive in 2003.

I think demand will fall off to a degree, but because we haven’t done a dispropportinately high volume of scrappage deals we probably will feel less impact. I think we’re better placed than some other groups. If we had five Hyundai dealerships then I’d be worried, but we don’t. If we were made up of all those brands I’d be pretty nervous right now…

stretch. When we get our general managers in we’re almost getting to the point of being anal about not becoming complacent. The war is not over. It’s still bloody tough out there and there are still businesses struggling and going bankrupt every day. We are having to manage our cash position and costs very tightly. And I say to staff that just because we appear to be having a reasonably buoyant time at the moment they shouldn’t assume everyone else is.

What are your thoughts on the market overall for 2010? Well, we keep using the phrase ‘cautious

Do you think the general election will have an impact? Yes I do, but it’s difficult to say exactly

How are you planning for life after scrappage?

optimism.’ We came into the year using that and we’re still using it now. We’ve just had nine weeks on the trot of sales over and above our targets and apart from the first two weeks of the year, when we were under two foot of snow, we’re having a pretty buoyant time of it.

We ran a story on our website about JCT600 selling 600 cars in a week recently. Is that unusual? No. We did that again the week after. There’s no secret to it. It’s a combination of a lot of processes that have come together at the right time.

what impact or how much. All that will happen in the short term is everyone will put their head up their asses. They’ll be sick of putting the news on and reading the papers because of all the politicians and that will mean there will be a lot of doom and gloom in the short term. There’s also the threat of a hung Parliament. I think irrespective of who wins the election one thing is for sure – taxes will have to go up to pay for the mess the economy is in at the moment. So it’s almost an irrelevance who bloody wins it.

What do you think of the showroom tax? Do you think we’re out of the recession yet in the car industry? I don’t think so, not by a long

Well I think anything that puts the price of new cars up is not a good thing for the industry. We

hold a few franchises for the higher end of the market so it will affect us a little more, but if you can afford a car at that end of the market the showroom tax isn’t going to put you off!

What are your thoughts on electric cars – are they the way forward? I think there is going to be a big swing towards electric and greener cars – that is inevitable. When that change comes we’ll embrace it. These cars may need less servicing, but they will still need tyres, brakes and an MOT. On the one hand I wish every car was a big V8 monster that needed an annual service of 20 hours, but we realise that that’s the past and the future is electric, so we just have to adjust our businesses to suit.

You’ve been quite acquisitive at a time many dealers were struggling, buying the three Audi sites from Bramall and Jones recently. What’s been your thinking behind this? We wanted to take the Audi franchise for a fair number of years now. We were partners with them back in the 80s, but when Audi changed its market areas we lost our Wakefield franchise. We

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‘The war is not over. It’s still bloody tough out there and there are still businesses struggling and going bankrupt every day.’ left on good terms with the promise that when market share came along again we could take the franchise back, and that opportunity came up last summer with York and Hull. They were a great fit for us as we have VW there. I thought our acquisition days were over to be honest but then we had a phone call at the back end of last year asking if we’d be interested in the Bramall and Jones sites. These chances don’t come round very often so you have to take them when you can.

Have you got plans for any more? Not at the moment, but we never say never. Despite the money we’ve spent on new

dealerships we’ve got a healthy-looking balance sheet, so we’re ready if something comes up.

What are your plans for this year? We’ve had a big emphasis recently on customer and employee satisfaction. We want to keep staff motivated and staff turnover as low as it is at the moment. We worry about the things we can control, not the things we can’t. We need to keep everyone’s chins up. We have a programme called ‘lasting impressions’ about keeping customer expectations high. When you know what customers expect you know how to deliver it. There’s no magic formula!

What’s your favourite brand that JCT600 represents? Porsche probably. It’s a favourite personally, and for the family. We have had Porsche since 1967 – we’re the second oldest Porsche dealers in the UK. I’ve got lots of childhood memories of going to Newquay in the back of a 911 for family holidays. My dad used to rally one when I was younger. We’ve had a fantastic relationship with Porsche and long may that continue with our three dealerships.

What are your thoughts on the internet – how important is it to you? Very. We’ve just totally relaunched our website and our old one wasn’t even that old. We place such a huge importance on it these days and wanted a state-of-the-art site. It’s our shop window to the world now and has to be good. I don’t think we’ll ever be selling cars purely online as cars are a very emotive purchase – we never say never as it might happen one day, but not now. People want to touch it, feel it, see it, drive it. We do more advertising online now and have cut our print advertising dramatically. And all print and radio ads we do now push customers to the website.

How are JCT600 performing as group? Last year was a very satisfactory result and we’ll be releasing our year-end figures at the end of April or beginning of May. We’re cautiously optimistic that this year will be even better. We made a significant profit last year that was massively ahead of expectations even in that tough year. So we’re hopeful for this year in the same way. [CD]

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APPEARANCES MAY CHANGE – BUT NOT THE QUALITY BEHIND THE BRAND NEW IMAGE - NEW LOOK – NEW STYLE – OLD TRUSTED VALUES from Warranty Management Services Group, the Nation’s favourite warranty company. “Pulling the family brand together has been important to unify the group and provide a total solution to our existing and potential customers going forward, with the sub brands WMS, VGS, UVW and FREEPLAN all operating under the WMS GROUP and delivering to different sectors of the market.” Peter Ginger, Managing Director. There’s an old name on the high street with a vibrant new look and a powerful quality message. Throughout the UK, new and used vehicle suppliers are looking distinctly different as they display the new point of sale from their warranty, GAP and protection product supplier – WMS, the Nations favourite warranty company. C

John Colinswood, operations director reveals the rationale behind the brand. “We have grown at such a phenomenal pace as more and more dealers seek a business partner that delivers modern products and services but with old fashioned values that deliver real quality and value to their customers and additional profit to their bottom line.”

CMY

Eric Stone, Business Development Director reveals why the unification has helped to prevent sales opportunities being lost to the dealer. “We offer policies to the public at point of purchase of a vehicle through our dealer network in the traditional sense but what happens when a customer leaves the dealership without a product? Customers are now able to purchase direct from our UVW website either at the dealership or in the comfort of their own homes and a unique dealer code will ensure that commission still goes to the dealer and this is borne out by customers that want to take their time when deciding which policy is right for them and endorses our treating customers fairly ethos. We believe that we have gone a long way to stop the lost opportunities and additional revenue potential from disappearing out of the dealership.” Sales Director, Chris Brooks says; “The age old wear and tear issue can be covered through our UVW website or from the dealership in the form of our Ultimate warranty that provides all mechanical and electrical cover as per our policy terms and conditions and also provides Rescue and Recovery and a return to invoice / finance GAP policy.” It’s a complete customer care package that delivers; 1. Peace of mind and confidence for the customer 2. Profit for the dealership 3. Retains the customer for service and repair work 4. Leaves the dealers recovery truck free for other issues 5. Enables the customer to purchase another vehicle from the dealer if their vehicle is subject to a claimable event under the RTI/GAP policy. Regarding the brand change, you could say that we are a major player but with real family values. If you would like more information on the excellent range of products available from WMS Group, please contact our business development Director Eric Stone on 07789 682502

0844 477 4909 | sales@warrantymanagementservices.co.uk | www.wmswarranty.co.uk

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Peering into the lives of the motor trade...

On The Spot Name: Steven Parsley Age: 43 Job title: Branch manager, Renault Bolton Who do you work for? Renault Retail Group (since 1992 – I started with Renault in 1985!) How is your business made up? Just over a year ago Renault Bolton welcomed Nissan on to its site to operate as a dual franchise which is split 50/50. Who is it owned by? All Renault Retail Group sites are 100 per cent owned by Renault. What was your first job? My first sales job was working in the travel industry but I began working in the car industry as a sales trainee when I was 18. What made you get into the car trade? I guess I have my uncle to thank (or blame!) for that. He owned a used car site which I helped out on and I guess my love of cars just grew from there. What was the first car you ever sold? A Renault 5 TC – a great little car. How many cars do you sell a month? Between new and used the group sells around 1,600 cars a month. What do you love about your job? Aside from being able to work with a great team I love the fact that no two days are ever the same. What do you hate? Very little apart from the hours! What’s your best sales tip? It sounds a cliché but listen to your customers – don’t assume what they want, talk to them. What car would you buy for £30,000 and why? And it can’t be one you sell! I’ve always fancied building a kit car like a Caterham from scratch. I think it would be great driving around in a car you built yourself. What car would you buy if money were no object and why? An Aston Martin DB9 – I love the way they look although some say the Renault Laguna Coupé looks just as beautiful from the rear. What would be your best tip for someone starting in the motor trade? Have plenty of passion and take pride in your work. That’s what I get from my staff. What newspapers and magazines do

‘I’ve always fancied building a kit car like a Caterham from scratch. I think it would be great driving around in a car you built yourself.’ you read? Tabloids and also our local, the Bolton News. What is the most expensive thing you’ve bought after your house? Probably the wife’s Renault Mégane! Not that it was that expensive but it instantly springs to mind... I’m still waiting for my Aston Martin in return! Favourite film and last film you saw? Saving Private Ryan and Avatar.

First record? Annoyingly it probably was an actual record... no doubt something by The Beatles. Who do you look up to? It sounds a cliché but I have great respect for the other senior managers at Renault Retail Group. What is the biggest threat facing car dealers? I think the rising cost of motoring is certainly going to have an impact.

Have you any ambitions? Improve at golf! What’s your ringtone? Technology has And finally, what’s your motto in life never been my strong point so I’ve always just left it on the tone the phone came with! and business? Help, listen and learn.

Want to face the Car Dealer questions? It’s not as bad as it sounds. Email james@blackballmedia.co.uk for details

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big mike

My take on the used car market post scrappage I

is still chipping in the bag of sand it did in the know I promised not to mention the scrappage government-backed deal. That, in effect, gives the scheme again, but I’m a used car dealer of 30 years dealer a healthy enough margin to massage his plus, and if I were to keep all of my promises I’d be stand-in values. doing our reputation a disservice… Most of these schemes support cars between about Besides which, this month’s column isn’t really about seven and 10 years old – depends on the manufacturer scrappage, but what comes after it. Because for those at – and they will work up to a point. After all, these cars the cheaper end of the previously-cherished motor are generally younger than the original scrappage carriage spectrum, like yours truly, the last 12 months scheme allowed, and therefore have more residual have been extremely odd indeed. value. For now, at least. Whereas in the pre-scrappage days, folks like me had What will happen next, though, is that come an almost limitless supply of good, used but not abused September when the new reg comes out, dealers’ back 10-year-old vehicles to choose from, mostly to sell on at a yards will fill up with used stock, all of a similar age very modest profit but in a high enough volume to make and value, and these cars will quickly be punted out them more than cost-effective. That rich vein of through auction houses. There’ll be so much choice, one-owner low mileage metal has pretty much dried up. It’s been such an odd year that for the first time in the history of my business, Poo Corner (the bit at the back of my lot where I dump all the PX rubbish and break all the good bits off to sell on eBay) is completely empty. I sold its last incumbent – a faded red and slightly rusty Skoda Favorit – a few days after Christmas for a sum of money that would have offended the bloke I took it in from. A price that would have offended anyone, in fact, for the value of such a naff and dishevelled-looking motor car was dictated by eBay at somewhere in the region of £500. I nearly fell off my swivel chair, having barely allowed three figures for it in the first place. Looking into Big Mike’s crystal ball, though, I know this situation won’t last. While cheap cars are, by definition, not very cheap at all Poo Corner is looking bare: Big Mike sold his Favorit for an ‘obscene’ amount at the moment, give it four or five and so many of the buggers, that their resale values will months and you won’t be able to move for decent, take a big whack, and you’ll be able to get some really inexpensive used stock – and here’s why… tidy cars for silly money, especially anything on the pre With the scrappage scheme itself being consigned to ‘51’-format numberplate, which instantly look aged on the baler, the major manufacturers are running scared today’s roads. at the moment. And in order to not see their volumes For guys like me, it’s both a blessing and a curse. A erode too much in the current recession (the politicians blessing because for the past 10 months or so, I’ve been tell us it’s over, but anyone who runs their own business really short of good, clean stock. A curse because the knows that, to all intents and purposes, it clearly isn’t) days when you can stick a 15-year-old Skoda on eBay they’re offering huge incentives and subsidies to their and come out of it with a monkey in your pocket will be main dealers to keep folk walking through the doors. well gone. So it’s a good job that Poo Corner, right now, Almost all of them are coming out of scrappage and doesn’t have any Eeyores in it. inventing new silly words to call their new schemes. I I could, of course, be wrong. I’ve made mistakes hate the word ‘scrappage’, by the way. It’s complete before – my first wife, for example… But for now, if made-up twaddle, underlined on my PC by one of those you’re at the ‘distress purchase’ end of the trade, just smugger-than-thou red squiggles that tries to make you sit tight, and wait for the rich pickings coming your way feel illiterate. You never say to the missus that you’re from main dealer groups. off to the pub for a drinkage, after all. But I digress. Scrappage is being replaced by ‘Swappage’, ‘Swap ‘n’ Save’, ‘Scrapback’, ‘New-4-Old’ Who is Big Mike? Well, that would be telling. What we do or whatever else they want to bloody well call it. But know is he’s had 30 years in the car trade and picked up some in effect what’s happening is they’re still promising seriously funny tales along the way. two-grand subsidies on new cars, and the manufacturer

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Sutton

Strong start to 2010 for BMW finance T

Money talks

Black Horse finance products now easier to choose

BMW Group finance division Alphera reports the first two months of 2010 have been its strongest ever. Not since it started trading in 2006 has the multi-make retail finance arm seen such levels of business. Director Spencer Halil reports growth figures of 29 per cent in January and 26 per cent for February – and expects this rocket in new business to continue into March as well. But why? ‘It reflects the steps we took last year to put Alphera in a position where we can maintain our support for dealers,’ said Halil. ‘This was at a time when other finance companies have scaled-back their activity or have withdrawn completely from the market.

‘We are continuing to write new business and will be announcing further additions to our range of products and services in April and May.’ It’s all part of Alphera’s strategy of sustainable growth. The firm is doing this through setting up long-term partnerships that are profitable for both parties – ‘based on the strength of our products and our appetite for high quality incremental business’. Impressive stuff, which has not been lost on car dealers, either. According to an independent survey, nine out of 10 of you reckon Alphera is ‘a highly reliable motor finance specialist that offers fresh, strategic thinking on motor finance issues’.

VW joins the service pack VOLKSWAGEN is the latest brand to launch a fixed price service plan to help retain customers in the dealer network. Retail buyers signing up before the end of the year will pay a one-off fee of £250 for the three-year plan. Impressively, it covers all models, from the Fox city car to the posh Phaeton. The 30,000-mile plan is also transferable to subsequent owners of the car. It’s operated by Volkswagen Finance – but is open to all buyers, even if they don’t use VW Finance to pay for the car. It’s even better value if it is, though: VW can integrate the fee into monthly finance payments, meaning full servicing costs just a few pounds each month! It can also be bought up to 90 days after the sale of the car. Used buyers and existing VW customers haven’t been left out, either.

Volkswagen Finance is also offering a scheme for these customers, for £299. Based on Volkswagen’s Time & Distance service schedule, the plans follow all the regular service schedules for each car.

his month marks a watershed in many ways, not just for the motor industry, but for business in general. With one financial year at an end and another beginning, many dealers will be taking stock (literally!) and focusing on the year ahead. Predictions for the year differ depending on who you speak to, and the outcome of the pending general election is serving to add to this feeling of uncertainty. And with scrappage at an end, everyone is anxious to see what impact the close of this successful scheme will have on new vehicle sales. Black Horse is very much at the heart of this industry and we hope to provide our dealers with some reassurance about the future. This month we have two initiatives taking place which underline our commitment to supporting dealers. The new Black Horse website is now live and boasts a hugely improved package of information for end customers and dealers. The new site also shows off the new Black Horse brand to good effect, and furthers our reputation as being at the leading edge of using online systems to communicate with our dealers and customers. Our award winning web-based processing systems – eQuips and LetsUConnect – are already well established among our dealer network, offering a fast, easy and efficient turnaround for proposals and to help manage business online. First and foremost, we are committed to deepening our face-to-face relationships with dealers through our field teams, but these additional communication methods give our dealers even greater access and flexibility. Another feature on the website is a focus on the benefits of our Approved Dealer Programme, which we are relaunching in our new brand style this month. This scheme enables dealers to commit to Black Horse and benefit from our point of sale, online materials and advertising support. The scheme has proved to be very popular among dealers, so much so that our competitors have sought to imitate it. As we stand at what could well prove to be a pivotal time for the motor industry, Black Horse is keen to reassure dealers that we will be there to help you compete with whatever the future holds.

Who is Chris Sutton? Chris is managing director of Black Horse Motor Finance

MOTOR FINANCE MADE SIMPLE blackhorse.co.uk

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finance A

ccess to competitive finance terms is important in all car sectors – even the lowest-priced of all. The city car sector sure is accessible, but the nature of those customers means even these four-figure list prices may be too high. Enter clever and well-designed car finance schemes, to help make the payments as manageable as possible. Great for customers, but great for you too – why? Well, they provide the

Deal finder City cars

Ford Ka Ford is currently not known for its good-offer list prices. However, the brand still knows how to piece together a good deal! Take the Ka – the base 1.2 Studio comes in at a steep £9,395 (and doesn’t even come with air con), but can still be sold to car buyers for £129 a month. How so? Ford Options PCP scheme, that’s how. If buyers can piece together a deposit of £1,530, Ford dealers will throw in a variety of special incentives to push that list price down to £7,995. These include a £700 customer saving, £450 deposit allowance and £250 dealer contribution. Then, it’s 24 months at 4.9 per cent APR, paying £129 a month. At the end, Ford will ask the

customer for £3,876 as the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value – or, of course, the dealer will encourage them that buying a new car is a much better idea. Sounds very customer-friendly to us, and helps take the edge off the steep price list.

Specification Model: Price: Engine: 0-60: Max speed: MPG: CO2:

1.2 Studio 3dr £9,395 1.2-litre, 69bhp 13.1secs 98mph 55.3mpg 119/km

Hyundai i10 Hyundai doesn’t have any maker-supported deals on at the moment. It is restricting activity to the ‘Trade & Upgrade’ post-scrappage incentive scheme, meaning it’s up to car dealers to trade the offers! And that’s just what Sussex dealer group Tates is doing, by offering a brand-new i10 for £99 a month. The 1.2 Classic model costs £7,595 on the road, but Tates takes off the £2,700 Trade & Upgrade allowance, meaning the finance amount is £4,895. This results in a plain and simple 36-month regular payment of £99.98 for car buyers, which is a headline-grabber in anyone’s book. With a purchase fee of £145, plus a credit facility

fee of £145, this means the total amount payable is £9,274. The APR is 15.1 per cent and is arranged through Hyundai Financial Services. Factor in the high kit levels that the Korean machine comes with as standard, and the deal looks even sweeter.

Specification Model: Price: Engine: 0-60: Max speed: MPG: CO2:

1.2 Classic 5dr £7595 1.2-litre, 76bhp 12.8secs 102mph 56.5 119g/km

Kia Picanto Kia dealers can sell a Picanto for just £120 per month. Deposit? Again, just £120 – on top of which, Kia retailers will almost triple the amount as an extra contribution. All of which means the 1.0 Picanto 1 is one of the cheapest cars buyers can put on UK roads. This is for a competitively priced three-year PCP, rated at 6.9 per cent APR. It sees the customer pay a total of £7,394 for the £6,495 model, which is pretty stunning in anyone’s book… after 36 months, the final payment or guaranteed future value will be £2,594. It doesn’t even miss out on the standard Picanto features such as twin airbags, electric windows and

CD player. Not to mention five-door practicality. Uniquely in the car industry, Kia also offers its amazing seven-year warranty. All of which means it’s next to impossible to argue against the finance logic of the Picanto city car…

Specification Model: Price: Engine: 0-60: Max speed: MPG: CO2:

1.0 1 5dr £6495 1.0-litre, 60bhp 16.4 secs 93mph 57.6 117g/km

MOTOR FINANCE MADE SIMPLE blackhorse.co.uk

Finance subject to status. Indemnities may be required

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...in association with headline-grabbing low monthly sums you can splash all over your advertisements…. The three base city cars we study here all cost less than £10k and also have some cracking monthly payments to make them even more tempting. With scrappage now gone, can the likes of Hyundai and Kia still prosper, or will established models such as the Ford Ka see sales rise again? Car Dealer Magazine decided to find out…

Finance news

Car Dealer rounds up the latest stories from the world of car finance

Finance Gateway get SAF approval HPI says its Finance Gateway team are the latest high-flyers to gain SAF-approved status from the FLA. The team has been granted the kitemark after completing online assessments. This will further bolster the free service which gives car dealers direct access to competitive finance rates from leading providers. HPI says it’s a continuation of the fresh approach it’s brought to the finance world – and a growing list of partners is enjoying the appeal of instant credit scoring, a healthy yield and reduced administration demands (and expense). HPI’s Daniel Burgess said: ‘Our SAF-Approved status reflects HPI’s commitment to making Finance Gateway work as a responsible lending tool that benefits dealers and consumers. ‘HPI Finance Gateway has brought a fresh approach to car finance that is benefiting the finance company, dealer and consumer. We are delighted that the HPI

Finance Gateway team can fly the FLA flag for quality advice on motor finance. ‘HPI’s SAF Approved status means dealers can promote the Finance Gateway service, safe in the knowledge that their customer will get the finance deal that is right for them.’ He praised all in the team, some of whom will be familiar to car dealers. They include James Edwards (HPI Finance Gateway sales operations manager), Darren Greenyer (HPI Finance Gateway operations manager), the HPI Finance Gateway account managers and HPI Finance Gateway Support team manager Michelle Morgan. FLA head Paul Harrison added: ‘It is vital that the automotive industry continues to back SAF. ‘Our figures for early 2010 have reported an increase in the number of consumers being granted motor finance, indicating that the SAF kite-mark is helping to boost dealer and consumer confidence alike.’

Sales on the up

TSB for Gilder

FINANCE car sales continued to grow in January with gains of nearly 25 per cent on 2009 figures. This is despite the impact of VAT going back up to 17.5 per cent and the effects of continual snowfall. The latest Finance & Leasing Association stats reveal that despite January being a ‘particularly weak month for consumer new car finance volumes’, motor finance car sales through dealers still grew. Geraldine Kilkelly, head of research at the FLA, said: ‘While we have not seen the record new car finance growth levels witnessed in December, January was still a good month. The growth comes against abnormally low consumer new car finance sales in January of last year.’

GILDER Group Volkswagen has moved its day-to-day banking operations to Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets. The move comes with an agreement from Lloyds TSB to provide £4m working capital finance for Gilder. Garry Scotting, CEO of Gilder Group, said: ‘The business has seen exceptional growth over the years, and is continuing to grow strongly. ‘It was increasingly important that we had a bank that could provide the right funding and services to aid our growth plans, together with a locally-based team that could build relationships with our staff.’ David Hunt, relationship director from Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, added: ‘This deal shows our commitment to supporting local businesses.’

New finance rules for 2011 GOVERNMENT ministers have laid out a new set of rules and guidelines in Parliament which give more finance power to consumers. The new rules implement the European Consumer Credit Directive and are scheduled to come into force on February 1, 2011. They are focused on unsecured credit agreements, and new rules include: a 14-day window for consumers to cancel agreements without penalty; Lenders obliged to assess customer credit rating before loan; Lenders must clearly explain products to customers; Customers can make partial early repayment; and standardised information form

listing important information The new rules apply to loans up to £60,260, and lenders have between May 1, 2010, and January 31, 2011, to comply with them. Commenting on the new rules, Consumer minister Kevin Brennan said: ‘These regulations will further strengthen a culture of responsible lending and borrowing whilst helping put consumers back in the driving seat with their finances. ‘The balance of power needs to shift back to consumers and these new rules will help them make better-informed decisions before committing to any credit agreement.’

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DRIVE TRAFFIC Your website is your online forecourt. So it needs to work as hard as you do. It’s also got to be easy to navigate and rank highly with Google and other search engines that will drive traffic to your website. We’ve been building bespoke websites exclusively for the motor industry since 1999. A number of our sites for dealerships have won awards. And being automotive professionals ourselves, we know what your site needs to help you sell more cars. Find out more by calling 0845 2508820 or visiting www.ukwebsites.net Email: support@ukwebsites.net

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Road tests in association with

[Forecourt]

Air we go Alfa romeo is pioneering some clever new technology in its MiTo, and the Cloverleaf is back too!

lfa Romeo is a brand that conjures up all manner of images in the average car buyer’s mind: Passion, flair, beauty – it’s the stuff motoring dreams are made of. But on the flip side of the coin are the less attractive connotations – reliability woes and trouble-prone electrics are reputations dealers are still struggling to overcome. With that in mind, news of the most complicated engine ever to grace an automobile being fitted to the latest MiTo might send a shudder down the spine of some retailers. But the new MultiAir powerplant isn’t something to be feared. Yes, it might be more complicated than quantum physics, and the last thing you EVER want to do is get involved in a full-blown conversation about how it works with a buyer, but the fact remains it is still a dramatic leap forward. All buyers really need to know are three key facts: MultiAir is more fuel efficient, it’s greener and, most importantly, more powerful than a standard engine. It does all this in an extremely clever way too. It’s something to do with pistons, valves and springs. Or something. However it works, it’s seriously complicated and impossible to explain here without sending you to sleep, so I won’t bother. Google it if you’re interested. What’s far more important – and what will really sell this car to buyers – is how it drives. And boy does it excel here. The MultiAir 1.4-litre, turbo-charged engine is available with two power outputs: 135bhp and 170bhp. The latter is the most exciting of the duo, hitting 60mph in 7.5s, topping 135mph and it’s got that evocative Cloverleaf badge of days gone by too. On the road, turbo-lag has been all but eliminated producing a driving experience that really stirs the soul. Power is almost instantaneous and the MiTo feels beefy, belieing its size. This is, after all, the Italian’s rival to the Mini and with this unit under the bonnet will be a true contender for honours against a Cooper S. The MiTo MultiAir also features a host of other tech for the car maker including active suspension, fuel

saving stop-start and DNA. That last one is utterly superb – it’s an electronic system (don’t grimace) that communicates with the engine, braking, steering, suspension and transmission to alter the ‘feel’ of the car, depending on circumstances. Derived from racing, it’s dramatic in the way it alters the MiTo and with the ‘Dynamic’ setting engaged, makes it feel positively sporting. The throttle response is crisper, steering sharper and the car hunkers down, gripping harder in bends. The other two settings stand for ‘Normal’ and ‘All weather’, which again alter the car’s feel accordingly, but are rather less exciting. Another debut in this Mito is the six-speed gearbox. This has been developed in-house by Fiat and offers a swift, direct shift. It’s not as good as some rivals, but is a huge improvement over the five-speed found in the 135bhp variant of the MultiAir. By now buyers are probably used to the MiTo’s cute looks. It’s certainly different enough to stand out from its rivals. Alfa Romeo told us some 86 per cent of buyers are male and under 40. They’re usually gadget freaks, high internet users and love technology – and that buyer profile will result in a marketing campaign heavily biased towards the web. Specification for the MultiAir is reasonable. It comes in three trims – Lusso, Veloce and Cloverleaf – with the base model featuring 16-inch alloys, electric windows, air conditioning, that all-important DNA switch and a CD player. That costs from £15,165. But the biggest talking point really has to be that ground-breaking engine. MultiAir is a dramatic step on for the brand. You only have to look at the figures to see that: CO2 is reduced by 10 per cent, fuel consumption cut by the same amount – while power is boosted 12.5 per cent. For those buyers forced into downsizing to save money, but not wanting to lose any performance, the MultiAir offers a unique opportunity. And no matter how complicated, that’s something Alfa Romeo dealers will be able to really sell. [JB]

Alfa romeo MiTo MultiAir Price: £17,895 Engine: 1.4-litre, turbo Power: 170bhp, 250Nm 0-60mph: 7.5s Max: 136mph MPG: 47.1 (comb’d) recommends New Life 0W-40 top up packs for this vehicle. See Mobil-1.co.uk for details

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[Forecourt]

Road tests in association with

Black magic Skoda kicked off the diesel hot hatch trend with the Fabia vrS, now Seat have given it a twist

n eight second 0-60mph hot hatch isn’t much to write home about these days. But 0-60 in eight seconds and just 119g/km CO2? If someone had suggested that was possible two years ago you’d have said they were having a giraffe. Engine and efficiency technology have come a long way, baby. In combining a 143bhp version of the Volkswagen Group’s 2.0-litre TDI common rail turbodiesel with Ibiza FR looks and chassis tuning, Seat has created a supermini that’s sporty but not that naughty. Or is it the other way round? On paper, the promise is excellent: the Seat Ibiza FR TDI is fast, and it is frugal. Official combined fuel consumption is an epic 61.4mpg, it’ll cost just £35 a year to tax and the engine produces more torque than a 2.9-litre Porsche Cayman – 320Nm, to be exact. Arriving in a lump from 1,750rpm to 2,500rpm this means substantial low to mid-range shove. Get it rolling, stamp the throttle, short shift, and

enjoy – you’ll find the car thumps you up the road in a series of purposeful lunges, effortlessly leaving lesser traffic in its wake. That’s diesel power for you. Some 15mm lower than a regular Ibiza, with bespoke spring, damper and anti-rollbar settings, the FR chassis simply soaks it up. Even on 17-inch alloys as standard the ride avoids becoming overly harsh. But the XDS electronics are the real secret – acting via the ESP sensors as a kind of artificial limited slip diff. This doesn’t completely kill the understeer – a 2.0-litre diesel is a lot of engine weight to keep on line – and the Ibiza FR lacks the razor sharp responses you get with a Renaultsport product. But then FR doesn’t top the Seat hot hatch line-up either; this car is about friendly, cost-effective fun, not ultimate lap times. Even so it’s a shame about the steering. This is so light, imprecise and devoid of feedback the FR TDI is tiring to keep in a straight line, let alone inaccurate in the corners. Sporty?

Not so much. As with all Ibizas the interior is functional, easy to use and dominated by dark, scratchy plastics – bolstered here by FR badging and sports seats. A six-speed manual gearbox, for the first time in any current gen Ibiza, sits in place of the petrol FR’s seven-speed DSG auto. The change is generally for the better – though if you follow the guidance of the fuel economy-minded gearshift indicator you’ll find yourself vibrating along in sixth at just 1,200rpm. At which point the engine has all the responsiveness of a hangover – it’s shaky to say the least. And although that 143bhp doesn’t peak until 4,200rpm, the motor we tried wasn’t exactly keen on higher revs. The petrol FR is cheaper to buy and quicker off the line. But the diesel offers lower running costs and the option of five doors as well as three, making it a more practical choice. With sharp looks and no direct competition it should suit undemanding, budget-conscious drivers just fine.

CJ HUBBArD Seat Ibiza Fr TDI Price: £16,495 (3dr SC) Engine: 2.0-litre turbo Power: 143bhp Top speed: 129mph 0-62mph: 8.3s Economy: 61.4mpg recommends ESP Formula 5W-30 top up packs for this vehicle. See Mobil-1.co.uk for details

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[Forecourt]

Road tests in association with

This is a Boxster for the seriously committed – but if you’re up for it this Porsche is too

Porsche Boxster Spyder Price: £46,387 Engine: 3.4-litre flat-six Power: 320bhp, 370Nm Top speed: 166mph 0-62mph: 5.1s Economy: 29.1mpg recommends New Life 0W-40 top up packs for this vehicle. See Mobil-1.co.uk for details

ne-in-10 Porsche Boxsters will be the new Spyder variant. It is that sort of specialised car, one that Porsche won’t even guarantee will completely insulate the cabin from the rain (yes, really). That’s why the firm expects dealers will sell them as second or third cars. Think of this, then, as the Boxster Club Sport, the Boxster GT3 RS. It is focused, special and distinctive – and while it costs £46k, it is still the cheapest route into a much more bespoke Porsche experience. This is what will bring interested parties into Porsche Centres. What’s the deal they’ll be shown once they’re there? A car that is very different indeed to the standard model, that’s what. It’s lighter for one, the lightest new Porsche you can buy; 80kg has been trimmed from the kerbweight, which is akin to leaving your mate by the roadside. More than a quarter of this is through the use of a manual canvass roof instead of an electric item. How manual is it? Well, it takes, even with practice, more than two minutes to lower. Indeed, ‘disassemble’. But, with a new aluminium rear deck, it endows the Boxster Spyder with a Carrera GT appearance. More weight has been cut by using aluminium doors from the 911 Turbo, while the special-design 19-inch alloys have a hollowed-out profile for more weighttrimming. Inside, there are canvass door pulls instead of handles, no stereo, no air con, carbonfibre-backed seats, even a smaller battery! We did ask: yes, Porsche does expect most dealers to receive optional orders for air con and CD players… All this weight saving is combined with a 10bhp power boost to make it faster. Significantly so, if buyers also opt for the PDK semi-auto with launch control. This will hit 62mph in just 4.8s; even the standard sixspeed manual is half a second faster than the standard

3.4-litre S, at 5.1 seconds. It’s a sweet thing to use. The rudimentary roof means there is less soundproofing, so even more of that mid-mounted flat-six bark makes it to the cabin. Porsche reckons the Spyder is best driven with the roof down – keep the speed below 70mph and this means even more sonorous sound effects for the cockpit. Note, though, wind rustle above this increases significantly. We’d like it to be even more deafening as standard, through the fitment of a sports exhaust. Porsche keeps this on the options list. Why? It peaks at 99dB and the track-day limit on the many UK circuits Porsche expects this car to be used is 92dB… Porsche has created a bespoke lowered suspension set-up for the Boxster Spyder. This is firmer than standard, which means the ride is decidedly jostly, particularly on aggressive British B-Roads. The pay-off is even more delightful handling – harnessed further here with a standard-fit limited-slip differential. The effect this has on handling confidence and security is significant. No doubt about it, this is a great driver’s car. It is also a very collectable machine indeed. Porsche is not capping the numbers but doesn’t expect to sell much more than 100 a year. It will most likely be a car for collectors and enthusiasts, at last marking the Boxster’s move into the more niche areas of Porsche motoring. The opportunity here for Porsche dealers is significant. By drawing in hardcore car nuts early – those who may otherwise have considered a Caterham or a Lotus – the firm is hopefully winning customers for life. Never thought the Boxster would be this hardcore? The Spyder proves that Porsche will always be Porsche, always do its utmost to push the envelope rather than taking the easy route of volume sales. Dealers will certainly benefit from the focused clientele, which leaves our only question: When can we book the twin-test with a hot Elise? [rA]

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[Forecourt]

Road tests in association with

Loads better Superb estate is huge, looks great and drives brilliantly – buyers just need to get past the badge

Skoda Superb Estate Price: £24,790 Engine: 2.0-litre diesel Power: 170bhp, 350Nm 0-60: 8.9s Max: 135mph MPG: 45.6 (comb’d) recommends ESP Formula 5W-30 top up packs for this vehicle. See Mobil-1.co.uk for details

tigma in the car world is a tough burden to carry and is often even harder to shed. Skoda has been at the sharp end of motoring jokes for decades, but has cleverly sidestepped them to become the forward-thinking car brand it is now. The new Superb Estate is the latest car in the marque’s PR offensive. Estate cars have always been more of a form-follows-function concept, but perhaps thanks to sister firm Audi, they are fast becoming a stylish and acceptable alternative to the non-PC 4x4s. These days you can get an estate with a Lamborghini Gallardo engine in the front, and that really is progress! The first thing you notice about the Superb Estate is its classy looks. This car really does look the part, with a solid-looking profile and aggressive-yet-friendly face it aims to appeal to a new breed of buyer – the kind of buyer that wants to have the practicality of an estate and the looks of a sporty saloon. It gets even better behind the wheel. We tested the 2.0 TDI DSG with 170bhp that will be one of the most popular in the range. The dash is well designed and easy to read and no-one can resist a smile as the dials swoop round and back again when the ignition is engaged. The engine is smooth and packs enough punch to keep you entertained in a car of this size. And speaking of size, this thing really is huge! The Superb has the biggest boot in its sector, and enough legroom to keep the kids from kicking the backs of the nice leather seats.

It’s not all about that engine and space mind, there are lots of clever gadgets too. One of the most impressive is the electric opening boot. Nothing special there you might think, but you can set the open resting place of the tailgate to match your height, so there’s no more tip-toe balancing act for the vertically challenged driver. Now that is clever. Although they wouldn’t be able to reach anything in the boot, you would need arms like an orangutang – there’s some serious danger of getting lost in there. With rivals such as the Insignia, Mondeo and Laguna Estates, the value for money that the Superb offers is second to none. It will do everything that the others can, but better, quicker and with impressive build quality. It’s just that stigma that prospective Ford, Vauxhall and Renault buyers will need to get over that will be the only real sticking point. If you’re a Skoda dealer, you need to actively generate test drives with these people. It’s key to let them get their hands on the wheel and show them the array of options this Superb offers – that way they’ll be reaching for their credit cards soon enough. In our eyes the Superb Estate is a real no-brainer. It’s got more legroom than an S-Class, it’s cheaper than a Vauxhall Insignia and prettier (we think) than a Mondeo. The Superb really is another huge step forward for Skoda, and riding the success of the company over the past few years, it tops the range off in complete style.

DUNCAN CHAPPELL

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Road tests in association with

[Forecourt]

TOP CAT

Could the new Jaguar XJ be the luxury car that finally dethrones the S-Class from the top of the tree?

uxury car sales are dominated by one model – the Mercedes S-Class. Try as they might, rivals just don’t seem to be able to break this stranglehold. BMW’s been having a go for decades, and Audi joined the party a decade-and-a-half ago with the all-aluminium A8. Neither has dethroned the S-Class. There’s one rival that’s been around far longer, though. The Jaguar XJ. Since 1968, it has been offering a British take on German business leader luxury. And now, an all-new car is here. With it, Jaguar aims to do as it has always done. Be the leftfield person’s alternative to the all-ruling S-Class. Class-leading sales are not the intent here. Jaguar is a different sort of car company, chasing a more specialised market than Mercedes-Benz. That much is evident in the remarkable look chosen for the new XJ. Like no other rival in this sector, it stands out. Indeed, so distinctive and ‘premium’ does it look, consider it a realistic cut-price alternative to a Bentley Continental Flying Spur… Offered in standard and long-wheelbase guise, the lightweight aluminium XJ is one of the most eye-catching cars on sale. The roofline is like that of the XK coupe, the flanks are edgy and bold, and the huge grille glints between two moodily-profiled complex-shape headlights. From many angles, it really is genuinely different indeed. Likewise the interior. One of Jaguar’s stated USPs is to do interiors like no other car – so, distinct to this sector is a low, cocooning cabin that wraps passengers up rather than leaving them lounging about. Sure, it’s roomy, particularly the legroom-tastic XJ L, but those inside also feel they’re sitting ‘within’ the car, right away giving it a sportier feel. Touch-screens and digital displays abound, and some of the detailing is like that of a designer watch. It’s nicely finished and a pleasure to spend time within. Mind you, such character is also evident in the way

it drives. Who says big luxury cars have to drive like, well, big luxury cars? Jaguar, it seems, prefers to let them drive like sports saloons – and if the ride quality has a firm edge to it as a consequence, then so be it. Those coming from an S-Class will thus be puzzled at first, by the tautness of the ride. Potholes in town centres? Sure, even though they don’t crash or bang, you’re still aware they’re there. This is intentional. Because Jaguar intended to give a distinctive feel to the drive of the XJ. With superb body control and fluid damping on undulating roads, it is very planted feels secure – and handles exceedingly well. Minimal roll and light, precise steering means it never feels the large car it is. How the company has shrunken the XJ here is really quite special. Nearly every model will be sold with a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. Producing 275bhp, there’s no shortage of surge. Add in the fact it’s the lightest luxury car you can buy, for a winning combination of 40mpg and 60mph in six seconds. You can get V8 petrols, both standard and supercharged – but really, diesel is all you need. Consideration for retained values means even the standard car contains all buyers need for good used returns, too. Sat nav is included, as is Bluetooth and leather, meaning the move up from Luxury to Premium Luxury and Portfolio models is a matter of definition by trim, wheels and decadence. And, even then, it will be cheaper than the Bentley. No doubt about it, Jaguar has created something really special with the new XJ, that’s distinctive and out of the ordinary despite being sold in a traditionally conservative sector. The fact that it isn’t chasing record-breaking sales has allowed it to do this, yet we reckon it could well end up at the top of the sales charts. A trio of hits for Jaguar car dealers, then? Looks like the cat really is back… [RA]

Jaguar XJ 3.0 Diesel Luxury Price: £53,775 Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel Power: 275bhp, 599Nm Top speed: 155mph 0-62mph: 6.0s Economy: 40.1mpg recommends Fuel Economy 0W-30 top up packs for this vehicle. See Mobil-1.co.uk for details

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Pictures @dean_photo

Living with a when we asked Rolls-Royce if we could borrow a ghost they said we could only have it for a day. so we decided to make the most of it... and live in it for 24 hours By James Baggott

hen Rolls-Royce offered us the chance to test its new baby, the Ghost, for 24 hours we took it quite literally. It’s not every day, after all, that you’re offered the opportunity to drive a Roller, so we decided to make the most of it – and spend every one of those precious hours with the car. By living in it. At just under £200,000 the Ghost costs the same as a house, or two depending on where you are in the country, so we wanted to know whether it was worth ditching the mortgage and shelling out on a one of these instead. Could you get by without a bed, toilet and kitchen, happy in the knowledge you owned a Rolls-Royce? Probably not, but still we intended to find out. To fill the time spent not posing and pretending we were Lord Sugar in the back, we decided to visit some dealers. We’ve just published Car Dealer Exclusive – a special A5 booklet packed with offers and one-off features that’s only available to our subscribers – so we thought we’d celebrate that by handing out a few to dealers on the way. Here’s how we got on. >

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24hrs i n a g host

Monday 0800 What on earth do you pack to make life comfortable in a RollsRoyce for 24 hours? I start with warmth: Duvets, lots of, pillows, lots of, warm clothes, lots of. Food could be taken care of by way of service station pasties, soggy sarnies and over-priced crisps. But we’ll need beer. If we’re to numb the neck pain of a night sleeping in the seats – even Roller seats – it’ll need to be alcohol fuelled. I dig out an old camping stove and a portable BBQ so it looks like we know what we’re doing if we’re allowed on to a campsite.

0930 A rather reluctant Dunc turns up late. He’s been moaning about having to sleep in the Roller for weeks. He was delayed because he was tumble-drying his boxers and working out how to get a double duvet in the back of his Golf.

1000 We hide Dunc’s Golf between a Bentley Continental and 5 Series GT in the (thankfully) tucked-away Rolls-Royce customer car park in Chichester, West Sussex. The PR chap meets us in the poshest reception area ever where we’ve been wondering how many people have actually spent the £4,000 RR wants for a tool kit or £114 for a key ring. We drink coffee above an eerilyquiet Ghost production line and manage to dodge questions about what we’ll be doing with the car for the duration of our test. 1025 PR man Marco talks me through the Ghost’s arsenal of gadgets. There’s night vision that’ll come in handy for spotting campers who have got the wrong idea about two blokes sleeping in a car, and lane guidance that will ensure we don’t stray on to someone else’s pitch. The sat nav fires up in German. I joke about it invading Poland. Dunc later asks if I’d realised Marco was German. I hadn’t. Sorry Marco.

1035 We’re waved off from RR HQ and nip into the customer car park where we try to transfer all our camping kit into the Ghost without making it obvious what we’re doing. I try to think of excuses as to why we need a portable BBQ for a road test just in case we’re stopped by security. Fortunately we’re not and the Ghost’s surprisingly large boot swallows our duvets with ease.

1125 Decide it’s time to sort accommodation/parking for the night. To lessen the chances of being kidnapped/knocked over the head for the keys, we decide sleeping in a car park is not a good idea and instead opt for a Camping and Caravanning Club site. At least there we’ll have access to a flushing toilet and shower. The site at Verwood says it has a pitch available and they don’t ask what we’re driving. Dunc says we should turn up and pretend we’d forgotten to attach the caravan. 1200 We pass the first dealer in Boarhunt, Hants. It’s a small site that doubles up as the local shop and, as such, has no name. We hand over the first copy of CDE and the owner takes photos of the Roller. ‘It’s nice, but can you go now – you’re making my cars look crap,’ he jokes. We oblige.

1236 We drop into Meon Valley Garage, an independent dealer specialising in cars between £3,000 and £20,000. The site is in the middle of a refurb and there are three men wielding heavy-duty sanders tackling the showroom floor. There’s not a salesman in sight so we leave two copies of CDE on the doormat. That’ll be a nice surprise for them. Either that or they’ll think someone has been littering…

1245 I’m starting to enjoy being driven around in the Ghost. Could get used to this. Get rather engrossed in Bargain Hunt on the twin screens in the back, which annoys Dunc. He can’t see the picture, but can hear what’s going on. The Ghost has borrowed BMW’s iDrive and the rear passengers can control most of the car’s functions. It appears easier to use than the BMW version, but you still need a Carol Vorderman-sized brain to change radio stations. I stick with Bargain Hunt.

1250 Dealer number three is another small one that shares space with a petrol station. It’s got an MG-F that’s been made to look like a Noble up for

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sale. I’m so distracted by that and the need to find out how much the Blue team’s pottery figurine goes for that I forget to write down the dealer’s name. He liked the free booklet though, but ignored the Ghost.

1305 With the red team winners (I knew they shouldn’t have bought the ashtray) we pull into Picador Botley Used Car Centre. The salesman thinks I’m trying to sell him advertising space. When I convince him I’m not he’s pleased with his free copy of CDE. As we pull away, I clock him staring in disbelief at the fact I’ve just climbed into the back of a Ghost. 1315 Dunc is getting cheesed off with the picture-less TV in the front, so I relent and let him listen to the radio. I let him work out the iDrive. iCant.

1320 We pull into Sparshatts Skoda and Subaru. It’s a friendly site and most of the salesmen come and try the Ghost out for size. When we tell them we’re sleeping in it, they think we’re mad. ‘Well, if you’re going to sleep in a car, it might as well be a Roller,’ says one. We agree. Hand out lots of Car Dealer Exclusives and copies of the mag and hope they don’t end up in the recycling bin. Leave before they ask us to swap the Ghost for a Skoda.

1335 Half a mile up the road we pull into Botley Car Centre. The owner is distinctly unimpressed. ‘My mate has a Phantom Drophead Coupe and comes in here all the time,’ he tells us. Can’t believe we’ve been Top Trumped already. Should have borrowed a Phantom. 1400 Dunc takes us on a tour of Southampton and we pass pretty much all of the city’s large dealerships, but can’t pull off the dual carriageway to visit them. I wave instead. Regally. 1413 Ridgeway Used Car Centre in Totton is our next stop. Dunc used to work for Ridgeway and spots an Audi S3 with missing wing-mirrors he took in part exchange 18 months ago. We spend 10 minutes looking round the site and admire a tasty Range Rover Sport. Salesmen think they’re onto a winner, so we break it to them that we’re just there to deliver a copy of CDE. They’re not as pleased as I’d hoped they would be. But then they did think they were about to sell a Range Rover… 1420 I take over in the driving seat while Dunc relaxes with a bit of trash TV in the back. The driving position in the Ghost is spot-on. The steering is strangely light, but satisfying, and the car’s got bags of torque. 779Nm to be exact. It’s silent too – only at the real upper rev ranges can you hear the engine and even then it’s just a muted muffle. For a car that weighs as much as a block of flats it’s pleasantly rapid. It’ll hit 60mph in just 4.7 seconds, which is frankly ridiculous. ‘Why would you want a Rolls-Royce that can go that fast?’ asks Dunc. ‘It’s a pay-off for all that grunt,’ I reply, ‘you can’t dump 779Nm of thrust at 1,500rpm and not produce a decent 60mph time.’ >

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24hrs i n a g host

‘Want to part ex it for a Skoda? No? Why not...’ Roller even caused a stir at Meridien Modena Ferrari

Not everyone was happy to see the editor, left, and the Ghost

1440 Next stop is Meridien Modena – a stunning Ferrari and Maserati dealership in Lymington. We ogle an Alfa Romeo 8C Spyder, a stunning Ferrari California and spend too long drooling over an F430 Spyder. The arrival of the new Ghost still causes a stir though – showroom staff crawl all over it and are grateful for their CDEs. Even the owner comes out for a poke around and gives it his seal of approval: ‘I like it a lot – but does it come in red?’ ‘It’ll come in any colour you want,’ I tell him – in fact Rolls-Royce has 45,000 hues to choose from and will match anything from your favourite jumper to a stone you find on the beach. Handy, if you like stones.

1503 Gates Peugeot in Brokenhurst is next to receive an impromptu visit. The Ghost takes up too much room, parked up on the kerb it causes a bit of a traffic jam. I make the delivery a quick one, before the horns turn to violence. 1635 Snapper Dean leads the way to a number of stunning New Forest photo shoot locations. We spend the afternoon battling with what can only be described as a monsoon, and pray the pictures come out ok. Dean is soaked, Dunc is drenched and I’m, well, toasty thanks to a heated seat and air conditioning turned up all the way to 11.

2008 We pull on to the campsite in Verwood. ‘Where’s your motorhome?’ asks

What is Car Dealer Exclusive? It’s not just an excuse to ponce around in a Rolls-Royce Ghost, that’s for sure! Car Dealer Exclusive is a special booklet we’ve put together for all new subscribers. For just £17.24 a year, you get 12 issues of the magazine and, as a thank you, a copy of Exclusive too.

Inside there are some superb offers from suppliers, features on top sales tips and a Big Mike special. If you haven’t paid for your subscription of Car Dealer you need to soon otherwise it may stop, so use Car Dealer Exclusive as an excuse to do it. Subscriptions can be made online. Simply type this into your browser and you’ll be taken straight to it: bit.ly/CDsubs

2318 Try coughing loudly, but it fails to disturb him. I’m tempted to resort to an elbow instead.

Tuesday 0003 Dunc turns over long enough to let me drift off. 0009 I hear an owl. 0404 In hindsight, curry was a bad idea… 0424 Correction: A VERY bad idea.

manager Kevin Minney. I point at the Ghost. ‘Are you having a laugh?’ I wish we were. The realisation that we’ve got to spend a night in the Roller has just dawned on me. I never thought I’d be jealous of a caravan owner, but at this moment in time I am. Thankfully jealously soon passes, but it was a close call.

0517 Dunc disappears in search of the toilet block. I use the quiet to get some shut eye… at last.

2046 Kevin helps hold a brolly while Dean shoots ghostly pictures then points us

0612 Realise Dunc has been gone a long time. Think about going to see if he’s

in the direction of dinner. There’s a pub down the road but it’s stopped serving food, he tells us – your best bet at this time of night is the curry house. Er, not sure if that’s a good idea Kevin, considering the close proximity in which Dunc and I will be sleeping. We’re too cold and hungry to care.... Jalfrazi it is.

0615 Dunc returns. He’d fallen asleep on the lav.

2306 Dean drops us back at our holiday home and we attempt to get

watched. Open my eyes to see an elderly couple admiring the Spirit of Ecstasy. Wave, regally, then roll over and go back to sleep.

comfy. Dunc thinks he’s drawn the long straw by bagging the back seat, but when he sees the passenger seat reclines almost flat he looks rather jealous. It’s surprisingly comfortable and warm inside the Ghost – the double-glazed windows and doors as thick as Forrest Gump keep the warmth in. Time to try to get some sleep.

2316 Dunc is snoring. Loud. Like airplane-taking-off-from-the-backseat loud. Two pillows over my ears fail to drown out Mr Tyrana-snore-us Rex.

2317 Humming doesn’t work either.

okay, but decide against it. He might have got lucky.

0830 Two hours of unbroken sleep is disturbed by a strange sense we’re being

0905 Well, that was an interesting night. The Rolls-Royce was actually quite comfortable up front. The huge leather seats are soft and recline almost horizontally. I ask Dunc how he slept and find he’s Googling chiropractors. ‘The leather was warm,’ is about the only good thing he’s got to say. Nothing is said about the curry. We set about cremating bacon on a BBQ that refuses to light on one side and drink tea out of plastic beakers. ‘I bet they’re over there in that club house eating a full English, laughing at us,’ says Dunc, who I think could be hallucinating. >

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24hrs i n a g host 1030 We’re on the road again. I take another turn behind the wheel and realise that now we’ve slept together I’m even more in love with the Rolls-Royce. It’s a staggering piece of kit that’s bound to take the manufacturer to a new level. Last year the marque sold 1,002 cars and it’s already got 1,600 orders for the Ghost. Doubling the numbers of Rollers leaving the factory is going to be easy – the hard bit will be making sure the Chichester plant can meet demand. Staggered I can think sane thoughts after so little sleep.

‘Receive snotty email on my phone from camping club’s press office moaning about not telling them we were going to be sleeping on one of their site’s in a Roller. think they’ve missed the point.’

1035 Receive snotty email on my phone from camping club’s press office moaning about not telling them we were going to be sleeping on one of their site’s in a Roller. Think they’ve missed the point and a golden press release opportunity. Scowl. Delete email.

1040 Spend half an hour sprucing the Roller up at a service station. Feel a bit like a teenager that’s borrowed their dad’s car and driven it to a festival. We decide to tell Rolls-Royce what we did, but only if they ask. Pretty sure they’ll take it well. It’s better than a boring road test surely? 1100 We’ve done it. It only took four cans of Red Bull, seven large Costa

caramel lattes, two packets of cheese and pickle sarnies, a breakfast bar, a packet of nuts, one Doritos and McCoys two-for-a-£1 deal, an angrily cut chocolate twist, some weird spicy nut things, a badly-timed curry, four pints, burnt bacon and two cups of tea in beakers. Oh, and a mega comfy car that we didn’t want to give back…

1125 …so much so we decided to drive home with the key. Doh! So there you have it, Car Dealer can exclusively reveal that if you do need to sleep in a car overnight make sure you choose a Rolls-Royce. It’s warmer than a tent, but not as good as a house. Fact. >

Ghost looks dramatic even in the wet; interior was luxurious and crucially warm for the night; and on country roads that V12 was entertaining

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How to make the worst out of a bad situation….

he novelty of having a Rolls-Royce as a bedroom wore off as my watch passed 3am and I still hadn’t slept. James was fast asleep in the reclined passenger seat, as I tried endless positions and pillow-duvet-door-handle combinations to ease the burning sensation in my neck and back. Sitting in the Ghost is VERY comfy, but when you ask the £200k car to be a bed for the night, it fails. Miserably. By 5am I had to take the desperate measure of walking to the toilet. Once out in the open, all things ‘bright and

beautiful’ become ‘annoying and stupid’. By annoying, I mean like when a huge drop of rain splashes on your forehead. And stupid toilet doors that open the wrong way to what you imagined. Why is it when you’re so tired everything has it in for you? I make myself comfortable in one toilet only to notice there is no toilet roll. Move to another to find a spider the size of my foot for company. Sat on a freezing cold loo seat, the only thing I have to look forward to is a rainy walk back to the confines of a car, so, I make the strangest decision I’ve made to date. I’ll sleep here! Yes, in a campsite toilet block – that’s a great idea. It wasn’t. I find a spider-less corner with a stool

(the seat kind) and set up camp. This consists of resting my head on the wall and folding my arms. After half an hour, the usually tranquil sound of rain is deafening, and every noise is like a bomb going off in my ears. It’s amazing how alert you become when you haven’t slept for 21 hours. I start wondering if James will wonder

where I am and come to see if I’m ok, but then realise he’s probably just stolen my duvet and carried on snoring. I decide hanging around a toilet is not a good idea, so head back to the car. Taking a deep breath, I open the door and crawl into the fragrant world of alcohol and Jalfrazi. As I shift about trying to find the least uncomfortable position, I can actually feel myself starting to laugh. This is actually funny now, maybe I should wake James up and see if he would find it funny? Ok, probably not the best idea. Resigned to the fact it is sleeping here or, well, nowhere, my eyes finally shut at 6am. Remind me again why we did this... DUNCAN CHAPPELL

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24hrs i n a g host Living with a Rolls-Royce Ghost

he Ghost is not designed to sit below the Phantom in the range, but alongside it. Rolls-Royce explains it thus: ‘Where the Phantom is the dinner suit, the Ghost is more of a sports jacket – a car you can use every day.’ Says it all really. The manufacturer has made sure the Ghost is just as good to drive as it is to sit in the back of, and on the road that shows. It really is superb to pilot. Yes, it may be 5.4 metres long and two metres wide, but the important thing is it doesn’t feel like it. The Ghost isn’t unwieldy or nerve-wracking to hustle along a country road or around town and it’s certainly more manageable than a Phantom. Under that long bonnet is a huge 6.5-litre twin turbocharged V12 that produces 563bhp and 779Nm of torque. And that grunt is available from just 1,500rpm, letting you pull away smoothly, and, if needs be, extremely swiftly! The Ghost is packed with gadgets. Our favourite has to be the parking camera system. Under each wing mirror and

on the boot-lid are lenses that help produce an all-round view of the car. It’s a joy to use and, with beeping sensors too, means the Ghost is very easy to park. Other gadget highlights include night vision that uses infrared to pick out shapes in the dark, a lane guidance system, DAB digital radio and radar-adjusted cruise control. We made good use of the TVs in the back and the Bluetooth phone kit was a doddle to set up and use. Rolls-Royce are targeting owner-drivers with the Ghost, but think many buyers will be existing Phantom owners that want one as well. It’s likely to steal sales from buyers who were thinking about a Bentley, Mercedes S63 or possibly even a BMW 760Li. ‘Some buyers have got seven cars in their garage with one for every occasion,’ David Archibald, RR regional director for Europe and South Africa, told us. ‘It’s these people that will add a Ghost to their garage without thinking about it.’ And if we were in their position, we’d do exactly the same thing… [CD]

Rolls-Royce Ghost Price: £195,840 Engine: 6.5-litre, V12 Power: 563bhp, 779Nm 0-60mph: 4.7s Max: 155mph Insurance: 20 Kerb weight: 2,435kg Gears: Eight-speed auto CO2: 317g/km MPG: 20.8(comb’d) Rating: HHHHH

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Embrace THE INTERNET

It’s the bread and butter of our business – get it wrong and you’re in trouble, but nail your sales patter and you’ll be flying. Here are a collection of top sales tips

The internet isn’t something to fear, it’s something to love and cherish, explains Gforces’ commercial director Tim Smith. And for the savvy dealer it holds the key to great riches, but you need to get it right!

FEATURING

IN ASSO CIATI ON WITH CarDealerIss26.indd 45

echnology breeds contempt. At least it does with the vast majority of the mass market late adopters of all things new and innovative. It is human nature to resist change, to seek a state of security and safety and fend off disruptive influences of the status quo. This attitude was presented in The Diffusion of Innovations by a sociologist named Everett Rogers who coined the phrase ‘early adopters’ and described a very neat and now famous curve to illustrate his theory. Paradoxically, this attitude is at odds with the way of the world and Mother Nature herself. See Mother Nature embraces evolution and change. Civilizations either adapt to survive or commit themselves to the ashes of history. And so it is with technology of all types. At first I was afraid, I was petrified… of mobile phones that is and the perception I had of an incessant interruption to my daily routine. Now I can barely operate without my iPhone (otherwise known as my life support system). Most of us absorb technology once it’s settled in and we feel comfortable using it. Furthermore, it often takes us time to become accustomed enough to technology to use it to its full potential. An example would be using a PC for word processing initially, then getting to grips with spread spreadsheets, gaming and email. So we turn to the twin worlds of digital and automobile, the now entwined realms of the motor trade and the internet. Roger’s diffusion theory holds true. The dealership owners, entrepreneurs and directors are often the type of people who either embrace change or see it as a necessary evil in order to survive and thrive. Whatever their angle, the common factor is they factor it into their business days. These people have often identified the need to utilise the internet for the good of their business and unlock its potential. They may recognise this simply because their competitors are doing it, or they recognise that the web is now integrated with society. The delays to a widespread adoption within a dealership often rests with the personnel who find either their

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‘Don’t let your ego get in the way of the process – people don’t buy from people they don’t like.’ Joanne Barber

Regional sales manager, Volvo Cars London PRESENTATION is important. This includes ourselves, our dealerships and most importantly, our products. If every step of the sale is presented to the customer at the highest possible level, this breeds confidence. First impressions are vital and should exceed expectations throughout the customer journey. Everybody should take pride in themselves, their surroundings and what our products are capable of delivering.

John Wadeson Andrew Jeffery

Dealer principal, Hatfields Sheffield ENGAGE in small talk to put the customer at ease. Find out as much as you can about the customer. Sit down at a desk alongside them. Obtain contact details and write directly on to an enquiry form. Write down places and people mentioned by the customer during the conversation. Take a genuine interest in the customer and address them by name. Ask: ‘What are you driving now?’ and ‘What are you looking for in your new car?’ But above all make the customer feel valued and special.

role changing and feel threatened or those that fail to see the value in the new forms of lead generation and communication. This is natural. If you’ve been successfully selling cars face-to-face for 25 years and someone tells you that emails or live chats or enquiry forms are as important as pressing the flesh you are going to question their rationality. In fact, you may do a bit more than that and simply not respond to emails at all, or delay sending that brochure out from the online enquiry by a week. The excuse is that there is always something more

Brian Blanchard

‘The internet has flourished in the automotive trade because it delivers information on consumer terms, not dealers’.’

Mazda sales manager, Mitchell Group ALWAYS give the true facts and believe in your product. If need be, you can bring in a team member to back up the information you are giving and the customer will feel confident and reassured.

Paul Fox

important to do in the showroom. This behaviour is to be expected. It is not the salesperson’s fault. It is natural. The internet is perceived as a threat to many within the motor trade. A series of expletives is the standard accompaniment to internet commentary. The culture within the dealership needs to encourage the adoption of new techniques to deal with the internet as a lead generating and sales tool. The internet has developed the means of communication and transaction on a global scale like no other technology but it has been driven by the consumer. If there is a market, technology will be invented to fulfil it. The internet has flourished in the automotive trade because it delivers information on the consumer’s terms, not the retailer’s. This seemingly minor point is the driver of change. The rules of engagement have developed to suit the buyer with a baseline of convenience. The power now rests with the consumer and if you do not make it easy for them to engage with you, they will go elsewhere. Tim Smith is a director at GForces, the leading web management and marketing specialists

Used car sales manager, Volvo Cars North London GREET the customer. It might seem very basic, but asking for and using a customer name is often overlooked. This is a very positive way to engage a customer, build a long-term relationship, gain a contact and potentially disarm any negativity that might be heading your way!

Ian Butler

Manager, Volvo Cars London International Customer Sales RESPECT: Treat every customer in the manner that you would be expected to be treated if you were the customer. Ask, listen, qualify, listen (again!). Communicate with the customer, don’t just talk to them. Never assume anything. Identify the buying signals and always ask for the business. Do not apologise for the fact that your role is to sell them your product. If they have chosen to enter your place of business in order to discuss your products, then they should expect you to try and sell to them.

Tony Hinkley,

Sales executive, Guildford Mazda FIRST impressions are the most important; a warm, friendly, confident and sincere welcome is a necessity.

Ben Llewellyn

Managing director, UK Car Exchange FIND out about the customer, to ensure the products and features you highlight match their individual circumstances. Don’t fall into the trap of engaging with the ‘wrong’ buyer. If more than one person is involved in discussions, quickly establish who the decision-maker is, engage with them and aim to fulfil their needs. And don’t let your own ego get in the way of the process – people don’t buy from people they don’t like.

Kam Shokar

Mahmood Karmali

Sales director, Romford Mazda KNOW your stock before your customers do. If your customers know more than you do, you have little chance of selling to them.

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Business centre manager, Volvo Cars London SHOW the customer commitment and demonstrate credibility through keeping promises and understanding customer attitudes. Remember continuity goes a long way in retaining business, as does the consistency in delivering excellent service through continuous innovation, creativity, improvement and always taking into account your customers views and expectations.

Sales manager, Volvo Cars Central London PRODUCT knowledge is vital. Being able to answer customers’ questions straight off inspires confidence and confirms to them that they are dealing with a professional.

Katherine Ward

New car sales manager, Volvo Cars West London NEVER give up, always be closing, enthusiasm is infectious, demand a premium for quality of service and always have integrity in everything you do.

Alex Purdie

National groups manager, Kia Bolton OUR sales staff really find it easy to sell! Why? Well, if they have done the process from meeting their customer, establishing the wish list, showing and demonstrating the product, and explaining the benefits of dealing with us, then it’s easy. It is easier for the salesperson to do this in our sales environment, which presents our product in a crisp, professional, business-like environment and feel confident that we can fulfil the expectations of our customers.

Jerry Horwood

Managing director, 10ACT DON’T assume you know what your salespeople are doing. It’s human nature to leave the harder sales to last – but that’s the exact opposite of what you need to do. Selling is about understanding customer needs and having the determination to show them you are the best person to fulfil them. Consequently every business needs to ensure their salespeople are making the difficult calls.

Jeremy Worthington

Director of security, SBD OFTEN sales reps pitch features when it comes to technology upgrades. But prospects only care about what these features will do for them. For example, our surveys reveal 80 per cent of drivers who have a smart key would specify it on their next car, yet the option take-up is below five per cent. If you explain the benefits of this technology like not having to fumble for keys while carrying shopping, luggage or children and the safety to female drivers in a dark car park of having instant access to their car, then you could get the option sale and a happy repeat customer.

Tony Gannon

Communications director, BCA LOOK after the business you’ve already won. BCA’s annual Used Car Market report suggests that used car dealers have room for improvement when it comes to following up with existing customers. Only 15 per cent of previous customers are approached by their dealer to see if they might consider replacing their car or buying an additional vehicle.

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The disaster: Audi TT spoiler When? 1999

The disaster: DeLorean crisis When? 1978

FAST becoming a design classic, the first TT tran sformed Audi into a real volume player – but that wasn’t before the firm had to overcome a PR disaster of mo numental proportions. The flowing, curvy lines of the early TT mo dels were blamed for a series of crashes on the continent when the sports car was driven at excess speeds. It transpired that abrupt lane changes or sharp turns in early TTs could cause drivers to lose control. No official reca ll was made, but customers were offered a series of modifications by the manufacturer in late 1999. A retro-fit rea r spoiler was added to aid down force, electronic stability progra mme (traction control) fitted and a suspension modification made. But despite the negative press and complaints the spoiler ruined the car’s lines, the TT’s looks were enough to paper over the cracks and it went on to become the tour de force it is now.

Future trilogy and mad Doc MADE famous by the Back To The DMC-12 could well have rean DeLo the Brown’s Flux Capacitor, 1976, the brainchild of John starred in its own movie. Set up in a futuristic sports car with uced prod any DeLorean, the comp et. mark rican Ame the for s door ing gull-w ded Hollywood stars and inclu any comp ng Investors in the fledgli Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, in n the UK government. Construction bega cars that made it out of the and ated escal in 1978. However, costs were prohibitively They . ment the factory were a huge disappoint rpowered. unde ically drast hp, 130b only expensive and, with came when John DeLorean The dramatic ending to the sorry tale es and his company went was arrested on drug trafficking charg guilty, but it was too late for the bankrupt. He was later found not car has since become a cult hit, The n. uctio prod in DMC-12 to remain y and the Hollywood big McFl y thanks in no small part to one Mart ht by a US firm which boug was ry facto the from screen. The tooling . has since restarted production in Texas

le pedal recall The disaster: Toyota thrott When? 2010

The disaster: Ford Pin to When? 1970s

ld, the sters of the automotive wor LOOKING back at the PR disa ’s not to that But or. min ly tive rela ears Toyota throttle pedal saga app ing. hasn’t taken a bash say the marque’s reputation ide after lling millions of cars worldw reca into ed forc was ta Toyo the Aygo, UK, the In al could stick open. complaints the throttle ped and cted affe all e wer nsis Ave o and iQ, Yaris, Auris, Corolla, Vers ification. To make matters mod a for lers dea to rn owners had to retu rid Prius ta issued a recall for the hyb worse, soon afterwards Toyo brakes. after complaints about the and, r’s PR machine quickly pounced ture ufac man the , ever How was er mak the stry, in the motor indu proving times have changed es were logi apo es’ utiv exec – lem prob open and honest about the clock and, lers repaired cars around the even posted on YouTube. Dea ived was rece y man ice serv the ers, own despite initial concerns from in the brand. enough to reinstate their faith

YOU might not have hea rd of the Ford Pinto scan dal of the 1970s, but it is a case that roc ked the car manufactu ring powerhouse to its core. The Pinto became synonymous with an alle ged problem that meant the fuel tank cou ld be easily damaged in a rear-end collision, resulting in deadly fires and explosions. It was claimed the lack of a rear bumper and poo r reinforcement between the rear panel and fuel tank meant tha t in a collision it could be pierced. Couple this with allegations that doo rs could jam too and the PR disaster esca lated. And to make ma tters worse, Ford was allegedly aware of the fault but decided it wo uld be cheaper to pay off lawsuits than a reca ll. One American magaz ine managed to obtain a document that analyse d the cost of a repair – just $11 – against the monetary value of a hum an life, in what became known as the ‘Ford Pinto memo’. Ford was acquitted of criminal cha rges and later initiated a recall, but still lost millions in lawsuits. Des pite the scandal, Ford remains one of the bigges t car makers in the world.

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[Cult Car] Supercar was so ahead of its time, it remained largely unchanged for 15 years...

onda NSX, a mere cult car? No, it’s more than that: indeed, it’s one of the most significant cars of the past few decades. This sounds like heady praise indeed, but don’t take our word for it. That is, instead, the view of McLaren F1 maker and car design god Gordon Murray. Back in the early 1990s, when McLaren was developing the F1, the firm had targeted all the usual suspects: Ferrari 348, Lamborghini Diablo and so on. The launch of the NSX made all those benchmarks irrelevant. Here was a machine way ahead of the competition, in terms of drivability, performance, ride comfort, running costs and reliability. Italian cars? Pah. If you want the best, you need to beat the best. Murray was in no doubt that car was the Honda NSX. He shouldn’t have been surprised, mind. An old McLaren mate of his, Ayrton Senna, had been playing a big role in developing it. At the Suzuka race circuit, Senna drove prototypes and was instrumental in getting Honda to stiffen the chassis. It was this, coupled with further input from race driver colleagues Satorio Najakima and Bobby Rahal, that made the NSX so imperious. Nothing less would do for Honda. Borne out of the firm’s ‘New Sportscar eXperimental’ project – hence the name – the NSX followed the archetypal Japanese approach. Decide to do something. Decide on what’s the best out there. And beat it. Initially, that target car was the Ferrari 328, but this later changed to the 348. It still wasn’t enough. When it was launched in 1990, the NSX simply amazed. It had an all-aluminium chassis, and suspension, and body. It had a 3.0-litre all-alloy VTEC V6 that wailed to a then-outstanding (indeed, still outstanding) 8,000rpm.

It’ll do you for 60mph in under six seconds, but it was also a damn sight more economical and emissions-friendly than any Ferrari. Even better, this wailing performance could be enjoyed every single day of the year. Honda promised total reliability with all its cars, and just because the NSX was a supercar didn’t mean it should be the exception. Whereas a high-mileage Ferrari would be a terrifying proposition, a 100,000-mile NSX is something that, to coin a phrase, is barely run in. Not for nothing has the firm never, ever had a single warranty claim on its complicated VTEC variable valve timing system… Saving 200kg over a regular chassis, it was Senna’s tuning of the aluminium chassis’ handling that gave the NSX such finesse. Secure and stable, it was scalpel-sharp incisive and packed full of feel. Supercars tended to lumber before this, all power and brute force over delicacy. The NSX was the first exception that, today, has become the norm. A modern 911 Turbo would not be so magnificent if it wasn’t for the influence of the Honda. Nor would it be so useable – Honda wisely didn’t copy the awkward, Italianate driving position of its erstwhile rivals. Indeed, the design team is said to have based the cabin, particularly its usability and visibility, on that of the F16 fighter jet. It was so ahead of its time, Honda didn’t actually do a lot with it after launch. Indeed, save for a larger engine and mild tweaks here and there, the NSX remained unchanged from launch in 1990 to death in 2005. What’s more, the firm has not followed it up. This only adds to the cult of the brilliant NSX. And rightly so. The first truly idol-worthy Japanese car? The sign-off from Senna guarantees it… [RA]

Honda NSX Price: £22,000 Engine: 2,977cc V6 Power: 270bhp, 285Nm 0-62mph: 5.6s Top speed: 167mph

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[sales Legend] T

he reasons why Rover doesn’t exist today are perhaps epitomised by the launch of the Metro. In development for more than half the 1970s, it was nevertheless rushed to launch and then, well, never really achieved the goals set for it. Sure, it did pretty well in terms of sales – it wouldn’t be a legend if it hadn’t sold two million in its time. But the car designed to seal the future of the firm didn’t really manage to do that. As such, the Metro underlines that judging things in terms of pure sales is a risky business. Why? Look at Jaguar of recent years: it’s stepped back from a high-volume strategy to one of quality sales instead. The result is more profit, more stability for the company, and less susceptibility to the marketplace. It’s thriving by NOT being a sales legend. Ah, if British Leyland had been able to make such a measured judgment. Instead, though, the Metro was borne out of necessity. Here was a car that had to sell in massive numbers, in order to keep tens of thousands in work and maintain the might of the publically-owned company. Quite a responsibility for the little hatchback’s shoulders. The launch was accompanied with flag-waving jingoism of epic proportions. Maggie Thatcher was pictured with one, Prince Charles visited the production line, press and TV ad slots were awash with Metros poking over the White Cliffs of Dover, seeing off Johnny Foreigner and giving Britain a British car to be proud off. That it was nowhere near as groundbreaking as the earlier Renault 5, or as serviceable as a Ford Fiesta, or plain well-rounded like the later Peugeot 205, didn’t seem to matter. BL had installed an expensive, hi-tech robot-assisted production line, and Metros were soon flowing off in high volumes. It sold, for sure. Rightly so, too. For its day, it was eye-openingly spacious,

well made, nimble to drive and pretty economical. The ride was stiff, engines harsh and prices high-line, but it was a sporty and pleasant steer. Trouble is, British Leyland all-but engineered in the seeds of its later struggles. As time went on, the competition would grow, leaving it very much at the ‘mini’ end of the market. The aged engine never got a fivespeed gearbox, and would always be thrashy and noisy. Five doors was an afterthought and, so tight was money when it came to replacing it, the firm instead decided to rejig the suspension and install a new engine into the existing bodyshell. This became the Rover Metro. Then, the Rover 100. Then, was smashed into a EuroNCAP wall and destroyed a steady but all-important trickle of sales for Rover dealers overnight. Game over. An odd car for us to choose for this month’s sales legend, you may think. Was it any such thing? Well, it sure was, in one sense. Speak to any Austin-Rover dealer of the 1980s, and they will say what a crucial car to their ongoing viability the Metro was. Without it, the firm simply would not have been able to take on Ford and Vauxhall in the battle of the big three. In making the Metro a sales legend, Austin-Rover was doing as it always had done – with the Mini, with the 1100, with the Morris-Minor. Thing is, being a legend was not enough. This business model was flawed, as it simply was not bringing in the funds needed to sustain the business. To be honest, it wasn’t paramount that the Metro be a sales legend. Jaguar has proven this in recent years. What’s needed are legendary margins, not just numbers. The recession is making this clear for car dealers, who now appreciate the importance not just of numbers, but of financial returns with them. Alas, it came too late for Rover. [RA]

Austin Metro

rushed into production, the Metro failed to meet targets rover set it but the humble city car’s still a legend in our eyes

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feature

Price dro

nnovations in the online car auction world come thick and fast. There are no end of smart ways out there, that can either improve your profit margins or help find the particular car you’re after. Despite this, car trade expert Tony Hinkley has still managed to come up with something new. Just launched is UKCarexchange, which you may have read about briefly in Car Dealer last month. In a nutshell, this is a price drop auction site for car dealers! We wanted to get the low-down on this unique idea and the idea behind it so caught up with the creators. Turns out the thinking behind it is one very much rooted in dealers’ needs. ‘Many dealers have cars on their forecourts, for which they will accept less than the sticker price,’ said the firm’s Mark Briggs. ‘This can be through overstocking, getting new cars in, the car coming to the end of its set-time sales period or various other factors. ‘But how to advertise these cars, to either the trade, or the public, or both, without hindering your chances in the open market? That’s where we come in.’ Alongside your regular sales channel, says Briggs, car dealers can now advertise concurrently on UKcarexchange. ‘It’s a new outlet for selling used cars,’ he explains. ‘It’s a good way to get better prices on over-age cars before sending them back to auction.’

el ps

Advertise your cars on Ukcarexchange and the price drops daily – Richard Aucock explains it’s not as mad as it sounds…

lin g There is a crucial trick to this in practice – all adverts are displayed anonymously. Only by reserving and putting a deposit on a car do you find out where it’s from and how you’ll collect it. ‘It means car dealers don’t lose their retail proposition, but are still able to show cars to a wider clientele and maximise their chances.’

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UKcarexchange MD Tony Hinkley

It solves the age-old problem of getting widest coverage in as many sales channels as possible, without one method compromising or costing another. Clever stuff. And what’s going to encourage people to put down these deposits? The no-haggle, bargain-led approach of the site! It’s both simple and, once again, ingeniously clever at the same time, and is all centered around the price-drop aspect. Car dealers advertise cars with two prices – a starting price, and a minimum price. They can also set the amount of time it will be advertised, up to a maximum of 14 days. Then, once it starts, the price of the car will automatically drop at midnight each night, by an amount once again set by the car dealer. This is really enticing. Potential buyers can find the car they’re looking for – the anonymous aspect means dealers will be encouraged to use it as a matter of course, ensuring a healthy choice of cars – and already note that it’s a competitive price. Then, it becomes a battle of wills: do they buy it then, or wait another day for the price to drop… taking the risk of someone else snapping it up? ‘They know right away how much they’ve got to pay,’ Briggs told us. ‘Then, they just need to keep going back! This brings an element of fun into things, spicing up the car buying process while also saving money.’ It’s really engaging and will bring interest to the online car auction sector, promises Briggs. ‘It’s the ideal home for, say, stock you need to shift fast, or older part-exchanges you may not normally advertise on your site. ‘If the prices keep dropping, people will buy – particularly as it’s a no-haggle, no-negotiation

deal. Prices will automatically be sharp, which should encourage people to click the Reserve Now button and start the sales process.’ Car dealers are further encouraged to use the site as a matter of course by the pricing structure. ‘It’s free to list cars: basically, we’ll only charge if we sell the car for you. What’s more, if it sells elsewhere while it’s on display on our site, you can de-list it and not pay a penny, either.’ It’s up live and running now, with Briggs saying initial interest has already been impressive. And

this is just the start. He assures us there ‘are many new features coming in the next few months. We wanted to get the site up and running, so people could begin using it and get familiar with it’. He adds: ‘We’ll then start progressively rolling out the new tricks and gadgets, that will make it even easier to sell cars and make money while doing so.’ It could be worthwhile dropping in to the new car price drop auction service now… [CD] For more log on to UKcarexchange.com or call 0845 519 1499

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Part of

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CarDealerPower.com If you haven’t filled in our Car Dealer Power survey yet there’s still time! And you could win some top prizes for taking part

ust a month into the launch of Car Dealer Power we’ve been inundated with surveys from dealers – but still need your help! Whether you’re a dealer large or small we’d like you to take two minutes out of you hectic schedule to give us some feedback. Car Dealer Power is about finding the best car manufacturers to represent and the best suppliers to do business with. And don’t forget, as a thank you for taking part we’ve got an incredible £2,400 worth of prizes up for grabs. Prizes include three days in an Aston Martin DB9, £600 worth of Halfords goodies, a race day voucher and a stunning Jenson Button print. Don’t worry, Car Dealer Power is 100 per cent confidential as we want you to be free to really tell it how it is. All we ask for is your mobile number so we can call you and tell you you’ve won a prize! Your details will NEVER be passed on to any

EMPOWERING DEALERS other party and what you say will remain completely anonymous so feel free to slate and rate your car maker and suppliers. Part one of the survey is for franchised dealers and part two is for both independents and franchised dealers. The easiest way to take the survey is by visiting CarDealerPower.com which will take you straight to the online version. Or you can tear

out the following two pages or fill out the one printed on the reverse of the address sheet that came with your magazine and send it back to us. Remember, your feedback will help shape the motoring industry for the better giving car manufacturers your opinion and celebrating the best suppliers you do business with on a daily basis. One thing’s for sure, the results will make very interesting reading!

More than £2,000 of prizes to be given away! First Prize...

Three days in an ASTON MARTIN DB9… worth £1,400! YES, by filling in this survey you really can have one of the most beautiful supercars ever made sat on your drive for THREE DAYS! Our friends at AstonExperience.co.uk are offering one lucky respondent the chance to get behind the wheel of a DB9. You’ll be able to enjoy the incredible £120,000 supercar’s V12 on your favourite roads, stretch out every one of its 470bhp, and marvel at the spine-tingling sound that hefty lump makes. It’s glorious! The hire will be for three days, mid-week, and includes collection and delivery to your home or place of work and insurance. AstonExperience.co.uk offers a range of cars from the supercar manufacturer for hire – the DB9 costs £1,400 for three days. There are some stipulations to this prize though. You must be over the age of 25 and have no more than six points on your licence. An excess of £2,000 is also levied on the hire insurance policy too. The AstonExperience.co.uk fleet includes an AMV8, Vanquish, Vanquish S, DB7 and the stunning DBS. Give them a call on 0845 9000 007 (see what they did there), to find out how you can get one of those on your drive now!

Second Prize... A Halfords bundle… worth £600! OUR favourite High Street store has put together a cracking bundle of prizes for the second survey drawn out of the hat. If you’re the winner, you’ll get your hands on the latest Garmin Nuvi 1690T sat nav unit worth £320, a Karcher pressure washer worth £150 and a Halfords Professional 150-piece socket and ratchet set worth £200! The Garmin sat nav unit is one of the latest to hit the shelves and features a wide touchscreen, traffic jam spotting technology as well as maps for the UK, Europe and Republic of Ireland. For more information on these log on to Halfords.com.

Third Prize...

Fourth Prize...

Adrenaline Voucher from MotorSport Vision… worth £180! EVER wanted to get behind the wheel of a seriously fast car on a track? Or how about throw a car sideways as you fly through the mud on a rally circuit? Well, if you’re the winner of our third prize then you could be doing it very soon! You can pick one of five experiences at either Brands Hatch, Oulton Park or Bedford Autodrome. The Adrenaline Voucher entitles you to choose either the Race Master, M3 Master, Porsche Master, Rally Master or Mud Master experiences. If you want to book now, call 0870 950 9000.

Stunning Jenson Button F1 canvas… worth £175! IF YOU love Formula 1, last season was pretty special. Not only was it one of the most exciting for some time, but we had another British champion – Jenson Button in the Brawn GP car. To mark that occasion, CarsInPrint.co.uk has produced 100 of these stunning canvas artworks of Button in his world championship winning car. The print is 76cm x 50cm and is mounted on canvas with printed edges. The piece costs £175 and one will be sent to the fourth survey drawn out of our hat. For more, CarsInPrint.co.uk or call 07970 020 895.

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CarDealerPower.com The easiest way to fill in the survey is online at CarDealerPower.com Car Dealer Power is 100 PER CENT CONFIDENTIAL. Anything you say in this survey will NEVER be passed on to anyone else and will remain securely with Car Dealer Magazine. However, if you want to be entered into the draw to win one of the four prizes detailed on

the previous pages we need your mobile phone number – this is so we can call you and find out where to send the prize! If you represent more than one manufacturer you can fill in this survey again online by visiting CarDealerPower.com, photocopy these pages

or email james@blackballmedia.co.uk for a copy. All requests will be treated confidentially. Any comments you wish to make will be most welcome. These may be used in the magazine but will be attributed anonymously. Thanks for your help!

Your Mobile Number (needed to be entered into prize draw)…………………........

Part 1 1. Which car manufacturer do you hold a franchise for? (If it’s more than one, please feel free to fill in the survey again online or ask for another via email)  Abarth  Alfa Romeo  Aston Martin  Audi  Bentley  BMW  Cadillac  Chevrolet  Chrysler  Citroen  Corvette  Daihatsu  Daimler  Dodge  Fiat  Ford  Honda  Hummer  Hyundai  Infiniti  Jaguar  Jeep  Kia  Land Rover  Lexus  Lotus  Mazda  Mercedes-Benz  MG  MINI  Mitsubishi  Nissan  Opel  Perodua  Peugeot  Porsche  Proton  Renault  Saab  SEAT  Skoda  smart  Ssangyong  Subaru  Suzuki  Toyota  Vauxhall  Volkswagen  Volvo  Other (please name)

2. How would you rate your manufacturer with regards to its finance offers?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

3. How do you rate the warranty your manufacturer offers? Does it cover everything it needs to and is it easy to administer?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

4. How would you rate your car manufacturer on its aftersales support?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

5. How do you rate your car manufacturers’ marketing overall? Consider the support it offers you, the offers it comes up with and the marketing schemes it develops:  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

6. How do you rate you car manufacturers’ brand awareness?  Poor  Average

 Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

7. How accessible is your car manufacturer? (Consider whether you can get hold of them when you need to? Do you get to speak to the right people at the right level?)  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

8. How do you rate your car manufacturer with regards to the internet? (Consider the support it gives you here, the way it feeds leads down to you and the quality of your manufacturer’s own site.)  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

9. How do you rate the supply of cars from your manufacturer?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

10. How do you rate your manufacturer’s forward planning? (With regards to product launches, offers)  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless

Comments?

11. How do you rate your manufacturer’s stock levels?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

12. How do you rate the requirements your manufacturer imposes on you as a dealership? (Are they over intrusive and want the moon on a stick, or are they quite grounded and realistic?)  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

13. What do you think of the bonus structure put in place by your car manufacturer?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

14. Finally, how would you rate the return on investment for your manufacturer?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

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Part 2

MOTOR TRADE SUPPLIERS This section is all about finding the most popular suppliers to the motor trade – from advertising to web design – we want to know which supplier you use in each of these sections and why. We’re trying to gauge their popularity by measuring the amount of dealers using that supplier AND how good they are. We’ll only be naming the best in each category. If the supplier you use is not mentioned, please tell us who they are. 1. Warranties  1. WMS  2. Auto Protect  3. RAC Warranties  4. AA Warranty  5. Mapfre Abraxas  6. Car Care Plan  7. Warranty Wise  8. Other (please name) How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

2. Web Design  1. Autotorq  2. Gforces  3. Codeweavers  4. SpidersNet  5. Viper Image Media  6. Silverdisc  7. Uk Websites  8. Other (please name) How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

3. Online advertising  1. Auto Trader  2. Motoring.co.uk  3. eBay Motors  4. Motors.co.uk  5. Carpages.co.uk  6. Pistonheads.com  7. Makeandmodel.co.uk  8. Netcars.co.uk  9. Buyyourcar.co.uk  10. Reallygooddomains.com (stable of sites)  11. Compareclickcall.com  12. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

4. Finance  1. Santander  2. Blackhorse  3. Carlyle  4. Close MF  5. First Response  6. Barclays  7. Jigsaw  8. Alphera  9. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

5. Lubricants  1. Castrol  2. Mobil 1  3. Chevron Havoline  4. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

6. Recruitment  1. JGA  2. Steele & Dixon  3. REP  4. REMIT  5. Motor Industry Recruitment  6. Top Car Recruitment  7. Perfect Placement  8. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

7. Provenance checks  1. HPI  2. Experian  3. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

8. Used car valuations  1. HPI Valuations  2. Glass’s Guide  3. CAP  4. Experian  5. Other (please name):

How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

9. Auction company  1. BCA  2. Manheim  3. Auction4cars  4. Wilsons  5. Paragon remarketing  6. Dealerauction.com  7. Mytradeauction.co.uk  8. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

10. Lead generation  1. Hook Logic  2. FindsYou.com  3. Autotrade-mail.com  4. Motorati  5. MFL-direct.co.uk How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

11. Dealer Management Services and technology  1. Dragon2000  2. WinWin World  3. Gemini Systems  4. Kalamazoo-Reynolds  5. Autoview  6. Pinewood  7. Dealer Management Services  8. Portfolio  9. Other (please name): How to you rate them?  Poor  Average  Good  Excellent  Faultless Comments?

Please send completed surveys to: Car Dealer Power, PO BOX 227, Gosport, PO12 9DE CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

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interview

Motoring on It’s been a meteoric rise for the team behind Motoring.co.uk – since launch they’ve been winning business from dealers and manufacturers left, right and centre. Here, JAMES BAGGOTT quizzes the team about the secret to their success

f you haven’t heard of Motoring.co.uk, where on earth have you been? It’s the advertising portal that has banned new car brokers and in doing so captured a huge corner of the online marketplace becoming the ‘number one site for new cars’. The brains behind it are former car dealers Chris Green and Terry Hogan who have been working wonders for franchised dealers and car manufacturers up and down the country. They’re pushing more and more traffic to dealer websites than ever before and their amazing results mean they’re growing at a huge rate. ‘Things have just been immense for us since we started last year,’ Green told Car Dealer. ‘We’ve had huge success with some amazing brands and dealers are loving the results we can produce. I’m up and down the country every day visiting dealers and manufacturers and when they see what we can do they can’t wait to sign up.’ And who could argue with Motoring.co.uk’s pricing strategy – dealers simply pay for results showing just how confident Green and Hogan are! And, as if it needed endorsing, the advertising portal has a very special chairman – former Porsche, BMW and Glass’s Guide guru Kevin Gaskell joined the team when he saw just what they could do. Here Car Dealer catches up with the pair to see what they’ve been up to.

So then chaps, where did the idea behind Motoring.co.uk come from and how did you manage to get that all-encompassing domain name? TH: Well, being former car dealers, we knew there was a gap in the market to really support the franchised dealer and the manufacturer, especially in new cars. There are so many sites going after the same market, that being the small to medium independent sector, that we knew that wasn’t for us. So we bought the Motoring.co.uk name after finding it for sale about five years ago, which really we found astonishing and then launched the site three years ago.

Your growth has been quite incredible – what do you put that down to? CG: It’s a mixture of things really, but all of our

team come from the sector which is a mixture of dealer sales, administration and technology. Myself and Terry have more than 40 years of dealership experience and contacts working for brands such as Ford, VW, Audi and BMW and have been responsible for the sale of more than 20,000 cars offline and online so it enables us to talk to dealer groups and manufacturers at all levels. Kevin Gaskell joining as chairman was not bad either.

‘I’m up and down the country every day visiting dealers. When they see what we can do they can’t wait to sign up.’ Yes, I was going to ask about that – why did you join the team Kevin? KG: I am a strong believer that the internet offers the automotive industry a whole new level of efficiency and opportunity in delivering real customer service to car buyers and drivers. The combination of richness and reach – richness of personalised information reaching each individual buyer – that the internet offers was simply never previously possible in a cost-effective way before the web. Using the internet, the retail automotive sector has an opportunity to adapt, improve and extend retail processes so that prospects and customers receive information, support and the opportunity to buy a car, service, part, financial or other product at the time and place that suits them. Personalised service, follow up and retention can all be improved by letting the web carry the load. To date I have been disappointed in the way that the web has been used more as an electronic catalogue rather than as the basis for changing sales and service processes. The attraction to me of joining the Motoring. co.uk team was that Terry and Chris had thought the process through and were setting out to support dealers to achieve the kind of step forward in sales processes that I believe is possible. They both have extensive retail experience and had clearly identified the opportunity to support manufacturers and dealers in the identification and capture of prospective buyers, the provision of personalised

information and the sale of new cars. They had built an industry-leading platform which is designed with the dealer in mind and were beginning to see some real success with some early adopter dealer partners. Our decision not to work with brokers is a strong statement of our belief in the franchised networks. The rate at which dealers and now manufacturers have adopted the platform for new car sales is very encouraging and now makes us the leaders in the space – not bad for a small team with big ideas.

So we understand you’ve built something you’re calling the ‘New Car Tool’ – what’s that all about? TH: It’s quite simple really. It’s a clever uploading tool that allows the dealer and manufacturers to upload new cars in many different ways. We define it in one simple statement which is this ‘Advertise online in the same way you do in the press’. That is explaining MPG, emissions, insurance group, finance offers, low-rate finance, zero per cent deposit contribution or whatever their marketing strategy is that quarter. In other words it not about discounting new cars like many other portals to support the searches. We don’t allow brokers to advertise on our new car and finance searches so that makes a big difference.

Can you summarise your main unique selling points then? What really makes you special? CG: That’s simple too. We’re the number one site for new cars, there are no new car brokers, we have a unique uploading tool, unique searches including ones for used cars and we support dealers and manufacturers. But above all? Well, we are management and automotive experts.

What do you think your biggest challenges are going to be? CG: For me it is probably sales resource and gaining more dealer support as I can deal with the senior management at the manufacturer level quite easily. For Terry it is probably branding and marketing and gaining more visitors to the site. Above the rim advertising is also key as, after all, we do have the best name in the industry!

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How can you see the site developing in time? TH: Well, that is a question but I’m not prepared to give it all away. However, we are going to launch new and used vans for the dealer very soon. We may also strip out some of our used car inventory that does not fit with our vision which is to be the biggest new car site in the UK. Basically, Motoring.co.uk aims to be the site that encompasses all aspects of new and nearly new vehicles associated with motoring products and services.

Who do you see as the competition and how do you intend to win market share? CG: There are about 15 to 20 sites out there all trying to do the same thing as Auto Trader which is why we are trying to be different. Yes we do used cars but it is in a unique way that we do and how we display them is supportive to our dealers. But you can only really understand that if you are a partner of ours and are reaping the benefits. As for new cars, well there is no competition and we have about a two-year start in terms of development and research that we have conducted, plus our previous dealership

and manufacturer experience means we like to think we understand our sector much better than any of the other portals out there. Oh, and as for stealing market share – well we are already doing that and it includes used cars too.

What about life after scrappage? TH: We loved it and thought it was so refreshing for our industry and our site was perfect for it along with the likes of motabilty which other portals overlook. Manufacturers can benefit massively from our site especially if they want to follow on from scrappage where we can get their cars and offers found in lots of different and unique ways through our lifestyle offer searches.

Finally, who really is the brains behind this outfit? CG: Well, I refer to Terry as an online genius and he calls me the miracle worker so maybe we make a good team… [CD] For more information call 0845 245 1556

Keeping track THESE images are graphs showing hits to Motoring.co.uk analysed by industry benchmark firm Hitwise, owned by Experian. They show a 12-week period up to March 13, 2010, and are the share of visits to all sites using the terms ‘New Cars’ at some point during their search engine query. These could include ‘new cars’, ‘new cars for sale’ or something more specific like ‘Ford new cars’. You can see in the images just how high Motoring.co.uk figures for those terms. Impressive stuff.

Who’s who

Main image Chris Green, top: Terry Hogan, and above, Kevin Gaskell

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feature

Making a good

return

Want to maximise the value of your scrappers? Cartakeback doesn’t just offer dealers an easy way to dispose of unwanted cars, it also finds them the best price, as Richard Aucock found out

ach year in the UK, a staggering two million cars and vans are scrapped. That’s a phenomenal total – there are as many motors crushed as there are sold new! Trouble is, not all are actually crushed. Up to half the scrapped cars each year are disposed of through unofficial means, which is bad for the environment, road safety, inquisitive exploring-child safety, you name it. Oh, and if it’s your name on the registration document, says Rebecca Roddis of experts in the field, Cartakeback, it’s bad news for you, too. This will include responsibility for any dodgy things the car’s been up to in the meantime… To deal with all this, back in 2003, the government introduced the End of Life Vehicle directive. This demands all car makers take back their own brand of car free of charge, and dispose of it in the correct way. For most owners, the car dealer will be one of the obvious routes they use to instigate this service. Authorised treatment facilities were set up to handle this process. All hazardous materials, fluids and batteries had to be removed, before any part of the old banger could be recycled. Two years later, legislators cranked up the pressure by demanding car makers and authorised treatment facilities met targets for 85 per cent recycling by weight. All of which means, explained Roddis, you can’t just take a car anywhere for scrapping. And it’s a fair old process to do yourself: which is why firms such as Cartakeback exist – ‘to take the hassle out of the car disposal process for car dealerships’. Roddis explains: ‘We are proud to be the largest network of vehicle manufacturer approved authorised treatment facilities in the United Kingdom. Our licensed car dismantlers and scrap car yards have been exclusively approved by the UK’s leading vehicle manufacturers, assuring you of a first class car recycling service in strict accordance with the End of Life Vehicle regulations.’

There’s nothing scrappy about these boys. New car dealers will already be well aware of everything about using these ATFs, of course. It was by dealing with them that the all-important Certificate of Destructions were issued which allowed scrappage funds from the government to be claimed. Cartakeback really did win here, because it has the facility to instantly issue CoDs on receipt of the vehicle. These are actually emailed to dealers directly, explained Roddis, ‘freeing them of any legal responsibility for the vehicle’. This has given the firm a great platform to build on for the future. Cartakeback Collect is the core service. This, using one of the firm’s 300-strong ATF partners, will

recycle the scrapper you have getting in the way, immediately giving you online payment. ‘We offer nationwide collection and comply with government de-pollution and other targets,’ she adds. A more recent development is Cartakeback Drive-In. This is a development of the above service, that lets customers find their nearest ATFs – and compare prices on offer! For dealers interested in getting the best possible price for their motors, it’s just the job. Using Royal Mail postcode look-ups, combined with Google Maps, clear and precise information is generated in seconds. The new Drive-In features are combined with the existing collection quote system, meaning

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lots of disposal choice for the customer. ‘It’s a significant development in our e-commerce offer, and boosts choice and convenience for dealers,’ said Roddis. ‘As scrap metal values fluctuate, it hasn’t always been easy for someone to know what an old vehicle is worth or whether there will be a cost to get rid of it. We find the highest payment that has been offered from within our nationwide ATF network.’ An even more recent development is just rolling out though, one that goes above and beyond simple car disposal. Many of those cars will be of no interest to your regular disposal partners, but will still have market value above and beyond the standard scrappage rate. What you need is a route to the sort of sellers who would give you the best price – here’s where Cartakeback Auction comes in! This is specifically for all those lower-value part-exchanges you get in. ‘We will do the whole lot for you,’ said Roddis. ‘Collect, assess, take images, even store the vehicle offsite and manage all the viewings for you, and promise to deliver payment to the vendor within two weeks of receiving a request to collect it.’ So confident is the firm in this new offer, it will pay you £300 for any car you list before the auction even starts. ‘It is not an auction for scrapped cars,’ added Roddis. ‘Rather, it is a bespoke channel for motors that are too good for the scrapyard, but still not worth enough to be of interest to your usual disposal channels.’ Cartakeback says it has a bulging contacts book of parties interested in these cars and with the new auction service has provided a means of connecting demand with supply, which will ensure all parties win. Dealers of cheaper cars will have much more choice, while those looking to dispose of them will have a new easy way to make more from them. Sounds fantastic. It costs £100 per car, on sale, and has the potential to make a healthy extra chunk of profit for no effort on your part – a real win/win. Indeed, with this armoury of options, Cartakeback is going above and beyond its traditional offer of dismantling cars. This will remain the core service, be in no doubt, but there’s a whole lot more to it for 2010, too. Making it a firm to watch, we reckon, certainly one to put on your radar. For more information log on to cartakeback.com or call 0845 257 3233

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feature

Hidden gems Sometimes, you have to hunt hard for the real big money-savers. They can come from the most surprising of sources, and focus on an area of your business you never even considered for an efficiency drive before. RICHARD AUCOCK uncovers three beauties Webzation

0845 226 0503, Webzation.com

f scrappage taught car dealers one thing, it’s the importance of making cars look affordable. That 400,000-strong flood of buyers was encouraged into car dealer showrooms because of one reason above all – a healthy £2k chunk off a new car, with no haggling, which they could compare against other such offers from the comfort of their living room. Now scrappage has ended, car makers are continuing with the clearly-packaged offers, as it’s really taught them the importance of showing people what bargains are out there. To get people through the doors these days, you need to big up your value offer. And it is this that Webzation’s Richard Tavernor says is a prime opportunity for your used stock, too. ‘Like scrappage itself, our tool is simple and easy to implement,’ says Tavernor. ‘Our technology has done all the hard work, meaning we can give you something that plugs straight into your site: a finance quotation system that can show off how competitive your used stock is.’ We’re familiar with the concept of canny maker-supplied finance calculators for new cars, but many car dealers shy away from doing the same on their used stock. This is a missed opportunity, says Tavernor, as the opportunity to highlight even greater value is huge. ‘With used cars, you have the potential of proving to buyers they can afford far more prestigious cars than they ever thought they could,’ he explains. ‘What we do is make used cars appear more affordable in real terms, rather than getting hung up on the capital cost.’ It’s particularly powerful

if you use it on PCP schemes, where the balloon payment at the end means monthly payments are even lower still. Webzation, naturally, is fully compatible with all PCP schemes, so illustrating this is easy. Don’t forget, adds Tavernor, direct lenders can’t offer PCP schemes, either… It’s all done by providing the ability to search by monthly payment range. ‘A car buyers’ psyche, particularly used car buyers, is to set themselves a monthly budget. They’ll often go to price comparison sites, to see how much of a loan they’ll get for this, then base their car search around that,’ says Tavernor. ‘We approach it from the other way. We’ll show buyers what they can afford for their known budget right away, on your site – at the click of a button, they can then go through to the finance calculator to see how this breaks down. ‘It’s easy to make all your used stock much more affordable. It’s far more engaging than the usual used car mentality, of just sticking an £8,995 price tag in the windscreen.’ It makes your used stock more compelling to bargain hunters – and is a breeze to install on your site too.’ As Tavernor mentioned, car dealers are sometimes averse to marketing finance on used cars, with worries about FSA compliance and other such issues. Not only does Webzation take care of all these for you, it also puts your finance schemes boldly in the shop window, and makes them a potential deal-maker. Which naturally means profit on the car AND on providing the finance. How good does that sound? Nine out of 10 buyers don’t even realise you offer finance. Show them that you do and that it will get them into a premium-badged car for mass-market money – then this will be a hidden gem that won’t stay hidden for long…

‘Our technology has done all the hard work, meaning we can give you something that plugs straight into your site.’

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armchair

0800 2300 333, armchairanswercall.com

et’s face it, we all often do it. So it should come as no surprise to discover four-in-five of your customers will hang up if connected to an answering machine. Not only that, but 80 per cent of first-time callers will be put off by an engaged signal. Three-quarters will put the phone down if the call is not answered within six rings. In the area of car dealer telephone standards, the pressure really is on. Particularly as it’s often the very first time customers will come into contact with your business. First impressions matter, and as these stats prove, your potential customers are among the most demanding of all. So, how to work better and relieve some of the pressure? Without the prohibitive cost of taking on extra staff? This is where Armchair comes in: professional car dealer receptionist and telephone services at, fittingly, the end of a line. Fear not, these guys are no strangers when it comes to the car dealer world. They were set up in 2000, explains the firm’s founder, Neil Murphy, and today find more than a third of their business comes from the car retailing world. ‘We also counted up the number of calls we’ve had that have been specific to car dealers over the past two years,’ said Murphy. ‘We’ve just hit one million!’ That’s a staggering amount of car dealer customer calls, which makes Armchair one of the UK’s leading experts in knowing how to handle car buyers on the telephone. It works so straightforwardly, you’ll wonder how you managed without it. In a nutshell, Armchair will answer your phone calls when you are unable to. By redirecting your phone lines, you will be able to secure the services of ‘Direct To Armchair’ call management, without your customers ever knowing any different. It’s called Armchair Answercall, and it’s clever stuff. An Armchair pro will answer the call for you, using the unique call signature of your car dealer, and either take messages or redirect calls as necessary. It’s pretty high-tech stuff, made possible by big investment in computer hardware and software.

‘It helps ensure you don’t spoil the first impression even when you’re tied up,’ explains Murphy. ‘Missed calls mean missed business, and in the case of car sales that can be a very expensive mistake.’ Particularly when you consider the worth of some of Armchair’s clients – which represent brands including BMW, Mini, Mercedes-Benz and VW. ‘Recession or not, there are still plenty of people out there with money to spend on a new car, and they are the sort of people who expect to be treated quickly and professionally, not left hanging on to the end of a constantly-ringing phone.’ He likens what Armchair does to filling the holes in a leaky bucket. It works on a monthly subscription model, after which, users only pay for the calls that they would otherwise miss (or, in other words, pay for dealing with the calls that will make you money).

‘Four-in-five of your customers will hang up if connected to an answering machine. Not only that, but 80 per cent of first-time callers will be put off by an engaged signal.’ ‘It’s pay as you go – and because we are confident that we offer a service that wins companies business, we don’t tie dealers in to a long contract,’ he adds. ‘Car dealers stay with us because they want to.’ It’s not all the firm offers, either. Armchair also has outbound call services for prospecting new customers, dealing with queries, cross-selling and upselling, or even cleansing your database. How many times have we heard of the importance of the latter? Now, here’s an easy way of doing it – and doing it well. It’s all extremely good for productivity. ‘When your staff haven’t got to worry about answering the phone, they can concentrate on other matters. Armchair Answercall will really increase your organisation’s effectiveness,’ says Murphy. ‘Turning every call into a new customer and making sure existing customers get a great service is what every dealership should be focussed on – and that is where Armchair can make a huge difference.’ >

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FeatuRe Zype

07955 113667, Zype.co.uk

oing live, it used to be called in the old days. ‘Real Time’ is the preferred phrase today. But whichever you use, there’s no escaping the facts: a live presentation of a new or used car is way more compelling and informative than a static, generic ad with a couple of images on a website. This is why car dealers are so keen to get people into their showrooms – to point out the intricacies of the cars, allay their concerns, answer their questions. You’re unlikely to find out what’s putting someone off with email dialogue, and even a phonecall provides a hefty barrier. But the call to action is one thing. In reality, getting people into dealerships is hard. Indeed, harder than ever – nationwide advertising portals mean potential customers are coming nationwide nowadays. Just imagine, then, if you could make it super-easy to do these live presentations online. Buyers could see it all from the comfort of their homes. Just think…. what would the conversion rate of an enquiry potentially be then? ‘42 per cent,’ says Zype’s Andrew Howells. That’s the figure some car dealers quote after using its trick C It Now product, he explains. Wow – you’ve got to admit it’s an eye-opening figure. So, how does this hidden gem work? C It Now is a live online video presentation tool, explains Howells. It enables car dealers to provide bespoke TV shows for customers, no matter where they are in the world. This real-time demonstration can be conducted on the very car they’ve just found on the internet. Indeed, at the very moment they find it, if they so wish! From internet search to a live look-see of the very car a customer is interested in: no wonder Howells reckons C It Now gives car dealers a completely new customer base, and thus a huge broadening of their business. ‘Customers love live video,’ he explains. ‘It’s hard to quantify just how this can help sales – but believe me, it really does work. You’re letting

the customer conduct things on their terms, no matter where they are in the world.’ Car dealers use a headset to liaise with the customer while they film the car – they can then respond to absolutely anything the customer wants to hone in on. And take as long as they want, too. ‘This makes it far more likely for them to then follow it up with a showroom visit,’ he adds. In a further boost for 2010, Zype is developing an archiving facility, which can use modern TV platforms such as BT Vision. This means that any potential buyer who’s keen on the car can take part in the presentation, then download the video they’ve just made and share it with others later. This is extremely clever – effectively, it’s a personalised car TV show, featuring what could well be their next new car. Everyone they know can see this at the click of a computer mouse… or, indeed, a jab of the TV remote! Move over Jeremy Clarkson, dad’s on TV to show off our potential new car: a hidden gem, and no mistake! [CD]

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One Million

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auctions

BCA launches new training courses

Henstock Auction stations Used cars take over key role for dealers as new sales drop

here would be little disagreement from anybody that used cars represent the best profit opportunity for dealers in 2010. The obvious and immediate effect on the car market now the scrappage subsidy has been withdrawn, is that new car retail sales will be slower. Volumes are likely to remain relatively subdued in the used market too, with fewer part-exchanges coming into the wholesale sector, fewer nearly-new ex-demonstrators or daily-rental vehicles. The question remains whether used fleet and lease volumes increase as contract extensions from 2008 and 2009 return. However, there will still be plenty of market churn. Motorists will replace their current vehicle when it ‘For 75 per cent becomes uneconomical not of households a to do so, or lifestyle changes used car is the dictate another vehicle is necessary. It is worth principal vehicle remembering that for 75 per – if this needs cent of households a used car is the principal vehicle – replacing then it if this needs replacing then has to be done.’ it has to be done. The used market will be the primary source for these purchases and therefore represent the best profit opportunity for dealers over the next 12 to 18 months while the UK continues to recover from the recession. Profitably sourcing this used stock is likely to be one of the biggest challenges facing dealers – franchised or specialist – not just this year but for the foreseeable future. The critical factor for dealers is to be able to source the right profile of used car stock to tempt their customers, and to be able to buy it and sell it profitably. BCA sees this as crucial going forward and is launching a number of new services this year to help dealers do just that. In terms of price, we expect average values to remain firm while conditions stay as they are, and expect plenty of competition for the very best retail-quality used cars. Recent weeks have seen some exceptional values recorded on individual vehicles – and that is likely to remain a feature of the market. The budget end of the market is also likely to remain lively – we have seen ongoing demand in the sub-£3,000 price band for some time now and there are no signs this is going to ease in the coming months. Looking further ahead, it is tempting to say that slow and gentle recovery will mean we will be back to where we were in the pre-recession period by the end of 2012.

Who is Simon Henstock? Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Find out more at www.bca-europe.com or call 0845 600 6644.

BCA’s dealer training division has launched a new course on how to buy cars profitably at auction. Aimed at all levels of staff involved in stock procurement, the course teaches the principles of both physical and remote auction buying, as well as stock location, appraisal and valuation. It also covers the use of remote channels such as BCA’s Live Online and other wholesale services, compiling buying lists, buying to order and stock replacement. BCA training manager Les Butler said: ‘Profitably sourcing used stock is likely to be one of the biggest challenges facing dealers – franchised or specialist – not just this year but for the foreseeable future. ‘Auction offers the biggest and most reliable source of stock for dealers, but many professional buyers have lost touch with the auction scene, think it’s not for them or simply have never used them in their stock acquisition planning.

Dealers can get tips on buying stock from auction at course run by the experts ‘This course aims to demonstrate how cost effective auctions are, whether you are buying to order or for stock. It should also dispel the long-held myth that the best cars don’t come to auction – nowadays the best cars are rarely seen anywhere else. ‘Maintaining the right profile and choice of retail used stock could make the difference between a profitable and nonprofitable business model going forward.’ The course is suitable for anyone in the used car trade responsible for stock acquisition. It’s a structured full-day event, and can be used stand-alone or as part of BCA’s ongoing dealer training programme. Franchised and independent dealers who are currently BCA customers can attend the course free of charge. JOHN SLAVIN

Smoked-in cars can be worth Auction4Cars up to £500 less, says BCA A BAN on smoking in cars would not only keep kids healthy but preserve values by as much as £500 too! Following the Royal College of Physicians’ review of anti-smoking laws which called for a ban on smoking in cars, BCA said this would be great news for values as well. A spokesman for BCA said the difference in values between a car that’s been smoked in and one that hasn’t can be as much as £500. The report says 300,000 extra child visits to doctors are the results of parents smoking in cars and in the home. And BCA says that perhaps if the health issues aren’t enough to make parents stub it out, perhaps that monkey-sized dent in their wallets will instead! ‘This is an incredibly important health issue, but if drivers aren’t motivated by the health of their passengers, perhaps they will be by the diminishing health of their finances,’ said a BCA spokesman.

bucks the trend AUCTION4CARS has reported a 20 per cent rise in daily visitors as it celebrates a booming first quarter of 2010. The fee-free auction website says it is continuing to ‘buck the trend’. Not only are daily visitors up 20 per cent since January, but the number of cars sold has risen 63 per cent too. It means the site, which sold 10,000 cars last year, is well on track to meet its goal of 15,000 sales in 2010. Group disposals manager Neil Prescott said the start for 2010 is surpassing all expectations adding: ‘We are confident, given the feedback we are receiving from the trade, that this trend will continue well into 2010 and beyond.’

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

THE FIRST PLACE WHERE

BUYERS AND

SELLERS

CLICK As Europe’s biggest and most vibrant used vehicle market place, we match more buyers with more vendors than anyone. We are the ﬁrst place both buyers and sellers choose to do business, whether in the auction hall or online. Get matched today.

www.bca-europe.com

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...in association with GForces

right click

One face with a million votes W

hat began with a single horrifying car crash in southern California last August became a worldwide automotive incident resulting in an unprecedented recall of millions of Toyota vehicles. Strangely, the question can be posed; could such a crisis actually help a brand’s perception? The internet and, in particular, social networking sites have reset the rules for handling a brand crisis, yet manufacturers and dealers such as Toyota still appear to be risking their reputations by failing to adapt their defence strategies to the real-time and candid nature of the online environment. When Toyota eventually started dabbling with social media, some four months later, they launched Facebook groups offering support. They were shocked to discover the extent of the backlash within the social communities; they had underestimated the online fallout. If this communication had been done earlier, then perhaps some of the brand’s problems could have been avoided, but today even more people are talking about Toyota. It can be argued, however, that if people are talking about the brand more and sometimes in a neutral light, it increases its exposure. Therefore dealers shouldn’t see all publicity about a harmful event as negative publicity. Understandably, dealerships fear publishing communications online will lead to more negativity, when in fact social media can mend problems rather than make them worse. Yes, getting your message across fast is essential, but the understanding is that social media is the 21st century voice for dealers. A slow response is a sign that the company doesn’t have a proper crisis management strategy in place. Essex Auto Group, a multi-franchise dealership in Essex, built themselves an online community to reinforce the manufacturer’s message. By creating a social network, should a harmful event occur, they are in the ideal position to

Do you run scared from social networking websites? Tim Smith explains how you can use them to stay in touch with customers

respond quickly, acknowledge mistakes, treat perceptions as fact and emphasise existing relationships without fear of tarnishing their brand image. Moreover, in an economy that could finally be seeing light at the end of the tunnel, dealerships shouldn’t be so quick to judge social media’s power. From the smallest internet forum to the front page of Digg, the marketing opportunity for your dealership can be substantial. A study by NMA.co.uk highlights the reach of social networks among the total UK internet audience is currently 86 per cent, proving that it is here to stay, so you should join the fray. No dealership should try and market using social media without understanding that faking an interest in a community just to generate sales won’t work. Moving forward, social media will be the number one marketing activity which businesses can manage to develop not only

brand awareness, but also a substantial stakeholder position within their online community. Dealers may not see the need for a crisis management strategy yet but understanding how social media can aid as a defence barrier, be used to communicate manufacturer messages and offer support to individual customers can help retain positive brand perception. Don’t get over-excited though, it is not an instant results marketing tool. It takes months of hard work and a long-term strategy to establish a reputation and build your social network. It takes even longer to generate a solid return on investment for your efforts. Before embracing social media marketing, all businesses are cautioned to consider the pitfalls carefully and a dealer’s commitment should reflect this reality as bad publicity isn’t likely to generate you a healthy ROI if any at all. After all what’s a voice without a face?

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SHOWROOM AVAILABLE ...PRIME LOCATION.

Tremendous profit opportunity - Tried and tested - No tie-in - A site that makes money!

Available now Warranty Management Services have developed a new online policy registration system to promote ease of use for your dealership, and support an excellent sales consolidation tool. WMS SHOWROOM has been designed to ensure that your sales team can achieve optimum penetration and maximum profit from a full range of Warranty, GAP and added value protection products without missing an opportunity. For a free demonstration why not call our sales support team to make an appointment for one of our area Managers to walk you around the site or contact our Business Development Director, Eric Stone, on 07789 682502

0844 477 4909

sales@warrantymanagementservices.co.uk

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...in association with Really Good Domains

It takes more than Google to drive traffic to your website T

he online market for cars (and pretty much anything else you care to think of) is dominated by search marketing. We’ve all become accustomed to using search engines to find what we’re looking for, whether in the early days of the internet when names such as AltaVista, Lycos and Infoseek dominated the search engine market, to today’s near monopoly by Google. Everybody now uses a search engine to look for ‘stuff’. It is this monopoly over search which has made Google into one of the biggest companies in the world, with enough dominance to even battle against governments. But how did such a global juggernaut come about? Well, it’s pretty common knowledge that a couple of very bright (and now very rich) students at University in Stanford, USA, developed the company from a very small base. In fact only 12 years ago no-one had heard of the word Google. Perhaps the biggest impact in the online world occurred in 2002 when Google’s Adwords system was overhauled to include a cost per click-based pricing structure, prior to 2002 Adwords had a purely CPM (cost per mille) structure. Google’s ability to generate huge revenue had begun. Fast forward eight years and now anyone or any company can bid on search terms, immediately by-passing the natural order of results – so-called ‘organic’ search results – to sit smugly in the yellow box at the top of the page. Things had changed forever in the world of search. Today, we have a truly global company in Google. It earned around $23.5bn during 2009, of which 97 per cent was generated through its Adwords/Adsense programmes. The company is beginning to diversify and enter into other markets, such as its acquisition of YouTube and their forthcoming move into the housing market portals, but its core strategy will remain generating revenue through its Adwords system. For many new portal start-ups in the UK automotive industry investing heavily in Google Adwords can bring in significant levels of traffic

to the website in a short space of time – and for car dealers looking at advertising across a variety of websites these new sites can look enticing. However, the question that a dealership should ask itself is, what happens when the website stops using Adwords? The results are often

‘What happens when the website stops using Adwords? The results are often catastrophic for all concerned, with traffic plummeting.’ catastrophic for all concerned, with traffic visiting the site plummeting, similarly the numbers of enquiries completely dries up. With more than 10 years’ experience of running popular motoring websites, Really Good Domains has seen a number of high-profile portal websites go down the route of investing heavily in Adwords with similar results once the investment

begins to wane. Traffic plummets, enquiries evaporate and the portal flounders. There is another way however, and this is the route that Really Good Domains has taken to become one of the main players in online marketing for the automotive industry. The company invests significantly in ensuring that all its websites rank highly in organic search results, thousands of key words, across a broad spectrum of the industry, whether it’s car leasing, new car sales, vans, or nearly-new cars. This ensures that no Really Good Domains website is reliant on Google Adwords for traffic and guarantees that the high-quality traffic on each website is significant, healthy, and strengthening. This provides car dealerships with a level of trust missing from many other motoring portals. Websites such as ContractHireAndLeasing.com, SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk and TheVanWebsite.co.uk enjoy sector-leading traffic levels, and increasing numbers of car dealerships are benefiting from significant increases in genuine enquiries that advertising on the websites generates. For more details call 0161 482 7655.

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automation

...in association with Really Good Domains

retention is absolutely vital WinWinWorld looks at the importance of renewals and retention in the post scrappage world

he end of scrappage begs the question: Will the real downturn in car sales now begin? The 380,000 or so registrations supported by the scrappage scheme may well have cushioned the trade so far against a recessionary wind that could blow through the UK economy once the election is over, but the key question is simple – where will dealers now find enough customers? In a tough market it is a fair bet that the dealers who can prosper most in the next few years will be those who are most efficient in the recycling of each customer in their database. In just 12 months WinWinWorld has established a substantial presence and now supplies hundreds of dealer sites with solutions that manage the customer through their whole lifecycle. With 20 per cent of the top 30 dealers already benefiting from our solutions and a

‘Most dealers today are not equipped with information, tools and techniques to efficiently control the renewal cycle on every single customer.’ number of manufacturer pilots now commencing, the business will double dealer sites by the end of 2010 and double again by the end of 2011 fuelled by the need for the market to find ways to make more money from its customers without increasing the wage bill! The four elements of our solution – Win.It for lead management, Track.It for deal control, Fund. It for finance proposal management and Keep. It for retention and renewals – bring integrated systems, databases and process know-how to extract the maximum value from each customer. By joining together the whole process through one hard-hitting system we can dispose of a great deal of the unproductive rekeying creating more time for essential customer retention activity. Our knowledge, and track record, in how to extract, cleanse and use DMS data to identify sales targets and provide customer knowledge is giving our dealers new weapons to fight with and putting their under-utilised customer data to work. One area that dealers need to focus on urgently is renewals and retention. Most dealers today are not equipped with information, tools and techniques to efficiently control the renewal cycle on every single customer driving around in cars they have sold and have recorded somewhere in their database.

At WinWinWorld one of the quickest and most direct effects we can have on a dealership is to improve control of renewals through our Keep. It processes. Dealers will have their renewals information on each customer right in front of them with the customers’ ‘buying power’ monitored daily looking for the right time to make that ‘good news’ offer to change. They can then stack a deal incorporating the sources of funding that can create the right offer for the customer on a vehicle the dealer needs to sell. Very quickly they can compose the offer and give it to the salesman to contact the customer with a strong message bringing them back into the market as early as possible. This reduces competition for the customer’s renewal business from other dealers and from the customer shopping around themselves. The WinWinWorld dealer should always get there first! To illustrate in just one WinWinWorld Ford dealer site more than 4,000 previous customer records have been built up which are monitored constantly giving the sales controller an easy to use resource to answer his daily sales problem: Who can I sell this Ford to today? An interesting side effect of this renewals process is that new car lead times actually work as a positive effect allowing earlier contact. Better use of manufacturer support and other sources of finance in renewals activity helps bring forward the change cycle. A sales team equipped with the WinWinWorld renewals system can handle a far more frequent and consistent renewals process than the

alternative systems we see in the market that are driven mainly through time-based finance expiry information from lenders. The other area that WinWinWorld is focussed on with our Keep.It solution is helping dealers target more business in the add-on and aftermarket. Using our Track.It software WinWinWorld train dealers in techniques to increase the available finance for selling add-on products in the showroom. PCP has been a strategy to encourage sales and renewal and we show how some different approaches to selling PCP finance can help increase the invoice value of the deal and support the renewals process. For WinWinWorld to deliver results to our customers over the long term will involve good systems but it will also involve good people. In the next three months WinWinWorld plans to strengthen its board by concluding its search for a high-profile chairman with the right industry knowledge, contacts, leadership and management expertise to drive the business still further forward. A key objective of this appointment will be putting in place the sector’s best team of motor field consultants to deliver and measure the stream of solutions needed to produce new profits for our customers. Putting good systems and sufficient on-site dealer consultancy support together in a measurable business model is the way to effect change and WinWinWorld is ready to help. If are you an experienced motor consultant or trainer looking for an opportunity or want more information email: callmenow@winwinworld.co.uk

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recruitment

Question time Car Dealer asks a host of recruitment specialists their favourite interview question and why YOU should ask it John Marrison JGA

Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years time? Reasons for asking this are multitude. It tells you whether the candidate has thought about where his or her career is going and where it needs to go, and whether they have the ambition and commitment to achieve their goals. It also delves into a more subtle area – is the candidate satisfied with the current chosen career path, or, is a change a possible consideration in order to achieve a more desirable future?

Nathalie Greve Infiniti Europe

My favourite one is: ‘Imagine you have neither budget nor space/storage restriction, which car or even cars would you buy?’ Like this you see if they are really interested in cars, know even some brands or models and which type of driver they might be. I’ve had answers like Golf Plus, Veyron, MG BGT – and even ‘I would not be driving a car, but take a bus/train’.

Alex Summers CarEnquiry.co.uk

Mine is ‘How do you balance life and work?’ This way, we can find out if the interviewee would have child care arrangements in an emergency and whether they would work over their contracted hours if necessary, as well as join us for a pint on a Friday. Due to the fact that CarEnquiry.co.uk is a new company, the answer to this question helps us to determine whether the potential employee would be fully reliable and could work late one evening if necessary in order to get the job done.

nearly 15 years ago and I must have given a good answer because I got the job. It’s quite simply: ‘What’s the most difficult interview question you’ve ever been asked?’ I use it now and it gets candidates every time. I use it for one purpose only – to see how quickly they react under pressure. The answer for those struggling is: ‘The one you’ve just asked me!’

Kevin Watson

Autotrade-mail.com One of my old favourite questions is ‘How would you describe yourself to someone who you have never met?’ The reason I find this quite an interesting question is that the candidate’s self-description can be much more telling and natural than what they would have provided within their CV. When an individual scribes a profile of themselves it normally has been very well considered to naturally ensure it stands them in a good light. When posed with the above question, due to them wanting to be modest yet convey their strengths, it results in just getting a more reactionary, light and honest answer.

Michelle Hall Automotive HR

Mine is ‘what do you like most about your current position?’ I enjoy asking this of an applicant as it gives them the opportunity to express the positive areas of their current role. Too many applicants are asked to talk about

the negative aspects of their job when, as a recruitment consultant, I really like to know the applicant’s strengths rather than weaknesses.

Nikki Geldard

Really Good Domains My favourite question to ask in interview is ‘Tell me something you wouldn’t want me to know about you’. It shocks people and surprisingly enough, in many cases, interviewees respond as requested and proceed to disclose highly personal facts about themselves, such as that they’ve slept with their neighbour, have a third nipple or have been photographed topless!

Trevor Willcox Square Peg

The final question I always ask is this: ‘If we were sitting in a room with your work colleagues what do you think they would say about you?’ Ideally, the answer should match some of their strengths and weaknesses already identified but it also enables me to see whether they do any self analysis of themselves based on knowing how they are viewed by others.

Guy Liddall

Motor Trade Selection Mine is: ‘What are your priorities in life?’ This is the most important question, not necessarily my favourite. It helps establish whether they are prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to deliver in whatever role they are seeking.

Chris Mason Motor Codes

The Motor Codes team is fairly small, so when we recruit it is important to get it right. I always ask applicants for their experiences (good and bad) with service and repair outlets. To work in the Motor Codes team you have to be committed to making the industry a better place, so I need to see passion and drive for this in every applicant I see.

Rob Queen

Starkwood Media Group This was asked of me when I went for an interview at Honda (UK)

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For the BEST recruitment advertising prices call JADE SIMMONDS on (023) 9252 2434

stephen wright

Jimi Matthews

My favourite question that I asked in my former life was: ‘Do you Google yourself?’ It’s amazing how many people (famous or not) Google themselves and spend hours reading about themselves rather than just getting on with it and not worrying what other people think of them.

Favourite questions we’ve heard asked by clients to candidates include: If you were an animal, what would you be and why? Tell me what you know about this company? What’s your favourite colour? (Usually asked when a candidate is in mid-flow) Some of these are obviously asked to throw the candidate off of any pre-prepared spiel, others are designed to see how far the candidate was prepared to go to get the job. We’ve also heard the following asked as the candidate is leaving the interview, again usually to throw the candidate off their stride: Did you iron that shirt this morning? And: Did you go out last night?

Motorpoint

stuart holt

holt Recruitment My favourite question to ask an interviewee is to clarify what truly motivates them. I ask them to put the following factors in order of importance when considering a position: Product (manufacturer), company, money, location, and progression. It’s a simple way to quickly establish their priorities.

Ben taylor

Keystone group Tell me about yourself? This question uncovers a multitude of things without the candidate even realising. It will also give good discussion points to follow up on later in the interview. A candidate will often talk freely about themselves after answering this question, as it’s the question most people would not rehearse for.

perfect placement

steve shaw

ingenia Recruitment My favourite interview question is simply to ask the candidate where they have worked. I’m usually armed with their CV so it is amazing how often it differs from what they actually say. My advice for potential employees is: tailor your CV for each position. You should outline how your experience fits the requirements of the job and highlight that you’ve researched the company. It is important that you give a good first impression so dress smartly, switch off your mobile and arrive on time.

Just the job THIS month Car Dealer Magazine has relaunched its recruitment section with one amazing offer! We always strive to help the trade out whenever we can so have decided the best way to do that is to give you the most affordable advertising in the motor trade. As part of that, we promise to beat any recruitment advertising price you’ve been given for motor trade print advertising. Simply show us a copy of an invoice or quote and we will beat it – guaranteed! This offer is open to any car dealership, motor industry supplier or recruitment agency that wants to place recruitment advertising for positions they currently have available. To find out the details, just give us a call and we’ll explain how you can get an advert in our new section – we’re on 023 9252 2434.

The UK’s Number 1 Choice For Motor Trade Recruitment

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08450 212123 Steer Your Business In The Right Direction

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The Natural Choice in Automotive Recruitment A word from John John Gibson Associate – The UK’s largest and leading Automotive Recruitment Consultancy. With a Head Office York supporting a national network of genuine Regional Offices, each run by experienced Motor Trade Professionals who know the local market inside and out; ensuring we are the only providers of National coverage on a Local basis. Specialists in working confidentially; respecting the identities of all our clients and candidates meaning that there are no embarrassing situations. Every candidate we put forward is pre-interviewed so that we are certain that not only do we find exceptional candidates for the job but also for the business environment – we take pride in our reputation for expertise and an outstanding personal service and ensuring we do the job correctly. Each and every vacancy we handle is a genuine client requirement and every candidate we put forward has been contacted, giving their consent to be considered for a vacancy We’ve been established for over 25 years and our track record speaks for itself; we enjoy at least 85% repeat business and place more candidates in more jobs than anyone in motor trade recruitment. All this means that John Gibson Associates are the recognised and trusted brand in Automotive Recruitment. And because we are confident that you will be more than satisfied with our client services – all this comes with a six month guarantee.

The first quarter of 2010 has started with a considerable bang, as opposed to the whimper that accompanied the same period in 2009. There is a clearly defined and strong demand for the highest quality candidates in all areas of the industry. We have seen two trends during the recent year perhaps a cause and effect scenario. The one effect has been the thinning down of the number of small specialist businesses operating in the automotive industry, particularly within recruitment. The second noticeable growth has been the “bargain basement” type of recruitment business whereby the client is bombarded with large numbers of low quality CVs and ends up wondering what he or she is doing, carrying out the selection process that the recruitment company was employed to do in the first place! Both these trends have reinforced the strength of the long established recruitment consultancies offering a reliable and quality service, sourcing top calibre industry professionals at an affordable price. The industries ability to adapt to a changing market has been well illustrated with dealers and manufacturers own variations of

continuing the highly successful Scrappage Scheme that produced a lifeline for many during 2009. Many jobs within the industry, particularly in the North East, will be safeguarded by Government money being made available for the development of cleaner engine technology. No better illustration of this positivity could be than the announcement by Nissan of their intention to source the manufacturing of their electric car in Sunderland. Always being in the forefront of capitalising upon positive signs in the industry, John Gibson Associates, the only Recruitment Consultancy to genuinely have offices across the country, have experienced a dramatic increase in business this year. Key to this success has been the securing of several long term ‘preferential supplier’ agreements with major dealer groups and manufacturers. AND we have witnessed expansion to our Regional Office network – ensuring that we remain at the forefront of offering our candidates and clients truly national coverage and a service that is second to none. Visit our website or call us and speak to one of our Industry Professionals to see how working with John Gibson Associates can benefit your success.

JGA cover all positions in the Motor Trade and it’s related industries – below is a selection of the different vacancies currently being handled by our network of Regional Offices – visit www.jgauk.com to see a complete list of genuine client requirements and take the next step towards your future success. Job ID Job Title 13840 13384 13759 13807 13833 13835 13831 13818 13795 13827 13823 13752 13725

Location

JGA Regional Office

Fleet & Business Sales North Manc. Cumbria/Lancs/West Yorks Workshop Manager E. Yorks North York / North East MET Fitter (B/shop) Castle Donnington Derby/Notts/S. Yorks Asst Accountant Widnes Manchester/Stockport B/shop Estimator South Lincs SW Yorks/Lincs Project Engineer Northampton Area Cambs/Leic/Lincs/Northants Sales Exec (Prestige) IP Postcode Essex/Norfolk/Suffolk Used Car Sales Mgr Cheltenham Bristol/South West Used Car Buyer Covering South West Dorset/Hants/Wilts Service Advisor Newbury Berks/Bucks/Oxon Parts Mgr Milton Keynes N. London/Beds/Herts General Sales Mgr Surrey Surrey/W. Sussex/W. London Business Mgr CR Postcode E.Sussex/Kent/SE London

Tel: 0845 644 3003

THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE RECRUITERS

Web: www.jgauk.com Email: info@jgauk.com

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