Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 62

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BOND UNVEILS RANGE ROVER SPORt IN NEW YORK

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Business Publication of the Year

Issue 62 | May 2013 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

of the the return scar rt British spo

plus: Jaguar LAND ROVER executives INTERVIEWED

top of the range

POSH NEW RANGE ROVER TAKES ON ITS KEY RIVALS

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IGNITION.

EDITORIAL EDITOR James Batchelor james.batchelor@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jrrbatchelor STAFF WRITER Jon Reay jon@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @JonReay head of design Graeme Windell graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerGraeme

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING Manager Duncan Chappell duncan@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDunc Advertising EXECUTIVE Amy Hobbs amy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAmy CAR DEALER CLUB ADMINISTRATOR Natasha Smith natasha@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerTash CREDIT CONTROL & ADMINISTRATOR Pippa Marsden pippa@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerPip

SUITS MANAGING DIRECTOR James Baggott james@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerEd OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Andy Entwistle andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy

Contributors

James Litton, Tim Naylor, Tim Heavisides, Jonathan Such, Dave Brown, Mal Hay, Leon Poultney, Daljinder Nagra, Diana Hargreaves and Ben Morse

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COULD have got out of the Welcome. IInfiniti and remonstrated most enthusiastically with him, or I could have just ignored him and carried on with my business.

I chose the latter. It was a fine welcome to Wales – it was minus three and the snow was rather biblical in places.

And then I had this farmer shouting at me in his elderly Mitsubishi L200 saying (this is the tidied up, more polite version): ‘Why don’t you go back home to England where you belong, and then we all won’t have to look at your lovely Infiniti with its chrome accessories.’

After a drive of six hours, we had finally made it to the village where we were going to be based for our luxury 4x4s feature. Before we made our way to our delightful rented cottage, we stopped off at Morrison’s to get some supplies.

But the Morrison’s car park in Denbigh wasn’t really suited to overly large 4x4s. In my attempt to find a car parking space in the impossibly imposing Infiniti FX, I had agitated a farmer in his muddy L200.

And that’s the thing about luxury 4x4s. We’re all used to seeing them on the roads, and now with their efficient diesel engines (the new Range Rover ‘only’ emits 196g/ km of CO2) they are almost environmentally friendly.

But, to simple mortals like this farmer, they are objects of unspeakable hate.

For this farmer, a 4x4 is a workhorse. It’s a tool to carry hay, pregnant sheep and merry villagers to the pub.

They are diesels that never break down. They fit into the surrounding landscape better than the cast of Last of the Summer’s Wine. Our 4x4s were never going to fit in.

And, quite possibly the showiest of the lot was the new Range Rover. Desperate to try it in the UK, we pitted it

against some other posh 4x4s that have all done a lot to create this modern-day image of a 4x4 – one that’s stylish and doesn’t carry pregnant sheep in their boots. Turn to p52 to find out which luxury 4x4 is our favourite.

JLR SPECIAL The posh off-roader mega test is just one part of our Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Special. This month, James Baggott was lucky enough to be transported both to the New York Motor Show as a guest of JLR to see James Bond unveil the new Range Rover Sport (turn to p50) and to Spain to try out the new Jag F-Type (p44). Naturally, he’s been unbearable in the office this month – boasting of his two incredible and exotic trips while we put up with Gosport.

TOTAL RECALL Talking about status, four Japanese firms have found their pride has taken a battering this month. Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mazda have all fallen victim to a massive recall concerning airbags. While this is bound to get big wigs fretting, it can only mean good times for dealers. They’ll be able to reconnect with old customers and welcome new ones to their workshops. It’ll be a double bonus for Toyota dealers too – as one friend told me this month, dealers are still fixing customers’ cars from the previous fire-scare recall late last year. Turn to p15 for the full story. Enjoy the issue.

James Batchelor, editor

Winner: Best Business ‘This magazine brings its readers an insightful, engaging overview of their industry which Publication of the Year entertains as well as informs’ - award judges CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

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44

Jag F-Type – full road test

We travel to sunny Spain to drive the most exciting Jaguar for decades

INSIDE. ISSUE 62 I MAY 2013

Dashboard

07 Car Dealer Conference 10 Car Dealer Power 16 Interview: Mercedes UK MD 19 Plant Oxford 100 years 20 Best marketing ideas of all time 24 Stars of the New York Motor Show 26 Big Mike 33 Baggott 35 Letters

52

Forecourt

Renault Zoe

Porsche Cayman

Best marketing ideas of all time

Driven: Renault Zoe

24 38

Fiesta ST & Clio RS 200

‘‘

Luxury 4x4 mega test

46

The Range Rover Sport launch made me feel so very proud to be British.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK MD

Features

Jaguar F-Type driven

Jeremy Hicks interview John Edwards interview Range Rover Sport in detail Luxury 4x4s tested Focus on: Video Focus on: Judge Service Trade-to-Trade

Data File

The Statistics

£50 Car Challenge Taking Stock Commercials Auctions

20

Trader Talk On Track Plant Oxford turns 100

a month in A picture...

This is our glorious leader posing for a photo with Jaguar PR man Dan Connell and the towering giant that is Shaquille O’Neal, NBA basketball star and rapper. Sadly, Baggott decided to take the opportunity to fall asleep just as the camera’s shutter closed. You can read his New York Motor Show blogs by following the QR code on p26-27.

Motor Mouth Market Insight Suppliers Guide & Trader Directory with Litton Long Termers Workshops Time is Money

38 40 42 44 46 49 50 52 60 62 65 78 80 81 82 85 86 87 88 89 90 92 94 98

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

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feedback.

Your comments via email at james.batchelor@blackballmedia.co.uk | Our website at CarDealerMag.co.uk | And from Twitter: Follow @CarDealerMag

Lack of quality stock is a problem Your story on CarDealerMag.co.uk about used stock ‘running dangerously low across the industry’, makes for interesting reading.

I am in complete agreement with those 100 dealers CAP surveyed. I am an independent dealer and I am really struggling to replace the quality used cars I sell on my forecourt. I often have customers coming in and asking me whether I have got cars in good condition for their budget, but often I have to disappoint as I just cannot get hold of suitable stock.

Naturally, I ask for their details and keep in touch should I find anything suitable, but the mere fact I have to disappoint them really frustrates me.

Sadly, I cannot see an end to this crisis in the near future – have other dealers experienced anything similar?

Martin Norris via email

Scribbler’s spot on

James Baggott’s piece on Ferrari at Geneva was both entertaining and an insight into how secretive the Italian manufacturer is.

Personal highlights include mafia and Interpol references in relation to the picture published, the subtle reference to Ferrari’s fire worries and the description of the California’s target audience – bald, middle-aged men with small genitalia.

This is the kind of columnist that makes a good read, it’s opinionated and funny with a touch of class. Excellent! James, let it continue.

Graeme Berry

via email

Tracker thumbs up

Interesting article last month talking about this new threat to tracking device blockers – it worries me to think you can invest all this money in tracking and subscription but someone can still get round it by buying a device that is illegal to use but not to purchase. Another winning regulation by

twitter comments

Year of the private plate?

Fifth Gear presenter, avid Car Dealer Magazine reader and jolly nice chap Jonny Smith tweeted us this month. We wouldn’t normally make a song and dance about this but his tweet was very interesting. So interesting in fact it provoked a debate which many of you got involved with. Here’s Jonny’s tweet and some of the best comments by you on Twitter...

Reading @CarDealerMag about dealers seeing superstitious customers’ reluctance to buy ‘13 plate cars. 2013 may be the year of private plates Jonny Smith @carpervert @Carpervert @CarDealerMag i’ve seen a Citroen dealer offering free private plates.

Christopher Smith @chrismi @Carpervert @CarDealerMag Sold 25 new cars this month one private plate which was a transfer so would have done it whenever changing.

Russell Claxton @Sprout_Clackers @Carpervert @CarDealerMag You can put any

our mighty leader.

But for dealers it certainly makes sense, profit and subscription percentage and the numbers of recovered vehicles speak for themselves. After all, if your car is stolen you’d like to have it back.

Simon Fulwell via email

In clean agreement

The Karcher piece has cemented what I say all the time, hot water is the only way to wash cars.

You wouldn’t expect cold water to clean your saucepans, so why would you expect it to shift

older plate on a newer car so the superstitious are free to be stuck in time with a 62 plate...

Naeem Ahmed @gnaeem @chrsmi @carpervert @cardealermag I know some work colleagues taking delivery of 13 plate company cars are putting cheap private plates on.

Paul Howard @phoward1974

road filth, grease and build-up of brake dust. I fully agree – a clean working environment not only impresses the customers but also keeps staff morale high.

Richard Moorcroft

via email

Recall? Hurrah!

Having just read your story on CarDealerMag. co.uk, I’m pleased Toyota say they’re getting better at recalling cars. How heartening for us all!

Janet Walker

via email

The happy dancing pills that equalled an unhappy day DURING the ’90s, I worked at a Ford dealer. Every Wednesday morning, our boss would insist on a complete change around of the forecourt.

Move the stock, change the flag positions and basically have a clean up of the site.

Now, I don’t mind doing my bit, but the boss would stand there with a cuppa and bark orders to us in a less-than-empathetic tone. ‘Come on, I ain’t paying you to stand around, that’s what I get paid for, and a lot more than you lot do!’ That was his favourite quote.

Needless to say, we all hated him.

He would even make one of us get his coffee for

the show! This is where my confession starts, but not how you would think! I was a bit of a raver and would experiment in the odd ‘energy stimulant’ when at a club. I thought that our boss could do with a bit of energising and maybe then he could help us out with the forecourt moving?

Wednesday came around and I jumped at the chance to make his coffee.

I slipped in one of my ‘happy dancing pills’.

I’m not proud of it, I know it was wrong, but my God was it funny! After an hour of shouting at us, he went very quiet. ‘I’m going back in boys, finish on your

My

CONFESSION

own’. With this, he turned on his heels and quickmarched into his office. After about 10 minutes, we had finished and went in to see what had developed.

He was sitting in his chair, rocking back and forth and sweating profusely. ‘I don’t feel great’; he said and kept rubbing his ears.

Fifteen minutes later, he had a huge panic attack and turned his office upside down searching for his birth certificate. After his paranoia and panic attack stopped, he slumped in his chair and slept for about two hours. He woke up with a headache and a hankering for beef stew! Shame we didn’t have camera phones back then!

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

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Market is impatient for the Fiesta ST

Heavisides

warranty wonders

Maybe these shoots really are green this time

O

Ford has high hopes for launch this summer

F

ord has high hopes for its new Fiesta ST, the company has suggested, just hours after the standard Fiesta was revealed as the top-selling car in the UK in March.

Speaking to Car Dealer, Ford of Britain sales director Andy Barratt revealed that the firm hoped its newly-launched baby ST would become a best-seller within its segment. ‘That’s certainly our plan,’ said Barratt. ‘We’re really encouraged by Fiesta’s sales in March, and if you look at our history with Fiesta hot hatches, you’ll notice that typically it’s been very good.

‘If you go back far enough, you’ll see that sportier versions have had as much as a 20 to 30 per cent mix within the Fiesta range before, and although that’s not likely to happen this time because of a change in demographics over the years, we are seeing significant early demand for Fiesta ST. ‘People want the car today, which is a really good sign, and they’re getting

impatient with me because they’re not coming through quickly enough. And that for me is a really good barometer for the car.

‘The educated feedback from the early test drives has been really encouraging too — it’s been fantastic — and that I think builds for long-term success of new Fiesta ST.’ Barratt also revealed that the ST version of the Focus was performing well — with the company ‘encouraged’ by the way sales were going. The estate version is also said to be carving a niche for itself ‘What’s interesting is that it’s appealing to sectors that we wouldn’t necessarily expect it to go to — for example we’re seeing a little bit of police demand for the estate,’ revealed Barratt.

‘That makes sense, as it’s durable, fast when they want it, and as opposed to some of their normal stuff they’re not filling it up twice on a shift.

‘So on balance, we’re really pleased with Focus ST, incredibly happy with Fiesta ST, and we feel that in many ways they do complement each other even though they’re quite different cars.’

Handbook: Ford Fiesta ST, p40

New Golf GTI is cheaper to tax and insure VOLKSWAGEN has revealed the pricing and specification for its new Golf GTI which heads to dealers this summer.

The GTI, available to order now, wades in at £25,845 — £195 more than the previous model. The Golf comes in three and five-door shapes and is now also available in two different power outputs.

Both versions — a 217bhp standard car, and a 227bhp ‘Performance’ model — are powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with either a six-speed manual or six-speed DSG gearbox.

An upgrade to ‘Performance’ costs

£980 and, along with a boost in power, comes with a mechanical limited-slip-diff and larger front and rear brakes.

The only way to tell the cars apart visually, says Volkswagen, is ‘GTI’ letters on the Performance’s red brake callipers.

The slight power boost brings a marginal increase in speed: the standard car hitting 62mph in 6.5 seconds, while the performance manages it in 6.4.

The new car is cheaper to run — five insurance groups lower than the old car and, with emissions at 139g/km, cheaper to tax.

nce again, UK new car registrations outperformed the rest of Europe in March and showed an uplift of nearly six per cent against a year ago, according to the SMMT. Plate-change month is always healthy for new car sales, but this March was higher than the two per cent rise seen in 2012 and the figures are a very welcome contrast to the downward EU trend.

We haven’t seen volume like this since the Scrappage Scheme back in 2010 and to underline that this isn’t a flash in the pan, the market has grown in the past 13 months, although we’re still a long way behind where we were in 2007 before the financial crisis took a grip.

It’s tempting to predict the green shoots of recovery (and I remember doing that at the start of 2012) but the car market is a good barometer of consumer confidence and the conditions for car sales are currently excellent.

Finance seems to be more readily available than it was even a year ago, there’s a strong supply of new vehicles into dealerships and consumers appear to be more comfortable making a larger investment than they have been for the past few years.

The shape of the market is changing, too.

Private sales are up but sales of petrol are down by a fifth over the past five years as more buyers opt for diesel and fuel-efficient cars.

It’s all set against a backdrop of a four-year high in UK vehicle production and exports from British factories.

Good news for the new car market translates to good news for the rest of the sector, too.

Buyers of new vehicles have cars to trade in, which boosts the used market and buyer footfall opens the door to selling finance, service plan and GAP insurance products alongside vehicles to provide a complete ownership package. It’s all encouraging news and a welcome sight for a market that’s seen its fair share of gloom. Green shoots finally seem to be coming through and not just because of the weather.

‘Good news for the car market equals good news for the rest of the us’

Who is Tim Heavisides?

Heavisides is CEO of Car Care Plan, the UK’s leading provider of motor warranty and GAP products.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

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Your LAST chance to register... ...for the FREE to attend Car Dealer Conference on May 3

I

t’s officially your last chance to get tickets for our highly popular May event, Car Dealer Conference, so act fast to make sure you can attend!

May 3 is the date of the event, so make sure you register now to avoid disappointment. Places are running out, so don’t delay!

Held at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire, in association with Pro-Align, it should be a fantastic event – and an ideal start to the bank holiday.

The day will be jam-packed with the very best ideas on how to make more money – and we’re sure it’s an event you won’t want to miss.

You’ll be hearing from 10 key speakers on the day who’ll be discussing the best ways for dealers to make more profit and protect their businesses, with a focus on lead generation, maximising sales and F&I. BCA, Glass’s Guide, Autotrade Mail, GardX and more are all confirmed attendees, with each sure to be giving valuable information to dealers and traders alike.

Headlining the conference will be the wheel alignment specialists Pro-Align, who’ll be holding a live demonstration of their wheel alignment products during the day.

Meanwhile the Heritage Motor Centre’s exhibition hall will be full to bursting point with the Car Dealer Conference Expo. Here around 20 exhibitors from all areas of the trade and motor industry will be on hand to chat to about the products and services they can offer to dealers.

But the really big news about the 2013 Car Dealer Conference is the live Q&A session: Car Dealer Clinic.

Chaired by Car Dealer’s editor, James Batchelor, the session will feature leading figures from the automotive industry – and if you’ve got a burning issue you want to discuss, it’s the perfect opportunity – BBC Question Time style!

Industry figures are already confirmed for the session, including representatives from Trading Standards, the Finance and Leasing Association and Google – who’ll be happy to answer any queries you might have.

You could also be in with a chance of winning an iPad! A draw will follow the Q&A session – so make sure you pick up your raffle ticket on the door!

And if you’re a car fan – and why wouldn’t you be? – you’re in luck. After the conference has finished (at around 3pm), you’ll be more than welcome to explore the automotive delights downstairs in the Heritage Motor Centre.

As attendees of our previous events will testify, they’re full of great ideas not only for maximising profit, but protecting your business too – and Car Dealer Conference could prove to be the most useful event yet. Registration for the event is OPEN NOW, and will be closing soon! To book your FREE ticket, simply scan the QR code below or type bit.ly/cardealerconference into your web browser and hit the ‘Register’ button. You’ll then need to enter your name and email address, and confirmation of your registration will be sent to you instantly. It’s as simple as that!

the event

CONFERENCE 2013

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Conference date: Friday, May 3, 2013 From 9am to 3pm Attending this year’s event Pro-Align Autos on Show BCA Contact Advantage FLA Google GardX Key Tracker Parrot Tracker Trading Standards 10 Acity Venue: Heritage Motor Centre Banbury Road Gaydon Warwickshire CV35 0BJ

New for 2013 The Car Dealer Clinic Following the main conference, we will be hosting a Car Dealer clinic, where you will get the chance to pose questions to some key organisations in the industry.

Confirmed attendees on the panel are Trading Standards, FLA (Finance & Leasing Association) and Google, with more to be confirmed. This gives you the opportunity to talk about issues impacting your business.

The Car Dealer Expo Running alongside the conference will be the Car Dealer Expo. The expo will give attendees the chance to talk with suppliers and exhibitors about the latest products and technology to help support dealers and the used car industry. More than 20 suppliers to the industry will have stands in the expo which will be running throughout the day.

This year’s headline sponsor is the UK’s leading wheel alignment specialist, Pro-Align. They are giving dealerships the opportunity to discover the very latest in alignment technology which offers a unique Servicing Solution, one that is already delivering proven additional profits of up to 40 per cent. For Pro-Align’s latest conference type bit.ly/CDCpro into your web browser.

Register Free Now... ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Scan the QR code or type bit.ly/cardealerconference into your web browser

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The winners and losers in March registrations bit.ly/Marchwinners

Strong 2012 logged by HR Owen Refurbishment sees upswing at Berkeley Square dealership

A

strong performance has been reported by HR Owen for 2012, with profits hitting £2.3 million — an increase of more than 27 per cent.

The results are likely to be no surprise — we reported in January that HR Owen was expecting good results.

Revenue for HR Owen was up 26 per cent, reaching £243.5 million in 2012, following similar boosts to other ‘premium’ dealership groups such as Inchcape and Stratstone, likely helped by the increased popularity of manufacturers such as Land Rover.

HR Owen puts the progress down to a number of key improvements — both to its systems, marketing and dealership infrastructure.

The firm’s flagship Rolls Royce dealership in Berkeley Square went through a complete refurbishment earlier in the year, with performance since the reopening described as ‘particularly strong’.

HR Owen’s marketing also had a boost with a

Above: Joe Doyle; right: Rolls-Royce showroom in Berkeley Square new ‘identity’ rolled out across the group.

Meanwhile, it launched a new website and ‘Drive’ magazine, with the former resulting in a yearon-year doubling of website visitors.

The firm also suggests that its greater investment in PR gave them significantly increased media presence throughout the year.

‘A strong performance across the board meant we outperformed the market and delivered substantial revenue and profit increases,’ said HR Owen’s chief executive, Joe Doyle.

‘Our strategy is succeeding in delivering both growth today as well as laying important foundations for the future growth of the business. The successful integration of the Broughton’s business and its return to profit, plus strong organic growth, demonstrates our capacity to expand the business.’

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Perrys Aylesbury targeted by thieves bit.ly/Perrysthieves

Japanese car makers recall 3.4m cars over airbag risk

Lings CARS

Massive recall affects Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda cars worldwide

ASA targets LingCars.com

H

CAR LEASING website LingsCars.com has been targeted by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after the body received a complaint about the listing of a DeLorean on the site.

The listing for the DeLorean DMC-12 on a low-cost personal lease was defended by the company’s operator, Ling Valentine as being ‘clearly a joke’ – with the car having ceased production over 30 years ago.

The ASA weren’t convinced, however – disagreeing with the suggestion that the advertised £150/month leasing deals for DeLoreans wouldn’t be taken seriously.

‘Your website offers cars (some are unusual and unique) for leasing,’ investigations executive Lucy Crowe responded, ‘so consumers who visit your website would have no reason to believe that the DeLorean is not available.’

Valentine’s next retort was to enquire why a similar ad on the site for a Reliant Robin wasn’t also being called into question.

The ASA has since asked for the DeLorean ad to be removed, though Valentine is yet to do so. No action has taken against those for the Reliant Robin.

onda, Toyota, Nissan and Mazda dealers will soon be dealing with an influx of workshop activity – after the manufacturers recalled 3.4 million cars globally over a defective part which could ’cause the airbag inflator to rupture and deploy the airbag abnormally in a crash’.

Toyota is recalling the most models in the UK, with 76,000 cars due to head back to the dealers for a thorough once over. Nissan says almost 60,000 UK models were involved, Honda will recall 14,475 cars and Mazda just 1,913.

All manufacturers have cited a faulty component supplied by Takata as the main cause of the recall with most affected cars manufactured between 2000 and 2004.

A Toyota spokesperson said: ‘We have informed VOSA who will soon release the addresses of those affected to us so we can write to them.

‘We will then ask customers to visit their local dealers where the part will be replaced for free in around an hour to two and a half hours, depending on the model.

‘Customers who wish to find out more can log on to our website, Toyota. co.uk, enter their registration or VIN number and it will automatically inform them if their vehicle is affected.’

Honda says the majority of vehicles affected are CR-Vs built at the Swindon plant between 2002-2003. A small number of Jazz and Stream variants built between 2001-2002 are also

TOTAL RECALL The complete list of affected cars built between 2000-2004 unless stated, are: Honda – CR-V, Jazz and Stream Toyota – Corolla, Yaris, Avensis, Avensis Verso, Picnic, Camry, Lexus SC430 Nissan – X-Trail, Patrol, Almera, Almera Tino, Terrano II and Navara Mazda – Mazda 6, 2002-2003 models only included in the recall.

A Honda spokesperson said: ‘Naturally, we are in contact with the DVLA to ensure we can contact all registered owners of those vehicles affected.’

This is the third recall Toyota has experienced in the past 12 months, with two major recalls occurring at the tail end of last year. A Toyota spokesperson said: ‘We are getting better at these and customers like the

fact the we are proactive, contact them and fix their car free of charge to ensure it is as safe as it can possibly be.’

Andrew Jackson from the lawyers Thomas Eggar LLP, said: ‘In the US in particular, Toyota faced numerous lawsuits for “lost value”. Technically, every owner of a defective Toyota, Nissan, Honda or Mazda car is a potential claimant. However, in both the UK and Europe, such an action would face significant obstacles.’

AL BR NE LO US W Y HE LO D OK

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Visit and order online at: www.rearguards.co.uk Phone: 01525 853888 Email: sales@rgmouldings.com CarDealerMag.co.uk | 15

SURVEY.

Your chance to tell us E

ntries for this year’s Car Dealer Power survey are now streaming in, but make sure you’ve not forgotten to have your say too!

Missed our pull-out copy in Issue 60? Don’t worry – you can also fill it out online by visiting CarDealerPower.com. It’s quicker, easier, and should take just a minute or two.

Car Dealer Power is now in its fourth year – having helped put dealers and traders back in the driving seat since 2009, and giving you the opportunity to say what you really think about the manufacturers behind your dealerships. Last year, Hyundai just pipped Suzuki and Volkswagen for the top gong.

This year’s survey, supported by GEN-3 Glasscoat, is once again aiming to highlight the manufacturers who have treated their dealers best – be it through providing competitive finance

Hundreds of you have filled in this year’s Car Dealer Power survey. Why not join in our quest to find the best? offers to get customers through the door, or managing its stream of new stock.

It’s not just manufacturers in the survey, though: Suppliers are just as important, and we’d like your views on who you use too. From website designers to auction houses, we want to know what you think of the companies that your business uses.

We want you to rate the firms you use in all areas of your business so we can celebrate the very best – and invite them to our special Car Dealer Power Awards night on June 12. We’ve

also managed to secure a number of prizes which will be handed out to random respondents to the survey (see right).

What’s in it for me?

Aside from getting the priceless opportunity to have your say, there are some enticing prizes to be won. For the sake of confidentiality we don’t ask for your name – simply enter your mobile phone number at the top of the survey if you’d like to be entered to win one of seven great prizes. A BMW

$BS%FBMFS

POWER IN ASSOCIATION WITH

GEN-3 GLASSCOAT

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Fill in the survey NOW by

Car Dealer Power in association with..

what you really think watch and even tickets to the BTCC are just a selection of those on offer, so get filling out today if you want to be in with a chance.

We want to know the good and bad things about what it’s like to represent your car manufacturer, so please feel free to give the most honest opinions possible. Car makers take our survey very seriously and a number have implemented changes to their processes directly off the back of comments made in previous years’ surveys. Filling in the survey at CarDealerPower. com shouldn’t take longer than a few minutes.

Awards Night Just like last year, we will be holding an awards night for the winners of Car Dealer Power.

Winners will receive access to Car Dealer Power awards artwork, will bag a stunning trophy to take away with them, and will receive fantastic publicity in Car Dealer Magazine and on our website. One small tip though – we advise all suppliers and car manufacturers to ask their clients and dealers to fill in the survey. A friendly nudge towards the online survey can work wonders...

THE BRIBES

Fill in the survey... and you could win!

Every respondent who gives their mobile number will be entered into our prize draw to win one of these fantastic prizes.

BMW SPORT CHRONO WATCH How about checking the time with this German masterpiece?

Worth £208, it’s a stunner!

LAND ROVER EXPERIENCE Fancy a half-day full of mudplugging? You’ll learn how to tackle rivers and ditches!

SIGNED PORSCHE MODEL You could grab a 1:43 scale model of a Porsche 911 GT3 R signed by racer Peter Dumbreck.

BEAULIEU TICKETS Entry for two adults & three kids/one adult & four kids. Top attractions include Bond in Motion.

CITROEN GOODY BAG Are you a Citroen fan? We’ve got a Seb Loeb cap, 90 years of Citroen book & model cars.

LE MANS BOOK 2013 is the 90th anniversary of the 24-hour race. Celebrate it with this ‘Panoramic’ book worth £35.

HONDA BTCC TICKETS A pair of entry tickets to a BTCC round of your choice courtesy of Honda Yuasa Racing.

Thanks to: BMW, bmw.co.uk; Land Rover, landrover.co.uk; Propel Technology, propel-technology.com; Beaulieu, beaulieu.co.uk; Citroen, citroen.co.uk; Veloce, veloce.co.uk; Honda, honda.co.uk.

logging on to CarDealerPower.com

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

DASHBOARD. LANDMARK

Shelbourne turns 40 A FAMILY-OWNED dealership in Northern Ireland, Shelbourne Motors, is celebrating an impressive 40 years in business.

The dealer was founded back in 1973 as a petrol station – selling a small number of new and used Toyotas.

Over the years, the garage expanded – with a workshop, parts and service building opened in 1975. Next came a purposebuilt Toyota showroom in 1977. In 2003 a franchised Nissan showroom was added, and more recently the firm has included franchises for Renault too.

FOR SALE

Dealer’s £350k McLaren racer LUXURY car specialist Lawton Brook is offering something rather special in its Knaresboroughbased dealership – a McLaren MP4-12C GT3.

The race-bred McLaren is one of only 25 ever made, and reportedly the only example to have never been taken on a track – two things that help justify its £358,800 asking price.

INSURANCE

Aviva refuses dealer’s claim A CAR DEALER in Helenburgh, Scotland, has gone to war with Aviva after the insurance company refused to cover damage to a vehicle caused by a falling roof.

Iain Thompson, director of the ‘Red Vehicle Solutions’ dealership in the town, had his BMW wrecked by a falling roof in January of last year. The roof of the building in question had recently been repaired but Aviva, the property’s insurance company, has so far refused to accept Thompson’s claim.

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Customers are queuing up for Porsche supercar hybrid Manufacturer offers buyers priority place in queue for 911 GT3

S

uper-rich supercar buyers who’ve placed a deposit on the new hybrid £672,000 Porsche 918 will be offered a 911 GT3 to tide them over.

The managing director of Porsche GB Chris Craft revealed that the super-rich car nuts will be shunted up the queue for the new lightweight sports car if they ‘put their hand up’.

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, the GT3 is the first in the bloodline to feature only a PDK gearbox — something that has infuriated purists.

But Craft doesn’t see that as a problem. In fact he’s more concerned about having enough to meet demand.

‘History dictates that there is always a big demand for GT3 products and we’ve never had enough to meet that demand,’ he told us.

‘We’ve been pushing the 918 for some time with activity for potential buyers.

‘This has included private viewings and some have even had passenger rides. We have got orders for that car, so for those buyers who have placed a deposit we’re offering them the chance to move up the queue for a GT3.’

There were originally rumours that Porsche would give buyers a car to tide them over — but Craft said that was

Porsche 918

‘laughable’.

He added: ‘You don’t know Porsche very well do you? A free car? I don’t think that’s in our vocabulary! This is the opportunity for 918 buyers to spend even more money with us.’

Craft is extremely excited about having the halo super car — that does 94mpg and 0-60mph in just 3.2 seconds — in his range and has already experienced its performance, albeit from the passenger seat.

‘I’ve been driven in it and when it’s on electric mode alone it’s very surreal to be travelling so fast, so quietly,’ he explained.

‘But it’s the way it exits corners that’s

really special. It literally launches out of them – almost like it’s pulling itself out rather than pushing.

‘The 918 is one hell of a step forward for the brand and a real statement of what Porsche is about.

‘It shows that even though we’re a performance brand, performance can still be delivered in an efficient manner.’

Production of customer 918s starts on September 18 — no coincidence that’s 9/18 in America — and the first deliveries will take place in 2014.

However, Craft refused to reveal how many had been sold in the UK so far.

Spoil sport…

Handbook: Porsche Cayman, p40

Cayman, Boxster and 911 may get hybrid tech TECHNOLOGY from the Porsche 918 supercar will almost certainly filter down to the manufacturer’s range of sports cars, says its UK chief.

Porsche GB boss Chris Craft (right) said cars like the 911, Cayman and Boxster could all theoretically benefit from technology lessons learnt in the firm’s forthcoming halo model. Hybrid versions of the Panamera and Cayenne are already on sale in the UK and plug-in hybrid versions of them both, which will extend the cars’ electric range even further, are on the way.

Now, Porsche is hinting strongly that similar technology will make it into the firm’s sportiest models. ‘When you look at what is

happening with technology then you would say it is the future,’ said Craft.

‘Hybrid is a great combination that gives you the ability to drive in a city purely on electric without any pollution. It brings down our overall CO2 output significantly so you would say that progressively this technology must filter down.

‘Technology like this often starts off expensive, but as it moves on then it becomes more affordable and starts to make more sense in smaller cars.’

The thought of anything other than a petrol unit in a 911 or Cayman will horrify many purists, but the good news is the firm sees life in the old combustion engine yet.

Craft added: ‘Over the years there has been a lot of speculation about what will power cars in the future, but I think the view of our organisation is that there is still a lot to be had out of the combustion engine yet, but bringing it together with electric as a formula has a lot of mileage.’

INTERVIEW.

Video: Car Dealer takes a look at the Mercedes C 63 AMG bit.ly/CDMC63

In the past we have not taken advantage of AMG Mercedes Benz MD Marcus Breitschwerdt speaks to Car Dealer about the new CLA and AMG’s meteoric rise in the sales charts. James Baggott reports How are things with the three-pointed star?

We are at an important point in our strategy where we roll out the next part of our car product line up with the CLA, the new E-Class and new A-Class derivatives which will help us conquest a lot more younger customers and fleet customers.

That’s good news for us.

Where does the CLA fit?

It’s somewhere between the A and C Class. In terms of style it is a product that very much incorporates the shapes which we have created with the CLS and the whole idea is to create a sharp looking product for younger people that is both affordable and gives an expression on the outside of what Mercedes is about while also being practical on a day to day basis – all at a competitive price. I won’t disclose planned sales numbers, but we will sell more A- and C-Class models than CLAs. What’s the deal with AMG sales up 75 per cent?

About 10 years ago Mercedes used to be the number one in the premium sector – BMW and Audi were a long way behind. Then, over the last 10 years, the premium market grew and unfortunately we didn’t participate in that. By the end of 2010 we were trailing significantly behind. But, for me, that was a positive as the premium sector was growing, and that’s an opportunity for us now. In the last two years some major parts of our strategy fell into place and led to a situation where we have had double digit growth. Last year we were the fastest growing premium brand in the UK. AMG results are part of that.

How have you managed that?

If you grow premium, part of what you do is make it more accessible to younger buyers.

‘‘

This widens your customer base and we are pulling customers from other brands over to us – from solid quality brands who have grown in the last 30 years. But they now can’t deliver on quality or status any more and that’s where a brand like ours comes into the picture.

And we take it AMG has helped here?

Yes. In the past we have not taken advantage of AMG so it was very important to me that we requested a demonstrator on the ground and put bums in the seats of these models to give buyers the experience of what AMG is all about.

Normally it knocks off your socks. Last year AMG was the fastest growing performance brand – beating Porsche, Ferrari and BMW’s M division.

We have grown 145 per cent – we were delivering 800 AMG units a year, but last year it was more than 2,000. That is stunning.

Last year AMG was the fastest growing performance brand beating Porsche and Ferrari

Where does Smart fit into the plan?

Well there’s a good year ahead for Smart in Britain. We could sell more, but last year we did not have enough allocation. It is a product in its own right – it’s a classic. It does not have a hierarchy either – you can see a student or a CEO driving one.

It’s an approach to traffic, not a way to express your position in life. I introduced the Smart to North America and people asked me if it was safe? I told them my daughter drives one

and she wouldn’t be if it wasn’t safe. The next generation is being planned and I am thrilled at the next chapter. I am absolutely sure it will be a classic brand like Mercedes Benz. It is not as well known, but I will do my best to make that known to everyone in the UK. Will we see another super car like the SLR and SLS? The SLS was the first vehicle completely developed by AMG and in terms of performance it is incredibly similar to the SLR. It shows there is innovation and progress and there will be more. We believe in performance and we have a commitment to Formula 1 too. F1 has given us a lot of lessons to learn and the team, not by accident, is called the Mercedes AMG team.

Will Lewis Hamilton be used for marketing in the UK? Absolutely. I cooperated with him in Canada and we did that for a number of years. For me he is not only the best British driver, he is one of the best in the world. He’s a gentleman and I like him very much. He’s a great ambassador for our driving academy. We will certainly have a special relationship with him and I trust we can link his name to some more trophies.

Whether we link his name to a performance model is unclear – maybe we should.

But we’d probably have to pay so for now I’ll say that hasn’t been decided… yet.

[CD]

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

DASHBOARD.

Plant Oxford marks 100 glorious years BMW Group has celebrated a century of car production in Oxford. James Batchelor reports

O

ne of Britain’s most productive factories has celebrated a century of building cars. BMW’s Plant Oxford passed the milestone on March 28, 2013 – 100 years to the day the factory’s first car, a Morris Oxford ‘Bullnose’, rolled off the production line.

To celebrate the achievement, the German firm opened the plant to the press and members of the public with a special exhibition headlining the festivities – and Car Dealer was invited to the party.

gradual change towards affordable motoring for the masses. It became the best-selling car in Britain towards the end of the decade, and Morris – headed by William Morris, later to become Lord Nuffield – used Henry Ford’s principles of mass production and cheap list prices equalled increased sales.

After the Second World War, the factory was busy building a whole raft of distinctly frumpy Morris saloons for a growing collection of people

A BRITISH SUCCESS Britain should rightly be proud of Plant Oxford.

As British success stories go, Plant Oxford – or Cowley as it has traditionally been known as – joins a patchwork quilt of modernday success stories made up of Nissan’s Sunderland plant, Toyota’s Burnaston facility and Honda’s Swindon factory. But the plant was a star well before BMW arrived at the factory gates in 1994.

Since Cowley opened, factory workers have churned out more than 11.65m cars with the modernday Mini holding a 2.25m share of that figure.

The factory began life in 1913 at a time when the motor car was still reserved for the well-heeled. But, along with the Ford Model-T, the Morris Oxford ‘Bullnose’ spearheaded the

1926

‘Bullnose’ Morris Oxford

William Morris’ first car was known as the Bullnose Morris because of its distinctive, rounded brass radiator. Morris became the UK’s biggest selling marque by 1924.

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1935

Morris Eight

A big pre-war and post-war hit, this Morris developed through several iterations and remained a common sight right into the ‘60s.

1960

Morris Mini Minor

A legend – a template for small car design over the next 50 years and beyond. The car itself was destined to become part of the fabric of Britain for half a century.

who could afford transport. But it was not until 1948 that the factory had a real icon on its hands.

The Sir Alec Issigonis-designed Morris Minor was the first car to sell a million units and became the archetypal middle class saloon car of its generation.

By the end of the 1950s Cowley was entering its golden years by building Britain’s most famous car – the Mini. It was on May 8, 1959 that the British Motor Corporation hit the big time – and by 1968, Cowley had built a staggering 601,817 Minis. But that wasn’t the end of Cowley’s production days. The factory built a plethora of innovative and not so innovative cars during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Later, Cowley workers had the pleasure of producing the Austin Maestro and, in the days when Austin Rover was in

1962

1966

Essentially a larger Mini, it was the most advanced family car of its time.

Available as an Austin, Morris, MG (pictured), Riley, Wolseley and a Vanden Plas.

Only made at Cowley in ‘66 and ‘67, the Sprite and its more bling brother the MG Midget, were classic British sports cars: Cheap to run but bags of fun to drive.

BMC 1100/1300

Austin Healey Sprite

Leaf production starts at Nissan Sunderland bit.ly/newLeaf

Left: Bullnoses in 1927; right: Morris Oxfords in the 1950s

bed with Honda, the Rover 800 and the Honda Accord in the late 1980s.

ENTER: THE GERMANS It was not until 1994 that the Germans arrived at Cowley’s factory gates with a suitcase of cash.

Along with their efficient attitude to car building, BMW brought investment and planned to revolutionalise the staid Rover brand.

BMW Group invested heavily in Rover, deciding early on that a replacement for the Mini would be a priority – but a BMW-owned Rover Group never launched a new Mini. The car it did launch was the Cowley-built Rover 75 but it wasn’t enough. Considerable headwinds, including an unfavourable exchange rate and falling sales led to BMW selling both Rover and Land Rover in 2000, while retaining the Mini brand, Plant Oxford, the associated Swindon pressings factory and the new Hams Hall engine plant.

A MINI FUTURE If you thought Cowley’s past was successful, the future is looking just as rosy. Today, Plant Oxford is flourishing with the manufacture of six Mini models and is currently being fitted out in preparation for the third-generation new Mini.

Commenting on the future of the plant, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: ‘A thriving automotive sector is central to this Government’s commitment to driving economic growth. By creating jobs and exporting Britishmade products to global markets, Mini is sending a clear message that this country is open for business.’

It would seem Oxford’s days of car building are far from over.

A total of 14 car brands has been built at Cowley/Plant Oxford. One of which is the new Mini – 2.25m have been built since ’01

BMW Group has invested £750m in the plant’s future. The next Mini will be built there later this year.

1970

1978

1988

2001

2013

A classic. It was the first British car to sell more than a million units during its 19481971 lifetime – a milestone marked by a dubiouslycoloured lilac edition (below).

Looking back, this was probably the low point of British car design. Despite this, it sold over a million.

Saloon, coupe, estate and van variants were available. Nasty.

Cowley built both the Rover 800 and Honda Legend – essentially the same car.

The Sterling brand was for America only – but it flopped.

It was axed in 1991.

The world’s first premium small car, the Mini amazed the public with its many options in 2001. One also appeared in that year’s Austin Powers movie.

Plant Oxford now builds six Mini variants and more than 2.25 million have rolled off the production line since 2001. A British success story.

Morris Minor Million

Morris Marina LE

Sterling 827

Mini Cooper Austin Powers

Mini John Cooper Works

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

DASHBOARD.

Battery policy ‘is harming Renault’ French manufacturer needs to change EV approach, says CAP

R

enault has been asked by CAP to rethink the way it sells its electric vehicles — suggesting its ‘battery not included’ approach may hamper both sales and future values.

Calling on the firm to ‘give some great electric cars a real chance’ in the company car market, CAP suggests that Renault should revise its method for selling the EVs for the sake of the fleet market.

At present, Renault’s electric cars like the Twizy and Fluence Z.E are sold at a list price that does not include the cost of the battery.

Instead, owners must lease them from Renault for a monthly sum on top. This, says CAP, makes forecasting future values for the cars impossible — likening the situation to ‘forecasting the value of a conventional car with no engine’.

On top of this, new government taxation rules have ‘further weakened’ the commercial prospects for Renault’s EVs in the fleet and company car market , CAP predicts. Taking the forthcoming Zoe

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as an example, rules coming into force in 2015 will see company car buyers pay benefit-in-kind tax not only on the full £14,000 list price of the car, but also on the battery too — predicted to be around £7,000.

‘Our frustration with Renault’s approach is based on the fact that we believe the Zoe is a very good car that isn’t getting a chance in the all-important fleet market,’ said CAP manufacturer relationship manager Martin Ward. ‘We have every confidence in the quality and reliability of the Renault Zoe. We have seen it, driven it, lived with it and its 90mile range means it definitely has a place in fleets

for shorter- range driving purposes.

‘But until Renault removes the unnecessary layer of complexity caused by treating the battery as a separate entity to the car, CAP will be unable to forecast its used values so fleets can work out competitive lease rates.’

Ward suggests that the appeal of the Zoe for fleet customers may be killed altogether — with the car far more expensive to run.

‘Now it has emerged that HMRC is including the battery for BIK purposes the Zoe no longer has such an attractive P11D value for potential company car drivers. In our opinion it is now time for Renault to give some great electric vehicles they have worked hard to develop and refine a real chance in the company car market by abandoning its “battery not included” policy.’

Handbook: Renault Zoe p38

German dealer offers 360 Google streetview showroom bit.ly/supercar360

Dealership on the gogglebox

Essex Car Company takes part in Channel 4 fly-onthe-wall documentary

C

hannel 4 is set to air a fly-on-the-wall series following the daily goings on in a car dealership.

Filming of the three-part programme has already begun at a dealership in Rainham – Essex Car Company – and will reportedly be continuing for the next four months.

The dealership was picked from ‘over dozens’ across the country to give some insight into the dayto-day workings of a business in the car industry.

‘Channel 4 have commissioned a three-part documentary series following the working life at a Romford car dealership. The series will be broadcast later in the year,’ a statement from Channel 4 revealed to us.

Reportedly produced by Richard Macer, who has created documentaries with subjects ranging from running a designer clothing store to being Katie Price, the series follows on from Channel 4’s other fly-on-the-wall programmes – including The Hotel, Gogglebox and The Family.

‘There are some real characters here,’ sales

manager Greg Avery, 27, told the Romford Recorder newspaper. ’Channel 4 wanted a place with a mixture of people. We have a good spectrum of people coming in and out of the dealership, and in the sales staff too.’

Avery added that the cameras were even something of a welcome sight to the forecourt – with day-to-day life and sales going on as usual.

Customers are even invited to be a part of the

documentary – the dealer’s website suggesting ways to get in touch if they’re interested in buying a new car.

‘I’ve not really been aware that they’re there – it feels like they’re part of the team. We have a bit of banter and I reckon we’ll miss them when they’re gone,’ he said.

‘Some people play up to the camera, while some people act like they’re not even there.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 23

DASHBOARD.

Marketing magic Memorable marketing campaigns can do wonders for car sales. Here James Batchelor picks his favourites

Nissan

Juke-R – 2012 Probably 2012’s most talked about car, the Juke-R was the result of a humble – though quirkily-styled – Nissan Juke spending some quality time with a Nissan GT-R supercar. Built by the racing team RML, the Juke-R used the GT-R’s potent 3.8-litre twinturbo V6, six-speed transaxle, and a modified four-wheel-drive driveline. Only two were made for promotional activities, but they caused so much of a stir, the Juke-R went into limited production. The price? From £400,000...

Mini

Pfaff Auto

Ford

Mini arrived in the US one year after its successful UK roll-out in 2002. But the Americans, loyal to its big car brands, didn’t have the same awareness for the brand as we Brits had – so BMW had to play it differently. Instead of spending millions on TV ads, Mini used innovative gorilla marketing stunts to engage the public such as the Cooper S in cages; Minis displayed on van roofs and Coopers parked in shopping malls.

To get customers into their showroom, desperate to spend their cash on the new 911, one Porsche dealership came up with a very clever marketing ploy. They dispatched a photographer and a mobile design team to shoot the 911 in potential customers’ drives. They then created personalised flyers offering test drives and posted them through the appropriate letter box. The response rate was an amazing 32 per cent!

In recent years, Ford has led the way when it comes to promoting its brand on social media.

And the launch of the new Fiesta in America in 2009 represented the perfect product to market on the web. The Blue Oval gave 100 Fiestas to socially outgoing youngsters to drive it and blog, tweet and video their experiences with the car. It worked – 23,000 Fiestas were sold in the US in 2009. Ever since the firm has run the concept.

USA launch – 2002

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911 marketing – 2012

Fiesta Movement – 2009

Ford Focus eclipses Toyota Corolla as world’s best-seller bit.ly/FocusNo1

Volvo

850 Estate BTCC – 1994 Ask a motor racing fan what is the most memorable racing car of all time, and the Volvo 850 Estate BTCC will come near the top of the list. Volvo joined the British Touring Car Championship in 1994, and to really make a statement among a field of BMW 318s, Alfa 155s and Ford Mondeos, Volvo used the new 850 Estate instead of its rather more normal looking saloon. It didn’t win the championship but, boy did it cause a stir. At the first round of the championship at Thruxton, on April 4, 1994, the rival teams laughed – but not for long as Rickard Rydell and Jan Lammers were more competitive than anyone imagined. It was marketing gold and helped change the image of Volvo in the UK. At some races, stuffed toy dogs were thrown into the boot to poke fun at the fusty, tradional image of a Volvo estate.

Volkswagen

BMW

Ford

VW’s marketing ideas have become legendary – and it all started with this advert: ‘Think Small’. The design agency DDB came up with the concept of playing on the theme of selfdeprecating humour. The intention was to create Beetle brand ambassadors rather than let the advert speak to the uninterested. Others followed – ‘Lemon’ and ‘Nobody’s perfect’ – and the agency still creates some of today’s VW ads.

The German car firms are always fighting each other in order to become top dog – and one of the cleverest battles occured in Santa Monica in 2009. Armed with the new A4 saloon, Audi used billboards to advertise their new baby and ran ads with the slogan ‘Your move, BMW’. Quick to show it was top dog, BMW poached a nearby billboard and ran a 3 Series ad with the line: ‘Checkmate’. It has since become legendary.

The Supervans have become iconic in the UK – not only for their appearance but because as marketing exercises go it was truly memorable.

It started in 1971 with the Supervan which used a Ford GT40 chassis and a 400bhp Ford V8 engine wrapped in a standard steel-pressed Transit Mk1 body. It was created to market the Transit and it was so well loved two other Supervans followed in 1984 and 1994.

Beetle – 1959

Checkmate – 2009

Supervan – 1971

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

DASHBOARD.

NEW YORK MOTOR SHOW

Stars and Stripes James Baggott rounds up his picks of this year’s New York Motor Show

BMW Concept Active Tourer We’ve included this simply because the Americans just didn’t get it. Largely ignored on the stand, this landmark model showcases the departure from rear-wheel-drive models for BMW, to some front-wheel-drive too. The concept features a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol unit and it’s mooted it could make production soon.

Dodge Viper SRT TA The TA isn’t anything to do with Army reservists, rather it refers to ‘Track Attack’, and that sounds good to us. The exclusive Viper has an 8.4-litre V10 engine with 640bhp and just 33 of them will be made – all presumably destined for a life of power-sliding into gravel traps on circuits across America.

Dodge Challenger SRT Core We like this purple passion wagon – a lot. Not only does it serve up a seriously chunky slice of retro American cool, but it’s got some impressive shove under the bonnet too. The 6.4-litre V8 is the most powerful Challenger engine ever with 470bhp and 637Nm of torque. Spicy.

Jaguar XKR-S GT Only 30 of these winged brutes are slated for production – and they’re all heading to the States. That’s a shame as it features a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine with 542bhp and 680Nm of torque that can hit 60mph in 3.9 seconds.

Jaguar bosses hinted British dealers may get the chance to sell them – but only if there’s significant demand. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Toyota Highlander

Bentley Mulsanne

Range Rover Sport

It’s a refreshed version of an American favourite.

No, not the Big Mac – it’s the Toyota Highlander.

With new LED lights, bumpers and a refreshed grille, the large SUV is certainly imposing. There’s no suggestion it’ll come to the UK, but we think it would make a rather compelling rival to the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Santa Fe.

We’re including it because it’s British – and because they had the cheek to call it a ‘new’ model and issue a press release. The extent of ‘new’ involves some curtains, duck down cushions and picnic tables. Oh, and wi-fi which owners won’t know what to do with. But we don’t really care – it’s a Bentley, and it looks the business.

The undoubted star of the show, the all-new Range Rover Sport is a technical tour de force.

Based on the Range Rover platform it now comes with the option of seven seats. New tech includes wi-fi and a mobile app that tells owners where they parked it or how much fuel is in it. We want one. Read more about it on p50.

Kia Soul A popular car in the UK with grannies and youngsters alike, the Soul is Kia’s baby SUV and it’s been given a makeover for 2013. Inspired by the Track’ster concept, it’s now ‘more functional and funky’, according to Kia. Engines now offer more torque, noise levels have been reduced and the suspension retuned. It arrives early next year.

Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Yes, this is a new Camaro. Really it is. We know it’s hard to believe but look closely and you can spot some slight revisions. However, the Z/28 really gets us going with a 7.0-litre V8, 500bhp and 637Nm. That makes it the most powerful normally aspirated engine GM has ever made.

Britain says: We want one.

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG The German firm may have only just released the BMW 3 Series rival, but it’s already giving it a steroid injection. The CLA 45 AMG features the same powerplant as the A45 revealed in Geneva.

That means a 355bhp 2.0litre turbo that’ll hit 60mph in 4.6 seconds.

The fourwheel drive model goes on sale in October for £40k.

Scan the QR Code to read our New York Motor show blogs CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

dashboard.

Thieves steal £18k worth of alloy wheels Dealer finds 10 new cars without their wheels on

S

taff at a dealership in Tonbridge, Kent, were shocked to discover the wheels of over ten of its vehicles removed – as thieves attempted to make off with them during the night.

The 13 brand new cars, all Mercedes-Benz, were being stored in a nearby locked location on behalf of a local dealership, Kent News reported early in April. Thieves reportedly broke in by cutting through fencing at the facility – reversing a Transit van onto the site and using power tools to remove the Mercedes’ wheels.

Luckily, the pair were caught before they could make off with the haul – estimated to be worth as much as £18,000 in total – and are now facing sentencing at Maidstone crown court.

However, there’s no mention of whether the cars or their alloys were damaged in the attempted theft – with reports suggesting that the vehicles were simply ‘left in the yard, with wheel nuts from the

missing wheels scattered on the ground.’

‘These thieves were caught in the act by an astute member of the public and we thank him for his information,’ commented DC Mark Ansdell.

‘The officers who were first on the scene then did a great job in apprehending one of the offenders as they made their escape.

‘The team followed this up by gathering key evidence, tracking down a second offender and ultimately bringing them to justice.’

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��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

THEFT

Bucks Vauxhall dealer suffers as parts stolen A VAUXHALL dealer in Buckinghamshire has been targeted by thieves, reports from the Bucks Herald suggest.

Perrys Aylesbury was the scene of the crime, according to the paper, with around 16 Vauxhalls at a storage facility targeted for their parts by thieves.

The thefts took place between 6am and 9am on March 30, with police appealing for any witnesses to call them on 101.

Corsas were said to be the main target of the attack, with 12 of the models stripped of their ‘bumpers, headlights and alloy wheels’ while they sat in the facility.

A Corsa VXR, meanwhile, was ‘entirely stripped’, with around 16 cars targeted in total.

Car parts theft is becoming increasingly common, many sources are starting to suggest – with parts sales becoming as lucrative for thieves, with an added lack of traceability.

Catalytic converters are also starting to attract the wrong sort of attention – sought not only for the value of the parts, but the precious metals that they contain.

Misleading MPG figures adverts banned bit.ly/MPGbanned

Around the world Dealer news from somewhere other than here

INDIA

A Skoda dealer in India is offering car buyers a ‘buy one car get one free’ deal. The dealership in Gujarat is allowing customers to buy a Rapid and then five years later they get a free Fabia.

The dealership says the deal is to encourage more customers to buy more cars, as sales have been slow of recent months.

USA

Mini has sold 500,000 vehicles in the United States some 11 years after they first arrived in the country. Back in 2002, dealers were selling just the Hatchback range but now Mini retailers stock the full-line of the British brand. The company plans to have some 130 dealerships nationwide by the end of 2013; there are currently 116 dealers.

UAE

Construction work has begun on a brand new Porsche dealership. Porsche Centre Dubai – operated by Al Nabooda Automobiles – is costing AED 144m (£26m) to build – and it comes on the back of Porsche posting record sales in the UAE last year. The site will display up to 50 new cars across three floors, there will be 15 service bays, and a tyre service and wheel alignment facilities.

CHINA

Crown Motors, the sole local distributor of Toyota cars in Hong Kong, has once again recorded the highest annual sales among dealers – a position it has maintained for 21 years. The dealership has won the Toyota Triple Crown Award in recognition of their marketing achievements in passenger, commercial and overall vehicle sales.

Even with world events affecting car sales, Crown Motors continued selling and demanded continued production from Toyota to maintain sales figures.

SOUTH AFRICA

Desiree Wiseman has won the Toyota Dealer of the Year award for 2012 for Imperial Toyota, Kempton Park – she is the first female dealer principal to win the award. The dealership has only been open for two years and Desiree Wiseman has impressed with her management style. Dr Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors, congratulated Imperial Toyota on their achievement.

Drive up your sales with motors.co.uk

With over 3,500 dealers advertising 180,000 cars, motors.co.uk is the UK’s second biggest used car network. Every month, 1.8 million car buyers use it to search for a car, plus it reaches a further 19 million readers weekly via our regional news partners. Now, isn’t that useful?

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 29

FINANCE. SEAT DEAL

Free insurance on £79 per month Seat supermini Spanish marque Seat has hopped onto the inclusive insurance bandwagon – now offering its Mii city with free insurance.

To take advantage of the deal, customers pay £79 per month with a £2,630 advanced deposit.

The deal, which sees the Mii ‘Toca’ leased over a 42-month personal contract hire agreement, is said to have been designed with young drivers in mind.

Drivers as young as the age of 21 the chance to get behind the wheel.

While the agreement sees the Mii leased to the customer for three and a half years though, just the first year will be covered by the free insurance offer – meaning that customers will need to source their own cover after 12 months.

The Toca special edition does come well equipped, at least – with standard kit including alloy wheels, front electric windows, leather steering wheel and Seat’s portable sat nav infotainment system.

The Toca is powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with 58bhp and 95 Nm – it returns 62.8 mpg and 105 g/km of CO2.

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

New MOT rules could drive old cars off roads and push up non-prime borrowing Strict new regulations could push car owners into new cars

S

trict new MoT rules enforced at the end of March may lead to a rise in lending from non-prime customers, a motor finance company has suggested.

The new regulations may push car owners into new vehicles, The Funding Corporation has suggested, with the tough tests likely to prove too much for many vehicles currently on the roads.

Inoperable warning lights on the dashboard, doors which don’t close fully and seats which don’t adjust backwards and forwards are just some of the new test items – and many could be beyond owners’ financial means to fix, predicts the company.

Any increase in failure rates could well have the knock-on effect of boosting sales – but the Funding Corporation points out that such new buyers are likely to need help from non-prime lenders.

‘We know that many of our customers put off replacing their car because of the difficulties they

experience in getting a loan due to past repayment problems,’ said Mark Jones, senior operations manager at The Funding Corporation.

‘Cars built in the last decade have levels of technical sophistication far higher than those of twenty years ago when the MoT test last underwent a major revision.

‘Until now, they may have managed an extra year or two of ownership by scraping an MoT pass - but in many cases, this will no longer be possible.

Jones has suggested that the trend

has already started – with buyers already starting to dispose of unroadworthy vehicles.

‘Many trade-ins we see display the type of defects which will now require an expensive repair to get them through the test, and this simply isn’t an option for these owners.

‘We will, as ever, try to be as flexible as possible to people put in this position, and not necessarily decline an application because of a blemished credit history.’

New MOT quick checks, p94

FLA: Market growth shows increasing need for consumer finance THE motor finance market grew again in February, according to the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA), demonstrating a bigger increase on the previous year than even January managed.

With volumes up 31 per cent and the value of advances up 42 per cent in February 2013, the statistics demonstrate the increasing need for

consumer finance in the market.

Finance for the used market also increased – the number of cars up seven per cent, and value of advances up 11 per cent.

‘The new car finance market was strong in February and again outperformed the growth in new car registrations. This shows the importance of point-of-sale credit

to the UK automotive industry, employment and the wider economy,’ said Paul Harrison, head of motor finance at the FLA. ‘The Government must make sure that its new regulatory regime for consumer credit maintains a competitive marketplace and supports the continued availability of affordable credit for customers.’

..in association with

DEALFINDER.

Latest finance deals on PREMIUM SMALL CARS

Meldrum

AUDI A1

Training key to industry

AUDI is a relatively new player in this segment, having launched the small but premium A1 with great success back in 2010. While it’s generally understood to be not quite as fun as the Mini in the driving seat, its sporty looks and prestige badge have secured it plenty of homes over the last three years.

Those who haven’t yet been tempted into the German firm’s smallest offering can do so for just £215 per month on Audi’s retail personal contract purchase deals. The deal, for an A1 Sportback 1.4TFSI Sport Manual, lasts three years and requires a £3,257 deposit – though Audi Centres are offering

a £200 deposit contribution. Should the customer wish to keep the car at the end of the agreement, an optional final payment of £7,788 will also need to be paid.

MINI COOPER MINI’s Hatch is something of a go-to posh supermini, and with good reason. It’s great to drive, has a funky retro interior that feels as good as it looks, and with endless combinations of trim

and body colour it’s rare that two cars will ever look the same. Probably the best all-rounder in terms of fun-versus-cost, the Cooper 1.6 petrol hatchback is available on a not unreasonable finance offer through Mini’s ‘Ministry of Finance’. Buyers can have a Cooper of their choice on a personal contract purchase agreement for £189 per month over 48 months, with a £2,999 deposit, combined with a dealer deposit contribution of £314.78.

Maximum mileage is 10,000 miles per year, while there’s an optional final payment of £5,795.

ALFA ROMEO MITO THE idea of securing an Alfa Romeo for just under £15k is one that undoubtedly appeals to many a petrol head, and so the MiTo should be a very appealing package for Italian car fans.

Alfa is tempting in such prospective buyers with a very reasonable finance deal – arranged through the firm’s Alfa Romeo Preferenza Plus PCP offers.

Buyers can have the MiTo TwinAir Sprint for £139 per month over 48 months. The deal also requires a deposit of £3,399, with Alfa

Romeo contributing £500 to the car’s list price. After the 48 months, a payment of £4,647 is required for the customer to keep the car.

time is money

I

’ve recently seen some ridiculous finance applications that don’t make sense for either the customer or the dealer and these made me wonder what happened to the first-class finance selling skills of not so

long ago.

Many dealerships may think they are doing okay because the recent increase in POS finance has boosted their performance but unless they introduce management controls and staff training quickly they will see a drop in returning customers.

This is the first time that some customers have bought a newer car for quite a while because until recently their first priority was reducing their overall household debt and their second was to take an allimportant family holiday away from our unpredictable weather.

So, treating these customers with care is important but if vital finance skills are missing then they may end up back in negative equity quicker than we can construct a 72-month finance application.

Most salespeople will match the customer’s repayment expectations whenever possible, however, if those expectations place them in a finance contract that means they cannot renew again for four years then they’ll need help to think again.

How many car dealerships have provided finance training in the past year — either delivered by an outside company or run internally by their own sales managers?

Those who can honestly say they have offered training in the last year will be in the minority and that is a sad situation for everyone in the industry.

It’s a bit like only having a small proportion of the population inoculated against measles — the rest of the industry will suffer when an outbreak occurs.

Maybe you should protect the future of your business by getting some professional finance training today.

‘Some finance deals don’t make sense.’

Who is Jim Meldrum?

Jim is regional sales manager for First Response Finance. Call him on 07917 460 111 or email Jimm@frfl.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 31

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

big mike.

All Big Mike’s columns are on our website. Enjoy here bit.ly/bigmike

Bucking today’s trend of under supply I’m bombarded with stock

M

ost used car dealers are saying they can’t get enough stock. Apparently, the economy has been so stagnant over the past half a decade that previous years of oversupply and under-demand are gone. Dwindling sales of new cars over the past few years means there are fewer used ones to go around, and as those at the end of their life cycle chug off to the great scrapyard in the sky, not helped round these parts by the sudden lack of supply in bits for old Rovers (once a Brummie, etc…), the cycle of older cars coming through fails to repeat.

So, in typical buck-the-trend Big Mike fashion, I find myself so bombarded with stock that I’m having to resort to dotting whatever has remaining tax in the windscreen at various locations around the region where they’re unlikely to either a) piss anybody off or b) get vandalised (neither of which is easy when you’re in the suburbs of Britain’s second largest city), so I can squeeze my gates closed of an evening.

The reason for this is simple. A mate, who has been in the trade almost as long as I have, was served a wonderful piece of local council bureaucracy a couple of months back, when his local authority refused the landowner from whom he rented his site, planning permission for a car lot that had been on the same site for over 40 years, and had built up its own stream of regular customers.

It was enough to help him make a decision he’d been toying with for years. He simply went to live on the Costa Blanca to make a part-time income as an Elvis impersonator in Benidorm, and did a deal to sell me everything on his site, including the bunting and the caravan.

For the most part, it was all recent, saleable stuff, but like all dealers he’d picked up a few landmarks over the years — cars that stick around for so long unsold that before you know it, there’s an owners’ club full of weirdy beardies and tourists flocking from Japan to have their photographs taken with them.

One such example was a Renault Laguna that I knew had been ‘in stock’ for over two years. The tyres were no longer circular, and it had rings in the lacquer on the roof from when Roger and I had rested one too many cups of tea on it during one of our regular ‘setting the world to rights’ sessions.

Anyway, there was only one thing for it. Chuck the Laguna and an equally static Saab 9-3 on the back of my Sherpa

Big Mike Our man on the inside spills the beans on the car business...

transporter, and put them through my local auction.

I wasn’t expecting a massive return on the two cars, but I’m also a skinflint, and I’m not a happy chappy if ever I feel I’ve been done over. The Laguna I wasn’t bothered about. I’ve never liked trading the things and this was a particularly dishevelled example. I put it through with no reserve and when the hammer came down at enough to buy my missus a night in a semi-posh hotel, I wasn’t unduly bothered. One down.

The Saab, on the other hand, was quite a nice motor. One of the last of the ‘old’ 9-3s, it had a good service history, low mileage, was in extremely tidy condition and like many Saabs had two previous owners, both of whom appeared to be called ‘Professor’. A good pedigree for any car.

It was also, however, a Saab. Stigmatised by the fact you can’t buy one anymore, and that even when you could the

‘Bids started to come in thick and fast — 100 off the rail, 50 off the wall, back to the rail ...’ parts weren’t especially cheap, I wasn’t expecting to see buckets of cash. A tidy grand would make me happy, so that was what I put on as a reserve.

Pavel the Gavel, my friendly Polish auctioneer buddy, opened the bidding at £500. A mere Monkey. Nothing…

He dropped it to four, three and then two before pointing his hammer at the wall and taking the first bid. They then started to come in thick and fast, another 100 off the rail, 50 off the wall, back to the rail, another bid in the doorway all in a frantic 30-second hustle. Of course, I knew this was how it worked but even then I wasn’t quite prepared for the excitement of it all.

After less than a minute, the bidding hit a ceiling of £800 and that was that, so I motioned to Pavel. ‘Sell it,’ I instructed, deciding I couldn’t be arsed loading it on the truck for the sake of 200 notes.

‘I can’t,’ he whispered. ‘I haven’t taken a real bid yet…’

Clever guys, these auctioneers. Anyone fancy a used 9-3?

Who is Big Mike?

Well, that would be telling. What we do know is he’s had 30 years in the car trade and picked up some seriously funny tales along the way.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

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How can a simple task on a modern car foil four motoring hacks?

W

hen Apple shipped its first iPhone it was a landmark moment for the mobile market. Not because it had apps — thousands of them — nor because it could all be controlled using just your finger. No, what really set this communications device apart was its intuitive usability.

So easy was the iPhone to understand, even (some) mothers could send a text, make a phone call and, wait for it, browse the internet — all without being forced to look up instructions first in a fat manual.

Apple visionary Steve Jobs was adamant that his products would ship without instructions. His view was that if it users had to consult a handbook then the whole process was too complicated. This infuriated his team but it made the iPhone the most user-friendly mobile and a worldwide success.

So why then, if Apple could manage it with its first entry into the mobile phone market, have car manufacturers still failed to master the art of intuitive user interfaces? We’ve had a succession of test cars through the Car Dealer gates and they seem to be getting more difficult to use, not easier.

Take the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe I stole the keys to the other weekend. Nice though it was, it was hard to enjoy the brilliant 4.4-litre twin turbo V8, or relax in the sumptuous red-leather interior because my journey was punctuated by infuriating traffic reports from parts of the country I’d never heard of, let alone were anywhere nearby. Working out how to turn it off took — I assumed — a Hadron Collider physician-sized brain.

This meant my average ape-sized cranium failed to work out how to do it. I flicked between the radio screen and its settings on the annoyingly complicated iDrive for, my wife will confirm, several minutes.

Nowhere could the disable-annoyingly-shouty-trafficpresenter option be found. My frustration increased in direct correlation to the number of road closures I heard about in Staines, when I was in Southampton, to the point my better-half turned off the radio — ‘I’d prefer to sit in silence rather than hear you swear at the car every 20 minutes’.

Perplexed after a weekend of tuneless motoring, I challenged three colleagues* to turn off the announcements. Like me, every one failed as they fudged around with the iDrive system.

James Baggott *EDITOR’S NOTE: YES, I WAS ONE OF THE GUYS WHO FAILED*

It wasn’t until Leon stole the keys for the night and I challenged him to turn off the traffic alerts without putting his size 10 boots through the dash, that we got a result. My phone rang 10 minutes after he left: ‘It’s a sodding great big button under ‘Mode’ on the dash!’ A button? A bleeding button? We’d all been lost in the oblivion that is BMW’s ‘improvement’ on human-car interfacing to spot the button on the dash. Every one of us had been convinced it was buried deep in the iDrive’s bowels.

So why did a simple task on a modern car foil four motoring hacks (all equally embarrassed)? Surely technology should be making our lives easier, not more frustrating.

Why haven’t decades and billions of pounds spent on R&D, and dozens of brainy scientists analysing our interactions with cars, resulted in things getting easier?

I’m being a little unfair pinning all this on BMW. Most

‘Salesmen go on a week long course just on iDrive’ other manufacturers are just as bad. In fact, I find it hard to think of a car that does it perfectly. It seems the more technology car firms pack into their new models the more complicated working it all out becomes. Apparently BMW salesmen go on a week-long course just on iDrive. Doesn’t that sort of show it’s not really any good?

A quick poke around the Car Dealer long-termers shows even the big-selling brands are little better. Our Ford B-Max — brilliant as it is — has a dash with buttons smaller than the office microwave and I don’t have to worry about crashing that into a bus while warming up a meal for one.

Even Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson highlighted the problem on a recent episode — and it was the B-Max’s sister car, the Focus, he labelled as confusing.

Things are slowly improving in some areas. Our Peugeot 208 long-termer has all the controls on an iPadstyle touch screen. It’s relatively simple to use but has an annoying habit of crashing — probably something to do with the fact it feels as if it’s powered by Windows 95 on a dial-up internet connection… with a virus.

The sooner voice control for absolutely everything takes over in cars the better. At least then my shouting at the dash might have an effect other than causing my wife to roll her eyeballs…

Who is James Baggott?

He’s the founder of Car Dealer Magazine and managing director of parent company @BlackballMedia, an automotive services provider. He now spends most of his time on Twitter @CarDealerEd and annoying the rest of us.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 35

helpdesk.

Join Car Dealer Club by visiting CarDealerClub.com Members get free legal advice worth £199 for a £34.99 annual subscription

Ask Lawgistics

Q A

Holiday pay

Car Dealer Club lawyers Lawgistics answer dealers’ legal questions. Join for £39.99 a year to get advice like this when you need it

Q

I have had a number of issues in recent months with consumers and staff using social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, to air their issues with my business. How can I stop this from happening and do people actually get prosecuted for such behaviour?

EJ, Wiltshire

A

What needs to be proven in order to charge for posts made on social media sites is covered by the Communications Act 2003. Review sites are dealt with differently, as they are a prescribed forum for grievances to be aired.

A good example of the burden of proof required is shown by the case of Mr Thomas and Tom Daley. Mr Thomas posted a tweet making homophobic comments about Olympic divers Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield. He was arrested awaiting prosecution under the Communications Act 2003.

This states that a person is guilty of an offence if he sends by means of a public electronic communications network a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, ob-

scene or menacing character; or causes any such message or matter to be so sent.

The CPS had to establish if the comments made by Mr Thomas were ‘grossly offensive’.

The Director of Public Prosecutions said the case hinged on the facts that Mr Thomas intended the message to be humorous, he did not intend the message to go beyond his followers, who were mainly friends and family, and he took reasonably swift action to remove the message.

He expressed remorse and neither Mr Daley nor Mr Waterfield were the intended recipients of the message.

Should the intentions of a person who feels it is acceptable to post a tweet of this nature be considered anything less than dishonourable? If a comment is not intended to be viewed then why post it on a social networking site? Mr Thomas only meant the comment in jest and as such the CPS found his comment was therefore not grossly offensive and un-prosecutable. Is this just?

Surely an intention to make such a statement should be an offence, regardless of the humour behind it. It raises the question of what is actually achievable under the Communications Act 2003 if

ADVICE

Q

Should employees receive only their basic wage when taking annual leave, or should they also be paid performance-related bonus/additional supplements that they would be paid but for their annual leave?

JT, Lancaster

A

In the recent case of British Airways plc v Williams and Others (No 2) it was held that payments that are an intrinsic part of the employee’s contract of employment should be paid to that employee during annual leave. Therefore any bonuses or additional payments that are in the employee’s contract, remain payable during annual leave. The case also went further to state that ‘normal remuneration’ will also include payments that are intrinsically linked to the employee performing their contractual duties.

the burden of proof is so high. We have previously seen employees prosecuted for their use of social media against their employers, however, it looks as if business are not going to be afforded the same protection against members of the public.

If a consumer posts a negative comment about a business on a social networking site, it appears that unless the comment is intended to be grossly offensive, the consumer will face no criminal prosecution. This leaves businesses exposed to criticism from consumers without redress.

This case appears to tip the balance in favour of freedom of speech too far in favour of the maker of the statement. This case has sparked debate on the legal boundaries of freedom of speech in the social media age. The Director of Public Prosecution intends to release new guidance.

Acknowledge the complaint and take time to reply Q I’ve just received a long letter from a customer who has had a problem with a secondhand car I’ve sold. They say if I don’t reply within seven days they will take me to court. I need to reply by tomorrow. I can’t respond to every point immediately but I don’t want to go to court.

MD, Plymouth Components within secondhand cars fail due to a defect or through wear and tear.

Customers seek advice on their rights to be and often end up writing to say that unless you agree to meet their demands within seven days, serious consequences will follow — usually the threat of court papers. It is best for you to acknowledge receipt of the letter and say its contents are being carefully considered and then a more detailed reply will be sent. So long as you don’t wait too long before replying, it is

Q

A

Let Lawgistics help you... ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

unlikely that a customer will stick to the deadline they have imposed. They will want to see your more detailed reply before going to court. Even if the final reply is a ‘bad news’ letter, this will be far less antagonistic to a customer than if they think you aren’t taking their complaint seriously by not responding. A simple one-line acknowledgement can take the sting out of a customer’s perception of your business, whilst giving you the time to consider the points they make.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37

forecourt.

Renault Zoe The French firm’s new UK managing director, Ken Ramirez, speaks to Car Dealer about his 2013 goals and the successful launch of Dacia

TECHNOLOGY

Top models come with a ‘remote access system’ – but we think this nifty device should be standard across the Zoe range.

What are your main goals for Renault this year?

I think the group is in a unique situation in the UK this year. We are launching Dacia, the same year we are renewing the entire Renault range.

There is no stealing of attention between Dacia and Renault; we want to grow both brands to where they deserve to be. We want the message to be ‘We are back!’

We are so bold that we are backing both brands at once, we recognise what is happening in France but we are boldly growing both brands and letting the world know. The customers need to feel and trust that the brand is back.

What about the biggest challenges?

The scale of everything we are doing is a challenge; we are taking on a lot of projects and new technologies. We have launched the new Clio; we have the Captur coming up, which is an entirely new vehicle in a segment we have never entered. The new Clio Renaultsport is loaded with technology and that’s before we talk about Zoe. We have a lot going on.

How do you think the Dacia brand is performing?

Fantastically well. The orders are well above any expectation we first had, we haven’t even started deliveries yet and we are moving forward quite quickly. The reception has been phenomenal, as you know we’ve received a number of accolades already in the UK for Duster, people recognise its performance as a 4x4 and its value.

There are a number of important elements that make Renault unique right now. Dacia is adding another angle to the Renault brand everyone knows in the UK. It’s opening doors for customers who maybe couldn’t afford Renault before.

We are pulling in a large amount of used car consumers that can now have their first new car with great reliability and support.

We are hitting a spot that wasn’t there before; it opens a market that wasn’t there before.

Did the positive reception come as a surprise?

We expected positive reception for sure but the question was ‘how positive?’ We knew we were entering a market that wasn’t there before but the level of response has been fantastic. But it’s the quality of response too, as these consumers have done their research and they care about the vehicle. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

If you add all these factors together, yes the response was more positive than we expected but it’s great to see. The best thing is Dacia will not be a one hit wonder; we have new models coming up. An estate vehicle that is outstanding value for how roomy and stylish it is. The lineup is growing and it will continue to grow. Our dealers are excited.

Do you have plans to introduce more Dacia dealers?

The dealer network has been in transition but we think we are the right size at the moment.

Dacia already has precedent in the network and we are getting a lot of interest to take more

ON THE ROAD

Zoe is probably the best driving EV on the market. Just vague steering and a high driver’s seat (batteries are stored under it) spoil.

business. We need to first have a successful launch and then look at expanding.

At first we will focus on the partners we already have, improving service and satisfaction. We need to make sure our customers receive everything they expect.

in association with

the knowledge Model: R enault Zoe Expression Price: £13,650 (after

Government grant) Engine: 65kW electric motor Power: 86bhp Max speed: 84mph 0-60mph: 13.3s MPG (comb’d): n/a Emissions: 0g/km Residual values (three years): n/a

UNDER THE BONNET

There’s not much – just a 65kW electric motor; the batteries are under the driver’s seat. The Zoe can get from 0-30mph in 4.0s.

target buyers:

Early adopters and city dwellers who want an EV with all the perks of a supermini

the rivals: Nissan Leaf, Vaxuhall Ampera, Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Key Selling Points: 1. Looks – there’s a concept carlook about the Zoe 2. 65kW motor and batteries equals great acceleration 3. Comes with free charger

Deal Clincher: It’s the cheapest full-size electric car currently on the UK market Searches supplied by Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: n/a

on test

Leon Poultney gets behind the wheel of an important car which Renault hopes will help it hit the big time

What is it?

What’s the spec like?

The fourth and arguably most important car in Renault’s burgeoning ZE (Zero Emissions) range that includes the van-like Kangoo, the four-door saloon Fluence and the tech-lover’s plaything Twizy. Zoe fills the gap for an all-electric, zero emissions hatchback that looks and drives like an everyday car.

There are three trims: Expression, Dynamique Zen and Dynamique Intens. The former includes 15-inch wheels, R-Link touch screen infotainment system, climate and cruise control – it costs £13,995 after the £5k Government grant. Both Zens and Intens cost £15,195 after the grant and there’s a reverse parking camera and a remote access system that allows owners to pre-heat or cool the car’s cabin while it charges, ensuring vital juice isn’t zapped while on the move.

What’s under the bonnet?

It’s not really about what’s under the bonnet – which is a lively 65kW electric motor that produces the equivalent of 86bhp – but what’s under the seats, which is a large stack of state-ofthe-art lithium ion batteries. Combine the two and you get a nippy city runaround that can hit 30mph from standstill in around four seconds – perfect for city dwellers zipping about.

What’s it like to drive?

EVs tend to roll through corners and crash over potholes but Renault’s engineers have done a stellar job in making the Zoe behave like its rival superminis. Minor niggles? The steering is slightly vague and the driver’s seat is a bit high.

What do the press think of it?

Honest John said: ‘The Renault Zoe is sensible, practical, enjoyable and any worries are taken away. That’s why I rate it as the first electric car I’d actually hang my hat on.’

What do we think of it?

Electric vehicles remain a difficult concept to fathom, however Renault assures us its salespeople will never force the Zoe onto customers. But if the many criteria are matched (their commute is within range, they cover more than 9,000 miles a year, their home can facilitate a wall-mounted charging point etc.) then the Zoe is a viable and cost-effective option, especially as Renault will throw in the wall-mounted charging point free of charge.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 39

forecourt.

Porsche Cayman So the new 911 GT3 only comes with a PDK automatic gearbox – will this put buyers off?

Well, the car rides incredibly well and delivers outstanding performance. PDK does lack some of the things a manual gearbox has, but the new PDK has features that are totally different. It not only changes a lot faster but if you raise both paddles it disengages the clutch so you can treat it like a manual and rev it and drop the clutch in. I’ll be very interested to see people’s reactions when they drive it for the first time. I can’t comment on why there’s no manual as I haven’t been involved in those discussions, but what I do know is that the GT3 has always been about being out there in terms of overall performance and this is the way to deliver that now.

Porsche GB boss Chris Craft talks to James Baggott about the new Cayman and the forthcoming Macan Fair enough. So how are sales in the UK at the moment?

Well, we take last year as our reference point. We had a very good year and clearly new product helped drive that. The 911 two wheel drive was launched at the end of 2011, we had Boxster last year and we finished the year doing 8,000 units – a 25 per cent growth year-onyear which is pretty significant.

Everybody is looking over their shoulders now though at the economy – one

day we’re not Triple A rated and it’s the end of the world, then it’s Italy’s election, nobody knows what will be next. But I do know we had a good year last year and we’ve still got new product coming through, so we’re running OK and I want to see that continue.

driving styles. The entry-level 2.7 flat-six is an absolute screamer of a power plant, requiring the driver to firmly plant their right foot and max out the revs through every gear. The Cayman S with its 3.4-litre unit is far more punchy in third and fourth gears, offering an extra 80Nm of torque over the 2.7 and shaving 0.6 seconds off the 0-60mph sprint time.

screen display, automatic headlight activation and an auxiliary slot in the glovebox but it is in no way lavished with goodies. The interior of the S receives partial leather upholstery and the cabin in both models feels fairly special. Prices are £39,694 for the Cayman while the S is £48,783.

CABIN

Inside it’s a more comfortable place to be thanks to new seats.

There’s also a vast options list for the perfect cabin ambience.

ENGINE

Customers have two choices: A screaming 2.7 which needs to be ‘worked’ hard, or a punchier 3.4litre in the Cayman S.

on test

The new Porsche Cayman promises to be the best yet. Leon Poultney has driven it

What is it?

An updated and overhauled version of Porsche’s mid-engined, tin-top road racer that nicely plugs the gap between the entry-level Boxster and the fiery 911. The Cayman has always held a special place in the hearts of petrolheads thanks to its superb chassis, high-revving engine and attractive price tag. However, the latest iteration is up £1,134 on the Cayman S model and £487 on the standard 2.7-litre iteration.

What’s under the bonnet?

Engine choice should really be decided by buyers’ ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

What’s the spec like?

Standard equipment is slightly improved over the previous model with the German firm now offering luxuries such as a seven-inch touch-

What’s it like to drive?

In one word: Astonishing. Enter a bend with the ham-fisted scrappiness of a complete novice and it somehow propels you out of the other side cleaner than a pair of boiled pants. It’s the perfect – albeit expensive – cure for manic depression.

in association with

The new Cayman seems to have gone down well – are you pleased?

We couldn’t have written the press coverage any better ourselves. It’s just fantastic. Our network is very excited about it too. It’s a big part of their sales overall – it’s something like 17-18 per cent of their volume, so it’s very important. Cayman has been a very popular car in the UK particularly.

Dealers are holding launch event evenings for this car and we expect to get 8,000 potential buyers through our showrooms. We won’t expect them all to turn into sales, but these launches give us the test drives and the orders flow from there. The order bank is already developing.

Will it outsell 911?

No. 911 will be bigger than Cayman – they are different products. The Cayman is a brilliant driver’s car, so is the 911 – but clearly they are very different. I’m sure there are some buyers that do substitute a 911 for a Cayman or Boxster though. Combine the Cayman and Boxster sales volumes and together they do outsell 911 in slightly bigger numbers together.

That clears that up. So what about the new baby SUV? Up to a year ago it was called the Cajun, but now the Macan name is sticking. It will go into production and we will get it in 2014. Clearly it is a big step on for the brand as it gives another entry point for buyers. We would like to win a

few new customers with it. If we look back at Cayenne, that certainly did it for the brand and I think Macan will also bring in new customers too. It’s Audi Q5 sized and will have to live up to the DNA of the company and be a high performance car. We will launch with high-end petrol derivatives and the range will develop from there.

What are you most excited about?

At the moment it has to be the sum of everything. We’ve never had so much new product in such a short space of time in our history. Our job is to look after the customers and develop demand – and ensure the retailers are geared up to deliver that passion through to our customers.

STYLING

The first Cayman divided opinion on its looks, but the new car really is a pretty thing. It’s good looking from all angles.

the knowledge Model: Porsche Cayman Price: £39,694 (as tested) Engine: 2.7-litre flat-six, petrol Power: 275bhp, 290Nm Max speed: 164mph 0-60mph: 5.4s MPG (comb’d): 36.7 Emissions: 192g/km Residual values (three years): 58 per cent

target buyers:

Previous Cayman buyers; both Boxster owners trading up and 911 drivers trading down

the rivals: Nissan 370Z, BMW Z4 Coupe, Lotus Evora S

What do the press think of it?

The Telegraph said: ‘The Cayman wasn’t a bad car before, but this one is a world-beater.’

What do we think of it?

The Cayman is a superb machine that manages to include all of the endearing characteristics of the previous model but offer another level of refinement and practicality that enables it to be used every day.

Options are still extremely expensive but a barebones Cayman at £39,694 on the road is a very attractive proposition for performance-minded customers.

Key Selling Points: 1. List of standard equipment has grown 2. Supreme grip through twisty corners 3. Perfect weight distribution

Deal Clincher: One of Porsche’s best driver’s cars has just got faster, lighter and prettier Searches supplied by Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 211,949 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

forecourt.

HOT HATCH special

the knowledge Model: Ford Fiesta ST Price: £16,995 (as tested) Engine: 1.6-litre, four-cylinder

turbocharged petrol Power: 180bhp, 290Nm Max speed: 137mph 0-60mph: 6.9s MPG (comb’d): 47.9mpg Emissions: 138g/km Residual values (three years): 50 per cent

target buyers:

Traditional Fast Ford fans, youngsters and new customers to the brand.

the rivals: Renaultsport Clio RS 200, Mini Cooper S, Peugeot 208 GTi

Key Selling Points: 1. Sweet-handling chassis with very accurate steering.

2. Well specified.

3. Mixes performance with low running costs, impressively.

Deal Clincher: Undercuts the vast majority of its closest rivals – and is just as (if not better) fun to drive Searches supplied by Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 2,556,867

T S a t Fies

...but is the ST better than Renault’s RS? Leon Poultney has driven it What is it?

What’s the spec like?

The fire breathing brother of the recently rejuvenated Clio. A race-ready hot hatch that proudly boasts 200hp (197bhp) underneath the bonnet and years of motorsport success in its DNA. But unlike previous hot Clio offerings, the latest model aims to provide enthusiasts with greater practicality, a more pliant ride and improved efficiency.

Not too shabby. Two trim levels will be on offer; standard and Lux. The latter adds a beefier sound system, auto lights and wipers, electrically-folding mirrors and an R-Link system that can record lap times, monitor G-forces and download it all onto a USB stick for nerdy perusal later. Standard trim level includes all the RS badging, 17-inch alloys and the aforementioned R.S Drive mode selector.

Standard costs £18,995 – Lux versions costs £1,000 more.

What’s under the bonnet?

The 1.6 litre engine receives direct injection turbo charging for the first time. The introduction of a turbo means an increase in torque (25Nm to be precise) and a much flatter delivery. Fuel economy has also been improved thanks to some clever tech – 44mpg is now achievable on the combined cycle and emissions have been slashed by almost a quarter. It emits 144g/km of CO2, saving potential buyers £325 in VED. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

What’s it like to drive?

There is a lot to love about the hot Clio, including the engine note that is piped into the cabin – but the drive isn’t quite as ferocious as the soundtrack makes out. This is a quick car, but not necksnappingly quick. The chassis is well judged though, firm enough in Race mode to allow for superbly flat cornering but forgiving enough in Comfort not to

put off less enthusiastic drivers. However, this does mean the hardcore edge of previous models has undoubtedly been lost.

What do the press think of it?

Car Magazine concluded: ‘The new Clio RS isn’t as satisfying to drive as its predecessor...[but] it is now a much more appealing daily proposition than before.’

What do we think of it?

This is a great car and it will not fail to put a smile on owners’ faces but it is sure to upset diehard fans of Renaultsport models. It’s not quite aggressive enough to achieve truly legendary status but what it lacks in performance prowess it more than make up for with comfort and bags of practicality. This is definitely the five-door family car that can cart the kids around during the week yet reveal its darker side at weekends.

in association with

Ford’s Fiesta ST has the looks but does it have the pace? Jon Reay reports What is it?

The eagerly anticipated Fiesta ST – Ford’s hottest supermini yet. It’s got a bit of a reputation to live up to, as well, with Ford very keen to compare it to the fast Fiestas of yesteryear. Amazingly, the Blue Oval has already received 900 orders before the cars have even appeared in dealerships to be drooled over.

What’s under the bonnet?

A version of the 1.6-litre ‘Ecoboost’ engine you’ll also find in the Focus, C-Max and Mondeo – a rather good little turbocharged thing with 180bhp on tap. Ford says it’s fiddled about with its settings to make it a bit feistier than in those, though, and it seems to have paid off.

What’s the spec like?

Pretty good. There’s two versions – ST (£16,995) and ST-2 (£17,995) – both of

which have a DAB radio with SYNC, air conditioning, Thatcham Category 1 Alarm, 17-inch alloys and a pair of figure-hugging Recaro seats. ST-2 adds LED daytime running lights, heated partial-leather Recaros, Keyless Start and a Sony-branded stereo. That’s on top of MyKey and a QuickClear heated windscreen.

What’s it like to drive?

It’s fantastic. For a start, it’s amazingly easy – and fun – to drive quickly. The front end just grips and grips regardless of how hard you push, and everything from the gear change to the weight of the steering feels just right. Like the Focus ST, the Fiesta gets a sound ‘symposer’ (a big pipe that carries sound from the back of the engine) located behind the dash. The icing on the cake?

When you’re tired of thrashing around and settle down into Sunday driving mode, the Fiesta turns into a very refined car.

What do the press think of it?

Top Gear said: ‘It’s ace. Simple as that.

And when the inevitable group-tests start happening with the Clio RS and 208 GTi, you won’t be able to ignore the price.’

What do we think of it?

It’s easy to wax lyrical about what a brilliantly executed package the Fiesta ST is, but that’s not without good reason.

The Fiesta itself is already an excellent car, and with 180bhp under the bonnet that fact becomes even more clear. It’s sharp to drive, quick enough to be enjoyable, and from behind the wheel everything feels just right. On top of that it’s got plenty of kit, looks great and shouldn’t be all that expensive to run. In short, we can’t think of anything else we’d want more for £17,000.

0 0 2 t r o p s t l u a n Re

the knowledge Model: Clio Renaultsport

200 Turbo Price: £18,995 (as tested) Engine: 1.6 litre, four-cylinder

turbocharged petrol Power: 197bhp, 240Nm Max speed: 143mph 0-60mph: 11.5s MPG (comb’d): 44.8 Emissions: 144g/km Residual values (three years): 40 per cent

target buyers:

RS fans but majority will be new customers to the brand – those after an all-rounder

the rivals: Ford Fiesta ST, Peugeot 208 GTi, Volkswagen Polo GTI

Key Selling Points: 1. Aggressive styling.

2. Lux version is full of equipment and technology.

3. More economical.

Deal Clincher: It’s now easier to live with and is now more of a classic, useable hot hatchback Searches supplied by Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 1,231,961

KEN RAMIREZ ON: CLIO RS

How will you market the new Renaultsport Clio?

We want to say ‘this is not just your track car’. Not ‘this isn’t a track car’ but we want to emphasise how versatile it is. Drivers can enjoy the car but at the same time they can switch all the sport modes off and it’s a very polite vehicle. The focus is on an everyday sports car and everyone can drive it.

Is every dealership going to become a Renaultsport specialist?

Every dealer will have Renaultsport Clio but not every dealer will be a specialist. It is not reasonable to expect every dealer to be a specialist but we want to make sure that the ones that are really want to be and they’re going to sell it very well. Because every dealer will have RS, we will make sure the correct ambience is there but we will leave the real specialists to sell RS to the hardcore fans.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

FEATURE.

FIRST DRIVE

Jaguar F-Type The E-Type replacement has only taken 50 years to arrive – but can it live up to the legend? James Baggott reports What is it?

Quite simply, this is the most important Jaguar for more than 50 years. Not since the iconic E-Type has Jaguar launched a new model into this segment, and boy has the wait the knowledge been worth it. The stunning F-Type is the British manufacturer’s new Model: Jaguar F-Type S halo model – a high performance, Price: £67,500 (as tested) Engine: 3.0-litre V6, two-seater convertible that’s

supercharged charged with ‘changing the face Power: 357bhp, 460Nm of the brand’. Buyers are already Max speed: 171mph queuing up for them, with a six0-60mph: 4.8s month wait already in place, and MPG (comb’d): 31 that’s before any of them have Emissions: 213g/km driven it. As soon as more potential Residual values punters get behind the wheel that (three years): N/A wait is going to get longer. A lot target buyers: longer.

Jaguar is aiming for younger buyers who value performance What’s under and styling

the bonnet?

There are three different models the rivals: – the F-Type, F-Type S and F-Type Porsche 911, Audi R8, Aston V8S. The first two are V6s and the Martin V8 Vantage latter, obviously, a V8. All units Key Selling Points: are supercharged. The standard F-Type has a 3.0-litre V6 with 1. It’s 25 per cent cheaper than 335bhp, 450Nm, hits 60mph in equivalent 911s Lightweight 2. It sounds absolutely 5.1s and tops out at 161mph. The The 50:50 weight distribution is key to the way the incredible middle of the range F-Type S hits car feels. Engineers even moved the windscreen 3. It’s brilliant to drive 60mph in 4.8s and cracks 171mph washer bottle to the rear to save 7kg from the front thanks to 375bhp and 460Nm. end. Some 50 per cent of the aluminium used is Deal Clincher: The range topping 5.0-litre V8S recycled – the bonnet alone is made from 26,000 It could quite possibly be the has a frightening 488bhp, 625Nm drinks cans. best Jaguar ever and tops 186mph with 60mph dispatched in 4.2 seconds. They all feel rapid and sound absolutely incredible thanks to an exhaust system which took 18 months to my god the sound. Under acceleration all versions out of the dash when you turn the air con on. And develop. sound brilliant, and fizzle, crack and pop on the the deployable door handles that pop out of the

What’s the spec like?

Will buyers really care when the car looks as good as this? We doubt it. However the golf club set will want some toys and fortunately there are loads.

Highlights include the eight-speed automatic gearbox (standard), the multi-adjustable sports seats, and Meridian sound system (not that you’d want to listen to it). There are some brilliant design touches too – like the central heater vents that rise ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

bodywork. Ian Callum we salute you!

What’s it like to drive?

Incredible. Make no mistake, if you’re thinking this is simply an executive car park posing machine you couldn’t be more wrong. This is a drivers’ car through and through. We spent plenty of time in all derivatives and loved the crisp steering, the rapid eight-speed paddle shift box and the sound – oh

overrun. It feels a lot lighter than it looks – with extensive use of aluminium in the construction helping here. On the track it’s nimble and involving and huge fun while on the road it’s nothing short of

SPJLr EC IAL Lineage The F-Type follows in a prestigious line of British sports cars.

The C-Type, D-Type and E-Type came before it – and most offer design cues to the new model. The rear exhausts and clam shell bonnet both hark back to the E-Type.

Sales Of the 74m cars sold worldwide last year, just 0.6 per cent of them were sports cars.

The US will account for 45 per cent of sales, UK 25 per cent and Germany 23 per cent. Some 90 per cent of buyers will be new to Jaguar.

Power Both the V6 and V8 engines are supercharged, feature brilliant eight-speed paddle gearboxes. The range topper has 485bhp and can hit 60mph in 4.2 seconds.

intoxicating. We’d go as far as saying this is the best driver’s Jaguar ever.

What do the press THINK? Well, we wrote this review and sent the magazine to the printers before the embargo lifted on reviews, so it was impossible to tell. However, several publications had passenger rides in the car earlier this year. Back then Autocar said: ‘The F-Type has the soul of a responsive, agile sports car.’ Pistonheads added: ‘Apparent is the Jaguar-like ability of breathing across road surfaces, keeping harshness at bay’. We’d be surprised if most magazines gave the F-Type

anything less than five stars.

What do we think of it?

It’s the car of the year, without a shadow of a doubt. Our pick of the range would be the V6S – it’s just as much fun to drive as the V8, sounds just as brilliant, and the peaky power delivery is stunning. But the real coup is the pricing – every model is 25 per cent less than the equivalent 911, its bitter rival. On a track, we’d hazard a guess at the 911 being quicker, but the German’s abilities aren’t worth the extra money. It’s a game changer for the manufacturer – and we feel honoured to have been there at the start of it.

Jaguar: We need a BMW 1 Series rival Jaguar needs to launch smaller compact cars and saloons if it’s to become a true rival to the holy trinity of German brands.

At least that’s the view of the manufacturer’s head of global product marketing, Steven De Ploey.

Speaking openly to Car Dealer at the launch of the Jaguar F-Type, he explained that now the halo model is here, Jaguar needs to lower its sights.

‘We need to drag the brand downwards to the smaller segments,’ said De Ploey. ‘But it needs to be done in the right way a way that opens up Jaguar to even more people.

‘Yes we need smaller cars but if it’s done before buyers are ready it won’t be accepted. You only have to look at Aston Martin and the Cygnet for an example of that.’ De Ploey admitted it wasn’t ideal that Jaguar lacked a rival to the German brands’ premium small cars but said he thinks it ‘makes sense’ for Jaguar to launch smaller cars in this space at ‘the right time’.

‘We also need a rival in the saloon car sector - 3 Series-sized - as this is where the volume is. But it needs to be done in the right way with the right Jaguar DNA running through it,’ he added. ‘That takes time.’

Jaguar global brand director Adrian Hallmark told Car Dealer that the F-Type will ‘definitely’ bring down the average age of buyers.

‘It’ll move from around 50 years old to closer to 40,’ he explained.

Hallmark also revealed that it wouldn’t take much for Jaguar to make major strides forward in the premium sector. Currently Audi is 25 times bigger, BMW 30 times and Mercedes 32 times larger than Jaguar globally.

‘When I reveal those figures it is always met with shock,’ said Hallmark. ‘But it demonstrates that Jaguar doesn’t have to move too far to really make a difference. We want to make products like Apple that buyers don’t just like, they want to lick – I think we’ve achieved that with the F-Type.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 45

FEATURE.

interview

Jeremy Hicks Jaguar Land Rover’s UK chief Jeremy Hicks grabs a burger with James Baggott during a break from the New York Motor Show to chat about his brands The Range Rover Sport launch with Daniel Craig was an amazing event – how did it come about?

We have an association with Daniel through Bond but it was nothing to do with that. It was more to do with an association we have with him directly. He was happy to do it. He’s internationally known and has a great affection for the brand and he’s perfect for it – he’s an understated hero, like our brand. It fits well and if you look at the level of interest we got from the event, well, it’s been incredible. But the best bit for me was the fact he wanted to do it. The car has to stand on its own two feet now, though. My overriding impression of that launch was it just made me feel so very proud to be British.

Did you pick the New York show because you could effectively own it with that audacious launch?

Not really. I was part of the discussion as to where we were going to do this and my vote was to come to New York. It got March out of the way and New York is a very important market for us – it’s the largest Range Rover Sport market for us in the world. But why should we go where everybody else is? We wanted to go somewhere else and be different. They say when the world zigs, zag – and that’s a great saying and has important relevance here. We should zag all the time. No one expected us to do the launch here which is what makes it even better.

Is that about JLR trying not to be German?

No, it’s more about us trying to be confident, actually. We don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Some people say that’s because we don’t want to be German, but I say it’s because we can afford to be confident. We have no problem getting the interest – there is big interest in our brands.

Premium sales seem to be holding up well at the moment, are you finding that?

If you look at how the market is developing, the ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

premium sector is growing as is the bottom end where things are really price sensitive. The guys in the middle are the ones being squeezed. I think that’s because buyers are more demanding of their brands – be that clothes, watches, food – they want more from their brands. The other thing is that cars are now bought on monthly payments, people are happy to buy on residual backed finance and premium brands have stronger residuals which makes them affordable.

Some say it’s the rich getting richer that’s pushing premium sales – but I don’t buy that. It’s simply that we’re getting more accessible.

Have you seen your buyer mix change then?

Yes. For Jaguar with XF it has shifted strongly to four-cylinder models. We’re pulling away from a lot of the German premium brands with that car and that means new buyers for us. And with Evoque we are seeing 70 per cent plus conquest business. They’re coming out of everything. We look weekly at our draw from other brands and it’s like a harlequin – everything is in there as part exchanges from all sectors and brands. They go from Fiestas and Focuses all the way up.

Have you got any pre-orders for the new Range Rover Sport?

Yep, conservatively we have 250 orders in the bank. But in truth we’ve probably got three or four times that as people have been waiting for the spec before putting their money down.

We’ve got 5,000 people who have asked for more information on the car and that would have spiked again after the launch with Daniel Craig.

Will the buyer mix change for that car?

Yes, I think it will. Now we will see people from Porsche Cayennes coming our way. This is a car that has been engineered without compromise, so we’ll not only get people who are very image conscious, but we’ll also get people who are ‘drivers’ too.

Our challenge will be how we manage customer expectations in terms of delivery times.

We will do everything we can to keep it as short

Evoque

as possible. The global allocation is very fair, but I’ll fight for as many as I can possibly get for the UK market.

How important will the Sport be to the Land Rover sales mix?

Evoque will still be the volume seller. A third of our registrations are Evoques and I can’t see that changing significantly. Numbers wise we will sell more Range Rover Sports than we did of the last one. I’m not going to tell you what the number is – we don’t talk numbers – but it is predicted to be a bigger seller than the last one.

The functionality is different now. It’s more of a driver’s car and the versatility of the option of two extra seats will open this car up to even more buyers. It’s occasional seating but it will appeal to a lot of people.

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XKR–S GT

F-Type

Will we see any more special ETO editions of Jaguar models, like the XKR-S GT? Absolutely. I think ETO is where there is a real opportunity for us. The option to do spicier options is there. Not just in terms of engine tweaks but with styling too through use of wheels and body kits. It’s where there is a big opportunity for Jaguar across the range. There’s an option for Land Rover too. But for Jaguar there is a real appetite for these sorts of cars – it captures the customers’ imagination. We could even see an ETO version of the F-Type. A lot of cars don’t need ‘stuff’ and Ian Callum would be the first to say we shouldn’t over stylize a vehicle, but the XKR-S GT works well.

What’s next after F-Type for Jaguar?

New cars in new segments. We’re working on

XF

Range Rover Sport

a number of different opportunities to expand our range into different areas. If we look at the market and see where the logical movement is, it’s downwards – and that’s as much as I’ll be drawn on.

What would be your message to the dealer network at the moment?

We’re in a good place and we’ve got momentum.

We will grow and develop the range and have already seen some good examples of that with F-Type and Sportbrake and that will continue. I just look at the number of approaches I get from dealers who want to take on a Jaguar franchise as they think it is the one to bet on for the future and I get them all the time. That shows we’re moving in the right direction. We’re at the right sort of dealer numbers now, though. We are

looking more at growing the size of a few of our dealers, but not everywhere. A lot were set up for the X-Type so a lot of the network as it is currently shaped can cope. Land Rover is where our bigger challenge is as we are seeing more pressure on service demand in a lot of our dealers. We have 90 Jaguar dealers at the moment and they give us a good coverage across the UK, and 120 for Land Rover.

Sounds like you’re in a good place?

We’re not in a comfortable place, but I don’t mean that in a bad way. When you’re managing growth you have to do so in a careful way. I say to my team that in the future we will look back at this time and say ‘wow, look what we’ve done’.

But at the moment we’re in the middle of this and everybody is having to work extremely hard.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 47

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FEATURE.

interview

John Edwards

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Land Rover’s global brand director John Edwards chats to James Batchelor about the brand’s future and its owners Tata How are you going to continue Land Rover’s success in the future?

It is really about motivating our dealers. We need to have a shared vision with our retailers because we are over-investing in the future – £2.75bn across both brands we are investing this year – and we need our dealers to over-invest in their businesses as well. We need them to grow in capacity, grow the number of technicians; grow the number of their sales people and in their facilities but our dealers are making more money than virtually any other dealers.

What is your vision of the brand?

On the one hand we are a small manufacturer in a large global place, we ultimately we have plans to grow to in this market. The global SUV market is forecasted to grow to 20 million vehicles by 2020 – we currently sell 330,000 cars, so there’s room to grow. We are a specialist – we only do SUVs but we are the only manufacturer that has a significant better global reach.

What are you plans with Evoque?

We are developing the product in its core form – we have recently revealed the nine-speed gearbox variant and this will make the Evoque more efficient. It’s a world first and that is very exciting.

Right now, though, we cannot build enough Evoques. We are at full capacity at Halewood which is currently on a three-shift pattern, and we continue to look at different alternatives which we may or may not do – the obvious one being the cabriolet. We haven’t decided whether we are going to build this yet – but we have had considerable demand for it.

What types of new products can we expect?

The thing with Land Rover is there no shortage of new ideas for new products; the market will grown to 20 million vehicles and we think we have permission to go anywhere in this marketplace. We are looking at smaller; larger; cheaper; more expensive; more car-like and harder off-road cars – all options are open to us.

The one which we have been very public about is Defender, and we are working very hard on a replacement for that car. The reaction we got for the Electric Defender at the Geneva Motor Show

speaks volumes about the power of that car. Now we could invest all of our money in that car, but we are not going to do that – we want to have a balanced portfolio, including going smaller.

What’s life under Tata like?

It’s been absolutely brilliant. We were probably a little uncertain at the beginning – and while our old owners Ford were brilliant, it now feels like we have left home and are facing the big world on our own. But the retired chairman, Mr Tata is like a guardian overlooking us. He rarely – if ever – writes a blank cheque. Tata is more ambitious in us than we ever dared to be.

Was Mr Tata a demanding chairman?

Absolutely not. I have an interesting story about him: It was around about September 2009 and we were showing him the products in our design studio, his eye was caught by the MY10 Range Rover. Mr Tata has a bad back and when he sat in the rear of the car, he asked whether the rear seat reclined. It didn’t recline. Three months later he came back and we showed him a Range Rover with a reclining seat. He thought it was brilliant and asked whether it was in production. We said no – probably by 2013. For Tata that would have been in production the following Monday.

I exaggerate the story but there are reasons why in our business things take longer than they do in India.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

FEATURE.

Question of Sport New Range Rover Sport is a technological tour de force, says our man in New York, James Baggott

I

t was a case of double-ohheaven for Land Rover at the New York Motor Show as it managed to steal the limelight for the launch of its new Range Rover Sport thanks to a rather special unveiling by none other than Daniel Craig.

The Bond star helped the British manufacturer deliver the first car to the press launch in a live drive through the streets of Manhattan.

The three million dollar stunt saw sections of the busy city closed at rush hour and it had all the razzamatazz of the Oscars.

But it was key for the vital new car.

One of Land Rover’s most important models, the Sport has notched up nearly 304,000 worldwide sales since it arrived in 2005. Now, following the successful births of the Evoque and Range Rover, it’s the racy middle brother’s time to shine.

Based on the same aluminium platform as the Range Rover – but with 75 per cent of the parts changed – the Sport ushers in an Evoqueesque look, clever new technology, and some seriously impressive statistics.

Powering the top-of-the-range model is a 5.0-litre supercharged V8, producing 503bhp and 625Nm of torque, and it can get to 60mph in five seconds flat. The popular SDV8 diesel unit also makes a welcome return. With 332bhp and a mighty 700Nm of torque, it can crack 60mph in 6.5 seconds.

There are further diesel and petrol units to pick from, but of more interest will be the hybrid which is set to arrive later this year and combines a 3.0-litre diesel engine with a 50kw battery – a big leap forward for the model.

Improvements have been made across the board. The new Sport is 33 per cent lighter than its predecessor – that’s SIX average adults lost in weight – the body is 25 per cent stiffer and on average it’s 24 per cent more efficient.

Clever new technology on the Range Rover Sport includes an iPhone and Android app that lets you connect with their car. It can guide you back to where you parked it, tell you how much ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

lighter than Sport is 33 per cent equal to SIX the old car. That’s in weight average adults lost fuel is left, file company car mileages via email and even alert you if it thinks it’s about to be nicked.

The clever kit includes in-car wifi for up to eight devices, a tracking system to aid recovery and the ability to dial emergency services in the event of a crash and alert them of your location.

Larger families will be pleased to hear there’s now a seven-seat option too, while the interior is more luxurious than ever. The centre console is even chilled – and can hold a full bottle of champagne.

The top-of-the-range supercharged V8 costs £81,550 with entry level models a ‘more affordable’ £51,550. Time to visit the bank manager we reckon… because this is one highly desirable car.

HOW TO SPOT A SPORT Sport’s face is a happy mix of Evoque and new Range Rover

SPJLr EC IAL Why James Bond shut down New York for Range Rover More luxuriou s than ever.

There’s even a chilled centre console for cha mpagne!

Range of engines: From a 5.0-litre supercharged to a 3.0-litre diesel hybrid arp creases Sloping roof, sh ark out t and this ven m brother gger Sport from its bi

IT HAD Bond star Daniel Craig, it saw a huge swathe of New York shut down during rush hour, a massive film crew and a red carpet full of stars – when it comes to car launches, the Brits certainly know how to put on a show.

Land Rover brought the streets around the stunning James Farley Post Office building in New York to a standstill as it pulled off possibly one of the most extravagant and audacious new car launches ever.

Craig seamlessly synced a live drive into the packed Post Office hall in the new Range Rover Sport with an opening film, reminiscent of his 007 escapades.

The event – rumoured to have cost £3m – saw a host of celebrities, including Thierry Henry, Simon and Jasmine Le Bon, Zara Phillips and Jade Jagger, quaff champagne as Craig starred in the action-packed stunt.

Helicopters over the city captured the action live and it was broadcast to thousands of fans online in a multi-media unveiling for the new £85,000 SUV. But why Bond? Well, apparently Craig has worked with Land Rover before. The firm donated a Defender to the African S.A.F.E charity he is a patron of and his appearance in New York – just a few blocks away from his home – would see the charity get another car.

New York is also the world’s biggest metropolitan market for the Range Rover Sport, so it was fitting that it took over the streets of the city with the new car’s unveiling.

A Land Rover insider told us: ‘Craig is a big fan of Land Rover and we’ve worked closely with him and his charity before – plus the event was only down the road from his house so it was hard for him to say no!’

rear Mean-looking ng gi lights, red bad s. and twin pipe y. st Ta

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51

Feature.

Porsche Cayenne

Mercedes ML

P55

P57

Range LUXURY 4X4 mega test

toppers

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Posh off-roaders have never been so popular and it seems demand won’t falter anytime soon.

We headed for Wales to drive the latest versions

WORDS: JON REAY PICTURES: DAVE SMITH

Range Rover

P54

Infiniti FX

W

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e love our 4x4s in Britain, no matter what their size. From the Scottish Highlands to Chelsea’s Kings Road, the high-riding tough-looking models are loved; pairing go-anywhere abilities with ultimate luxury.

There are quite a few to choose from now, too – not just luxurious models but sporty ones as well.

Almost every manufacturer is getting in on the game. Audi, BMW and Porsche have all entered the segment in recent years, while even Maserati are slated to be developing a luxurious SUV of its own.

With that in mind, and the new Range Rover bearing down on us, we thought it was about time we got a group of them together for some proper all-weather testing, pitting the British

P56

favourite against Porsche’s Cayenne, Mercedes’s M Class and Infiniti’s FX to see which emerged as the toughest (and the comfiest). We’re not talking a dreary day in Cheshire here, either: We’ve driven them to north Wales on perhaps the worst day of the year, in the sort of snow that’s driving even sheep farmers back to bed.

Which will come out on top? Keep reading.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

Feature.

Range Rover HHHHH 1st

Overview:

Your view:

The Range Rover is arguably the daddy of this test. Now in its fourth generation, it’s not only the most luxurious version yet, but also the most technologically advanced with an all-new Terrain Response four-wheeldrive system and a stunning 29-speaker Meridian audio system. It’s the lightest too, with the Rangie’s allaluminium body making it surprisingly agile.

‘The Range Rover is great to sell because of its unique blend of capabilities and luxury. There really is no other car on the market today that blends such quality, prestige, technology and image in a package that makes every other car surplus to requirement. As a customer said to me recently, ‘it really has now removed the need to own a Bentley’.

Lee Collins, group managing director, Hillendale Group

Their view:

Our view:

‘The evolution of the Range Rover from its origins as a ‘civilised’ Land Rover concept to the all-new Range Rover is staggering. I could quite easily spend a few hours with one of our customers pointing out the incredible attention to detail that has been taken to strengthen Range Rover’s position as the UK’s bestselling luxury vehicle. Many of our customers will own a number of luxury vehicles, but ask them which they wouldn’t be prepared to lose and the same response will invariably come back. For them the Range Rover is never out of place, perfect for all occasions and a vehicle they’re simply not prepared to be without..’

Colin Wells, Range Rover product manager

From the outside, it has the sort of instant presence that other manufacturers can only dream of. Inside, things are even better. Supple leather and private jet-spec wood covers almost every surface, while even things like climate control switches are beautifully designed.

Ride quality is as sublime as you’d expect, and while the Range Rover does roll in corners somewhat, it’s really rather composed for a 4x4 of this size – if not particularly involving.

Passengers will have no complaints either; particularly when rear occupants not only get their own televisions and climate controls, but seats that electrically recline.

the knowledge Model: Range Rover 3.0 TDV6 Autobiography Price: £87,895 Engine: 3.0-litre, V6 diesel Power: 258bhp, 600Nm Max speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 7.4s MPG (comb’d): 37.7 Emissions: 196g/km

RANGE ROVERSTATS

LIGHT

CLEVER

The new Range Rover is a staggering 420kg lighter than the old car

It can park itself with an industry leading park assist feature

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808k Between 1970 and 2012, 807,620 Range Rovers have been sold (retail)

ROOMY Thanks to 118mm more legroom, new car is a limo contender

18 Put through 18 months of arduous testing in over 20 countries

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Mercedes M-Class HHHHH

4th

Overview:

The M-Class has long been a staple of Mercedes’s range, arriving in 1997.

It’s sold very well for the German company, and is now in its third iteration. It’s the largest and probably the sharpest looking version to date, and has Range Rover-rivalling equipment levels, inheriting a lot of its equipment from the S-Class limousine.

Their view: ‘Mercedes-Benz has decades of experience building class-leading SUVs, from the rugged G-Class of 1979 through two generations of M-Class, which ensures the new third-generation M-Class excites just as much on-road, as it does off. Featuring permanent fourwheel drive and new-generation engines that are more efficient, yet responsive, the M-Class enables owners to be prepared for whatever the road ahead has in store. It also offers a full array of Mercedes-Benz safety innovations and high standards of comfort, driving dynamics, design and connectivity.’

Monica Meier, Mercedes-Benz product group manager

Your view: ‘With a distinctive look and luxurious interior, the M-Class has captured the attention of our customers from first sight. Its excellent handling on and off-road provides the flexibility and responsiveness customers

crave, combined with space and comfort. Our most popular option, the ML 350BlueTEC Sport, provides the perfect combination of low fuel consumption with the acceleration of a 262bhp engine.’

Trevor Webb, general manager, Mercedes-Benz Brentford

Our view: It’s arguably comfort that the M-Class really succeeds – its soft ride and plush seats making the miles melt away. Come off the motorway and you’ll take the M Class out of its comfort zone, however: that soft suspension suddenly becomes its downfall. The M does tend to roll excessively around corners – more so than the Range Rover – and its limp steering makes it a distinctly wallow-y prospect when the going gets twisty.

The 2.2-litre diesel in our car is efficient though, and has plenty of power for the average buyer, while the seven-speed automatic is silky smooth. We’d be tempted to upgrade to the ML 350 for the extra poke.

the knowledge Model: Mercedes-Benz ML 250 BlueTEC AMG Sport Price: £46,005 Engine: 2.2-litre, diesel Power: 201bhp, 500Nm Max speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 8.8s MPG (comb’d): 44.8 Emissions: 165g/km

MERCEDES M-CLASSSTATS

4,964 Since it was introduced in March 2012, this M-Class has shifted 4,964 units

AMG Mercedes US has sold 125 units of the 5.5-litre V8, ML 63 AMG

COLOUR DIESEL Most popular colours are black and silver

The 4,964 sales have been split evenly between the 250 and 350 diesels

AUTO

Customers can only choose an auto ’box for their M-Class

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

Feature.

Infiniti FX HHHHH 3rd

Overview:

Your view:

You’d be forgiven for not being particularly familiar with Infiniti. Owned by Nissan, it’s still a relatively new brand to the UK, and has just a handful of dealers over here. As a result the FX does have rarity on its side, and a rather look-at-me exterior to boot. It’s sporty too, with big alloys and sports suspension making the FX look more like a coupe crossover than an SUV.

‘The Infiniti FX is such a great car to sell as it is quite simply so visually appealing. We often get people into the showroom simply because they saw one on the road and had to know more about it. Customers frequently tell us they are approached by people at fuel stations or car parks wanting to know more about their car.’

Stephen Smith, managing director, Infiniti Centre Hull

Their view:

The FX is something of a mixed bag. After a day or two in its company we began to love the way it looked – showing up the fussy M Class, and making the Porsche look a little last year.

We liked the way it handled, too: with body roll kept in check and the steering feeling consistently accurate, the FX often felt quite a lot more nimble than it looked.

However, the ride was a little on the crashy side thanks to the 21-inch alloy wheels, and various interior bits and pieces looked a little cheap, and many of the buttons and switches are borrowed from its smaller crossover cousin, the Juke. It’s the least practical car here too with both space being laughable for a car of this size.

‘The FX represents one of the most stylish crossover performance vehicles available today, designed for people who are in pursuit of individuality. Its expressive look has a coupe SUV style with a long wheel base, short overhangs and a low centre of gravity which provides a sports type look and feel with good driving dynamics. The three engines available support the sports type performance with two petrol derivatives: A 5.0-litre V8 and a 3.7-litre V6 and a diesel 3.0-litre V6.

The diesel is clearly the most popular choice covering 80 per cent of all FX sales.’

Ionut Gheorghe, FX product manager

INFINITI FXSTATS

YOUNG LOOKS Typical FX customer is ‘young, dynamic and self-employed’ ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

The main reason why FXs sell is their styling and looks

Our view:

80%

The majority of customers opt for the growly diesel variant

the knowledge Model: Infiniti FX30dS Premium Price: £53,415 Engine: 3.0-litre, V6 diesel Power: 235bhp, 550Nm Max speed: 132mph 0-60mph: 8.1s MPG (comb’d): 31.4 Emissions: 238g/km

VETTEL Triple F1 champ Sebastian Vettel likes the FX so much he put his name on a tuned version

BLACK Like our test car, black is the favourite colour among FX customers

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Porsche Cayenne HHHHH 2nd

Overview:

It’s been just over 10 years since Porsche first announced it was entering the 4x4 market with the Cayenne, and ever since it’s been a roaring success for the firm – even if some still aren’t sold on its looks. With Porsche’s legendary engineering abilities behind the car too, the Cayenne is one of the best handling 4x4s around.

Their view: ‘Since its launch in 2002, the Cayenne has widened the appeal of Porsche to new audiences around the world and been instrumental in the outstanding success of the company in recent years. It also demonstrates the skill of our engineers in developing fresh concepts to meet evolving customer demands, and which deliver on the expectation of a Porsche being the most sporting car in its segment.’

Jim Willows, Cayenne Product Manager, Porsche Cars GB

Your view: ‘The Cayenne is a fantastic car and has definitely put

Porsche on the radar of new customers, but also means existing Porsche owners stay loyal as their lifestyles evolve. In keeping with the Porsche tradition of intelligent performance, the Cayenne offers a choice of petrol, diesel and Hybrid models. This helps maintain its attractiveness, and high desirability and demand ensures strong residual values, another long-standing Porsche virtue.’

Simon Ackers, Director, Porsche Retail Group

the knowledge Model: Porsche Cayenne Diesel Price: £46,744 Engine: 3.0-litre, V6 diesel Power: 245bhp, 550Nm Max speed: 137mph 0-60mph: 7.4s MPG (comb’d): 39.2 Emissions: 189g/km

Our view: It’s been just over 10 years since Porsche first announced it was entering the 4x4 market with the Cayenne, and ever since it’s been a roaring success for the firm – even if some still aren’t sold on its looks. With Porsche’s legendary engineering abilities behind the car too, the Cayenne is one of the best handling 4x4s around.

However, the most impressive stand-out feature has to be the ride, although to make the most of it, customers will have to add the costly adjustable suspension. Despite this though, it’s pretty roomy – the boot is a decent size, and rear passengers get a decent amount of space.

PORSCHE CAYENNESTATS

HYBRID Cayenne Hybrids take a ‘significant’ share of petrol Cayenne sales

465k

Porsche’s Leipzig factory has built 465,000 Cayennes since 2002

GROWTH

150,000

Cayenne was the first car to really extend the brand to new customers

Porsche built 150,000 of the first generation Cayenne, 2002-2007

60%

Cayenne Diesel accounts for 60 per cent of total Cayenne sales CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

Feature.

Range Rover HHHHH

1st

WHAT WE LIKED: Unrivalled classy image; supreme levels of comfort; build quality is topnotch; limo-like levels of rear legroom; punchy 3.0-litre TDV6 WHAT WE DISLIKED: Pricy options list; day-running lights are a little too bling; sometimes too big for UK roads

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SPJLr EC IAL

C

Verdict

oming up with a verdict from this selection of cars wasn’t an easy task – after all, when it comes down to it, they’re all extremely different beasts.

There was a clear winner for us, though: The Range Rover. Beautifully designed and built with a sumptuous interior and real go-anywhere abilities, it’s not just the king of 4x4s, but king of luxury travel too. Ok, so its air suspension does make it roll around in corners, but with such a silky ride we can forgive it this much.

Second comes the Cayenne. It may not be pretty, but it’s the best handling of our quartet and is likely to be the best all-rounder behind the Rangie. We like its interior, too – feeling sporty and luxurious at the same time.

Stealing third place from the M-Class is the FX – if only by a whisker. While its interior space and Nissan Juke switchgear are a little disappointing, we like its swoopy styling and the way it drives very much indeed. It even rivals the Range Rover for that x-factor too – something of an achievement.

That just leaves the M-Class. Much as we enjoy its hushhush nature and spacious interior, it just doesn’t feel special enough to usurp the Infiniti of third place. If we’re honest, we’re not fans of the way it looks either – its towering stance appearing overweight and bloated on even our car’s optional 20-inch alloys. [CD]

2nd

Porsche Cayenne HHHHH WHAT WE LIKED: Sporty driving experience; interior has a good blend of luxury and traditional Porsche ambience WHAT WE DISLIKED: While the second generation car is better styled than the first, it’s still no looker

3rd

Infiniti FX HHHHH WHAT WE LIKED: Individual looks; rarity factor; rumbling 3.0-litre V6 diesel; agile and quite fun to drive WHAT WE DISLIKED: Interior didn’t feel as special as we had hoped; Nissan switchgear; poor boot space; crashy ride

4th

Mercedes ML HHHHH WHAT WE LIKED: High levels of comfort; great tech poached from the S-Class limo WHAT WE DISLIKED: Gawky looks; 2.2-litre diesel felt a little underpowered; limp steering CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

focus on.

Video

Reach out to customers with quality videos A

s anyone with a teenage child will recognise, consumption of video media, particularly over mobile devices, has risen exponentially in recent years. From a stuttering, frustrating viewing experience to a musthave component on any corporate website, video is a medium that car dealers must embrace if they are to maximise their potential of attracting customers.

But where does one begin? What sort of video is right for your dealership? These are tough questions for those more used to the nitty-gritty of trading cars. Thankfully there are a number of companies who are able to help.

The Auto Network, providers of new car leads to manufacturers, has branched out with Auto Videos, which produces both new car reviews and company overviews for manufacturers and dealers alike.

Anton Hanley, a spokesman for the company, states the significance of producing bespoke video packages.

‘It really connects with online car buyers,’ he says ‘If you’re a dealership with a website, how better to differentiate yourself from a broker than showing the consumer a quick three minute video about your setup and staff?

‘The best service we offer dealers is primarily our dealer overviews. In many cases large franchises have these million pound outlets and they don’t necessarily do a good job online of outlining the significant infrastructure that they’ve developed.

‘We also provide testimonials from customers who’ve purchased from a

CONTACT The Auto Network theautonetwork.co.uk 0844 445 7862

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Autos on Show autosonshow.tv 0800 644 6894

dealership, to engage with the market and show what a good service a dealership could provide to their local customers.’

With three years experience in making videos for dealerships, The Auto Network is well versed in producing professional packages for clients, even when they aren’t completely sure of what they want or need.

‘What we find is with regards to video provision, many dealers don’t know their exact requirements, they just know they possibly need a video for their website,’ explains Hanley

‘We’re able to go in and interpret exactly what they want with no brief and produce a dealer overview incorporating animation, actors, numerous edits for different positions on the website – whatever might be necessary - all of which we can optimise for online and mobile consumption, and then distribute.’

Autos On Show’s innovative software could do wonders to your website

Dealers not versed in the intricacies of mobile production and online publication needn’t worry.

The Auto Network provides a complete start-tofinish solution, which can include video hosting if necessary, though they advocate the use of YouTube, not only due to its large volumes of traffic, but also the benefit to that dealer’s Google search ranking.

Aside from promoting a dealership itself,

online video is being increasingly used to aid in selling stock. Autos on Show aims its services at dealerships looking to produce videos of vehicles in the showroom, allowing potential customers to get the best possible information on a car before even leaving the house.

Autos on Show offers a varied array of products, aimed at suiting the needs of everyone from the smallest independent to the largest car supermarket.

Everything from supplying car turntables for 360degree shots, training dealer staff to shoot video, branding and even automated distribution can be taken care of.

Again, it’s the availability of a complete end-toend package that will appeal to dealers, who would rather spend more time with customers, than uploading videos to their website.

Anton Morris explains the

simplicity of the Autos on Show method of distributing video: ‘All a dealer need do is drag and drop the video files into our software and then it can be uploaded to a variety of online options such as websites, portals and via email links. For example if a customer is browsing a car on a classifieds site, they could look at the video made using the software and fill in an online enquiry card which gets sent to the dealership.

‘It would then be passed on to the sales team who can act on it either via live stream in a video conversation with the customer, or pre-record it so the customer could watch it in their own time, using an emailed link to return them to the page to review it.’

With this level of user simplicity, any member of the dealership staff can get involved with the video process, to ensure a car is marketed online in the shortest amount of time.

‘Anyone can do it, either the valet or a member of the sales team, so once it’s processed it can be online within say five minutes of being prepped.

It’s a quick start process that allows online advertisement to begin within 5-10 minutes of the car being forecourt ready.’

With such fool-proof methods of producing video, no matter what the requirement, it is no wonder that dealerships are turning to the medium in increasing numbers. With customers able to assess both the dealership and a particular car in great detail from the comfort of their own home, the potential sales market is no longer limited to a dealer’s particular locality, and could even broaden to an international level. With this in mind, is it you or your competition that is going to embrace video first? [CD]

By Daljinder Nagra

VIEW VIDEO To see how The Auto Network could work for you, check out our BMW M5 video shot by the company’s film crew CarDealerMag.co.uk | 61

focus on.

JudgeService

Help give your service T

ime was, as a customer, if you had received poor service from a car dealer you could moan to your loved ones, advise friends to take their business elsewhere and…that’s about it. Not anymore. Now, should a company upset anyone with even the

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

smallest presence in the social media sphere, they can find their hard won reputation for customer service in tatters in just a few hours.

Judgeservice, an online customer satisfaction service, aims to empower car dealers with a tool to improve client satisfaction. By giving customers the opportunity to create online reviews, action can be taken to improve service and a dealer’s reputation can be managed more effectively online.

‘On the whole, dealerships are very savvy at collecting individual customer data, even if the customer doesn’t end up making a purchase,’ JudgeService’s Rachel Sargent explains. ‘This data is sent through to JudgeService either daily, weekly or monthly, depending on what suits an individual dealer’s operation.

‘We send out surveys to each of those customers and if they don’t respond within a day or two we send out a reminder to ensure we get the maximum response rate possible.’

One aspect of JudgeService, which will appeal to dealers

selling to a diverse demographic, is the number of ways in which they will attempt to make contact, with surveys sent out via email, text message and by post.

‘This is something which is less common these days. It’s to make sure we don’t alienate certain demographics, those without the Internet or email for instance. It ensures we contact as many customers as possible meaning we can provide balanced feedback to our clients.’

Every customer facing department of a dealership is covered by JudgeService, from new and used car sales, through to servicing and after-sales.

‘We’ve also set up a contact centre for the new lost sales component so we’ve got a small team of people who will phone customers who haven’t responded to the text or email request within 24 hours just to get that feedback over the phone.

That’s a new service we’ve implemented recently.’

It is such a strategy that JudgeService credits with its 40 per cent response rate – around double the average for surveys of this kind – so that dealers can be assured of the most accurate picture of their

the thumbs up overall customer service and satisfaction levels.

It’s not sugar coated either; with the good reviews must come the bad, though given JudgeService’s proactive approach, negative feedback is often smaller than a dealer may have been expecting.

‘We publish both negative and positive reviews for all our clients in order to give credibility to the service and a balanced view. But because we are contacting every potential customer and asking for feedback, we do find 95 per cent are actually satisfied.

‘Normally people will only leave reviews online if they’d had a real problem with something and wouldn’t necessarily comment if they’d had a good experience, so publishing the negative reviews isn’t really a problem as they’re so few and far between.’

Providing an incentive for a customer to leave any kind of feedback is part of the reason JudgeService is proving so successful. Aside from prize draws for high-end gifts such as iPads, JudgeService also runs a referral scheme.

‘If a customer leaves positive feedback and refers someone else to the dealer who then makes

a purchase, both customers will receive a reward which is decided upon by the dealer in question.

‘Usually it is £50 in vouchers, or something similar, for both the referrer and new customer.’

While Judgeservice collates and publishes reviews on its own website, the service encourages dealers to be more proactive in the online space, by promoting reviews via their own social media channel, namely Facebook and Twitter. Customers contacted are also urged to spread the word in the same way.

‘Using JudgeService means getting reviews published to as wide an audience as possible. We’re just getting onto Google reviews, which is important for a lot of our dealers with regards to SEO and also Google Adwords.

‘We’ve also got a JudgeService widget which is an independent analysis tool that appears on the dealer’s website.

It shows all their reviews via JudgeService and also their overall recommendation and satisfactions rating, which can

be used to positively promote individual dealers on their site. This is of particular importance nowadays as the majority of people will evaluate a dealership via its website before even considering visiting, and will even decide to buy based on the online information alone.’

JudgeService offers a simple cost structure, offering value to smaller independent dealers, with the flexibility of multiple site reputation management for the larger franchises.

‘We charge £150 per dealer site for the new and used car sales aspects of our service. The servicing component is £75 per site and the lost sales component is an additional £150 without the used car component or £90 if they already have it.’ [CD]

By Daljinder Nagra

‘‘

We publish both negative and positive reviews for all our clients CONTACT JudgeService W: judgeservice.com T: 01423 225 166 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 63

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Glass’s full terms and conditions apply, please visit www.glassguide.co.uk/terms_conditions ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

Welcome T

iming is a difficult thing – and perhaps one of the subtlest aspects of buying and selling cars.

Ever tried to sell the wrong product for the wrong price at the wrong time? It’s not easy and, while you might think it wasn’t possible in this day and age, in the motor trade it can be a regular occurrence. Here at Car Dealer, we think it needs to stop – and fast.

The fact is, dealers are still losing out when it comes to their stock. Arguably one of the most important parts of the business, it can easily become the most costly.

Whether it’s a car that’s not suitable for the dealership, or simply not selling well in that particular location, it may just be the right time to get rid. Passing it on, however, can often mean dropping the price and selling it for a limited profit.

The means of passing it on to somewhere that it’s really in demand, then, could make all the difference. As could acquiring the right stock at the right time and price – and not simply settling for an unsuitable vehicle out of convenience.

With that in mind, we’ve talked to a carefully selected group of trade-to-trade companies that you really should be working with.

Our feature on the following pages is certainly worth a read, as they could help you save hours of time and effort – not to mention a fair amount of money too.

What’s inside?

Glass’s

P66

Meet the firm that specialises in accurate on the spot valuations

Manheim

P69 An online service that’s like you’re at a real time auction

Aston Barclay

P71 The auction company that focuses on putting the dealer first

Trade Outs

P73 Find out why this company has leagues of happy customers

Deltapoint

P75 Go to the data experts to help shift your part-exchange stock

Autotrade-mail

Why this company is the first port of call for hundreds of dealers

P77

Jon Reay Staff writer

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 65

focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

Get accurate valuations for your stock Glass’s

W: glassguide.co.uk/radar T: 01932 823 897

A

s any dealer will tell you, sourcing a car at the right price is only half the battle when it comes to returning a profit.

A guide price on a particular vehicle cannot tell you about regional supply, the length of time that it has been advertised and the price changes that it has undergone – all information that a dealer needs if he is to gain an edge and maintain profitability.

Glass’s, the UK’s leading vehicle valuation service, agrees. With more than eighty years experience in the business, the company has recently seen the greatest change in the way it operates. Glass’s director of product management and marketing, Vik Barodia, explains: ‘We took the step last year to make a significant change in the way we value vehicles, which we branded ‘G2’, focusing on moving away from gut feeling and moving much more towards insight and real statistical analysis.

‘Our values are now based on four million retail observations and one million trade observations a year, which is more than anyone else in the market and that’s now what is driving our valuations engine.’

Now the company is going a step further with the introduction of its new product Radar. It aims to get dealers the right price for their car in the market today – the spot price ‘Spot pricing through Radar is all about providing dealers with the right price that they should be pricing cars at and looks at the competitive market place in terms of who’s out there, what type of business they are, how long the car has been advertised, how many prices changes it has been through and all the things that help dealers set the right price for their vehicles in their area today. This is the nub of what the Radar product is.’

By assessing a number of key factors, Radar can not only identify the ideal price for a car, but whether

it is a desirable model for your business and in which location a particular car will sell most efficiently.

‘For instance we noticed that an Audi Q7, three years old and showing 40,000 miles was retailing at £27,000 in Wolverhampton and yet the same car in Colchester or Chelmsford was being retailed at £29,500. The smart dealers will take all such stock and retail them in locations with the maximum available price.

‘Radar is also being used to assess the suitability of different types of car for a business. One dealer who took advantage of the service had a Kia Sorento in stock which wasn’t selling, despite having reduced the price by several thousand pounds to shift it. We looked at Radar and found it was a 60-day car – that being the average amount of time that model would spend on a local forecourt before being sold – but the seven seat version was selling

‘‘

We took the step last year to make a significant change in the way we value vehicles.

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

like there was no tomorrow. So the dealer shifted strategy, buying only the indemand version.’

Using Radar couldn’t be simpler. Being connected to Glassnet – the online guide price valuation service, dealers can simply identify a particular vehicle and get spot prices for up to twenty similarly rated vehicles within a specified geographical radius. A wealth of information is provided, from asking price, date of registration and mileage.

‘Dealers can then get a feel for how their competitors are pricing compared to the market.

It also tells you how far the dealer is away from you, how long their car has been listed for, how many times the price has changed since it was first listed, and what each of those prices changes were.

‘Users can then identify at what price a vehicle becomes attractive, by looking at the last known advertised price. It’s a real wealth of information that Radar provides dealers.’

This wealth of information is very

HISTORY Established in 1933, Glass’s Guide has established itself as the industry standard for valuations, with the monthly publication providing up to date guide prices on new and used vehicles. 90 per cent of the motor trade trust the figures Glass’s produce and for good reason, with data as far ranging as auction values, economic trends and consumer tastes, amongst many others, contributing to the accuracy of the valuations published.

Wolverhampton Audi Q7 40,000 miles £27,000

Colchester Audi Q7 40,000 miles £29,500 Chelmsford Audi Q7 40,000 miles £29,500

competitively priced, costing just £629 per annum. A figure that could potentially be recouped in a single vehicle transaction if that car is priced right and sold promptly, something which Glass’s Radar gives you the best chance of doing.

The innovation doesn’t stop there, either. The engine which drives the online Radar application – something which Glass’s refer to as Radar Technology – is to be introduced through a variety of different channels in the near future.

‘In six weeks we will have a Radar mobile app, which will provide all of the information of the web version, but to a dealer’s smart phone or tablet so they can spend more time facing customers on the forecourt.

‘Following that will be Analyser, which will be able to handle multiple cars - an entire dealers stock if needs be – all of which can be spot priced. Also coming is the Radar widget, which any system provider can use to integrate Radar into their product without having to go to Glass’s for the service.’

Barodia also hints at a further development involving Radar, though he is currently keeping his cards close to his chest: ‘It will be bit of a surprise. It’s new and innovative as far as Glass’s is concerned. It’s all about helping dealers make the right business decisions at the right time when trading vehicles.’

With such rapid product proliferation, what more can we say? ‘Watch this space,’ it would seem.

By Daljinder Nagra CarDealerMag.co.uk | 67

the

Manheim powered

dealership Aftersales Management

Performance Through Intelligence

Buying Stock

Market Your Business

Part Exchange Disposal

Customer Management Market Your Stock

Part Exchange Valuations

Only Manheim can help you manage every aspect of running a more profitable dealership We are here to put you in control of your business. We are the one organisation you need to take away all the headaches associated with running a dealership, from stock management to marketing your business and your vehicles.

www.manheim.co.uk/dealer ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

We will be there for you throughout the whole process; from buying, marketing and selling vehicles, through to managing customer relationships, part exchanges and the aftersales process.

focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

The online service that’s like you’re at a real time auction MANHEIM

W: manheim.co.uk T: 0844 856 4545

A

s many dealers will attest to, attending auctions can often be a frustrating experience. Spending a day travelling to a site only to return empty handed or having missed out on the best stock is a negative return on the time invested.

And with such an extensive range of auctions going on each week, it can be hard to pick and choose just which to attend.

Manheim, the UK’s largest automotive auction company, is looking to streamline the business of bidding at each of its 50 weekly auctions, with its latest development in remote auction bidding.

Having offered its Simulcast desktop bidding application for eight years, Manheim is now moving into mobile devices with its latest development, which they are referring to as Simulcast 2.

Manhein’s marketing director Andy Cullwick explains: ‘We’ve seen online traffic to Simulcast via mobile devices increase exponentially in the last 12 months, so it only seemed sensible to produce a specific product platform that suited that need.

‘Simulcast 2 offers live streaming of the 50 physical auctions held every week. They’re streamed online for buyers to bid as if they were actually there.’

With dealers being able to review items before auction, bid on multiple items across different auctions at once and even have a word with the auctioneer via a built-in chat function, users really can be on a level footing with those physically at the auction house.

‘We wanted to ensure that in the fast paced environment of auctions that all online buyers get the same opportunities. We built in an “I’m out” button, so a user can give a firm indication that they are not going to bid any further on a particular vehicle.’

The benefits of remote bidding are clear. Allowing traders to view and bid on cars from any location, regardless of which of Manheim’s extensive list of centre locations the vehicle is at, the software doesn’t just save time for dealers – but money.

Less time wasted out of office, more time spent facing customers. Mobile auction attendance even

‘‘

85 per cent of our customers are satisfied with Simulcast 2 and we will continue to ask for feedback. allows smaller dealer outfits to diversify staff roles.

Says Cullwick: ‘We’ve seen instances where a dealer’s marketing manager has been bidding, getting involved in setting the stock profile of the forecourt. Whereas traditionally this wouldn’t have happened, the instant and easy access allows those with the knowledge of market analytics to be more savvy when buying stock.’

Best of all, there are no application download or service subscription charges, just a £40 transaction fee for each vehicle bought, covering the cost of producing quality reports for dealers to view before auction.

‘Fifteen years ago we cleaned the vehicles, put them in the auction lanes and people turned up and looked at them. Now we photograph them, inspect and grade them all, create reports and put it all online for people to make their buying

decisions.’

Widening the scope for dealers to attend auctions has not only benefited those looking to buy, the increased attendance improves chances for dealers on the other side of the table with their stock disposal, with Manheim citing a 75 per cent increase in the number of buyers since the launch of their mobile platform at the start of the year.

Simulcast 2 now covers 50 per cent of Manheim sites, with the remaining 50 per cent expected to be covered by the end of May. ‘Even since its recent launch, the service has already proved extremely popular,’ says Cullwick.

‘Our surveys have suggested that 85 per cent of our customers are satisfied with the improved Simulcast and we will continue to ask for feedback for continuous development and improvement.’

By Daljinder Nagra

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 69

Doing what we do – better than the rest

Leeds

Prees Heath

Chelmsford

Westbury

We understand just how valuable your Part Exchange vehicles are to your business and we do not underestimate the importance on us to deliver the best returns. For this reason, our four perfectly located auction centres are managed by industry leading professionals with vast experience in delivering the results you deserve.

Vehicle disposal is not complicated but it must be done well, so we take a simple and effective process and keep it that way in order to deliver class leading results for all of our customers.

Don’t just take our word for it, put us to the test and email ‘PROVE IT’ to info@astonbarclay.net.

Chelmsford • Leeds • Prees Heath • Westbury To find out more and for contact details visit: www.astonbarclay.net ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

Turn your cars into cash quickly and simply Aston Barclay

W: astonbarclay.net T: 01245 450700

A

cquiring stock is something that all dealers will, at some point or another, need to think about. The difficulty, though, comes in working out just where to source these vehicles – and how.

The fact that finding quality, easily re-saleable vehicles is becoming increasingly difficult certainly doesn’t help. With more and more car users hanging onto their vehicles for longer, and a distinct drop in registrations a few years ago, it’s no wonder that there’s a supply issue within the market – not to mention increasing used prices.

When it comes to sourcing vehicles, the traditional approach has always been to hit the auction rooms – and with good reason. Many traders love the cut-and-thrust nature of buying a car at auction, and if you’re looking for a wide selection of vehicles they really can’t be beaten for choice.

Aston Barclay is a company that knows this all too well. Established back in 1984, the firm’s auction rooms – based in Essex, Yorkshire, Shropshire and Wiltshire – are as busy as ever, with streams of vehicles passing through.

‘History plays a part in our popularity,’ Aston Barclay’s group commercial director David Scarborough tells us. ‘It’s always been the quickest and most open route to market, and auction works particularly well for a lot of companies.

‘Historically it does deliver results. And many of the other methods of getting vehicles to market can’t compete a lot of the time. The biggest car dealers use auction, the biggest leasing companies use auction, and even quite a lot of smaller players too.’

Scarborough isn’t wrong – Aston Barclay’s customer showcase speaks proudly of nearly 50 fleet providers, dealer groups and car supermarkets whose vehicles are consistently offered at the firm’s four locations.

LeasePlan, Peugeot Citroen financial services, Mercedes-Benz, Northgate, Lex Autolease and Motability all supply vehicles directly to Aston Barclay – ensuring that there’s always a great selection of well-maintained ex-fleet models for sale.

It’s not just companies with larger volumes that Aston Barclay can help, though – even smaller dealers can benefit from the company’s

remarketing abilities.

‘There is an argument that a company can be too big or too small. And where we are, we’re big enough to compete with the big boys, but we’re not so big that we’ve lost touch with our smaller customers,’ says Scarborough.

‘We sit in the middle, if you like. We are a company that is managed by directors, there’s very much hands on director involvement, and while there may be some that are cheaper, many are beginning to realise that cheaper isn’t always best.

You want someone who’s going to deliver a good service and deliver the goods to you.’

Just such a service, suggests Scarborough, can be used very effectively – not only helping dealers

bring in new stock, but shifting their old, or simply incompatible stock too.

‘I visited a Suzuki dealership recently, and outside – next to the eight or so used Suzukis they had – sat three BMWs. Now, nobody is going to go to a Suzuki dealer for a BMW, and to be honest they probably won’t do a better job of selling them either – so why not turn that car into cash and do something else with it?

‘That’s what it’s all about really, isn’t it – turning cars into cash, and buying something that your customers are going to be interested in.’

So, if you’re looking for a way to secure some new vehicles – or even shift some existing stock – Aston Barclay is worth a call.

By Jon Reay CarDealerMag.co.uk | 71

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focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

The easy route to trade stock at the right price Tradeouts

W: tradeouts.com T: 01327 589 589

O

ne dealer’s problem car is another dealer’s hot sell. Trouble is, matching the two can prove tricky, with cars often proving desirable to forecourts in different places and at different times.

Sourcing and shifting cars at auction is not necessarily the solution, as it is a process that can be marred with frustration, reduced profit margins and wasted time. Thankfully, David Brown agrees, and has implemented his own dealer-to-dealer classifieds service in the form of Tradeouts.

Launched through the pages of Car Dealer magazine only last year, Tradeouts has quickly become a go-to site for dealers looking for an easy route to trade stock at the right price.

Initially signing on the large portfolio of Peter Jones’ Lookers group, the site has quickly attracted other dealers.

‘No-one wants to be first,’ explains Brown. ‘But Peter was something of a visionary and saw the advantage in the product.

‘It meant that when we launched we had that credibility behind us and it just took off.’

Tradeouts’ success cannot simply be explained by large franchise backing. It is the exacting dealer focus that David has developed into the brand that has seen the company flourish in its young life.

‘Prior to the site launch we visited more than100 dealers to pinpoint their exact requirements. While we know how websites work, it has to work for the dealers for it to be a success.’

Tradeouts thrives on feedback from dealers, and the service has been tailored further based on individual requests.

‘A dealer approached us asking if we could filter out a particular type of advert in their search, for example “make me an offer” ads often drive dealers mad. Therefore we’ve refined our search criteria to filter out adverts without prices, or only show VAT qualifying cars, left-hand drive cars, or anything else the dealer may require. We can implement these things very quickly.’

Tradeouts offers something that little bit different from its competitors, with Brown likening features to those you would expect from a private classifieds website.

‘We allow dealers to set a price range and a very fine geographical radius, again something that we

‘‘

Within just a few mouse clicks you can have an ad up and running. found our customers were crying out for.’

Another facet of Tradeouts’ popularity is in its simplicity, not least in its cost structure. With no transaction fees, either through the classifieds or auction site, and just a £70 monthly subscription to cover, dealers can easily manage costs, which could otherwise ramp up significantly.

Given the time that can sometimes go into trading stock, that £70 seems a wise investment given the ease with which adverts can be created and online auctions attended.

‘People are leaving physical auctions in their droves due to the lack of return on time invested – trading online is appealing more and while there are online auction websites already out there, we were finding that there wasn’t one that completely suited their needs.

‘Within just a few mouse clicks you can have an

ad up and running.’

The rapid success of the Tradeouts service has had David Brown eyeing up overseas expansion, with interest from traders in Ireland, South Africa and Australia.

‘In the future we envisage dealers being able to search international stock. The whole system was designed from the ground up with that level of flexibility and scope in mind.’

This hasn’t meant neglecting his existing customers though, with Tradeouts even implementing a loyalty scheme to provide incentives to dealer staff.

Speaking on the future, Brown aims to keep growing his young business. With a simple yet effective strategy of providing dealers with exactly what they want, he can’t fail.

By Daljinder Nagra CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

Know exactly what your customers want before they ask

Does your used car stock match what consumers are looking for in your area?

Is your stock priced to maximise response?

Do you know if you’re paying the right price when sourcing your stock? i-Control has all the answers, and our market data and metrics will boost stock turn and profitability.

To see how i-Control can generate an extra £60-80k gross profit per site per year and to book a completely free car-by-car health check of your current forecourt stock, visit deltapoint.co.uk/i-control or call 08433 089 008. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

Sourcing the right car at the right time for the right price Deltapoint

W: deltapoint.co.uk T: 08433 089 222

K

nowledge is power, so the saying goes, and nothing could be truer when it comes to the business of buying cars. As any dealer will tell you, sourcing a car at the right price is only half the battle when it comes to turning around a sale for a reasonable margin.

There is a wealth of factors that can affect a dealer’s bottom line, even with regards to a single vehicle. Deltapoint, a market analytics company with over a decade of experience in providing auditable values for used vehicles with their product Market Tracker, is further aiming to take the risk out of sourcing stock with its latest development i-Control.

Deltapoint managing director Paul Jarvis explains: “Market Tracker was a great tool at pricing cars for the right price for the market place however it didn’t tell a dealer whether it was the right car for him in his area. ‘i-Control was built to do a number of things. In essence it allows dealers to get the right car at the price, to reduce their costs and time commitments, and to increase their return on investment.’

The strength of i-Control is in its use of metrics, both those supplied by dealers regarding their business, and those generated by the data powering the system, to provide a detailed picture on a particular car’s fit for the dealership.

‘The output metrics we provide cover a number of bases, one of which is cost to retail, which calculates the percentage cost price compared to retail price, so a dealer can work out any margin for deals and profit. We then tell them what their price position is relative to the market.’

It’s not just make and model specific. With i-Control dealers can calculate down to an individual derivative level, including body, transmission and fuel type. A dealer can then see how many competing vehicles there are in the marketplace and be informed of their price position relative to them.

‘Our view is that price position, particularly with regard to Internet advertising, drives market response, which in turn gives dealers the opportunity to sell cars and maximise profitability.’

The tool also allows dealers to maintain a competitive position: ‘i-Control utilises our daily data updates, giving dealers the opportunity to track

the market and make sure that they’re always in the best possible place relative to the market to sell their car.’

Deltapoint has strived to make its service as accurate as possible, sourcing and updating data daily from across the used car sales sphere.

‘We collect substantial volumes of disposal data from auction houses, DMS systems and fleet/ leasing companies, but the largest data set of advertised asking prices and consumer demand comes from Auto Trader ‘We take trade retail asking prices, updated daily, and cleanse it of erroneous and repeat listings. Over a year we calculate we see around 2.6million unique VRMs, which is a significant part of the motor dealer’s retail market.’

It’s this scale and quality of data that Paul believes makes i-Control a unique proposition in the market. Indeed it is the only market analytics tool that takes into account Trader Media Group’s leading stock listings.

Further appeal to dealers is i-Control’s simple cost structure. Starting at £900 per month per dealer, with the wealth of information supplied, a dealer buying smarter could potentially recover the fee in one trade.

‘Customers also get support in the form of a dedicated performance partner, who can provide training and help in managing the tool. They can remotely review a dealer’s use of the tool and get in touch to provide the best support going forward.’

By Daljinder Nagra CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

FINDING YOUR WAY TO THE BEST STOCK DOESNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED

MULTISOURCE:

THE ONE STOP SEARCH

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Ä&#x2018;Æ« Æ« 2!.Æ«Ä&#x2030;Ä&#x152;Ä&#x20AC;Ä&#x20AC;Ä&#x20AC;Æ«2!$% (!/Æ« 2 %( (!Æ«Æ« 0Æ«+*!Æ«0%)! Ä&#x2018;Æ« Æ« 0!/0Æ«, .0*!./Æ«%* (1 !Æ«Æ« $+.!$ )Æ« .Æ« 1 0%+*/Ä&#x152;Æ«Æ« Æ« * Æ« /0+*Æ« . ( 5 Find all your stock requirements with NEW MultiSource from Autotrade-Mail

focus on.

Trade-to-Trade

The first port of call for sourcing used cars AUTOTRADE-MAIL

W: autotrade-mail.com T: 01243 523 000

A

s any good businessman (or businesswoman) will know, success can quite often come down to a simple case of good timing.

Having a slick sales approach is always a bonus too, of course, but there’s certainly an argument for having the right products at the right time too. After all, why go through the hassle of trying to sell ice to Eskimos?

Autotrade-Mail is a company that understands this all too well. Giving traders the opportunity to shift vehicles at trade prices within the industry, it’s proved a big help to countless dealers since its launch back in 2000.

Now though, the site has a new development – adding an extra dimension to the already comprehensive service.

MultiSource, as the new service is called, aims to bridge the gap between Autotrade-Mail’s dealer-todealer vehicle sourcing network, and the UK’s other favourite means of vehicle acquisition: auction houses.

Rather than having to separately visit each individual remarketing firm’s website to trawl through vehicles, MultiSource brings them all together in one simple location: a dedicated tab on the AutotradeMail website.

‘As comprehensive as our selection of tradeto-trade vehicles is,’ Autotrade-Mail’s operations director Kevin Watson tells us, ‘you can’t deny that auction houses and remarketing firms still provide a big selection of stock for dealers.

‘At the moment though, if a dealer gets an enquiry for a car they don’t have in stock – or if they simply want to buy stock in the first place, they’ve got a couple of choices.

‘One approach is to take a day out of the office, and stand around on the auction room floor until the right car drifts past – not the most practical solution.

‘Alternatively, they can browse through auction house websites – which does save time, but with such a vast number of remarketing firms in the market place it’s hard to know where to start.’

The obvious solution, then, is to combine the major players’ vehicle feeds into one, easy-to-browse

solution – and that’s precisely what Autotrade-Mail has done.

From the MultiSource tab on Autotrade-Mail’s website, traders not only get a full list of all upcoming auctions from companies like Aston Barclay, Central Car Auctions and SMA Vehicle Remarketing – but can search through all of their stock in one easy gesture.

Make, model, body type, fuel type, transmission and colour can all be specified in the search, while minimum and maximum ages, mileages and prices can all be filtered.

From there, buyers can view more details of each vehicle – its location, previous owners etc – and are given links directly to the vehicle’s listing on the relevant remarketing firm’s site.

‘The industry has talked about the need for such an aggregated source of used car stock for some time, as franchised dealers in particular are placing more emphasis on their used car operations,’ says Watson.

‘This is a win/win for all those involved in remarketing used cars, whether buying or selling.

MultiSource will enable dealers to view multiple sources of stock from one combined search within Autotrade-mail and assist them in finding the stock they need quickly and efficiently.

‘Meanwhile, the partnership with auction houses, fleet operators and dealers will provide a much wider buyer audience to help maximise the values of cars being remarketed.’

Watson suggests that, with the selection of quality used vehicles becoming sparser and sparser, the new service could very well become essential.

‘With quality used stock becoming harder to find due to the shrinking car parc over the past five years, additional supply lines are vital to run a successful used car operation in 2013 and beyond.

‘It won’t be long before MultiSource becomes recognised as the first port of call for sourcing used cars by dealers throughout the UK.’ [CD]

By Jon Reay CarDealerMag.co.uk | 77

DATA FILE.

Thestatistics n

SMMT Sales Data

n

Taking Stock

Market continues to out-perform expectations Registrations rose 5.9 per cent in March according to SMMT figures NEW car registrations rose 5.9 per cent in March, according to the latest figures from the SMMT. The total number of cars sold in March reached 394,806 units, with the SMMT stating that March was the ’13th consecutive month of growth in new car registrations’ – volumes now the highest since 2010, when the scrappage scheme was in full swing.

It’s thought that private car registrations lead the growth – up a hearty 11.2 per cent in quarter one of this year, and ‘better than expected’.

Such was the increase that the SMMT suggests it ‘should support net growth in the market’ this year.

As was the case in February, sales of cars in the ‘mini’ segment saw a big rise – up 56.5 per cent on last year – and ‘double digit gains’ were had in the MPV market too. All segments,

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Mar/year to date

5

Top

Most improved manufacturers in March Lotus

bar upper medium and luxury saloon, saw growth in March.

‘UK new car registrations outperformed expectations in March, the first month of the new 13-plate. The market increased more than five per cent on March 2012 to almost 395,000 units,’ said SMMT interim chief executive, Mike Baunton.

‘Despite ongoing economic concerns, consistent monthly growth in the market is an encouraging sign of returning consumer confidence as motorists are attracted to forecourts by new models and the latest technologies.’

Richard Lowe, head of retail & wholesale at Barclays, however, suggested that recent budget announcements can only help future figures.

‘The cost of a tank of petrol remains a huge burden for many, even for those with smaller, fuel efficient vehicles,’ he said. ‘So the Government’s decision to scrap the planned duty rise, as part of last month’s Budget, will hopefully help keep car sales moving in the right direction’

Fiesta strengthens position of UK’s most popular FORD’s Fiesta remained the best selling car in March, according to the SMMT. The supermini remained at number one in the charts last month, with 22,748 units registered in the month, and 34,309 year-to-date.

Second was Vauxhall’s Corsa with 16,169 units – jumping Ford’s other popular seller, the Focus, which managed 15,434 registrations.

The Volkswagen Golf and Vauxhall Astra fought it out for fourth and fifth place, with 9,978 and 9,559

SMMT sales data

registrations respectively, while the Qashqai came fifth with 8,465.

The Volkswagen Polo and BMW 1 Series were next, with 7,431 and 7,001 units, while the Peugeot 208 and Mercedes C-Class finished the list with 6,726 and 6,628 registrations respectively.

Petrol models once again took a lead over their diesel siblings – with 202,249 petrol-powered cars registered to diesel’s 187,239, marking an 8.7 per cent increase for green-pump models compared with the same time last

year. Diesel models did also see an increase, up 3.2 per cent, but their market share dropped to 47.4 per cent last month – a few percentage points down on March 2012.

News wasn’t so good for alternatively-fuelled vehicles, however.

5,318 AFVs were registered last month – a drop of around 1.9 per cent on 2012 – and the segment’s market share fell slightly, now 1.3 per cent.

Private car registrations had the biggest increases, seeing a jump of 7.8 per cent.

+270%

Mitsubishi +54.2% Honda

+23%

Jaguar

+20.5%

Suzuki

+19.3%

5

Bottom Least improved manufacturers in March Proton

-86.4%

MG

-82.6%

SsangYong -47.3% Alfa Romeo -37.4% Perodua

-33.7%

MITSUBISHI +54.20%

SSANGYONG -47.37% Figures supplied by SMMT

March 2013 March 2012 February Marque

Abarth Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Dacia Fiat Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Land Rover Lexus Lotus Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz MG Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Perodua Peugeot Porsche Proton Renault Saab Seat Skoda Smart SsangYong Subaru Suzuki Toyota Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo Other British Other Imports Total

2013

266 964 141 25,452 148 21,767 2,080 513 14,606 1,651 10,020 54,702 12,471 12,157 104 3,505 312 12,608 12,994 1,550 37 52 6,092 18,870 41 9,150 2,185 20,658 55 19,857 1,097 8 6,493 0 6,828 9,711 987 90 519 7,089 17,925 42,017 31,091 5,736 69 138 394,806

% market share

0.07 0.24 0.04 6.45 0.04 5.51 0.53 0.13 3.70 0.42 2.54 13.86 3.16 3.08 0.03 0.89 0.08 3.19 3.29 0.39 0.01 0.01 1.54 4.78 0.01 2.32 0.55 5.23 0.01 5.03 0.28 0.00 1.64 0.00 1.73 2.46 0.25 0.02 0.13 1.80

4.54 10.64 7.88 1.45 0.02 0.03

2012

Year to date (YTD)

% market share

2013 % Change

282 1,540 207 23,416 198 20,566 2,743 634 12,995 0 8,730 53,830 10,134 11,715 102 2,907 444 11,178 11,490 1,744 10 48 6,869 16,334 236 8,451 1,417 20,586 83 18,969 1,160 59 7,364 105 6,817 8,507 972 171 542 5,941 18,032 38,624 30,756 5,637 153 137 372,835

0.08 0.41 0.06 6.28 0.05 5.52 0.74 0.17 3.49 0.00 2.34 14.44 2.72 3.14 0.03 0.78 0.12 3.00 3.08 0.47 0.00 0.01 1.84 4.38 0.06 2.27 0.38 5.52 0.02 5.09 0.31 0.02 1.98 0.03 1.83 2.28 0.26 0.05 0.15 1.59

4.84 10.36 8.25 1.51 0.04 0.04

-5.67 -37.40 -31.88 8.69 -25.25 5.84 -24.17 -19.09 12.40 0.00 14.78 1.62 23.06 3.77 1.96 20.57 -29.73 12.79 13.09 -11.12 270.00 8.33 -11.31 15.53 -82.63 8.27 54.20 0.35 -33.73 4.68 -5.43 -86.44 -11.83 -100.00 0.16 14.15 1.54 -47.37 -4.24 19.32 -0.59 8.78 1.09 1.76 -54.90 0.73 5.89

378 1,486 259 38,262 262 31,322 3,027 725 22,187 1,978 14,877 84,347 18,144 19,986 120 4,978 506 19,204 18,765 2,261 42 87 9,075 29,002 81 11,934 3,043 33,931 98 31,260 1,660 12 9,806 1 10,457 15,504 1,464 163 669 9,956 26,065 69,227 49,260 8,926 186 215 605,198

%market share

0.06 0.25 0.04 6.32 0.04 5.18 0.50 0.12 3.67 0.33 2.46 13.94 3.00 3.30 0.02 0.82 0.08 3.17 3.10 0.37 0.01 0.01 1.50 4.79 0.01 1.97 0.50 5.61 0.02 5.17 0.27 0.00 1.62 0.00 1.73 2.56 0.24 0.03 0.11 1.65

4.31 11.44 8.14 1.47 0.03 0.04

2012

%market share % Change

362 2,309 303 35,962 329 30,063 5,282 782 19,585 0 13,059 82,848 14,747 17,761 144 4,020 682 17,211 15,810 2,692 35 99 9,708 25,576 446 11,306 2,102 30,081 135 29,411 1,728 95 11,581 114 10,084 13,878 1,488 233 920 7,711 25,760 57,836 49,873 8,875 268 262 563,556

0.06 0.41 0.05 6.38 0.06 5.33 0.94 0.14 3.48 0.00 2.32 14.70 2.62 3.15 0.03 0.71 0.12 3.05 2.81 0.48 0.01 0.02 1.72 4.54 0.08 2.01 0.37 5.34 0.02 5.22 0.31 0.02 2.05 0.02 1.79 2.46 0.26 0.04 0.16 1.37

4.57 10.26 8.85 1.57 0.05 0.05

4.42 -35.64 -14.52 6.40 -20.36 4.19 -42.69 -7.29 13.29 0.00 13.92 1.81 23.04 12.53 -16.67 23.83 -25.81 11.58 18.69 -16.01 20.00 -12.12 -6.52 13.40 -81.84 5.55 44.77 12.80 -27.41 6.29 -3.94 -87.37 -15.33 -99.12 3.70 11.72 -1.61 -30.04 -27.28 29.11 1.18 19.70 -1.23 0.57 -30.60 -17.94 7.39

SMMT HAS REMOVED DAIHATSU AS THEY registered no new vehicles in 2012. A new entry for 2013 is dacia CarDealerMag.co.uk | 79

Feature.

£50 Things are looking up

with Spearmint Corsa

car CONTEST

I don’t normally buy a dog, but my 2002 Vauxhall Corsa SXi needed some tender loving care to bring it back up to health

MIKE’S story

current tally

£0

O

k, so it appears even the experts get it wrong sometimes. The UK’s favourite car dealer – yes, me – is feeling the effects of buying a dog.

You may remember the last time I smashed a keyboard around to bring you an update I told you I’d bought a Vauxhall Corsa. It sounded like a decent little runner. And it didn’t look too bad either.

It was 77,000-miler, 2002 car with the sweet 1.2-litre engine. It even had some letters on the boot – SXi no less. Every teenage lad knows mentioning SXi to a bird is guaranteed to get her going. It seemed in good nick and the dealer – Matt Brown at Essex Ford – slapped a six-month ticket on it too. It only cost 20 quid shy of a grand – ideal for a student, and I reckoned I could get a tidy £1,300 for it. Easy sell then? No – I haven’t been so wrong since that time in the Far East…

Anyway, what might have looked like Michelle Pfeiffer on the outside, underneath was more like Cliff Richard. The Corsa was well and truly past its sell-by date. And as a trade purchase I had market stall levels of come back.

The crap Corsa started playing up just a few days after I picked it up. The engine got hot within a matter of miles from the dealership. Now, I’ve been in this game long enough to know that rising heat from an engine can only really mean one of three things: Head gasket, no water or it’s just a pile of poo. I opted for the former. My mechanic Edd checked it over and agreed with yours truly. I’d been sold a turd.

I punted the car around a few local garages for a quick fix but they were all quoting anywhere upwards of a monkey to mend it. Considering I bought it for £980 – 500 smackers on a new head gasket wasn’t what I had in mind.

Luckily, Car Dealer’s Andy told me of a corker of a grease monkey (Edd was busy. I like to keep him that way). Peter Jones of Thompsons Garage in Sandhurst came to the rescue and collected the car from me and stripped down the engine.

My hunch that the gasket had gone was right (you see – I do know what I’m talking about). But ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

it wasn’t through old age – like I had reckoned – but a broken water pump, so both had to be replaced.

While I was there PJ advised that the timing chain was looking poorly and may be worth sorting – a surprise as these are supposed to last for life. If I had been a regular punter, he’d have charged a hefty £800 (hefty for a £1,000 banger), but, in the name of charidee and because he’s a true gent, he offered to do the necessary work at cost – which bought it down to a wallet-pleasing £400. PJ carried out the work, replaced a leaking sump gasket,

carried out a service and MOT’d the car after replacing four blown bulbs.

So time for some good news – it now runs perfectly. It’s quiet and really does feel like a new car. So, although it’s a slightly dentist-spec Spearmint colour, I’m going to put my money where my mouth is and say this is going to get me back into the game. I reckon the car will sell for £1,500 – it won’t leave me much profit but I just want to get rid of it and move onto the next winner to take Baggott out of the game.

And considering he’s bought that Metro dud, I reckon I’m still in with a shout of winning this.

I’ve listed the Corsa on eBay – and, as I write, I’ve heard that Essex Auto Group are going to pay £350 towards repairs… problem is they’ve gone a bit quiet on me. Maybe I just need to shout a bit louder.

And guess what? I’m good at that…

JAMES’S story I’m actually quite proud of myself. I’ve come over all to try and shift the crap box. So I did what all good car dealer. Which sounds wrong, but stick with me. salesmen would do and wrote a lovely ad and You see this Metro that I was goaded into buying stuck it on the site that seems to find a home for

by Big Mike. Well, it’s well, you know, sort of not everything – eBay. very well. Ok, that’s a bit of a lie – it’s seriously ill.

I described the doom blue paint as ‘deep sea Terminally ill. blue’, said it was the ‘perfect opportunity to buy a I’ve tried to bring it back to life. Believe me future classic’, and that with a little ‘TLC’ it would I really have. When I say I, well of course be a great little runner. Not bad eh? The truth I really mean Matt the Mechanic has. current is, try as we might, we simply couldn’t stop I’ve checked up on the old girl as she the little 998cc spewing out more gas than tally languishes in Intensive Care Corner an American after an all you can eat buffet. in Matt’s workshop with the odd text This thing was Dot Cotton smokey. Having message. I thought flowers were a bit too spent £300 on the piece of Brummie built much. rubbish in the first place, and a bill for £140 from Matt’s tried his hardest to get the C-reg old MtM for a variety of parts, the last thing it needed person transportation device to live again but was a carb kit – and with that costing another to cut a long story littered with car parts I really £150 the chances of ever getting our money don’t understand or want to understand short, I’ve back without ram raiding the local CoOp in it was decided to cut my losses and flog her on. unlikely. Hence the sale. I’ll let you know next month First job was to send Big Mike a Call Yourself A whether a sucker, sorry I mean valued customer, Car Dealer email. He didn’t respond. Next job was takes the bait. Wish me luck. I need it.

£1,325

TAKING STOCK. This month Motors.co.uk and BCA return to give their views on what dealers should be paying attention to in the months ahead

‘Think about cars for local customers’ says Dermot Kelleher, Motors.co.uk’s head of business intelligence

I

t can be all too tempting in this age of buying online to forget that dealership customers often live locally. Indeed, while there may be some people travelling large distances to get exactly the right car, most people will start by reviewing what’s on offer in their local area. This is where a little market intelligence can come in handy.

For example, understanding the top ten most searched for vehicles on the Motors.co.uk network can help a dealer to ensure that the stock profile on the forecourt is right. Not surprisingly, the top choices for March 2013 were the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Corsa, Vauxhall Astra, BMW 3 Series, Ford Mondeo, Audi A3, Volkswagen Polo and Audi A4.

However, this is only half of the story. The clever part comes when the search data is combined with geographic analysis and the addition of a dealer’s own local knowledge.

To illustrate the point, the search trends on the Motors.co.uk network in March showed that the Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall

Astra were the most popular cars in the Leicester area, while Birmingham residents favoured the Volkswagen Golf, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Polo. The Audi A3 and Ford Mondeo were most popular with people searching for a car in Nottingham, while Sheffield was the top town for the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

Ultimately, while there will always be people willing to travel for their dream motor, a little local knowledge can be a powerful tool for delivering sales.

‘Lack of stock continues to drive up values’ says Simon Henstock, BCA’s UK network operations director

A

t BCA, we’re seeing the lack of used car stock is still continuing to drive up values. The headline average used car value declined by 0.7per cent in March, although year-on-year values were up by more than 17 per cent. For the fourth month running, average used car values remained at £7,000 or more as the market continued to be short of retail quality stock. With volumes increasing quite significantly in March, we saw pressure on conversion rates and a notable reluctance for trade buyers to bid

as strongly on poorly presented vehicles. Cars requiring any significant degree of cosmetic work have been hit the hardest and need to be sensibly valued – or pre-sale Smart Prepared – to attract the buyers’ attention. In contrast, values for well-presented retail quality vehicles continue at often exceptional levels, outperforming price guide expectations by a considerable margin.

As we are now in the postEaster period, the dynamics of the wholesale markets are changing.

Typically this time of year brings a softening in demand combined with an upswing in supply, so we expect to see continuing pressure on values and conversion rates in the weeks ahead.

Demand remains high at the budget end of the marketplace and average part-exchange values remained above £3,500 for the fourth month in a row. The trend for average mileage to rise as businesses and motorists kept vehicles for longer seems to be slowing. The average used car at BCA in March 2013 had covered 56,500 miles, compared to nearly 59,000 in March 2012. [CD]

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 81

data file.

MARCHSEARCHES

Percentage of total number of searches on TheVanWebsite.co.uk for the month Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

4.73%

Courier name returns on new Ford small van The Blue Oval brings back famous badge for Fiesta-based van

Ford Transit

5.35% Fiat Scudo

2.67% Mercedes-Benz Vito

4.44% Volkswagen Transporter

4.19%

Citroen Berlingo

2.40% Vauxhall Vivaro

3.27% Ford Transit Connect

3.21% Mitsubishi L200

3.55% Fiat Ducato

2.99%

F

ord has revealed details of its new Transit Courier – a Citroen Nemo-sized van based on the Fiesta.

Sitting in between the smaller Fiesta Van and larger Transit Connect, the Courier marks the second most compact van in the range – and completes Ford’s four-van line-up.

Inside, much of the Courier’s interior is lifted straight from the Fiesta, meaning that clever technologies like the firm’s SYNC system are available, while buyers can even opt for a rear-view camera to aid parking.

Engines are carried over from its supermini brother too, with both the new 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol and 1.5-litre Duratorq diesel

engines available, along with a 1.6-litre petrol combined with an automatic gearbox.

Ford says that the Courier is also the most spacious vehicle in its class – with a long load length of 1.62 metres, and features like a folddown passenger seat with an optional mesh bulkhead to help carry loads of up to 2.59 metres in length.

‘Ford has now completely transformed its commercial vehicle line-up, with four all-new, class-leading Transits for European customers,’ said Barb Samardzich, vice president, product development, Ford of Europe.

‘With the all-new Transit range, we expect sales to grow to 400,000 units per year by 2016, well over 50 per cent more than we sell today.’

British Gas bowled over by eNV200 BRITISH Gas has announced the conclusion of an intensive month-long Nissan eNV200 test programme ahead of its plan to make a substantial proportion of its 13,000 strong LCV fleet electric by 2015.

The cold weather testing programme was conducted in and around Nissan’s Sunderland Plant and testing facility, aimed

at getting feedback from various British Gas departments on the electric van driving experience.

The recent test in Sunderland saw the eNV200 run part laden to recreate the conditions of its working life – with temperatures dropping to -12 °C. The firm will now continue testing the van during 2013 and 2014 for further evaluation.

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Lawton

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IT’S no surprise that pick-ups make up a great deal of the commercial vehicles sold in this country.

Their chunky looks, combined with capacious load bays and go-anywhere off road ability means they find favour with a whole manner of different buyers – some even finding homes with non-business users. Nissan’s Navara is no exception: It’s practical,

well-built and available with the sort of creature comforts you’d expect in an SUV, with leather upholstery, heated front seats and even automatic lights and wipers. One deal puts a brand new Navara 2.5-litre Double Cab Tekna with four-wheeldrive and a manual gearbox at £16,995 before VAT and road fund licence. Type bit.ly/NavaraDealMay into your browser for more details.

CITROEN BERLINGO GOOD things come in small packages, the old phrase goes – and that’s certainly true of Citroen’s Berlingo small van.

While the comparatively small van might not be big on the outside, it’s as capacious in the back as most businesses will ever need – accommodating two full Euro pallets in its load bay with ease.

It’s very much of a go-to van for small businesses, one-man traders or for anyone

who requires the need of a small van that’s up to the job It’s efficient, too, particularly in Airdream e-HDi trim, where its 90bhp 1.6-litre engine achieves 62.8mpg combined, and has a stop-start system ideally suited for urban delivery drivers.

One deal puts a brand new Berlingo Airdream at £9,474 excluding VAT and road fund licence. Type bit.ly/BerlingoDealMay into your browser for more details.

FIAT DUCATO FIAT has long been making reliable, sturdy vans much loved by commercial vehicle users for some time, and their latest Ducato is certainly no exception.

The biggest van in Fiat’s extensive range, the Ducato, can accommodate almost any load – ensuring that it’s a big hit with tradesmen who lead diverse business lives.

Despite its no-nonsense appearance, though, it comes fairly well equipped too.

Features like air conditioning and Fiat’s Blue&Me Bluetooth system – a decent piece of equipment, normally found in Fiat’s road cars – are available for a marginal cost, while even the likes of heated seats and auto levelling rear suspension can be specified.

One deal puts a brand new Ducato 2.3 Multijet 110 at £12,377, excluding VAT and road fund licence. Type bit.ly/ DucatoDealMay into your web browser for

COOL CONVERSIONS

E

lectric vehicles are the future. It’s an oft said mantra but could it finally be coming true?

They’re certainly not a new idea; electric vehicles can trace their lineage back to the 19th century, but it is only now that the jigsaw pieces are finally starting to fall into place.

These jigsaw pieces can broadly be placed into four main categories: Cost – in January 2012, the plug-in car grant was extended to cover vans. By the end of 2012 just 215 claims had been made through the Plugin Van Grant scheme. Electric vehicles are still more expensive than their combustion engine siblings but with forecourt prices on their march skyward the case for switching to electric is building.

Infrastructure – as with conventionally powered vehicles there needs to be a comprehensive refuelling network across the country. While electric charge points cannot be considered widespread, the numbers popping up across the UK is on the increase.

Choice – manufacturers are now starting to launch 100 per cent electric powered vans. Last year, only two well known brands had electric vans on the market and were part of the plug-in van scheme: Mercedes-Benz and Renault; others are joining the fray though.

Technology – advancements in battery technology now mean that 100 miles on a single charge, while still delivering good dynamic performance, is a reality and not a pipe dream. There’s also a lot of clever people and not an inconsiderable amount of research money going into the next generation technologies such as wireless recharging (already seen with your smartphone).

Of course, for larger vans and for longer distances the all-electric load lugger is still fantasy, but for smaller vans travelling short urban distances the future is finally starting to electrify.

‘Electric vehicles are certainly not a new idea.’

Who is Richard Lawton?

Richard is marketing manager for Really Good Domains and on the team at TheVanWebsite. co.uk and ContractHireAndLeasing.com.

Contact: richardl@reallygooddomains.com

Call 0161 482 7650

for your 3-month trial or visit thevanwebsite.co.uk/trial CarDealerMag.co.uk | 83

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auctions.

GM invests €4bn in Opel/Vauxhall bit.ly/GMinvestment

Jardine Motors Group opts for BCA services Prestige dealer group and BCA sign exclusive remarketing deal

‘Jardine is one of the most dynamic and innovative retail operators and we are delighted that after a rigorous market review, BCA has been awarded an exclusive remarketing partnership with the Group.’

BCA is supporting the Jardine Motors Group sales programme with a strategic marketing campaign that includes branded e-marketing and online awareness through BCA’s website, Auction View bulletins and Showroom feature.

BCA will also generate brand support for Jardine with posters and point of sale material, as well as tactical media advertising.

Manheim and PSA sign industry-first deal MANHEIM has signed a deal with PSA Peugeot Citroen, and has confirmed a three-year solus vehicle defleet, remarketing and retail services partnership within the UK. The agreement sees PSA employ a total package of Manheim services, including ‘Inspect and Collect’; physical and online auctions; a dealer-todealer exchange and driver affinity Car dealer cowboy ads

8/4/13

auction stations

Weather-proof sales

H

B

CA has announced a substantial and exclusive remarketing agreement with prestige dealer group, Jardine. The deal will see BCA remarket 14,000 vehicles for Jardine Motors Group annually, which sells 24 marques from 70 different locations.

The deal was announced following a competitive tender and benchmarking process, during which BCA delivered a market leading residual performance for Jardine across the broad range of product sold.

Additional volume from Jardine will be sold at BCA Blackbushe, Belle Vue Manchester, Bedford and Enfield, with every vehicle in the Jardine programme available to BCA Live Online buyers.

BCA’s UK sales manager David Burden said: ‘This is a significant deal that will deliver a substantial range of attractive stock for buyers at BCA.

Henstock

programme. Manheim will also be supporting PSA’s dealer network with retail marketing solutions, such as used vehicle locators, photography and point of sale products.

The contract will see a doubling in the number of Peugeot and Citroen units sold through both Manheim’s physical auction and online remarketing channel.

13:19

Page 4

No cowboys.

Just Just trade trade professionals. professionals.

ow do you sell 250 convertibles in a blizzard?* When discussing our spring convertible sales for Lex Autolease, we didn’t plan to hold the Blackbushe event in the teeth of a winter’s gale.

With a severe weather warning, a wind chill of minus-three degrees and snow falling heavily, the team at BCA Blackbushe pulled out all the stops to offer 250 convertibles. The BCA Smart Prepared team had to defrost each one before the sale started.

Despite the snow, by 9am the customer car park was beginning to fill. When the first car was offered there were over 150 registered buyers in the hall and 377 trade buyers participating via BCA Live Online from across the UK and as far away as Malaysia, New Zealand, Malta, Cyprus and Turkey.

Every convertible had BCA Assured which provides a report on a 30-point mechanical check carried out by an independent motoring organisation. All the finance cars were offered with a Black Horse Care Pack, which contained the V5, MoT and service history and confirmed the number of previous owners. Bidding was brisk as all 250 cars sold for a turnover of £2.1m, equivalent to 102 per cent of CAP Clean. A third were bought by internet bidders.

BCA and Lex Autolease selected the cars, marketed them relentlessly, sold them at the right time of year and generated the buying power in the hall and online that delivered a great result. Even the worst of the British weather could not deter the hundreds of buyers. Great results don’t happen by accident — they happen by design. (*One at a time to the highest bidder…)

Who is Simon Henstock?

Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Visit british-car-auctions.co.uk or call 0845 600 6644.

Strictly Trade only (VAT No. and verified bank details reqd).

Purpose built 12 acre auction complex .

Enclosed and heated auction halls.

Fleet Car Sales every Monday & Thursday.

Excellent variety of weekly stock from premium sources.

Collection of vehicles 24 hours a day.

Fixed cost buyer’s premium.

Excellent on-site restaurant.

Call now for account applications.

Brindley Road, Stephenson Industrial Estate, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 3HG T: 01530 833535 email: info@fleetauctiongroup.com www.fleetauctiongroup.com

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 85

TRADER TALK

..in association with AutoTrader

Data sets are next big thing for sales The increasing importance of online buying needs a change in approach

A

re you ready to be an internet car retailer? One transition is complete, the next is just beginning. Consumers have changed the way they buy vehicles. Dealers have changed the way they advertise their vehicles.

Consumers now spend 60 per cent of the entire buying process online. This equates to 11 hours spent online for a used vehicle, and 11.5 hours for a new vehicle. The internet makes it easy to search for cars at home, refining the make, model and variant combinations and comparing results nationally in seconds, versus travelling around the local area trying to find the best car and the best deal.

The internet saves time and energy. The comparability of results provides a transparency of data that enables consumers to optimise their decision on getting the best car at the best price.

During this consumer transition, dealers who shifted their advertising budget online quickly won – but now all dealers spend a considerable share of their advertising budget online. The next consumer transition is a continuing increase in time spent online for the shopping process from 60 per cent to 70, 80, 90 and maybe even 100 per cent in the future.

Data is the next big thing for businesses,

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘Currently 100 dealers use extensive data — are you ready to join them?’ as online was 15 years ago. The transition to an online world has created massive data sets where additional information can be gleaned from analysis of a single large set of related data.

For dealers to become internet car retailers they need to embrace data and, more importantly, extensive data.

Consumers leave a trail of extensive data through their online shopping. It’s impossible for a dealer to win by just using experience against a dealer who has experience and uses this data. For example, the leading classified website reached 11.5m unique users in March, and over 3m unique users on mobile.

This creates one massive data set about what consumers want, the overall desirability of different vehicles, what prices are sensible and which vehicles they compare versus other vehicles by region. Internet car retailing is about

using this extensive data to inform decision making about what to stock, where, and at what price.

These data sets can tell you the retail price of your vehicles versus the market and your competitors, the desirability of your vehicles versus your competitors, the speed of sale of your vehicles and the volume of consumer demand — the list is endless. Knowing this data, using it with experience, understanding how it interrelates to form the right strategy for your business operations and then, importantly, using it to optimise your advertising spend online is key to winning during the next 15 years when the shopping process moves completely online.

Currently 100 dealers use extensive data through sophisticated recommendation engines.

Are you ready to join them?

Who is Tim Peake?

Tim is group strategy director at Trader Media Group,‚ publishers of Auto Trader, the UK s largest car marketplace. Visit autotrader.co.uk

ON TRACK.

..in association with Tracker

Stopping car thieves in their tracks Vehicle owners can take an active role in fighting ever-present car crime

A

s many dealerships realise, social media networks have grown into a powerful tool for a number of uses.

Thanks to this technology we’re constantly connected, whether it’s news of the latest high-profile gaffe or communicating with the world to help topple a dictatorship, social media creates a powerful network by simply connecting people.

And it’s this ability to connect people which can be a key sales driver for a dealer’s business.

Take the Mesh Network. This has been developed to create a social network of Stolen Vehicle Recover (SVR) systems, designed to catch thieves.

By connecting every vehicle with a tracker fitted to those around them, the level of stolen vehicles recovered has risen dramatically; over £6,424,400 worth of stolen vehicles have been recovered as a result of the Mesh Network since its launch in 2011.

But perhaps the most important aspect of the network is the feeling of empowerment it provides to car owners.

If you ask your customers, if you could help stop thieves and recover stolen vehicles without endangering yourself or your loved ones, how many of them would say yes?

If not every single one, then pretty close. Car owners don’t just want to do their best to protect their own vehicles — they actually want to do something about car crime and take an active role to combat it.

‘The Mesh Network picked up 12 signals leading police closer and eventually to an arrest.’

This proposition adds real value to any dealer’s product portfolio.

So, how does the Mesh Network empower car owners? It takes stolen vehicle identification and recovery to a completely new level, by using other vehicles already fitted with TRACKER SVR units to identify stolen vehicles also fitted with TRACKER. Both drivers are unaware that the stolen vehicle has been identified by the Mesh Network.

But the police are soon on to the thieves.

Take for example a recent case where the Metropolitan Police made an arrest as a result of the Mesh Network.

A car theft victim, based in north London, reported the theft of their Porsche to the Met Police, who then made a request to activate the vehicle’s tracker unit.

The police were investigating the theft of high-value vehicles in the London area and they suspected that the Porsche had been taken by the same criminal gang.

The Mesh Network picked up 12 Mesh signals, each leading the police closer to the thieves, and eventually to an arrest.

This new vehicle crime detection system empowers drivers by allowing their cars to be used as detection devices to help police and TRACKER combat vehicle crime.

With the Mesh Network’s ever-expanding web, designed to catch car criminals, dealers can not only help customers protect their assets, but make them feel they are helping fight car crime.

Innovative add-ons, such as the Mesh Network, are likely to grab the interest of the average car buyer, as it not only protects them but helps them feel a part of a larger solution to a problem that is ever present.

Who is David Wilson?

David is sales and service director for TRACKER. Read his column here every month.

C A L L O U R D E D I C AT E D T R A C K E R D E A L E R S U P P O RT T E A M TO DAY

0845 604 6028 J20364 Car Dealer Strip Advert.indd 1

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 87 18/3/13 12:55:27

MOTOR MOUTH.

..in association with Motors.co.uk

Facts tell but quality pictures sell Images are important but don’t be tempted to touch them up for the website

I

n the past, when it cost extra to put a colour image in the local paper, dealers may have thought twice about including a photo with a classified listing. After all, anyone interested would come to view the car anyway.

However, in today’s digital society, where people may be buying virtually from anywhere in the country, images are crucial when it comes to generating trust and standing out from the competition.

In recent research conducted by the Motors. co.uk team, we found that vehicles with at least two images have double the click-through rate of vehicles listed online with no images.

This can make all the difference between sale and no sale.

Indeed, we are increasingly finding that listings without images are generating less and less interest, while those dealers who have cottoned on to the power of strong photography are reaping the rewards.

More than two thirds of consumers wouldn’t contact a dealer without seeing a picture of the car first.

Of course, it isn’t just about having the photos; it is important to think about the quality too.

Anyone can take a photo with a smartphone and sometimes that will be good enough. However, a whopping 77 per cent of consumers would be more attracted to a good quality image with a superimposed professional background, rather than a standard image.

‘We expect more people to make use of video to give a true look, feel and sound of the car for sale.’

It isn’t necessarily about branding, but it never hurts to make the car the star and remove all of the distractions which might be in the background of the original photo.

There are a few key shots which the consumer wants to see. For example, 70 per cent of people want a photo of the dashboard, 84 per cent want to see the interior of the car and 85 per cent expect multiple exterior shots.

In addition, any imperfections or damage should be photographed in the interests of transparency.

However tempting it might be, over-editing the images is a real ‘no-no’.

It is possible to make almost any car look good with professional photography and the damage done to a dealer’s reputation if they are caught ‘touching up’ the merchandise can be quite significant.

There are a few top tips to getting the best out

of images. The best time to take a photo tends to be early morning, late evening or a cloudy day i.e. a point when harsh shadows and bright glare are reduced.

It also doesn’t hurt to give the car a good wash before the photos are taken.

With the growth of mobile devices and the speed benefits of the 4G network, it is easier than ever to view and download photos while on the move. This makes it even more important to include images with a used car listing. In addition, we expect to see more people making use of video over the coming months in order to give potential buyers a true look, feel and sound of the car for sale. After all, facts tell but it is pictures that really sell.

TheisE The Eye Motors.

Motors.co.uk complete complete respo tracking tracking syste The Eye is

Motors.co.uk’s The Eye is complete response Motors.co.uk’s tracking system complete response Who is Andy Coulthurst?

The Eye is tracking system The Eye The is EyeMotors.co.uk’s is complete response Motors.co.uk’s The Eye is Motors.co.uk’s tracking system complete response Motors.co.uk’s complete response tracking system system complete response tracking tracking system It monitors vehicle views and gives you

ears too. With detailed call informatio Andy is managing director of download, monitor and trackreports’. your callA It monitors vehicle views and gives you live ‘response too. With detailed information and full call recording Motors.co.uk. Read his ears thoughts herecall Best all, you this world-class trac download, monitor and trackof your callsget instantly and accura part of your advertising package with M every month.

Best of all, you get this world-class tracking and monitoring se To find out more, email eye@motors.co part of your advertising package with Motors.co.uk

To find out more, email eye@motors.co.uk or call 0843 634 14 Your response tracking dashboard from

Your response tracking dashboard from

It monitors vehicle views and gives you live ‘response reports’. And The Eye h ears too. With detailed call information and full call recording, you can liste download, monitor and track your calls instantly and accurately.

It monitors vehicle views and gives you live ‘response reports’. And The Eye has ears too. With detailed call information and full call recording, you can listen, download, monitor and track your calls instantly and accurately.

Best of all, you get this world-class tracking and monitoring service for FREE as

part of yourad.indd advertising quater-page 1 package with Motors.co.uk ��Eye | CarDealerMag.co.uk

To find out more, email eye@motors.co.uk or call 0843 634 1410.

Best of all, you get this world-class tracking and monitoring service for FREE part of your advertising package with Motors.co.uk To find out more, email eye@motors.co.uk or call 0843 634 1410.

Your response tracking dashboard from

3/8/2013 10:06:00 AM

MARKET INSIGHT.

..in association with ASE-global.com

Sector ripe for consolidation at expense of independents Much improved share price performance with substantial gains in first three months of 2013

C

ity sentiment towards the motor distribution sector has improved as fears about the impact of consumer spending pressures have receded.

Reading brokers’ forecasts it is clear the city’s view is that further consolidation will take place in the sector, largely at the expense of the independents.

Recent trading statements have been very positive buoyed by strong demand for new cars and LCVs and SMMT forecasts suggest a small increase in the new car market in both 2013 and 2014, which should filter positively through to the bottom line.

This can be seen in the generally muchimproved share price performance, with the sector on the whole making substantial share price gains in the first three months of 2013 and the two main players, Lookers and Pendragon posting stellar improvements in excess of 30 per cent. Of

‘Potential latent value in Cambria runs at discount of around 35 per cent.’ course, shares have generally performed well in recent months, but nowhere near as well as motor retail with the FTSE All Share index, for example, climbing seven per cent across the first quarter.

Reading behind the headlines, brokers are generally upbeat about the prospects of motor retail distribution. They appear to have grasped and appreciate the resilience of the business model (due to used cars and aftermarket) compared to other retail sectors and further upside through consolidation is expected resulting in a general ‘neutral to buy’ recommendation across the sector.

Lookers continues to be the strongest performer in the sector with investors impressed by the strength of its aftermarket offering and consistency of trading history. The December 31 year-end figures show: n Strong return on sales of 1.8 per cent — significantly ahead of ASE national average statistics for the same period of 1.2 per cent, although the high mix of parts sales relative to

MAJOR PLAYERS 35% 30% 25%

Share price increase 31 Dec 12 to 28 Mar 2013

20%

15% 10% 5%

0% -5%

Cambria

HR Owen

Caffyns

Cambria rates as undervalued Cambria Inchcape Lookers HR Owen Pendragon Vertu Motors Weighted Average other retailers will assist with this improvement. n Low gearing at 24 per cent, which combined with strong cash generation and significant latent debt facilities (totalling £85m) puts the business in a strong position to take advantage of any acquisition opportunities. n 2013 started well, with revenue performance outstripping both prior year and internal budgets.

New and used retail sales volumes are running 20 per cent ahead of the past year. n The parts business was the only fly in the ointment with overall profits falling back 10 per cent compared to prior year. This is attributed to increased competition and changing consumer behaviour in deferring or avoiding minor repairs.

Pendragon also announced its strong 2012 results and has enjoyed a significant improvement in share price as a result.

Compared to Lookers, return on sales is much lower at one per cent although much improved from the 0.9 per cent reported in 2011. The city has always been most concerned by Pendragon’s significant debt burden.

Vertu

Pendragon

Lookers

Mkt Cap £m 22 2371 356 16 359 82

Revenue £m 352 6085 1899 192 3635 1088

P/E 2012 8.1 12.8 13.1 10.1 12.5 10.5 12.7

Whilst gearing remains high at 79 per cent, it is much improved from the 90 per cent reported in the previous year due to strong cash generation from operating activities of £43m.

NB The above table highlights current market value and revenues for the quoted players. The third column shows the current price/earnings (P/E) ratio which represents the price of the share relative to the company’s earnings. A high P/E ratio means that the shares are in demand and trading at a premium to the sector. Conversely a lower P/E ratio means that a discount in being applied by investors to the market price.

This illustrates the potential latent value in Cambria at its current share price of 22p, running at a discount of around 35 per cent compared to the sector average. The shares were punished through 2012 for issues reported in the first half of the year.

Management have responded well, though, and again there is a potential upside identified through improvements in the market and acquisition opportunities.

Who is Steve Freeman?

He’s managing partner of ASE Professional Services. If you want to talk to him about his column call 01908 847 025 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 89

data file.

James Litton

TRADER TALES

The problem with personalised plates

M

‘Why can’t the cherished transfer process be conducted centrally – or online?’

James is sales manager at Tony Purslow Mercedes Benz, Guildford. He always has something to say about the industry he loves. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Apprenticeship training Babcock

y parents own a cherished number plate which practically spells my surname. I once tried to sell a car to a surgeon with the number B10 PSY, my personal favourite from my 15 years in the business.

However, these wretched things really are the bane of my life.

Roughly 40 per cent of our customers own a cherished number, and with the recent announcement of DVLA office closures, service levels have reached an all time low. We have been told recently that 10 working days will become the norm, but we have seen returns take longer than this to complete. This causes insurance issues for customers, and cash flow issues for us.

We spend money on duplicate plates, fuel to the local office, paying drivers for the bi-weekly trip, all without recouping the cost.

Given the numbers of customers involved, simply asking them to conduct their own transfer risks all kinds of delays, or more catastrophically, losing the deal to someone who will.

Some dealers charge for the privilege, but as soon as you charge, you create the impression that you are integral to the outcome, which, can cause resentment and therefore CSI issues.

I can obtain a passport without ever meeting a civil servant, so why can’t the whole cherished transfer process be conducted centrally at Swansea by fast track post, or perhaps – and you will have to permit me this radical idea – online?

Requesting a secure PIN to verify both V5C documents, or certificate of entitlement, along with data from the Motor Insurers Database, should be enough to save time, and in this culture of austerity, money.

The sooner a solution is found to this problem the better it will be for all of us – not just those in the business of selling prestige cars. And now is as good a time as any – there are rumours customers of a superstitious nature are more likely to purchase a personalised number plate to adorn their brand new and shiny 13-registered car.

It would seem we’re all about to get a lot more busy.

Who is James Litton?

Suppliers W: babcock.co.uk/ automotivetraining T: 0870 013 0325 E: automotive@babcock.co.uk Info: UK’s leading work-based provider of automotive training.

Register your vacancy now.

mini test: HONDA CR-V Car dealer says HHHHH Honda has shifted 170,000 CR-Vs in the UK since 1995. Honda hopes to push that to 250k with this car.

Price: £30,995, tested in Issue 53

W: astonbarclay.net T: 01245 450700 E: info@astonbarclay.net Info: Aston Barclay delivers national coverage through it’s 4 auction centres together with proven online remarketing channels.

Perhaps not the most exciting drive we’ve ever had, but in terms of comfort, handling, equipment levels and general all-round competency, we’d give it a well-deserved thumbs-up. Dogs, golf clubs, camping gear... the CR-V will swallow the lot and get everyone home in comfort and safety.

Auctions

Auctions

Finance

BCA

Newark Motor Auctions

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Auctions Aston Barclay

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W: newarkmotorauctions.co.uk T: 01636 671167 Info: East Midlands/Lincs largest independent Auctions. Main Agent, Finance and Private entries. Sub £3000 our speciality.

Friendly welcome for all.

W: frfl.co.uk T: 0115 946 6370 E: Visit bit.ly/firstresponse Info: We always encourage our returning customers to visit the same dealer for their next car leading to Many Happy Returns!

Auctions

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Contact Advantage Limited

Moneybarn

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Info: UK’s leading provider of Showroom Management/CRM systems, Manufacturer/Dealer Data Hubs and now a revolutionary new iPad Sales App.

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W: manheimremarketing.co.uk W: hpi.co.uk T: 0844 856 4545 T: 0845 301 1843 Info: For further information HPI Spec E: thehpiteam@hpi.co.uk Check please call sales support on Info: Get the exact options that W: www.hpi.co.uk 0844 856 4545 or visit the were factory fitted to an individual T: 0845 301 1843 vehicle to help you identify and website.

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To have your details included here call (023) 9252 2434 and ask for Suppliers Guide listings

guide Key tracking Keytracker Ltd

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Online trading Autotrade-mail.com

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The original and the best. Call for your free two-week trial.

If you’re looking for a motor trade supplier you can find the details of selected companies here

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National Car Cleaning Company

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W: autoprotect.net T: 0871 384 1167 E: sales@autoprotect.net Info: Providers of warranty, GAP and other sources of additional dealer income. Backed by dedicated support teams and IT systems.

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Paint protection

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Vehicle checking

Warranties

These Listings Work

Supagard

Carcom

HPI Check

Car Care Plan

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Perry Beaver perrybeaver@sturgess cars.co.uk 0116 2541717

Chris Allen chrisallen@sturgess jaguar.co.uk 0116 282 6868

Getting your company featured here is more affordable than you imagine. Here’s why

Mike Mongiello mikemongiello@sturgess cars.co.uk 0116 282 6969

Sturgess Nissan Perry Beaver 0116 254 1717 perrybeaver@sturgesscars.co.uk

Carfleet Wholesale Ltd

W: carfleetwholesale.co.uk T: 0151 356 1200 E: sales@carfleetwholesale.co.uk Info: We are the number one supplier to the trade, providing the cheapest nearly new vehicles in the country.

Volvo Sturgess Volvo

Scott Allen 0116 275 8800 scottallen@ sturgesscars.co.uk

Prices for 12-month listings: £29 per month.

Single months are £49 per month

Prices exclude VAT. Adverts are invoiced after they have been included in the magazine. 12-month bookings are payable up-front.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 91

the fleet.

WELCOME TO THE FLEET...

Final report:

Third report:

Mal Hay gets all emotional as Nissan takes back our X-Trail SUV

James Baggott takes a positive mental attitude towards the Pug

NissanX-TRAIL I

’m not ashamed to admit I nearly shed a tear as I waved goodbye to Car Dealer’s Nissan X-Trail long-termer earlier this month.

Yes, I loved KP62 WHH (platonically, you understand. Not it in a way that could get me arrested).

Sure she wasn’t the best looking car on the block, but she was mine, she loved getting dirty and she went like the clappers.

On one occasion we’d been for a lovely drive together, thoroughly enjoying each other’s company as I recall, when a so-called mate pointed dismissively towards my precious one from across a car park and shouted: ‘Ugly, innit!’

Cheeky bastard! Well, the red mist descended and it was all I could do to keep my fists sheathed as I defended my lovely X-Trail’s honour by rather aggressively suggesting he ‘Go ‘eff himself and his effing Land Rover’.

You see, as heartbroken teenagers the world over will tell you, beauty’s only skin deep and it’s the personality that counts. And our

X-Trail, in 2.0dCi Tekna guise, had more personality than you might have expected from a diesel.

Through the worst winter and coldest spring in memory, on road and off, she always got me where I was going in comfort and without ever putting a foot wrong. And that won her a special place in my heart.

The excellent 2.0-litre engine, mated to a sharp six-speed manual gearbox, is incredibly smooth and makes the model surprisingly swift.

What’s more, even with a heavyfooted driver like myself at the wheel, there’s very little roll in the corners, making for a really engaging drive. Coupled with the superbly well equipped and perfectly put together interior that comes with Tekna spec, I can’t really think of much of a downside.

Perhaps the boot could be a little more practical?

So, I’d urge anyone in the market for a 4x4 to visit their local Nissan dealer and take the X-Trail for a spin before putting down their hardearned readies elsewhere.

Just don’t buy KP62 WHH.

the knowledge Model: Nissan X-Trail 2.0dCi 173 Tekna Price: £29,590 Engine: 2.0-litre, diesel Power: 171bhp, 360Nm Max speed: 124mph 0-60mph: 9.8s ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Peugeot208 R

ight, I’m going all positive mental attitude on this review’s butt. Down with the negativity, up the good things, focus on the pluses and all that. What on earth am I talking about?

Well, I’m fed up with our baby Peugeot getting a kicking in the office. It’s fair to say it’s not the most popular car on our fleet, so I thought it was about time I listened to the 208’s point of view for once.

So, for my trip to Heathrow to jump on a plane for the States, I nabbed the keys for the 208.

Compared with my usual steed – the B-Max – the little French car certainly feels very different.

Although they’ve both got three cylinder engines, the latter’s feels underpowered in comparison to the Ford. Both have manual boxes and again the Ford’s is more direct and has better feel than the Peugeot’s.

There may be a big price difference between the two – the B-Max costs nearly £19k and the 208 £14.5k – but the interiors feel miles apart too. The seats in the Peugeot

are too soft and it’s hard to get comfy and despite the French maker trying hard to make it feel premium inside, it hasn’t pulled it off quite as well as it would have hoped.

But I promised to oust the negativity, so let me try and focus on some positives.

Ok, so here goes: The touchscreen has the right idea of guiding you around its plentiful functions, the little steering wheel makes it feel like it’s fun to drive, and it’s a nice blue colour.

Erm… it’s got useful Isofix points which make sticking Mini Baggott’s car seat in a little easier and I like the feel of the little rotating volume button on the steering wheel.

See I’m on a roll now… The carpet in the foot wells is pretty hardy. It’s easy to open the fuel filler cap. Oh, and it’s got a very nicely detailed Peugeot badge on the bonnet.

And the typeface used for the number plate really is TOP class.

You see, our little 208 isn’t that bad – you’ve just got to focus on the positives a little more than you would otherwise…

the knowledge Emissions: 168g/km Mileage this month: 3,193 Costs this month: £0 This month’s highlight Standing up for the X-Trail’s honour. A so-called ‘mate’ won’t be a mate for much longer.

Model: Peugeot 208 Active Vti 1.2 Price: £14,550 (as tested) Engine: 1.2-litre, petrol Power: 82bhp, 118Nm Max speed: 109mph 0-60mph: 13.8s MPG: 65.7 (combined)

Emissions: 104g/km Mileage this month: 187 Costs this month: £0 This month’s highlight Reveling in the bezel like action of the volume control button. Did I say how good it is?

longtermers

Second report:

Third report:

Gareth Bethell finds our Mitsubishi Outlander cures sore necks

Jon Reay finally realises why the Mighty B-Max is a Car Dealer favourite

OUTLANDER F

or the last few days I’ve been walking round with a hot water bottle on my shoulder.

It’s not a sartorial thing. I’m not hoping to spark a new trend. It’s for the simple reason that I’ve hurt my neck and it seems to help.

I’d like to say the injury was a result of doing something manly like chopping down a tree with my bare hands, but actually I just woke up and it hurt.

My bad neck means I can’t turn my head left or right without looking like a Thunderbird so I wasn’t overly keen on the prospect of spending hours driving the Mitsubishi Outlander from Dartmoor to Inverness, even if it was the new 2013 model.

With potholes big enough to swallow a Ford Ka on the roads the long journey was the last thing I wanted. Thankfully the 2013 Outlander is all about refinement.

With the cruise control on, as well as the heated leather seat, it makes driving long distances a doddle.

In fact it’s so quiet that there

have been a couple of times when I’ve been sat at traffic lights and struggled to tell if the automatic stop/start has kicked in or not.

This Outlander is the greenest yet and for a while I became obsessed with the fuel consumption. At the end of each journey a little image of a plant-thing comes up on the dashboard and the number of green leafs on it corresponds with how economically you’ve driven the car.

It you’ve been good it’s full of green leaves, but if you’ve been bad, well it’s not.

I’ve also made use of the third row of seats, which pops up with a minimum of fuss. But frankly after driving round with my wife, her parents and my parents all telling me where to park I’m not convinced the fact it’s a seven-seater is a good thing.

So far, just about the only thing I miss from the Car Dealer’s old Outlander is the bit of the boot that dropped down, giving you a little perch to sit on and enjoy your £3 meal deal lunch in Sainsbury’s car park.

the knowledge Model: Mitsubishi Outlander GX4 Price: £29,999 (as tested) Engine: 2.2-litre, turbo diesel Power: 147bhp, 380Nm Max speed: 118mph MPG: (comb’d): 48.7 0-60mph: 11.5

FordB-MAX I

have to admit, it’s taken me a little time to gel with (as it’s referred to in the office) the Mighty Ford B-Max. Part of this does I’m sure come down to Baggott’s prior reluctance to let go of its keys, but I can’t blame him entirely. No, the truth is that our Titanium-spec B-Max in Postman Pat red just never really got my heart racing. Sure, I nodded along when everyone else at Car Dealer sang its praises, but did I really think the world of the miniMPV? Not so much.

It’s understandable really, as the B-Max isn’t really a car designed with me in mind. As a 20-something male who’s only just been spat out of university, things like a high driving position and easy-access sliding doors do absolutely nothing to raise my pulse. I suspect I’m in the minority for this viewpoint, too, but nor am I a particular fan of the way the B-Max looks.

The flat paint of our car doesn’t do the practical shape any favours, but to my eyes it needs larger, sportier

alloys than those handed out with the Titanium trim. It’s now been three months since I first hopped in the capacious Ford though, so I thought it was about time I had another go.

The results? Well, after just half an hour I was converted. The 1.0-litre engine is, in no uncertain terms, superb. It pulls brilliantly, revs freely and makes even the relatively tall B-Max feel like an absolute laugh to drive. I’m talking literally too – the B feels like a car with a sense of humour, as daft as that may sound.

Don’t get me wrong, it handles just as well as the Fiesta on which it’s based, but the bit of extra body roll actually gives it a personality all of its own.

It dances around corners like merry aunt at a Christmas party – putting a smile on the face of all who watch. When you’ve stopped chucking it about though, it settles down superbly. I don’t know how Ford have done it – witchcraft, probably. So, the B-Max is really very, very good. I just wish I’d had a proper go sooner. [CD]

the knowledge Emissions: 153g/km Mileage this month: 680 Costs this month: £0 This month’s highlight The Outlander doesn’t disappear in Ford Ka-sized potholes. Even if the driver has a sore neck.

Model: Ford B-Max Titanium Price: £18,720 (as tested) Engine: 1.0-litre EcoBoost, three cylinder Power: 117bhp, 200Nm Max speed: 117mph 0-60mph: 11.2s

Emissions: 139g/km Mileage this month: 786 Costs this month: £0 This month’s highlight The discovery that the B-Max dances around country lanes like a merry aunt at Christmas.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 93

workshops.

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Motorists urged to check their cars pre-MOT 5,545 dealers across UK unite to reduce MOT failure rate

C

onsumers are being urged to do basic maintenance before taking vehicles in for the annual roadworthiness test.

In response to the latest figures of around 1.5 million MOT failures each year, the SMMT has launched a new website designed to help consumers do basic checks. The website www. passmymot.co.uk runs through a list of ten faults consumers can find and fix before taking their car into the dealership.

National Franchised Dealer Association director, Sue Robinson, said: ‘The “Minute Or Two” checks are easy and simple to perform and will save motorists

time, when taking their vehicle for its annual MOT test.’

Dealers are concerned that a high level of MOT failures is both costing the consumer time and money also taking up workshop space. Getting customers’ cars returned and passed is crucial for dealers.

In the biggest campaign of its type, 5,545 manufacturer main dealers across the UK will be giving guidance to motorists on the simple pre-MOT visual checks they can carry out on their own car.

Visitors to the site can also use a Garage Finder tool to locate their nearest dealer. The checks include

light bulbs, wheels and tyres, seats and seatbelts, windscreens and wipers, fluids (oil, fuel and screen wash) and the horn.

‘Technicians at manufacturer main dealerships across the UK are ready and willing to help vehicle owners carry out the visual inspection before the test, and to rectify any issues before conducting a manufacturer-guaranteed MOT,’ said Mike Baunton, SMMT interim chief executive. ‘With the introduction of a number of new additions to the annual MOT test just last month, it is even more important for vehicle owners to understand the advantage that a few simple checks could make.’

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data fiLe.

Looking after your customers in the computer age is key

W

ho would have thought 30 years ago if the clock was fast forwarded, we would be able to sit in the comfort of our own homes, with a device similar in size to a note pad and be able to connect with the shelves of our local supermarket? Furthermore, the money would be transferred without physically having to take money out of your pocket and the goods delivered to your door at a time convenient to yourself?

It’s not just supermarkets which have followed the phenomenal e-commerce trend, as many other industries – including our own – have jumped on the bandwagon in an attempt to drive businesses forward.

The mechanism to transact with our customers has certainly changed – and will continue to do so over the next 30 years. But one thing which remains of the highest importance to the consumer is the service they receive, and the requirement remains on their part that it needs to be exceptional and set you aside from the ‘rest’ of the competition.

And that is where the journey commences, as with acquisition costs being a large part of your business once the customer has been attracted, you now need to fulfil their needs by providing a decent service, or risk losing them and having to continually invest to obtain new ones.

But when does a customer come into contact with you? This depends on your business type but there will be ample opportunities to deliver well to the customer and ensure that their opinion of you is an outstanding one – inbound telephone calls, e-mails, letters, your

Jonathan

Such TIME IS MONEY

website journey and interaction, calls for help, face to face contact, and many more.

Not only can people now access products and services without leaving their own home, they can also connect with a huge audience of friends, associates, colleagues and other human beings through a mass communication of tools. This gives everyone the opportunity to share good things about companies or even the not so good things. Either way news travels fast.

The last memory I have of excellent customer service was when I recently purchased a pair of trainers online.

I completed the purchase on a Saturday and upon completing the order I was given an expected delivery

‘I have no hesitation in continually sharing good customer service tales.’ date. I then received a text message on the Sunday saying the parcel had been released for delivery, earlier than anticipated. However, the key point which really made me think ‘wow’ was when I received a text message saying the package had been delivered, and upon going to our reception in work, I was pleased to see my parcel.

It goes without saying that the journey I endured was exceptional, and I will have no hesitation in continually sharing this good news.

Service is a great area to focus on; the problem is that it’s taken for granted.

Who is Jonathan Such?

Such is regional sales manager for First Response Finance. You can contact him on 07917 781608 or email jons@frfl.co.uk

Coming next month

If there’s something you think we should be covering get in touch. Our details are on page three

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Full coverage of the 2013 Car Dealer Peugeot’s new Supercar shoot-out: Conference pocket rocket: R8 v GT-R v C4S* 208 GTi *Yes, it is in issue 63. We jumped the gun last month!

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