Audi UK is searching for an influential performance driver to fill a new role of direct sales operations and performance manager as the Volkswagen Group brand prepares to expand its agency contracts for retailers.

Manufacturer direct sales, fulfilled by dealer agents, is being seen as the solution for truly omnichannel new car sales to consumers.

VW Group UK has already been using agency agreements with its retailers handling fleet sales for several years, rewarding them with fees for managing the face to face handover to end users.

In June it began a consultation process with staff ahead of a company reorganisation.

The carmaker said it is responding to “fundamental shifts” in the way it sells cars, including digital services and online sales direct to consumers, and added: “To enable the correct resource in developing these opportunities, Volkswagen Group UK is proposing changes to its organisational structure.”