For the German brands, maintaining the brand image is crucial.

Presumably this is why some of them aren't particularly helpful when asked painful questions about the viability of their dealerships.

AM has heard that a retailer in Yorkshire is facing a tough decision: sell up, or shut down. One of its carmaker partners has already been in and removed stock, we're told.

But while the dealer and carmaker both keep ignoring our questions, it's frustratingly difficult to get a true picture of the situation.

For a while now the UK has seen several carmakers insisting that their dealerships carry their brand and the place name, rather than the retailer's own brand.

Maybe this is so that, should the meagre profits fail to sustain one retail partner, it can shuffle in a replacement and hope no-one notices.

UPDATE: Several dealer sources have told us that Volkswagen Group has given a Yorkshire retail group until the end of the week to re-finance its failing business with three of its franchises, otherwise it will put forward a new partner to take over the operations rather than see it go into receivership.