With retailers operating in an increasingly challenging used car environment where stock is in short supply and prices are continually adjusting, it has become even more imperative to price used vehicles correctly to both maximise margins and maintain stock turn.
Kia’s 32,199 new car registrations in the first three months of 2022 made it the UK’s best-selling car brand year-to-date – almost 8% ahead of Ford in second place.
In the latest edition of AM industry commentator David Francis pondered how the challenges faced by car manufacturers were shaping the new car registrations rankings as well as their profits.
As the car retail sector becomes increasing digital-savvy, AM's Debbie Kirlew took a look at six key areas where strides are being made towards a true omnichannel customer journey.
There are now more avenues for car dealerships to sell their vehicles than ever before but has the part-exchange process truly embraced the transparency of a truly omnichannel customer journey?
Automotive retailers were obliged to accelerate their omnichannel retail plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but another by-product of this development has been the demise of the haggle.
Accurate customer data has always been important, but the COVID-19 pandemic has created a problem that could be losing service departments tens of thousands of pounds of potential profits each quarter.
Automotive Management (AM) explores how to overcome the workshop inefficiencies that are losing car dealerships thousands, perhaps millions, of pounds every year.
In the latest of AM's '10 minutes with...' supplier insight interviews, drivvn chief executive Peter Brown discusses online car sales, the ominchannel customer journey and the influence of the agency retail model.
As Q1 draws to a close with what is likely to be a quieter than normal March plate change month, AM took a look at the new car finance offers being served up by some of the sector’s leading brands.
As manufacturer strategies focus increasingly on electric vehicles (EV), crossovers and SUVs, is customer choice set to become a thing of the past?
The future of franchised retailers’ motor finance FCA ruling on discretionary commissions has lead to greater transparency, but few dealers are reporting any noticeable variation to income as a result.
Independent used car dealerships and supermarkets have been best positioned to adapt to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rule banning discretionary commission models that was brought into force last January.
With December’s publication of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) second consultation on its new all-encompassing Consumer Duty protocols and the automotive retail sector now subject to commission disclosure regulations, motor finance has once again been reassessing how it operates.
As car retail sector experts predict that subscriptions could take over from PCPs as the most popular way to fund a private vehicle, AM compared Q4's offers to see how they compare.
Automotive Management (AM) Live served up a packed agenda of seminars and presentations in three theatres focussing on key aspects of the car retail business.
Honda UK managing director Jean-Marc Streng says the brand is exploring the possibilities of the agency franchised retail model as it draws to the end of “phase one” of its retail network restructure.
Online car retail, stock acquisition, reputation management and consumer finance were among the themes explored by speakers at AM Live 2021.
The electric vehicles (EV) revolution and new agency retail models are said to be placing up to 70% of existing dealership profit at risk in the next decade.
Dealer attitudes suggest a level of uncertainty about a 2022 car retail market increasingly defined by vehicle availability, the transition to electric vehicles (EV) and moves from manufacturers towards an agency franchise model.
Volkswagen Financial Services UK chief executive, Mike Todd, reflects on the sector's rapid evolution and offers insight about what's needed to adapt to the road ahead.
A rapid rate of stock turn has traditionally been a sure-fire way for car dealerships to maximise their used car profits and forecourt space.
Used car prices remain at all-time highs and retailers have been told they will have to "buy smarter" to remain competitive as the trend continues into 2022.
Discounts on new car retail offers have dropped slightly by 1.9% quarter-on-quarter to £1,672 on average in Q4, according to the latest AM data.
Marshall Motor Holdings chief executive Daksh Gupta has called for OEMs to accelerate cuts to their franchised networks as part of efforts to solve the retail sector’s staffing crisis.
