Aftersales departments need to be prepared for a substantial change to their business model in the coming years as plug-in vehicle sales create a complex world with lower maintenance and new skills and equipment needed.
In his latest 'guest opinion' for AM Volkswagen Financial Services UK chief executive Mike Todd suggests that the motor industry needs to put more focus on making used electric vehicles attractive to drive EV adoption in the mass market.
Volvo Car UK has followed its recent launch of direct-to-consumer online used car sales with the launch of Volvo Fleet and Business Online following a successful pilot scheme.
New car buyers are leapfrogging plug-in hybrids (PHEV) in favour of a faster electric vehicle (EV) switch as soaring fuel prices and manufacturing constraints app to the appeal of zero-emission transport.
Mercedes-Benz has revealed a plan to axe up to 20% of its German franchised dealerships and 10% of its global network by 2025 as part of its shift to a direct, agency model retail model.
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.
It’s just over two years since the UK first went into lockdown and it’s safe to say we’re all continuing to feel the impacts of the pandemic.
New dealer appointments and an expanded model range are expected to underpin DS Automobiles’ 2022 drive to sell twice as many new cars as it did in 2021.
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?
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.
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.
Inclusive leadership which can motivate and inspire ambition emerged as the key ingredient for success in presentations at Automotive Management Live’s Inspiration Theatre.
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.
Fresh from his crowning as world champion in the Kia EV Skill World Cup 2021, Snows Motor Group's Kia Guildford master technician David Weston is the latest person to take part in AM's '8 Questions to...' series.
The consequences of the global pandemic have been profound. Like many other sectors, large swathes of the automotive industry had to scale back or even stop production in the early stages of COVID-19, with a gradual reopening as restrictions eased during 2020.
In the latest of AM’s ‘8 Questions to…’ series, we chatted to W R Davies Motor Group’s DS Automobiles Stafford dealership concierge Dean Brown.
Nissan dealers will be in a good place to capitalise on the UK car market’s electrification, but they will need to raise their game, according to Nissan GB managing director Andrew Humberstone.
With seven new car launches in 12 months, at first glance Genesis Motor Europe’s entry to the UK market appears to be an all-out assault on the premium sector.
The benefits of an agency-style model, where the new car journey is managed online and manufacturers pay a handling fee to retailers, largely outweighs the disadvantages, according to senior executives at dealer groups already experiencing mixed commissions at work in their businesses.
When Polestar UK chief executive Jonathan Goodman told AM he was “thoroughly enjoying” his role overseeing the roll-out of the performance electric vehicle (EV) brand, it’s clear that he means it.
Motorists have shown uncertainty about the transformation of car makers into tech companies and dealers could be left to explain their franchised partners’ ‘surveillance capitalism’, it has been claimed.
Matt Clay, group qualifications manager at AM100 top 10 motor retailer Lookers, outlines the talent opportunity that the "seismic shift" to electrified cars may offer.
Car manufacturers are looking at model rationalisations, reduced trims and increased co-operations in a bid to comply with clear air targets. Tom Seymour reports...
