Confidence dips in used prospects

Dealers face a “rocky time” with used car sales over the next few months, warns Cap Monitor chief European economist Mark Cowling in the latest Cap used car confidence index which reveals dealer confidence about the immediate future has collapsed, despite sales last month rising 9.4% on March 1999.

Mr Cowling, a speaker at AM online's sister publication Automotive Management's spring conference - Used car crossroads - said the “usual seasonal downturn” was made worse by the flood of trade-ins following the W-plate launch, with uncertainty caused by Rover another factor.