The 2013 AM Awards has been officially launched and dealers can now start sending their entries through.

An evening dedicated to acknowledging exemplary performance and innovation is fundamentally important to our industry; particularly as trading conditions continue their ever-challenging path with confidence a long way into the distance. High achievers deserve their time in the spotlight.

But the AM Awards is much more than a glitzy night out among friends and colleagues.

An AM Award brings with it the respect of the industry and publicly acknowledges the importance of your people and helps to strengthen the confidence of an individual or teams – as well as provide an independent mark of quality in your business that can be incorporated into your marketing strategy.

AM is once again delighted to have MSX International, provider of outsourced business solutions for the automotive industry, as its auditors and together we have refined the categories and the judging process to be as confident as we can the awards looks at the industry as a whole and spotlights the real achievers to ensure we recognise the ‘best of the best’.

There is one new category; Dealer Principal of the Year. For more information about the awards and categories head to www.am-awards.co.uk.

If you would like an entry form, email amawards@bauermedia.co.uk.

AM Auditors

Every day its hundreds of consultants are visiting dealerships across the UK and, this year, they will be looking out for potential winners in each of the categories as they go about their business.

They will be passing on the information to AM. We will then invite the named companies or individuals to enter the awards. In this way you can expect the entries to be more wide ranging than before and a much more complete representation of the market.

Combining information from visits with a follow-up call once the company has entered to look deeper into its performance and planning abilities, MSX International will then carry out a full audit of shortlisted companies. Its independent audit will focus on planning, financial performance, people management and customer relationship management.

View all the categories below and click on page two to view feedback from last year's awards winners. 

The 2013 categories

Innovation Awards

Best Training Programme

Best Dealer Website
Sponsored by RAZSOR

Best Digital Initiative
Sponsored by Auto Trader

Best Marketing Programme

Excellence in Business

Excellence in Customer Service

Most Improved Company of the Year

Sales Team of the Year (New or Used Cars)

Dealer Principal/General Manager
of the Year

Excellence in Aftersales

Manufacturer Awards

Used Car of the Year
Sponsored by Car Care Plan

New Car of the Year
Sponsored by Supagard

Franchise of the Year
Sponsored by Ai Automotive

Retailer Awards

Tyre Retailer of the Year
Sponsored by Continental Tyre Group

Best Used Car Performance
Sponsored by Experian Automotive

Best Dealership

Best Retail Group
(up to & including 10 dealerships)

Best Retail Group
(more than 10 dealerships)

Headline Awards

Carmaker of the Year

Retailer of the Year

Personality of the Year
Sponsored by Easi-Drive

AM Hall of Fame