AM's stories of the Year: March-April

APRIL

1) Land Rover Discovery Sport will replace Freelander

Land Rover will call its Freelander replacement the Discovery Sport and the new model will launch in the UK in 2015.

2) New York Motor Show 2014 gallery

All the biggest models and debuts from the 2014 New York Motor Show.

3) Marshall Motor Group's new five-year plan is all about the customer, says CEO Daksh Gupta

Marshall Motor Group's focus is on the customer experience now its expansion drive is over, says chief exeutive Daksh Gupta.

4) Court judgement could mean billions refunded to dealers, says ASE

“Last week’s judgement in the High Court case of Littlewoods Plc & Others v HM Revenue & Customs could result in HMRC repayments to dealers totalling in the billions” said Michelle Malone, senior VAT manager at dealer profitability specialists ASE.

5) Peugeot Citroen boss announces model cull

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's new chief executive Carlos Tavares has spoken of plans to cut model lineup by almost half and to turn Citroen's DS unit into a separate brand in an attempt to restore profits.

6) End of the road for Peugeot dealership

Hunt's Motor Garage in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, has closed. The Peugeot franchisee, which had represented the French marque since 1977, has closed its showroom and sold the premises.

7) Blue Bell bought by Halliwell Jones and Knights Group

Halliwell Jones group has acquired Blue Bell Wilmslow BMW and Mini and Blue Bell Bodyshop for an undisclosed sum. In a separate deal, Knights Group has bought the remainder of the company, Blue Bell Crewe.

8) The UK car dealer's guide to the online customer journey

This AM guide will help dealerships to navigate the online customer journey, through attracting customers via SEO and pay-per-click, to live chat, online reviews, CRM and the physical showroom experience.