The next decade will bring fiercer competition between franchised and independent dealers for aftersales customers, warns Dr Andrew Tongue, research director with the ICDP.

"Against a backdrop of declining repair and maintenance volumes, competition between the OEM-franchised and independent aftermarket sectors is growing ever-fiercer as electrification, connectivity and eventually autonomy are added into the mix,” he said.

“Looking ahead towards 2030, what will the coming changes to the aftermarket mean for customers, both individual and fleet, and for the providers of service?"

At the 2019 Automotive Retail Congress on May 21, Tongue will examine whether the trend seen among electric vehicle ‘early adopters’ for being diligent about service and maintenance is likely to remain the case as EVs become mainstream and in-car connectivity is prevalent.

He’ll also explore just how far repair and maintenance work could fall by 2030, and guide car dealers who attend the Automotive Retail Congress, at Coventry's Ricoh Arena, on what this could mean for their profit streams and workshop investments next decade.

Tongue will also highlight a need for dealers to re-examine their relationship with the consumer, and develop new solutions and services, if predictions of significant growth in service-inclusive leases and shared-use mobility fleets becomes reality.

“Over half of the UK car parc could have its aftermarket needs under ‘professional management’ by 2030,” he said.

To find out more about the 2019 Automotive Retail Congress, and its strategic content for car dealer group directors and car manufacturers, visit www.amretailcongress.co.uk​.