Jim Saker

Talent & People 11 Aug

Making motor retailers into inclusive employers

As workplaces become increasingly more diverse, so automotive companies are having to go a step further to accommodate employees from a host of different cultures and backgrounds.
Opinion 10 Aug

Saker: Will governments exert more power over carmakers?

Professor Jim Saker of Loughborough's Centre for Automotive Management makes the argument that the motor industry is no longer in control of its own destiny.
Opinion 15 Jul

Saker: Put the relationship before the process

Professor Jim Saker suggests that some of the changes driven by the pandemic could be turned into a blessing rather than a curse.
Opinion 16 Jun

Saker: Social distancing made collecting a new car surreal

Professor Jim Saker, director of the Centre for Automotive Management at Loughborough University’s Business School, reveals his car-buying lockdown experience
Opinion 27 Mar

Car industry's role in 'dystopian future'

Professor Jim Saker is director of the Centre for Automotive Management at Loughborough University's Business School and an AM Awards judge. He has been involved in the automotive industry for more than 20 years.
Opinion 21 Feb

Jim Saker: Time for industry to face up to some harsh realities

Over the years I have criticised people for talking down the potential of our sector.
Opinion 29 May

Jim Saker: Motor retail surveys must look beyond London

For a realistic look at the future of motor retail, we need to look beyond the capital.
Opinion 23 Mar

Jim Saker: Let’s not be self-fulfilling prophets of doom

By understating its performance, there is a real danger that the motor retail industry will sow the seeds of its own demise.
Opinion 7 Mar

Jim Saker: Stop selling car specs and start telling stories

Car dealers need to give customers a narrative about their purchase, not a list of specifications.
Opinion 1 Dec

Jim Saker: Why carmakers are no longer masters of their own fate

Predicting the future of automotive retail is almost impossible as it is now in the hands of the politicians, writes Jim Saker.
Opinion 6 Nov

Why the motor trade needs to stop hiring people who ‘fit in’

To prepare for an uncertain future, dealers need to bring in people who challenge their assumptions.
Opinion 3 Oct

Are motor retailers insane or merely irrational?

Every day, dealers engage in irrational behaviour that damages the customer's trust in them.
Opinion 1 Jun

Why perception, not price, will beat the independents

To win back work from independents, dealers should do everything to focus consumers' minds on expertise rather than expense.
Opinion 30 Mar

Cars in cathedrals or not, belief has a place in business

The controversial use of Peterborough Cathedral for a Sycamore Motors event to promote BMW has brought the issues of work and faith into focus.
Retailing 7 Mar

Is the car price haggle dead?

When it comes to knocking a dealer down on price, most car buyers would rather avoid the hassle.
Opinion 10 Feb

Opinion: We need more than data to better predict the future

In the search for 'big data' across dozens of channels, dealers and carmakers may be missing out on real opinions
Opinion 5 Jan

Jim Saker: 'Car buyers trust family and friends more than Facebook'

Why car buyers trust family and friends more than Facebook.
Opinion 1 Dec

Jim Saker: Reports of the hybrid’s death have been greatly exaggerated

Many problems remain to be overcome before EV uptake is mainstream and the hybrid probably has more years left in it than many commentators think.
Opinion 2 Nov

The perception problem with Volkswagen’s total recall

Volkswagen’s customers will dictate the speed of any ‘dieselgate’ fix, says Prof Jim Saker.
Opinion 21 Sep

Car dealerships may have a part to play in the war on terrorism

Prof Jim Saker explains why dealers' responsibility for security will increase with the connected car.