MD Andrew Iveson talks about his decision to go from employee to co-owner at Subaru, isuzu and SsangYong car dealer Livingstone Motor Group and the resilience and innovation he and his team displayed as Mitsubishi quit the UK.
An unexpected explosion in the appetite for luxury car purchases after the pandemic hit the UK was a catalyst for significant growth at independent car retailer Auto100.
As consumers are coming under increasing financial strain from soaring inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, so car dealerships are stepping up to help them through these challenging times.
In his latest automotive retail sector analysis for AM magazine David Francis delved into the strength of the Volkswagen range, Toyota's electric car conundrum and considered whether premium SUVs might be running out of road.
While franchised dealers have been busy preparing to sell and service new electric vehicles (EVs) for a while now, used car specialists have also started to carve themselves a niche in the market.
New car buyers are leapfrogging plug-in hybrids (PHEV) in favour of a faster electric vehicle (EV) switch as soaring fuel prices and manufacturing constraints app to the appeal of zero-emission transport.
Has the online used car retail bubble burst or have the UK’s established car retailers’ disrupted disruptors like Cazoo and Carzam with their ability to evolve and adapt to cater for the digital car buyer?
Mercedes-Benz has revealed a plan to axe up to 20% of its German franchised dealerships and 10% of its global network by 2025 as part of its shift to a direct, agency model retail model.
Kia’s 32,199 new car registrations in the first three months of 2022 made it the UK’s best-selling car brand year-to-date – almost 8% ahead of Ford in second place.
In the latest edition of AM industry commentator David Francis pondered how the challenges faced by car manufacturers were shaping the new car registrations rankings as well as their profits.
Lookers chief executive Mark Raban claims to be a numbers man, who likes “to stick with my knitting”, but he is poised to “try something different” with the AM100 group's newly-mapped growth strategy.
As Q1 draws to a close with what is likely to be a quieter than normal March plate change month, AM took a look at the new car finance offers being served up by some of the sector’s leading brands.
As manufacturer strategies focus increasingly on electric vehicles (EV), crossovers and SUVs, is customer choice set to become a thing of the past?
Honda UK managing director Jean-Marc Streng says the brand is exploring the possibilities of the agency franchised retail model as it draws to the end of “phase one” of its retail network restructure.
Dealer attitudes suggest a level of uncertainty about a 2022 car retail market increasingly defined by vehicle availability, the transition to electric vehicles (EV) and moves from manufacturers towards an agency franchise model.
Clive Brook Group, Drive Motor Retail, Hendy Group, Inchcape Retail and Jemca Motor Group have all ramped-up their acquisition of private used car stock in 2021.
Discounts on new car retail offers have dropped slightly by 1.9% quarter-on-quarter to £1,672 on average in Q4, according to the latest AM data.
Jato Dynamics chief executive David Krajicek joined the automotive consultancy as COVID-19 lockdowns gripped the sector. AM caught up with him to reflect on his challenging start.
Nissan dealers will be in a good place to capitalise on the UK car market’s electrification, but they will need to raise their game, according to Nissan GB managing director Andrew Humberstone.
In the latest instalment of AM's ‘Eight Questions to…’ series of industry profiles JCT600 group property director Mark Taylor gives an insight into the tough decisions needed to help “future-proof” car retail.
The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the pace of change in the UK’s motor retail industry and some observers now question whether many of the new habits will stick with consumers when everyday freedoms return.
Inchcape UK will reassert its commitment to growth with the creation of an all-new standalone used car sales division and a series of large-scale dealership development projects.
The benefits of an agency-style model, where the new car journey is managed online and manufacturers pay a handling fee to retailers, largely outweighs the disadvantages, according to senior executives at dealer groups already experiencing mixed commissions at work in their businesses.
Strong financial reports from across the car retail sector have reaffirmed that businesses have weathered the COVID-19 crisis without the “Darwinian evolution” predicted 12 months ago.
The heads of three exceptional regional hero dealer groups explain the approach to business and customer engagement that underpins their group's success.
