Triumphant Stephen Thompson, who led Perrys Milton Meynes to an Automotive Management gold award, celebrated victory over used car superstores.
Carmakers are divided over how much their dealers should be paid for sales achieved via the internet.
Peugeot Motor Company takes the gold award for top manufacturer after securing the No3 spot in the UK new car market and extending its warranty to three years.
Dixon Motors carries off the gold award following a series of carefully considered and well executed strategic moves over a number of years.<p>
##AM Awards 2000--left## Dealerships thrive on fresh thinking and gold award winner Alan Day New Southgate, opened in 1998, came up with a determined strategy after Audi was separated from this VW outlet.
##AM Awards 2000--left##The determination of the Dick Lovett Companies to give its employees the best chance of proving their worth led to the foundation of its Academy of Learning.
The judges were greatly impressed by the entry of Brooklands Autobody which carries away the gold award. The company's achievements include reducing the average repair lead time from three weeks to seven days.<p>
Former Ixion Motors regional operations director John Miskin is back running his own business, so successfully that NMC Sportif Citroen of Aylesbury, Bucks, scoops gold in this highly competitive category.<p>
##AM Awards 2000--left## Out of a family of coal merchants founded in Lancashire in 1906 has emerged Prestons BMW, winner of the gold award in the aftersales category.
##AM Awards 2000--left## Take an old established business, add a forward-thinking chairman and sole shareholder with uncompromising views on quality and you have gold award winner Bates Motor Group.
##AM Awards 2000--left## A year ago, the Automotive Management Awards judging panel was deeply disappointed by the standard of entries in the category for new media. Since then, a number of new entrants have emerged, based on internet sales.<p>
After four years of determined effort Perrys Milton Keynes has at last won gold in the Automotive Management Awards.<p>
The AA has bought the website established by a small team of e-commerce enthusiasts to inform motorists of where to find the cheapest petrol.
Dixon Motors, which in recent years has grown in turnover and influence, takes gold for a marketing performance typical of its boundless confidence.<p>
##AM Awards 2000--left## Behind the success of Corkills Wigan in taking gold lies a story of how a dealership can be transformed by the right management team.
Peugeot took the Manufacturer of the year award and pushed Ford and Vauxhall, its biggest rivals, into the runner-up places.
Glass's Information Services, publishers of Glass's Guide, has re-launched its website, www.glass.co.uk.
DaimlerChrysler UK has acquired Lex Autosales in a deal worth £17.95 million. The sale covers seven sites and is part of the launch of a used car sales operation in the UK by Mercedes-Benz that will see cars sold direct from the manufacturer to the customer.
Awards presenter Quentin Willson revealed why he left Top Gear to pursue a career with Virgin Cars. In an acerbic attack on his former BBC employers, he told diners a clash between English reserve and American brashness turned him from TV presenter to Virgin Cars' online automotive guru.
##Daewoo logo--left##Daewoo is denying reports that the company is bankrupt and has gone into receivership, claiming instead that a restructuring process essential to make it attractive to a potential buyer will continue.
The slump in used car values slowed in October – the best performance for five months – with a year-on-year decline of 7.7%, according to the Cap Index.
Newcastle upon Tyne dealer Benfield Nissan has found a solution to the current shortage of quality used cars by importing 30 Micras from Northern Ireland.
Audi is the latest manufacturer to put Glass's Part Exchange Values on its www.audi.co.uk website as it bids to give potential customers a complete virtual showroom experience.
Vauxhall has armed its Network Q retailers with a powerful sales tool to help customers in the fight against car crime. It has teamed up with SmartWater to mark Network Q cars with a 'DNA-type' code for a £94 fee.
##Times logo--left## The Sunday Times has launched a business-to-consumer used car stock locator website in conjunction with internet service provider Motortrak.
##Land Rover logo--left## Land Rover is launching a revised used vehicle programme in January to meet rising customer expectations and tie more aftersales business to its 130-strong dealer network.
Finance specialist Singer & Friedlander Finance is urging dealers to promote the benefits of Gap insurance to improve bottom line profits and protect the car buyer.
An online data provider targeting used car retailers is challenging Cap and Glass's Guide's position as the leading suppliers of car values information.
Last year, the most popular new car in the UK was from the lower medium sector, the Ford Focus (according to SMMT new car registrations statistics). This reflects the importance of the lower medium sector to both the new and used car markets.
The job for most dealers seems to be difficult at the moment, with retail interest for both new and used cars extremely quiet. Something we have mentioned in the past and which is now becoming increasingly evident is cherry picking by the trade.
