How well did UK motor retail handle the COVID-19 lockdown?

The motor industry’s reaction to Government restrictions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic could have been better, according to the majority of AM-online readers.

It’s a narrow majority of voters who thought the sector had not handled lockdown well, with some citing the risk to used car stock and redundancies conducted early in March unaware of the Government’s job saving measures yet to be announced.

But four-in-10 AM-online users believe the crisis was handled well. One stated: “I lost my job in the motor trade due to the impact of COVID-19, but I think the industry as a whole has handled things well.”

Another said: “My group managed to get some sales done online and those of us on furlough had our pay topped up from the 80%, so I couldn’t ask for more really.”

One voter warned “the pent-up demand will soon evaporate” and “a controlled devaluation of stock” is needed to stabilise the market.

And calls for scrappage scheme are counter-productive, another voter claimed. “We’re effectively telling customers to wait longer in case they get a better deal,” he said.

Take part in the latest AM-online Poll here.