Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 121 by Blackball Media

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Issue 121 | April 2018 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £5

STAR CARS OF GENEVA

CEPTS . . . AND A HOST OF N CO OL CO S, EL OD M ST TE LA ACTURER BOSSES UF AN M H IT W S AT CH E IV EXCLUS

PLUS: WE PUT JAGUAR E-PACE TO THE TEST IN CORSICA

SO MUCH TO DOAN!D NEWS

E WHAT’S ON THE LIVE STAG HUGE EXPO OF GREAT WORKSHOPS AT

TOP TECH

THE FIRMS THAT ARE EXPERTS IN SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE

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Editorial HEAD OF EDITORIAL Rebecca Chaplin

rebecca@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @believebecca

HEAD OF DESIGN Graeme Windell

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PRODUCTION EDITOR Dave Brown

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FEATURES EDITOR Jack Evans

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SENIOR STAFF WRITER Darren Cassey

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STAFF WRITER Ryan Hirons

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MANAGING DIRECTOR BLACKBALL MEDIA Andy Entwistle andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy Contributors Felicity Bestwick, John Bowman, Jess Ernerth, Ted Welford

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Welcome.

THERE are many trick systems about that manufacturers are forever telling us make their cars better. And although I think a little scepticism is quite often needed about those claims, genuine progress really does seem to have been made lately. More years ago than I would like to remember – probably actually only three or four – I had a long-term Volvo V60 Cross Country that I would report on in the pages of this magazine. It was dressed in a sort of golden brown paintwork, which didn’t do it any favours, but it had all of the kit on board and generally was a dream to drive. It’s become a tradition for my friends and me to venture away for a weekend each year and I took the V60 CC that year. A few of us were very proud to arrive at our destination in comfort, in what was clearly a brand new car, but one of our number who was already there greeted it with the words: ‘Who bought a Volvo?’ Over the weekend, she made her feelings about it very clear. I was hurt at the time, so much so that I wrote about it for my monthly report. I’ve just returned from this year’s getaway with the same group of mates and drove this friend, her husband and her two-year-old in a Volvo XC90 hybrid. Because of my job, the topic of what cars people are thinking of buying often comes up in conversation. For months, she’d been telling me she would be replacing her Vauxhall Astra with an Audi Q2. She would rave about how much she loved Audis and that nothing else would do. By the end of the journey though, she wanted to buy an XC90. She loved the look of it, the design inside, the onboard tech and the massage seats too. Quite an amazing turnaround – and proof that manufacturers are listening to what customers want.

This month, and as you’ll have realised from our cover, we’ve been at Geneva finding out about the latest cars and concepts the industry has to offer. Tech and new powertrains are front and centre, and there are some brands that are really pushing the boundaries – Volvo included. At the show, the Swedish manufacturer was displaying its new hybrid performance car from its spin-off brand, the Polestar 1. How far removed are we now from the old, boxy 340s with 5,000 lights on the plastic dash? Another brand that has shaken up its entire ethos is Jaguar Land Rover, with hybrid Range Rovers, 4x4 Jaguars and even all-electric 4x4 Jaguars. However, there was a V8 Defender thrown in for old times’ sake. In between all of the new car releases from the show, we also managed to get behind the wheel of both the Defender and the all-electric I-Pace, which you can read about on pages 34 and 35. For a slightly more relaxed pace (see what I did there?), Jack has been getting to grips with the baby Jaguar E-Pace in the beautiful setting of Corsica. You can turn to page 76 to read all about this new and exciting car, and find out what dealers are saying, too. If you think you’ve missed anything from Geneva, you’ll be bang up to date by the time you’ve finished this magazine. We’ve got a bumper news section with 21 pages purely about Europe’s most important motor show. Now, without further ado, I’m going to try to not talk about the Geneva Motor Show for another 11 months…

Rebecca Chaplin Head of Editorial CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

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Tour de Corsica We put Jaguar’s new E-Pace to the test on winding roads amidst stunning scenery

Dealer group unveils £5m plans

ISSUE 121 I APRIL 2018

Dashboard. Big Story: Hyundai’s Rockar move Around the UK A Perfect Partnership Rebecca Chaplin Big Mike Around the World So You Wanna Be A Car Dealer? Feedback Finance

06 10 30 55 57 60 62 64 66

Features. Exploring Corsica in an E-Pace

Data File. Car Dealer Club The Statistics Market Insight Auctions Taking Stock A Global View Real Deals

Forecourt. Mercedes-Benz CLS Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross BMW X2

70 72 74

Suppliers Guide Key Notes with Traka Long-termers James Baggott

76 94 96 99 100 101 102 105 106 109 111 114

Twenty-one packed pages of Geneva Motor Show coverage

Having a splashing time with our fleet of long-termers

Our events... As voted for by dealers, Car Dealer Power is unique. Details of our 2017 winners are online at bit.ly/ winners-2017 – and turn to page 18 to get involved this year.

The Car Dealer Used Car Awards, sponsored by Black Horse, celebrate the used car industry. Go online to bit.ly/UCA-winners to find out who won what in 2017.

The UK’s biggest automotive trade expo features the Live Stage, breakout sessions, workshops and much more. Planning for our 2018 event is under way – find out more on pages 22-25. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

Dashboard. AUTOSONSHOW

New head of sales and MD appointed AUTOSONSHOW has appointed Jonathan Higham as its new managing director and Jason Jeggo as head of sales. Higham, above, previously held a number of senior roles at BCA – AutosOnShow’s parent company. Jeggo has held positions in the past including director of sales at Radar Video and head of sales at CitNOW Video. His role as head of sales will see him using his extensive experience with OEMs and dealers alike to drive AutosOnShow’s sales. AutosOnShow provides a high-definition vehicle video system, which was recently rolled out in 20 different languages in order to aid European sales. The company’s videos are designed to be integrated into a customer’s car-buying journey. They can also be used to speed up the remarketing process.

INVESTMENT

MD’s pride in new £10m showroom SW CAR Supermarket has moved into a new state-ofthe-art showroom, following a £10 million investment. The site in Peterborough has space for up to 800 cars and features a preparation centre with a 360-degree rotating turntable, a call centre, a customer lounge with an iPad-equipped research hub and a service centre with eight bays and a paint shop. SW Car Supermarket’s managing director, Anton Khan, said ‘We are extremely proud to have created such a wonderful experience for customers, who can visit us in a totally modern and nonpressurised environment.’

06 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

THE BIG STORY

Hyundai announces its retail future – including split from Rockar Tristan Shale-Hester reports on a collaboration that paved the way for other similar projects – but is now coming to an end

he president and CEO of Hyundai UK has outlined the future of the marque’s retail – including its split from Rockar. Speaking at the Hyundai Future of Retail event at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham recently, Tony Whitehorn announced that the two brands’ collaboration on the shopping centre store project had come to an end. Hyundai, which holds the lease on its stores in centres such as Bluewater and Westfield, will hand management over to Motorline, which will retain the same staff and branding at all locations. Meanwhile, Rockar is moving on to help develop retail solutions for Mitsubishi and Next, as well as continuing its partnership with Jaguar Land Rover. The two companies will maintain

a strong relationship and Hyundai will still work with Rockar on a consultancy basis. Simon Dixon, founder of Rockar, said: ‘When we first sat down, I said we’re going to do this together but some day I believe you will take this off us, you will do this. Our vision has been how will we support the change in this industry?’ Whitehorn added: ‘It’s been great working with someone who’s like-

minded to move the entire industry on. We’ve had some really great times together doing that.’ Moving on to the topic of Hyundai Click to Buy, Whitehorn explained how the marque was streamlining its completely online sales process. The updated system will include every specification of every Hyundai model and will be focused on being stress-free, transparent and easy to use.

Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross tested

First drive, p72

FUND-RAISING

Grateful David’s marathon effort A SERVICE adviser at JCT600’s Volkswagen Sheffield dealership is set to run the London Marathon on April 22. David Hancock will be raising money for the motor trade charity Ben, who he turned to when a serious back injury in October 2016 left him struggling physically and financially, which in turn caused stress, depression and anxiety. At last year’s Ben ball, a short film about Hancock was shown. In the video, he paid tribute to the team at Ben, saying: ‘You feel you can’t really open up to a member of your family or friends. ‘You can only do that to somebody who will actually listen, understand and look at putting a plan forward. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for those guys.’ To donate, go online to bit.ly/Benrun

MCLAREN

New dealership opens next year

From this month, each dealership will have its own page on the Click to Buy site. The dealer will have full control over what vehicles they display there and how they are priced. However, Whitehorn made it clear that there would not be any sort of price comparison function. Customers will be able to choose their nearest local dealer or any other dealership they wish, but won’t be

able to directly compare their pricing. Whitehorn said: ‘It is not a comparison website. It is very much about where you are, looking at the customer services you want, going into that dealership, and that dealership giving you the price they offer. ‘You can then come out and then go into another dealership. We’re trying to get the virtual customer journey that you would get normally.’

‘It’s been great working with someone who’s like-minded to move the entire industry on. We’ve had some really great times together doing that.’ Tony Whitehorn

McLAREN Automotive is to expand its UK retailer network with a showroom in Hatfield. The dealership – run by Cambria Automobiles – will join six locations in Ascot, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, London and Manchester. McLaren Hatfield will be based at a new site currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in January 2019. Welcoming Cambria to the manufacturer’s family of UK retail partners, David Gilbert, managing director of McLaren Automotive Europe, said: ‘This new appointment will significantly contribute to the success of McLaren in our home market.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

Dashboard.

DELIVERIES DISRUPTED

Kia: The ‘Beast from the East’ froze our March registrations – literally!

now from ‘the Beast from the East’ nearly stopped Kia’s March registrations in their tracks, president and CEO Paul Philpott has revealed. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, Philpott told us that the brand’s busy plate-change month got off to something of a challenging start – with deliveries (quite literally) frozen by the unseasonably cold weather. ‘All of our cars come into the port of Grimsby on the east coast,’ said Philpott, ‘and we had two days where we just couldn’t get cars out.’ The north Lincolnshire town’s weather was so extreme that a snow plough had to be hired to clear loading lanes for brand new vehicles – but cars already on their way to dealers weren’t immune to disruption either. ‘At one point we had 10 transporters gridlocked on the M62,’ Philpott revealed. ‘That gave us a few challenges, and the month started off – in terms of registrations and deliveries to dealers, slower than we expected.’ What’s more, the dangerous conditions were

CAP HPI

‘Changing structure’ forces up used car prices THE average price of a new car has increased by 38 per cent over the course of the last decade, according to Cap HPI. Analysis conducted by the automotive data company shows that the average amount of money customers pay for a new car rose from £24,383 in February 2008 to £33,559 in February 2018. Matthew Freeman, managing consultant at Cap HPI, said: ‘The real driver of this is the changing structure of the marketplace. Over the past decade, we’ve seen more expensive models being rolled out.’ 08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by JON REAY @JonReay

doing nothing to encourage customers to actually pick up their new cars – with many choosing to delay handovers until the bad weather subsided. With temperatures rising and things back on track, the story looks more positive – though still not comparable with last year’s bubble-like March. ‘The order bank’s looking good,’ said Philpott. ‘Last year we had a target to do 16,500 and we ended up doing 18,800, because there was such a pull out of April/May into March – and so any comparisons with this March are going to be difficult to make. ‘But we’re looking to sell something like 18,000 cars this month, and barring any more disastrous weather, we’re on track to do so. ‘That will see us in the first quarter, down probably two or three per cent on last year – but as I say, we planned for that, and would expect for that to come back in quarter two.’

18 plate top tweets

Congratulations to Richard Ward collecting his new 18-reg Citroen Berlingo Multispace from Gill at Croxdale Citroen. Enjoy your new car and thanks for choosing @CroxdaleGroup #New18Reg #CroxdaleGroup #Citroen Croxdale Group @CroxdaleGroup

Congratulations to Miss Thomas who braved the snow to drive away in her brand new 18-reg #Hyundai #i20 Go Edition! She is pictured with sales executive Jason Kane and is the first to collect an 18-reg. Thank you for your custom and we hope you enjoy your car! Hawkins Motor Group @HawkinsMG

RESULTS ANNOUNCED

Another record financial performance from Marshall MARSHALL Motor Holdings has reported that revenue, profits and car sales were all up in 2017, despite a market in decline. The group announced in its results for the year ending December 31, 2017, that revenue was up 19.5 per cent (3.5 per cent like-for-like) to £2.27 billion compared to 2016. Its retail segment now consists of 101 franchises representing 23 brand partners trading in 26 counties, following the acquisition of Leeds Volvo, the opening of Newbury Jaguar Land Rover and some recently-announced closures. In 2017 it strategically disposed of Marshall Leasing for a consideration of £42.5 million before costs and expenses.

New car retail sales were up by 12.3 per cent (2.6 per cent like-for-like) to a total of 31,801 units while used units were also up by 17.1 per cent (5.2 per cent like-for-like) to 44,237. Aftersales revenues also grew to £243.1m from £202.6m in 2016, up 20 per cent (2.3 per cent like-for-like). Marshall chief executive Daksh Gupta said: ‘Despite the more challenging market backdrop, the board is pleased to announce another record financial performance which was ahead of our previously upgraded expectations. ‘We are now focused exclusively on our motor retail business and with a significantly strengthened balance sheet remain ideally positioned to exploit future opportunities.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

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COUNTY ANTRIM: John Mulholland Motors took home Škoda UK’s Retailer of the Year award for the third time at the manufacturer’s annual event. The awards, held at the Royal Albert Hall, recognised the very best of the 128 nationwide Škoda retailers across 10 categories, and the County Antrim retailer emerged victorious in recognition of its outstanding all-round business performance in 2017, having won last year and in 2014 as well. The runners-up were Fred Rees Garages of Haverfordwest and Des Winks Škoda of Scarborough. Staff at each UK retailer were presented with their awards by Rod McLeod, director for Škoda UK, and John French, Škoda UK’s head of sales operations.

Top retailer award scooped for third year

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE: Lookers has partnered with Nissan to provide a Navara pick-up for a charity founder tackling a 7,000-mile walk. Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care provides free transport between hospitals in Newcastle for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Founder Brian Burnie is now taking on an epic challenge to raise money for it – a two-year walk around the Great British and Irish coastlines. Lookers Corporate and Rosedale Leasing have provided a Nissan Navara, which will act as a support vehicle and carry a generator to power the team’s living quarters. Dave Harrison, the charity’s communications manager, said: ‘Lookers has been absolutely brilliant in its support for us over the years.’

Navara provided for 7,000-mile charity walk

CHESHIRE: Sir Bradley Wiggins surprised customers at a Škoda dealership when he turned up to help sell the Kodiaq. Prospective purchasers of the SUV who asked for a test drive at Mitchell Škoda in Cheshire Oaks were amazed when the keys were handed to them by the former professional road and track racing cyclist. Hidden cameras recorded their reactions to unexpectedly meeting the Tour de France champion and five-time Olympic gold medallist, who signed up to a three-year marketing partnership with the manufacturer in 2017 – with their responses ranging from confusion to delight. Mark Mitchell, managing director of Mitchell Škoda, said: ‘Their reactions were brilliant. We knew our customers would be delighted with the experience. It was a pleasure to host Sir Bradley.’

Sir Bradley surprises Škoda customers

What’s been hitting the headlines on the home front? Here’s a round-up of stories

WOLVERHAMPTON: Vantage Motor Group has bought the Toyota and Lexus businesses of Charles Clark Motors in Wolverhampton to cement its brand representation in the West Midlands. It has Toyota centres in Tamworth, Solihull and Birmingham, where it also has a Lexus dealership. Vantage, which is headquartered in Harrogate, already operates 12 Toyota businesses – making it one of the largest Toyota groups in the country – as well as two Lexus dealerships. Mark Robinson, managing director of Vantage Motor Group, said: ‘This acquisition sits perfectly with the outcome of our recent strategy review and reinforces our Toyota and Lexus presence in the West Midlands.’

Vantage buys Toyota and Lexus outfits

SHEFFIELD: Mercedes-Benz and JCT600 have opened a new pop-up store in the Meadowhall shopping centre. The temporary shop, which is there until April 4, lets customers have a close-up look at the marque’s most popular models. They can also find out more about the rest of the range. Three cars are on show: the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, GLA and Smart ForFour. The shop also features a Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One simulator. Since Mercedes-Benz pop-up stores first launched, more than a million customers have visited them. John Tordoff, CEO of JCT600, said: ‘We’re really thankful to Mercedes-Benz UK for supporting us once again with this project.’

Mercedes-Benz and JCT600 open pop-up store

News from around the UK

Dashboard.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 11

WILTSHIRE: Dick Lovett Group has opened its first Jaguar Land Rover showroom. The state-of-the-art dealership – Jaguar Land Rover Bath – has been built in Melksham. With a modern design that includes a barista bar and children’s play area, it follows JLR’s ‘Arch’ concept. The showroom will sell all JLR’s latest models, such as the Jaguar E-Pace and Range Rover Velar, as well as approved used vehicles. Richard Davies, head of business at Dick Lovett Jaguar Land Rover Bath, said: ‘Dick Lovett Group has always admired the Jaguar Land Rover brand. We’re a very successful family-owned and family-run business with great heritage, so to open our first Jaguar Land Rover site, full of some of the finest British cars, is a real highlight.’

JLR showroom is a first for Dick Lovett

MONMOUTH: Bristol Street Motors demonstrated the value of its innovative Buy Online service after delivering a car to a customer in rural Wales. The new service, launched last year, was used by Tony Webb of Monmouth, who wanted to trade in his Fiat Panda for a Dacia Logan. After researching Bristol Street Motors and the Buy Online service and finding a car perfect for his family and dog, Webb opted to arrange a finance deal, along with a delivery time and date, with Mick Harper of Bristol Street Motors’ Bradford Renault dealership. Webb said: ‘The service I received was very professional and the features of the car were thoroughly explained to me on delivery. The road conditions near my home were really muddy, but the car had been cleaned moments before and arrived in a pristine condition.’

Bristol Street Motors goes that extra mile...

STAFFORD: Stoneacre Motor Group’s expansion has gained further momentum with the acquisition of Platts Garage in Stafford. The addition brings the number of the company’s dealerships in the Staffordshire area to three, with Stoneacre having acquired Randles sites in Stafford and Stoke in 2014. The dealership’s existing staff will be retained and will continue their roles. It brings the total number of Fiat franchises in Stoneacre’s network to 17. Managing director Shaun Foweather said: ‘We set ourselves a challenging but achievable target of a £1 billion turnover by 2020. On top of our previous additions to our dealership network, our productivity in Q1 so far only breeds more confidence that we will meet that business objective with comfort.’

Stoneacre on course for £1bn turnover

DORSET: Hendy Group has submitted plans for a dealership in Dorset that would become its only site in the county if approved. The plans, mooted to create space for more than 200 cars, would see the dealership built on the A31 at St Leonards. A statement submitted as part of the application says the operation would be for second-hand car sales. The plans feature a large showroom and sales suite, with space for a 224-car inventory. Dedicated parking for customers and staff is also planned, as well as a valeting building. The new dealership would provide 20 full-time jobs.

Hendy looks to create used cars site

BUCKHURST HILL: Glyn Hopkin Group has opened its third Suzuki showroom as it celebrates a milestone birthday. The new showroom at Buckhurst Hill, which has a 40-car forecourt and on-site technicians for aftersales, will complement Glyn Hopkin’s existing Suzuki locations in Watford and Cambridge. Fraser Cohen, managing director at Glyn Hopkin, said: ‘We have high hopes for our new Buckhurst Hill facility. The opening is a wonderful way to mark our 25th anniversary, and through our new monthly prize draw we will share our success with local customers.’ The new showroom will bring more jobs to the area.

Glyn Hopkin makes it a Suzuki hat-trick

SHREWSBURY: A respected sales team member has returned to the Greenhous dealer group at its Nissan showroom in Shrewsbury. Bob Levy, who has decades of experience in car sales, became part of the Greenhous family in 2013 when the Shrewsbury Renault dealership was taken over by the group as part of its acquisition of the W A Lewis dealerships. In October 2017, the Renault site once again changed hands, with Budgen Motors taking over the location in Featherbed Lane. Now Levy has returned to the dealer group’s fold, while remaining in Featherbed Lane, with a move to the Greenhous Nissan site in a new sales position. He said: ‘I feel I am back where I belong at Greenhous. Everyone has made me feel welcome.’

Bob enjoys the Greenhous effect once again

Dashboard. LOOKERS

Drop in profit but still a robust performance LOOKERS has revealed tumbling annual profits, but cheered resilient sales amid ‘difficult’ trading. The group posted a 27 per cent drop in annual pre-tax profits to £58.4 million for the year to December 31, 2017. The decline in new car sales across the market was the first fall for six years after demand hit an alltime high in 2016. Sales have fallen amid confusion over government restrictions on diesel vehicles, rising inflation, reduced availability of credit and low consumer confidence. But Lookers said it put in a ‘robust’ performance, with sales outperforming the market and underlying pre-tax profits actually lifting by five per cent to £68.4 million as better used car sales helped revenues jump 15 per cent. Bottom-line profits were largely affected by a oneoff boost in 2016 from the sale of its parts division. Andy Bruce, chief executive, said: ‘This result represents a positive performance against a backdrop of difficult trading conditions across the motor sector.’

NEW FORMAT

Car Dealer Magazine’s digital edition is set to reach a wider audience

We’re now on Issuu

by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk

ar Dealer Magazine has gained a huge following in its digital format, with more than 6,000 downloads to readers’ iPads. However, in the age of the internet, we’re changing to ensure that everyone has easy access to this. You’ll probably have worked it out already, but the iPad edition is only available on… iPads. We’re moving all of our back catalogue onto digital magazine reader Issuu. If you’ve used this before, you’ll know that this can be used on all internet browsers, mobiles, tablets and computers by either clicking on the link or downloading the Issuu app. If you have an account, it’s simple to follow Car Dealer Magazine too. If you do so, every time we upload a new magazine, you’ll get a notification on your device! This does mean that there will be no more magazines uploaded to the current iPad app and it’ll be closing down from the end of this month. We hope that if you’re currently reading this online, you’ll join us for what will be the best and easiest-to-read version of Car Dealer Magazine yet!

Editor of Car Dealer Rebecca Chaplin said: ‘As a reader of the magazine, you’ll have seen in both mine and James’s columns that our world is quite Apple-centric. ‘If you choose that faction, then you open yourself up to every Android or Windows user telling you that there’s something better out there. ‘While we’re not quite ready to admit that, we accept that there are enough people out there using other software. Making sure as many people as possible can read our work is all we really care about!’ She added: ‘If you’ve ever used Issuu before you’ll know how easy reading a magazine on it is. The fact

that we’ve already had thousands of people reading the magazine on the iPad app with very little solicitation from us is so encouraging, and I can’t wait to see what happens with this new version.’

Go online to issuu.com/blackballmedia where you’ll see editions of Car Dealer and our sister publication Workshop Magazine

US metal tariff threat concerns UK car bosses (but is it just a Trumpism?) CAR bosses are ‘surprised and confused’ by President Trump’s announcement that he is planning to impose tariffs on metal imported to America. The tariffs, which could be set at 25 per cent for steel and 10 per cent for aluminium, have the potential to drastically affect how European car manufacturers trade with the US. Jaguar Land Rover’s UK managing director Jeremy Hicks said the President’s statement took the luxury car manufacturer by surprise. America is one of JLR’s biggest export markets and a tariff could cause it major issues. 12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘We’ll have to wait and see,’ said Hicks. ‘It’s interesting. Like everyone else, we don’t know. Clearly America is a really important market for us, as it is for everyone else.’ Andy Barratt, UK chairman and managing director of Ford of Britain, described the president’s statement as a ‘Trumpism’. ‘Any uncertainty makes it difficult to plan,’ said Barratt. ‘You don’t invest on a short-term basis, you always invest for the long term, and there’ll be a whole host of investment positions that we’ve made that we’ll follow through. Any uncertainty is always a challenge.’

President Trump said America’s economy had the potential to prosper if the applied tariffs triggered an international trade war. Speaking via Twitter, he said: ‘When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. ‘Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade any more – we win big. It’s easy!’ However, the statement was dismissed as ‘nonsense’ by Phil Webb, head of cars at Honda UK. ‘We’ve got enough on our plate with Brexit,’ he added.

Nicky Holt, the group commercial director at Bauer Media, hosted the panel discussion involving, from the left, Jim Holder, editorial director of Haymarket Automotive, Phil McNamara, editor-in-chief of Car, Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express, and Charlie Turner, editor-in-chief of Top Gear Picture: Magnetic Media

INSIGHT

Revealed: The important role played by trusted car mags

ar buyers start their purchasing cycle up to two years before they do a deal on their next car – and they prefer to gather that information from trusted media sources like magazines. With ‘fake news’ proliferating, and social media and untrusted sources rife, consumers are more frequently turning to the pages of car mags to get the information they need. That was the message from a talk by some of the UK’s most influential car magazine figures at an event organised by Magnetic Media, the marketing agency for consumer titles. The panel featured the editors-inchief of Car, Auto Express and Top Gear as well as the editorial director of Haymarket Automotive, publishers of Autocar. They discussed new research into the role magazines play in informing car buyers. As you can imagine, the data was rather one-sided, but revealed some interesting facts about the role these titles play in influencing consumers. The research stated buyers are now ‘always in market’, suggesting that even when they’ve just bought a car, they are already looking for, or researching, their next purchase. Many do that using car magazines with 43 per cent of respondents agreeing that car mags helped them reduce the number of

messages. ‘They deliver a valuable audience, quality attention and are combined with trusted content,’ added Finnegan. brands on their shortlist. More than a Although the results have to be third said they changed the car they taken with a pinch of salt – viewed as their favourite as a direct especially when web firms, like result of reading a motoring title and, Google, will suggest online content interestingly, 39 per cent admitted to is far stronger at affecting buyers, increasing their spend on their next it’s hard to argue with the role car car after reading a car magazine. magazine readers play. Delivering the research to the ‘Car magazine readers are audience, Alison Finnegan, seen as the experts by the insight and ad their peers, the people marketing director to go to and ask for at Immediate advice about car Media, said buying, and are the magazine display real influencers,’ adverts were key added Finnegan. to shortening ‘They make up a the purchase cycle third of all new car and increasing the buyers and 78 per cent amount of money of them are passionate consumers spent on cars. about cars.’ James asks a question She also explained Top Gear editor-inhow a magazine with chief Charlie Turner an article about a new car was 42 per said: ‘We’re in a world where cent more likely to be read if there people are bombarded by messages, was an advert in it to back it up. ‘Print and magazines provide a form of is good at seduction, people are in relaxation in a portable format. a relaxed mindset when they read ‘Sometimes it’s just nice to breathe. them and that’s key,’ said Finnegan. In a world full of noise and clutter, The research stated overall that car people can see the value of the product magazines help to shorten purchase and choose to invest time in it.’ cycles, helped get consumers to spend The full research can be viewed on more money, and amplified editorial the agency’s website magnetic.media

ROLLS-ROYCE

Henrik is new director of sales and marketing

by JAMES BAGGOTT @CarDealerEd

ROLLS-Royce has announced that Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer will join the company as director of sales and marketing soon. Wilhelmsmeyer is extremely familiar with RollsRoyce Motor Cars, having served as director for the China region from 2012-2014. During his time there, he contributed significantly to the expansion and success of Rolls-Royce in that market. Wilhelmsmeyer re-joins Rolls-Royce Motor Cars from his current role with BMW. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, chief executive officer at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: ‘Henrik has an exceptional track record and first-hand understanding of the global luxury business. ‘He follows in the esteemed footsteps of the company’s founding father and first director of sales, Charles Rolls.’ CarDealerMag.co.uk | 13

Dashboard.

ollaboration from lenders, manufacturers and dealers will play a key part in helping consumers understand the fuel type that is right for them, says Black Horse managing director Richard Jones. ‘We need lenders, dealers and manufacturers to come together more,’ Jones told Car Dealer. ‘I think we’ve got to unify a voice around the fuel debate and we’ve got to work hard with the government to get a long-term strategy in place. ‘Diesel is not dead. I hate that headline. Diesel will be an important part of the UK and the automotive sector for at least 15 years. ‘It might not be as prominent as it was in the last 15 years, but it will still play a really important role because for a lot of consumers it’s still the right choice. If you’re buying a clean Euro 6 product, you’re being what I call a responsible driver and managing your emissions for what you also need in terms of fuel economy.’ Black Horse research has shown that 26 per cent of consumers think they will never consider buying an electric car, while 21 per cent said they just don’t know. The survey was carried out by YouGov, which polled 2,030 adults in the UK. It showed that the biggest concerns for consumers were access to charging (74 per cent), battery life (68 per cent) and price (54 per cent). When asked what would be the most likely reason they wouldn’t buy an electric car, nine per cent said they still didn’t trust electric vehicles. ‘If you look at electrification, the most aggressive view of this talks about 30 per cent of new cars being electric by around 2025,’ Jones explained. ‘What we’ve got at the moment is this mess where electric is still not a genuine choice for most consumers. ‘Now, if you think there are 30 million cars in the UK, electric won’t become the dominant fuel type for about 20 years. For most of us, that’s four or five car-buying cycles away. ‘We all believe electrification is the right strategy for the long term, but we’ve got a period where we have to responsibly help customers understand their fuel choices. ‘For some, electric might be right for now. However, more strategically, around a 15-year view how do we move the UK market from a combustion engine world to an electrified world while being really clear that that’s going to take us at least 15 years to get there? ‘I think as a UK market we’ve got ourselves into a bit of a mess. ‘Customers are walking into dealerships confused, they see a lot of negative messaging from the media. Some customers might also have benefited from a clearer understanding of 14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘What we’ve got at the moment is this mess where electric is still not a genuine choice for most consumers.’ government policy and the VED changes that came in at the end of last year. I think they have been unhelpful because effectively what they do is they penalise people who are buying new, clean diesel cars.’ Jones wants to see the industry making the effort to educate customers, and believes this will help move the market into this new era. ‘I want to do more as a lender and with the FLA, with our other partners in the market, particularly manufacturers but also retailers, to help inform customers,’ he said. ‘I think retailers have got a pivotal role to play in just educating customers on what’s your

driving style and therefore what type of car do you need, explaining the pros and cons of petrol versus diesel. ‘The more we can have those conversations between dealers and customers, the better informed customers will be and the more stable the market will be and the more effective our transition to a new world will be – but recognising that that new world for most of us is still quite a long way away. ‘The government has got a really important role to play too because this is about long-term policy and that is what we need from them. ‘They’ve said something about 2040 and we

Just one previous keeper or 101 drivers?

Lawgistics, p94

INTERVIEW

Industry must do more as electric is still not a genuine choice for most consumers Black Horse MD Richard Jones tells Rebecca Chaplin why he believes a unified voice over the future of fuel is so important

need to work with the government to lay out the clearest possible road map to that date, reducing uncertainty about the likely policy agenda in the intervening years.’

t’s an important step for the industry and demonstrates that the physical dealership and dealer still have a vital role. Already, in the modern age of car buying, salespeople are taking consumers through what can be a very difficult process and this does add another layer of complication for buyers. However, Jones credited the work that dealers and manufacturers are already doing by using integrated processes to simplify finance for customers. ‘Our research consistently tells us that customers really like the convenience of an integrated process – as long as they feel like they’re getting a good deal and everything is clearly explained. ‘Most customers need finance to get into their cars – it’s a big purchase – so they’re giving something that customers need, they promote it and advertise it in a transparent way that shows value to the customer. ‘That’s a really compelling journey for a customer.’ While any customer could break down this whole car purchase process today – buying the car, selling their own car separately, arranging the finance and any add-on service and product

warranty or insurance quote – if they wanted to, few choose to do it this way. ‘As a customer today you can do all of that separately and you can do a lot of it without leaving your front room,’ observed Jones. ‘But the thing that doesn’t escape me is very few customers do that. ‘The reason why is because on the whole dealers do a really good job at packaging it all up. But if you’re a dealer looking to do more, then have your advertising and promotions clear, consistent and clean so that customers understand it and it looks and feels like a good opportunity. ‘Present it to them in a compelling way and make sure that you’ve got really well-trained staff on finance who can really help the customer through everything they need.’ Affordability is also a very important factor. ‘Once they have decided the sort of car they want to buy, what we tend to find is customers will go online to narrow down to maybe

‘I think the problem with diesel is people have got a fear that the government might do something more and that isn’t helping anybody.’

two brands and at most three or four variant models, but having that gives a good sense of what’s in the affordable range online. ‘We see a lot of benefit from affordability calculators, showing the finance information online, and for customers who are comfortable to do a lot of the finance journey online. ‘There’s a lot of important stuff you have to read when you take out financial products too, and we can put a lot of that online, so the experience of going and getting your car becomes all about that. There’s still a lot of paperwork involved, but wouldn’t it be great if a lot of that was done before you went anywhere near the showroom?’ Black Horse research shows that those customers most likely to want dealer advice might not be who you expect – the under 30s. ‘It’s interesting because you would think maybe the upcoming more digitally savvy generations would be less inclined to need a dealer, but we’ve found the opposite, and one of the reasons for that is because they’re not used to buying cars,’ said Jones. ‘Dealers have got to be relevant online as well as face to face in the future. ‘No dealer will be successful without a really good integrated online and physical customer journey. You’re presenting them with an inviting place to come and talk to you, get further advice, get the help they need, get them into the right car and of course be there for the life of the use of that car,’ he concluded. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 15

l o tr n co k c a b e k ta n a c e w r togethe of the car buying journey As the first truly co-operative used car aggregator, findandfundmycar.com offers more choice to customers and increased finance penetration for dealers. Ì every dealer pays the same, affordable price for advertising space Ì search results on the site are organic, with no sponsored listings pushing other results down the ranks

Ì all leads are passed directly onto the dealer, without exception Ì all advertising costs paid by dealers are put back into the on-going marketing of the platform

Ì in a nutshell, the more cars you sell, the less you pay per sale

over £1,000,000 in finance paid out just 6 weeks after launch.*

16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

with the support of dealers the possibilities are endless “As a motor dealer I feel findandfundmycar.com is a refreshing and responsible approach to car buying and selling. It secures the fairest deal for customers funding a car and I have saved customers money as a result.” Mark Beddows, Beddows Motor Company, Northamptonshire

“Very impressed with findandfundmycar.com easy to watch advert, nice Facebook page and easy finance quotes.”

“Looking at Google Analytics, you can see how much higher quality the leads are than from other known industry aggregators.”

Chris Marshall, Marshall Motors of Eston, Middlesbrough

Stephen Bogan, James Glen Car Sales, Airdrie

to join the revolution, talk to your MotoNovo Finance Account Manager or call 0844 880 2401 today *figures taken from Dealer F&I report. MotoNovo Finance, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited (London Branch). Registered in England (Branch Reg. No: BR010027) at Austin Friars House, 2-6 Austin Friars, London, EC2N 2HD. FirstRand Bank Limited is authorised and regulated by the South African Reserve Bank. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Subject to regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and limited regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority are available from us on request. FirstRand Bank Limited (London Branch) is a branch of FirstRand Bank Limited, a public limited company registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission in South Africa (Reg. No. 1929/001225/06) Head office: 4 Merchant Place, Corner Fredman Drive and Rivonia Road, Sandton 2196, South Africa.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

Power Awards.

CAR DEALER POWER AWARDS

Super survey is back! We’re giving YOU the power to have your say Once again, it’s time to get into gear for the awards that give you the chance to shine a spotlight on the good (and the bad) among the manufacturers and suppliers out there

t’s that time of year again! Yes, Car Dealer Power – the survey that lets dealers hide behind a cloak of anonymity to say exactly what they think about their manufacturers and suppliers – is back! Car Dealer Power lets dealers express their honest opinions about the suppliers and manufacturers they work with. And the fact that we don’t ask for any identification from the people making the nominations means there can be absolutely no fear of reprisals. Your opinions really do count, because we make sure they’re seen by the people who really need to be made aware of them. All you have to do is give marks out of 10 and honest views in our straightforward, no-nonsense question-and-answer survey. It’s on the next three pages, but you can complete it online at

CarDealerPower.com if you prefer, where, again, we guarantee absolute confidentiality. We want you to tell us which manufacturers and suppliers are the absolute best and how good they are at helping you. For example, what parts do you use, who do you go to for advice, and who makes sure you get the most out of the internet? We also want to know, though, which are the ones that give you grief! Your votes and views will be carefully collated to provide the eventual list of winners, as well as a stark picture of those companies that just aren’t coming up to scratch. As we say, the findings will be shared, so it’s entirely feasible that manufacturers and suppliers will change how they operate because of YOU! If you’re a supplier to the motor trade, you can get your customers to nominate you, which means that, with enough support from them,

you could be taking home one of our prestigious gongs from our awards night.

CAN I BE TOTALLY HONEST? In a word, yes. We really want you to shoot straight from the hip and we’re giving you the full protection of anonymity as you do so. Once the opinions have been considered, the marks totted up and the votes collated, we’ll be holding our glamorous awards night at the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and it’ll be taking place on Thursday, June 28, 2018. Please make sure that you spare a little bit of time to complete the form – either in this magazine or online. It won’t take longer than 10 or 15 minutes and your opinions and votes could make a huge difference.

Want to keep your copy of Car Dealer Magazine pristine? You can also enter online at CarDealerPower.com

18 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The easiest way to fill in the survey is online at CarDealerPower.com We’ve made everything simple and quick. All you have to do is give a mark out of 10 where shown and add comments. This is totally confidential, so don’t be backward in coming forward! CAR MANUFACTURER 1. Which car manufacturer do you represent? If it’s more than one, please fill in the survey more than once. You can do this online at CarDealerPower.com  Abarth  Alfa Romeo  Aston Martin  Audi  Bentley  BMW  Citroen  Dacia  DS  Ferrari  Fiat  Ford  Honda  Hyundai  Infiniti  Isuzu  Jaguar  Jeep  Kia  Land Rover  Lexus  Lotus  Maserati  Mazda  McLaren  Mercedes-Benz  MG  Mini  Mitsubishi  Nissan  Peugeot  Porsche  Renault  Seat  Skoda  Smart  SsangYong  Subaru  Suzuki  Toyota  Vauxhall  Volkswagen  Volvo  Other (please name) 2. How do you rate your manufacturer with regard to its finance offers?

3. How do you rate the warranty your manufacturer offers? Does it cover everything it needs to and is it easy to administer?

8. How good is your manufacturer with regard to the internet? Consider the support it gives your online offering, how leads are fed down to you and the quality of its website.

13. What do you think of your car manufacturer’s bonus structure?

10 Comments: ............................................................. ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... 15. Which car – from any manufacturer – deserves the title of Car Dealer Power Used Car of the Year and why? ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... 16. Which manufacturer has produced the best marketing scheme this year and why do you think so? ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... 17. Who is your manufacturer of the year and why do you think so? ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... ...................................................................................... If you represent more than one manufacturer you can fill in this survey again online by visiting CarDealerPower. com, photocopying these pages or emailing dave@blackballmedia.co.uk for a copy. All requests will be treated confidentially. Any comments you wish to make will be most welcome. These may be used in the magazine but will be attributed anonymously.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

Power Awards. 3. Website Design For Franchised Dealers Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

THE SUPPLIERS This section is about finding the best suppliers. The winners will not be decided solely by being the most popular, but also how good they are at providing you with a service. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be naming a winner for each category and two highly commended places, which will be announced at the Car Dealer Power Awards ceremony on June 28. For each category, first tell us who you use, then give them a mark out of 10, and finally add any comments you have.

1. Warranty Supplier Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

Comments:.............................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... 5. Sub-Prime Finance Supplier Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

8. Trade Insurance Provider Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

10 10 Comments:.............................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... 7. Motor Factor Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

Comments:.............................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... 12. Provenance Checks Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

Want to keep your copy of Car Dealer Magazine pristine? You can also enter online at CarDealerPower.com

20 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

13. Cleaning Products Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

17. Online Auctions & Trade-To-Trade Remarketing Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

Comments:.............................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................

14. Recruitment or Training Agency Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

18. Best Lead Generation Tool Who do you use?................................................................................ Please provide a mark out of 10.

The closing date for nominations is May 24, 2018. That might seem like a long way off but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be here before you know it, so make sure you get your surveys in soon! Send your completed surveys to:

Car Dealer Magazine Blackball Media Ltd Haslar Marine Technology Park Haslar Road Gosport, PO12 2AG

20. Product Innovation of the Year Your nomination................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... Comments:.............................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... 21. The Extra Mile Award (The company or individual that has gone the extra mile for you somehow this year) Your nomination................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... Comments:.............................................................................................. ...................................................................................................................... ...................................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................

Want to keep your copy of Car Dealer Magazine pristine? You can also enter online at CarDealerPower.com

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

CDX UNVEILS

VIP tickets with the Midas touch

VIP TICKET DAYS 1 & 2

ÂŁ149 To give delegates more flexibility for the event, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re introducing a limited-edition VIP ticket Benefits include | Fast-track entry to the show on both days with guaranteed parking | VIP business lounge access, sponsored by iVendi, with complimentary refreshments and food served all day | Exclusive free VIP wi-fi and cloakroom | VIP front row seating to all workshops | Exclusive networking session with speaker | VIP book plus show guide |

Get your tickets now at cardealerexpo.co.uk In association with

22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

CDX 2018

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

COUNTING DOWN

Let’s get physical (and digital) on the Live Stage! by REBECCA CHAPLIN @believebecca

ith less than two months to go until Europe’s biggest and best motor trade expo takes over Manchester, we’ve got plenty of reasons why you need to be there. Already, there are more exhibitors hoping to demonstrate to you the ways they can make your business more profitable, we’ve got tonnes of topics that we’ll be discussing on the Live Stage, and if you turn over the page, we reveal details of six of our workshops… The support we’ve already seen for CDX has been outstanding, with people set to fly in from all over the world to attend the event. Looking at our latest data, it appears that we should have dealers from all regions of the UK to share their views on market conditions but we still need YOU! If you haven’t signed up already, go to cardealerexpo.co.uk to register for either a free ticket or you can upgrade to a VIP ticket for some extra-special treatment. If you need some more reasons to be there, take a look at what we’ve got planned for our Car Dealer Live Stage and some of the workshops.

Day 1

Day 2

Digital dealerships

Physical forecourts

Making the most of your digital shop window The internet is changing the way we run our businesses, the way we communicate and the way we shop. This means your online branding is more important than ever before. Is social media still a holy grail for car dealers? Identifying where your customers are and how they use social media is the first battle. How can you convert page views into car sales? We discuss what makes your website stand out, how you can sell more cars, and get our panellists’ opinions on the dos and don’ts of website design. What new tech should you be implementing? The physical dealership is adapting to feature more digital technology, whether that’s interactive signs, text alerts or automated booking. What’s next? What does the future hold for our industry? New car sales are in decline, manufacturers are warning they’ll move out of the UK and Brexit looms. We talk to industry leaders about what the future holds and how we can recover. How to use the information at your fingertips to increase profits Information is vital in this data-driven world. Whether it’s through your website, inquiries, mailing lists or social profiles, there are plenty of ways to gather this information and use it to sell more cars. Do consumers really want to buy cars online? In the digital age of car dealing, we’re seeing more manufacturers and dealer groups offer ways to buy cars online – but what does this mean for car dealerships? How do you know if your online ads are working? With more online channels than ever before, eager to advertise your cars, how do you know they’re doing the best job for your business? We find out how you can measure return on investment. What do customers want from a car dealership? It’s our panellists’ job to give car buyers the information they need, but they also hear about what they want! Our line-up of motoring journalists will tell it like it is from a consumer’s view – and you might be surprised by what they have to say!

What do employees want? With many dealerships looking outside of the industry for staff with retail and customer service experience to sell their cars, where can you find the best employees and how can you keep them? How can customer service sell more cars? The role of the car dealer is changing. As showrooms move towards geniuses rather than sales people, does it really work? We discuss whether there’s still room for the traditional dealer. The future of dealership design The way a dealership is fitted out and furnished is one of the most expensive outlays for a dealership, but what difference does it really make? What franchise should you invest in and why? With the industry turning on its head and great new products on the market, there are exciting new opportunities for those looking to take on a franchise. How to make more money and cut your overheads Carefully monitoring your bottom line can save you money but it won’t make you more. Our experts explain how more money can be made from the stock you already have. How to bring online customers in store When your website has become your virtual shop front, how do you convert those online visitors into footfall at your showroom? Where can you get the best stock at the right price? When it comes to running a car dealership, the one thing you can’t do without is good stock. We talk about sourcing stock, remarketing and how this can all make you more money. Is the PCP bubble about to burst? We find out if this is something that dealers still need to worry about or if this popular way of financing will grow. What opportunities are there in the market for new and used? When is the right time to expand? The size of your dealership has a lot of cost implications. More cars mean bigger overheads, more risk and more staff needed, but how can you know when it’s the right step for your business?

In association with

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 23

CDX 2018 WHAT’S IN STORE

Workshops galore! And here are six of the best to whet your appetite Google and Facebook made easy: find out how to protect and conquest

Working out where you should be in today’s digital marketplace

Click Dealer will show how you can influence the customer journey

ll dealers will have been told that social media is important to their businesses for reasons that can be tricky to understand. Fortunately, delegates attending CDX 2018 will have the chance to break through the jargon and discover what it’s all about. Armchair Marketing will be holding a workshop entitled Google and Facebook made easy – protect and conquest. Dealers who want to learn how to master the internet will find out exactly what all the fuss is about when it comes to online advertising and how they can put their businesses above all others. Lee Manning, pictured, founder of Armchair Marketing, said: ‘The main point of the workshop is really about how Google Search results are changing for car dealers. Google has always typically been an organic search engine. You type in a request and up pop all the answers in order of ranked importance. The way that it’s changed is that Google now has more paid advertising above the fold than ever before, which means that when a customer does a Google search, more than 85 per cent of the information they can see is paid advertising. ‘The world now works on a pay-to-play basis and you need to make sure that when somebody Googles your name, three of your competitors are not appearing before your very prestigious first organic listing. ‘Google and Facebook are used by car buyers more than any other websites in the whole of the purchase journey. ‘We’re very good at making a very complicated subject really simple to understand. Attending our workshop will help you go out, conquest new business and bring in those valuable car sales.’

In association with

24 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

he team from automotive research and car shopping site CarGurus are genuine CDX stalwarts, with appearances on the main stage and a presence across the expo becoming a must for the company. This year, CarGurus will be looking to tackle one of the biggest problems in the current market – attribution. Working out exactly where your dealership should be visible in the digital marketplace is tough. CarGurus is hoping to help people looking to improve their digital marketing presence with their workshop at CDX. CarGurus’ Sam Zales, pictured, said: ‘Our workshop will be focused on understanding how today’s multi-device, multi-channel shopping process creates an urgent need for multitouch attribution. We’ll show why the old ways won’t cut it, and how multi-touch can change your approach to digital marketing. We’ll also be including recent consumer research on how today’s UK shoppers are changing to a web-first, mobile-centric pattern of behaviour.’ In marketing, like so many facets of the industry, there is a generational gap in terms of thinking and approach. Some independent dealers are behind the curve with their digital marketing, and while some are that way by choice, others simply don’t know where to start – CarGurus hopes to help the latter in particular. Said Zales: ‘It’s never too late. One of the great benefits of the attribution techniques we’ll be covering is that they let you see exactly what the real ROI is across all your marketing – and that makes it easy to invest in a new channel for a few months, carefully measure the impact, and decide if that channel is worthwhile.’

he automotive consumer journey is all about the consumer, right? Wrong! It’s something that dealers can directly influence – and that’s just what Click Dealer’s workshop at this year’s CDX is going to show delegates. The software provider – which specialises in dealer management systems, websites and social media and has seen a tenfold increase in customers over the past few years – will be at Manchester Central on May 21 and 22 to share its knowledge and expertise when it comes to getting people to make that all-important purchase. Managing director Gerry Moxham, pictured, will be examining the entire journey. His workshop is aimed at anyone interested in improving lead generation and sales performance – and let’s be honest, who isn’t? – whatever their role. Moxham will look at the best ways of influencing buyer behaviour and the consumer journey, examine the reality and look at how to solve problems. Emphasising that the workshop would be equally beneficial to independents and franchises, he added: ‘Some dealerships don’t fully understand that consumer journey today and what’s driving it, and we’ve got a lot of insight.’ Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Click Dealer has been something of a pioneering company. In 2010, it came up with the only combined DMS and web service for the independent dealer – and this will be another first for it: its first appearance at CDX. ‘We’re looking forward to it. We feel privileged that we’ve been given an opportunity to have a workshop event and we’re confident that we’ll do a good job,’ said Moxham.

May 21 and 22, 2018, Manchester Central

Dealers must not ignore GDPR – and by mid-May it will almost be with us!

It’s vital to take control of your dealership’s online reputation

Six simple ways to make customers spend more money

he workshop from Lawgistics, the legal consultancy for the motor trade and regular contributors to Car Dealer Magazine, will be looking at the issue of GDPR, which takes effect just a few days after CDX – on May 25, to be precise. For the uninitiated, GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation – and rather than being an optional extra for a dealership, it is a legal obligation. By the time CDX comes round, dealers will need to have put in place measures to ensure they are ready to comply. Inevitably, many will be fine-tuning their processes and will have questions that need answering. Nona Bowkis, pictured, legal adviser at Lawgistics, who will be delivering the workshop, said: ‘What we’re planning to do is talk to dealers about what they should have done by the time CDX comes around. A key point is that GDPR is an ongoing thing. Dealers can’t do it once and forget about it. ‘By mid-May, dealers should have undertaken a data audit and identified their weak points. They should have been thinking about things like how they are going to update data and how they are going to dispose of data. ‘They will need to have all their policies and procedures in place. The period we’re in now is an opportunity to get your data protection house in order. And it’s a topic that’s very much flavour of the month. ‘Those who fail to comply risk getting into trouble with the Information Commissioner’s office with the possibility of fines and prosecution. ‘True, GDPR might not be the most exciting subject but it needs to be very high up on every dealer’s agenda.’

n the online era, maintaining a good reputation on the internet is vital. And if you don’t take control of your dealership’s online image, it will hurt your business. The information that appears about dealerships online is often what stands between a dealership and the potential for increased revenue. As such, Online Reputation Management (ORM) is ever more important for car dealers. At CDX, delegates will be able to find out exactly what can be done to maintain a strong reputation online, with the help of Reputation.com’s Anthony Gaskell. Camille Flores-Kilfoyle, the marketing manager at Reputation, spoke to us about what to expect from the workshop that will be fronted by Gaskell, left, who is a seasoned business development professional. ‘In this workshop we will go through the latest digital trends. We want to help attendees understand the customer journey online; how they find the dealerships, what type of information they see and so on. ‘The key takeaway is really for a dealership to go out with a plan of how to take control of their online reputation.’ Achieving a true representation of the customer experience online is imperative for dealers, in an age where online reviews and comments are critical. Taking prompt, professional action in the event of a customer expressing dissatisfaction is very important. The workshop will look at three strategic stages, providing actionable tips to the audience, and review existing tools available to help brands and dealerships to turn customers into online advocates.

or many dealers, declining new car sales have led to a tough market – and not just for new car dealers but used ones, too. As customers are increasingly less willing to upgrade their cars, it’s more important than ever to make more money from each and every customer you have. The workshop from the WMS Group will be an important one for dealers to attend if they want to maximise their profits. WMS Group is one of the leading suppliers of dealer warranty services and will be holding a session at CDX 2018 about how dealers can make customers spend more money, as well as the importance of getting the basics of customer care right. Ian Tallent, marketing manager at WMS Group, told us that there was no ‘silver bullet’ to help dealers, but that making lots of small differences can lead to significant improvements, and customers spending more money. Tallent said: ‘Even things such as preparing cars correctly, making sure you’ve got the right stock and doing vehicle safety checks can see customers spending more money on your cars. ‘We’ll also be covering key topics such as when a customer is NOT a customer and why this month’s targets don’t matter. ‘We’re not here to tell dealers how to do their jobs, we’re just highlighting the little tweaks that can make a big improvement and help dealers earn more money from each customer. Going that extra mile with customer service leads to happy customers who may then become lifelong customers.’ The WMS Group workshop will be delivered by automotive industry sales trainer Rob Purfield, pictured above.

Want to find out more about Europe’s biggest and best expo for the motor trade? Get in touch with us now! Email events@blackballmedia.co.uk or call 023 9252 2434 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

Dashboard. SHELBOURNE MOTORS

Plans for £5m multi-franchise complex in Newry unveiled

NEW GM

Cam will oversee Versa operations

Northern Irish dealership group has revealed plans for a £5 million multi-franchise complex in Newry. The state-of-the-art facility being constructed by Shelbourne Motors will create 60 new jobs when it officially opens in early 2019, with an additional 100 people needed during construction. News of the project comes as the company celebrates its 45th anniversary. The purpose-built 50,000 sq ft development, designed by Clarman Architects, includes four new car showrooms, new car handover bays, a lounge-style waiting area with cafe, used vehicle spaces and customer parking spaces. It will also have Northern Ireland’s first drive-through service centre, with a 28-bay service workshop that will provide customers with a fast and convenient servicing experience with an emphasis on quality and efficiency. Speaking about the major expansion into Newry, Paul Ward, a director of Shelbourne Motors, said: ‘This is a significant investment in the future growth of our business as we celebrate our 45th anniversary. ‘This modern, multi-franchise

‘This is a significant investment in the future growth of our business.’ Paul Ward

With an image of the planned showroom are finance director Caroline Willis and sales directors Richard Ward, left, and Paul Ward complex, along with the appointment of a team of 60 new staff, will further strengthen our position as one of Northern Ireland’s largest familyowned vehicle retailers.’ Shelbourne Motors was founded by the Ward family in 1973 and employs more than 130 people at its nine-acre Portadown headquarters. It operates Toyota, Renault, Nissan and Dacia franchises, as well as a used car supermarket, accident repair centre, vehicle hire division and valet centre. The business sells more than 4,000 new and used cars each year. Ward added: ‘We have come a long way since we launched our first car dealership in January 1973, which

today is the longest established official Toyota franchise in Northern Ireland. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength, adding Nissan, Renault and Dacia to our franchise network. We have also invested heavily in recent years in state-of-the-art showrooms for each franchise at our Portadown site, as well as a large-scale used car supermarket and an award-winning accident repair and valet centre. ‘We are always looking to the future and our investment in this new state-of-the-art complex in Newry is the next step to ensuring we grow our position within the local automotive retail and aftersales sector.’

BRISTOL Street Versa has appointed a former bomb disposal officer to oversee its operations as general manager. In his first role in the motor sector, Cam Baldry will be responsible for the daily operations of the wheelchair-accessible vehicle specialist. Previously, he served in the army for 12 years, specialising in bomb disposal. He started his career as a private, completing his officer training at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, and left the army as a captain in the Royal Engineers. Baldry, pictured, from Harrogate, said he made the career change to take on a challenging role that would let him use his existing leadership and management skills and learn new ones, while being closer to his wife and one-year-old son. Bristol Street Versa is part of Vertu Motors, the sixth largest motor retailer in the UK.

EV sales drop by 33.7 per cent year-on-year, latest figures reveal ELECTRIC vehicle sales in the UK fell by 33.7 per cent in January and February 2018 compared with the same two months last year, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. In January 2018, 635 new EVs were registered – 37.1 per cent less than the 1,010 that rolled off dealer forecourts in January 2017. As for February 2018, 355 new EVs were sold across the country, 26 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

representing a 26.5 per cent decrease from February 2017’s figure of 483 registrations. The 33.7 per cent overall drop in the number of EVs registered has been attributed to a number of possible factors, including high pricing, limits on range, availability of charging points and uncertainty of residual values. In addition, sales may drop further in April when the

government grant for EVs, which offers £4,500 off fully electric vehicles and £2,500 off some hybrids, comes to an end. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: ‘Even though some car buyers will have been waiting for the new March number plate, the fall-off in sales of pure-electric vehicles year-on-year is much sharper than the decline in the total for new car registrations.

‘These figures suggest that consumers are still worried about the four Rs that we see holding back the pure-electric market – retail price, range limitation, recharging availability and residual value uncertainty. Until more affordable models come to market with a longer range and more is done to make recharging less of a headache, it is hard to see how the picture is really going to change.’

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

Dashboard. INTERVIEW

Immersed in a world that Martin Forbes is currently chief operating officer of Cox Automotive in the UK and looking forward to becoming chief executive a little later in the year. He spoke to Dave Brown

t was a phone call that left Martin Forbes feeling rather puzzled. He’d been approached about taking up a possible position with a company called Manheim – but he hadn’t even heard of it! Thanks to the power of the internet, he quickly realised it was a car auction business – and as he started to dig a little deeper, it began to seem like a very attractive proposition. Three-and-a-half years later, he is chief operating officer of its parent company, Cox Automotive UK, and preparing to become chief executive on July 1. It’s a brand that has become familiar to pretty much everyone in the automotive industry since its launch in September 2016 – encompassing Manheim, of course, and other brands such as NextGear Capital, Movex, Motors.co.uk and DealerAuction.com. Manheim would appear to be the dominant member of the Cox family, but the many other brands are increasing in importance all the time as the company tries to cover all the bases of the automotive industry. ‘When you look at our vision statement,

it’s about transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns vehicles,’ said Forbes, who joined Cox in January 2015 with a wealth of specialist digital marketing expertise under his belt. ‘In order to do that, you’ve got to cover the whole journey, from the cradle to the grave. We’ve got strengths in some areas while we’re still embryonic in others. ‘We need to make sure that the businesses we’re really strong at we continue to be strong at and continue to grow, but that we have faster growth in areas such as our marketing, dealer tool and data businesses – admittedly starting from a lower base. ‘Manheim still underpins our business. That’s where I’m now spending the best part of 90 per cent of my time – getting under the skin of that business and making well and truly sure that I know the customers, I know the people, and I know how that business runs.’ Having moved to his role as Cox COO earlier this year from his position as managing director of Modix, Incadea, Motors.co.uk and Data Solutions, it’s natural that Forbes would want to immerse himself in the Manheim world before taking on the top job overseeing everything in the summer. He’s full of praise for the team there, telling us: ‘There’s real quality and depth in Manheim and that business has been well run – but by the same token, we’ve got to blend in other talent, perhaps people with a different view of the world.’ He would seem to be referring to new managing director Peter Bell, who took up his position on March 19. Forbes told us: ‘He’s not an auction veteran. He was chief operating officer of Volkswagen Financial Services and global financial services director for Jaguar Land Rover. He has leadership qualities, management qualities and he is

Used cars

Data

Brexit

They are saying 2018 is the year of the used car, but they are always saying that aren’t they? That said, if you’re not maximising your strategy with used cars right now, you’re missing an opportunity. Focus on aftersales too.

I get excited by data. It’s the nucleus of everything. I come from an industry where, if you didn’t have data, you’d be dead in the water. You’d have no competitive edge. We cut, slice and dice data so that both we and our customers can make more informed decisions.

Regarding Brexit, I think everything comes down to uncertainty. But again, that ‘uncertainty’ doesn’t flow through to what the economy is doing right now. I have my own opinions but I’ll leave it to the economists!

Martin Forbes on...

28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Latest StockMaster platform is rolled out

Finance, p68

is changing all the time

One of Martin Forbes’ aims is to make wholesale stock management smarter and simpler for everybody

‘When you look at our vision statement, it’s about transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns vehicles.’ relentless on customer service and delivery. He’ll bring a fresh way of thinking about things.’ The remarketing world is one that’s changing all the time, as Forbes, who has also been a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, is quick to point out. ‘In the last six to 12 months, I’ve started to see a shift in the way that dealers, fleet & leasing companies and OEMs are starting to treat the remarketing world,’ he said. ‘At the moment, there is a distinction between the physical auction and the online world. At some point, it has got to become channel-agnostic. ‘We need to be able to tell our customers where they should be selling, when, how, what stock, through what channel, and where they should be buying. We need to embrace the fact that more and more cars will come online. From a Manheim perspective, we’re saying that by 2023 we believe that about 80 per cent of

cars will be bought through an online channel. People might ask, ‘‘What’s the future for physical auctions?’’ I actually believe there is a role for physical auctions. There will always be a certain level of cars that people just aren’t going to be comfortable about buying online and where they will still want to kick the tyres. ‘We have got to reduce the friction and improve the efficiencies of people buying, selling and funding cars. You’ve just got to be agnostic as to where that is.’ One of Forbes’ key focus points is making wholesale stock management smarter and simpler for everybody. He said: ‘People want to sell stock, they want to buy stock, they want to fund stock and they want to move stock. ‘What we’ve got to do is reduce the friction that exists

in that process. Cox Automotive has a lot of power there, and with its various brands can pull the whole process together.’ Another area Forbes wants to focus on as he prepares to take the reins in July is the work-life balance of people who work in the Cox world – and it’s a subject close to his heart. A 41-year-old dad of two young girls, he told us: ‘I still want to be a big part of their lives, and if I’m not careful I could be dragged left, right and centre and not see them. Other industries are way ahead of the motor industry when it comes to working from home, flexible working hours and so on, so we’re looking at how we can change that world. I want our approach in this area to be a reason why you would work for Cox Automotive.’

Dieselgate

Autonomous cars

Life on the road

We as an industry are doing a poor job of explaining what dieselgate means to the consumer. All they’re doing at the moment is thinking diesel equals bad. I think that at some point things will level out and we’ll probably see people move back into diesel.

I absolutely believe they’re the future. I wonder when an automotive company will become a tech company or vice versa. I think there’s going to be that blurring slightly and you can see that already with OEMs.

I live in east Hertfordshire. We have auction centres and offices all over the UK. I need to be visiting those offices or I need to be out seeing dealers, customers or partners. I’m never in the same location for more than a day. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 29

Dashboard.

Why history is absolutely fascinating

Big Mike: p57

Greenyer

EPYX

A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

It’s important to be aware of your customer’s budget

T MOTOR industry e-commerce specialist Epyx has appointed Aditya Varadpande, above, as its new managing director. He joined the company in 2015 as director of international business, growth and marketing following its 2013 acquisition by Fleetcor, which provides fuel cards and workforce payment products and services. Previously, he has held a number of key positions in sales,

marketing and product management across Europe, and before joining Epyx he was commercial director and European marketing director for industrial and consumer products company Danaher. Varadpande said: ‘We’ll be looking to build on the company’s achievements by continuing to work closely with our fleet clients, garage network and the wider 1link community.’

Tiguan leapfrogs Golf according to data from ContractHireAndLeasing

ata from ContractHireAndLeasing. com – the UK’s largest marketplace for new vehicle leasing – shows that the Volkswagen Tiguan has leapfrogged the Golf, its Volkswagen stablemate, to become the most inquired about new car to lease. Retailers and leasing brokers advertising offers on the ContractHireAndLeasing.com marketplace in February received the most inquiries about the Tiguan, followed by the Golf, Audi A5, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4. Taking January’s figures into contention, the Tiguan is currently the most popular vehicle to lease in 2018. The most popular choice for the SUV has the 148bhp 2.0 diesel engine and is in SE Navigation trim. Commenting on the data, Paul Harrison, head of strategic partnerships at ContractHireAndLeasing.com, said: ‘SUVs

Eleven Mirais for the Met THE Metropolitan Police has bought 11 hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirais, which will give it the largest hydrogen-powered police fleet in the world. Some of the cars are marked and some unmarked. 30 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by TRISTAN SHALE-HESTER @tristan_shale continue to grow as a segment. They now represent one in every five cars registered in the UK, so it’s no surprise to see the Tiguan at the top of the list. ‘It’s also interesting to see the diesel engine is the top pick for inquirers, ahead of the Vehicle Excise Duty changes in April. It’s too early to tell whether this represents a sea change in vehicle choice, or whether the Golf will return to the top over the course of 2018. ‘Either way, Volkswagen is enjoying a successful year so far and the SUV revolution shows no sign of stopping. ‘BMW also had a strong February with competitive offers on a number of its models leading to increased consumer demand.’

here are many factors that can influence a car buyer’s choice of vehicle. But top of the list is usually affordability – both of the initial purchase and the ongoing running and maintenance. Research commissioned by Raphael Finance at the start of 2018 illustrates the impact that buying and owning a used car can have on someone’s finances. Our findings provide helpful insight for motor retailers when it comes to the vehicles they offer to customers. Knowing what your customers can afford goes to the heart of securing a sale – as well as creating a customer experience that means they will return to your dealership when they are ready to change their vehicle. According to the study of 2,000 used car buyers, a used car purchase can be a significant expense. For 17.3 per cent, the purchase represented more than 30 per cent of their annual income. But, with over half of respondents (55.2 per cent) saying they used cash to finance their most recent used car purchase, it is likely this could have been a one-off payment they had saved to afford. Hopefully, the 11 per cent using a combination of finance and part-exchange had worked out the impact of the purchase on their monthly budget. For the lowest earners (£15,000 or less per annum), the impact of the purchase is, not surprisingly, greater, accounting for more than 30 per cent of their income for nearly a quarter (24.1 per cent). Common sense does, however, seem to prevail amongst the youngest car buyers, with only around one in 10 (11.5 per cent) of 16- to 24-year-olds saying the purchase represented more than 30 per cent of their income, compared to 21.4 per cent of those aged 55 or over. Of course, it could be that the older car buyers do not have as many other financial pressures on their monthly outgoings and can, therefore, justify this expense. Demonstrating that there’s a very clear understanding of the ongoing financial impact of car ownership, the research also revealed that fuel, car insurance and road tax were the most important factors to influence a car buyer’s choice of vehicle. Coming top of the list, at 51.2 per cent, were fuel costs – not much of a surprise really! The underlying message that comes out from this exclusive research of used car buyers is that dealers need to properly understand the full affordability of a potential customer to help them select the right vehicle for their budget. And that means doing the right fact-finding when a customer first comes into the showroom.

‘A used car purchase can be a significant expense.’

Darren Greenyer is deputy head of lending at Raphael Finance.

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Dashboard. ‘Wow’ factor helps to make this an event to remember

McLaren Senna GTR Concept This features a full aerodynamic package, is powered by the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo engine as in the road car, and has a claimed 814bhp. Just 75 examples are to be built.

by JACK EVANS @jackrober

o here we are once more – the Geneva Motor Show. This year’s event offered up a bumper crop of sports cars, new car technology and futuristic concepts – with a variety of wacky and wild vehicles thrown in for good measure. It didn’t have a huge amount of ‘regular’ cars, but what it lacked in run-of-the-mill motors, it more than made up for with jaw-dropping, howon-earth-did-they-make-that? supercars. There was the Ferrari 488 Pista – a lightweight, stripped-out version of the 488 GTB. There was also the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo – a four-wheel-drive, all-electric SUV for the modern age, albeit one still capable of hitting 60mph in under four seconds. Then there was the new Aston Martin Lagonda Concept – billed as the first model in a line-up of zero-emission, ultra-luxurious vehicles. We also chatted to industry bosses about the future, and how key manufacturers are adapting to the ever-changing motoring landscape. But we didn’t just gawp over static models. Tom Wiltshire got behind the wheel of two opposite ends of the Jaguar Land Rover spectrum: the new all-electric Jaguar I-Pace and the limitededition Defender V8. It was another momentous Geneva Motor Show – and one we’ll likely look back on in years to come as a real glimpse into the future of motoring.

Aston Martin Lagonda Vision Concept

Stars of the show

The Lagonda name is back and this time it’s all-electric. The Vision Concept has autonomy in mind, too, so the steering wheel can retract fully to give the best possible cabin space while the vehicle drives itself.

Jack Evans shines the spotlight on our top 10 of what got us really excited in those Swiss halls of automotive wonder Mercedes-AMG GT Four-Door Coupe With three engines, ranging from a 3.0-litre six-cylinder to a 630bhp 4.0-litre twinturbocharged, all versions get 4Matic+ all-wheel drive, with power sent to the wheels via a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

Ferrari 488 Pista Arguably one of the most impressive cars, the Pista is based on the regular 488 but has added aerodynamic touches for greater track prowess. It’s 90kg lighter thanks to carbon fibre on the roof, bumpers and rear spoiler.

Inside

32 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

New Ford Fiesta ST This car’s so good, we need all we can get! p38

Honda Urban EV Our target market? The clue’s in the name p39

SPONSORED BY

SsangYong Musso The Musso shows that ‘regular’ cars can stand out at the show as well. It’s now packing an updated 2.2-litre diesel engine capable of towing a 3.5-tonne trailer. The cabin has had a significant upgrade, too.

Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept This may have been designed for the track but it gives an insight into what the road-ready version will look like when it arrives next year – and this concept was easily one of the most impressive of the entire show.

Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder Mechanically, it’s the same as the hard-top, so still has a 631bhp naturally aspirated V10 that’ll crack 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds, while the roof takes just 17 seconds to open or close at up to 30mph.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo

Range Rover SV Coupe

It benefits from all-wheel drive and an all-electric powertrain – allowing it to hit 60mph in just over three seconds. Additional protection has been applied to the wheel arches and door sills.

Based on the regular Range Rover but with a more sloping roofline as well as just two doors rather than four. Inside are four dedicated seats finished in quilted leather.

BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe One of the standout cars owing to its aggressive looks and shimmering green paintwork. There are some classic M touches here though, such as the large kidney grilles at the front and flared arches.

Leaf’s a best seller More than 280,000 examples sold since launch in 2010 p44

Solidity and reliability Subaru firmly focused on core values of its cars p51 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

Dashboard.

Picking up the pace: JLR reports great levels of interest in all-electric SUV JAGUAR LAND ROVER: Three-quarters of I-Pace buyers will be new to the brand, says boss (but let’s not forget about diesel and petrol ! )

aguar Land Rover is taking one of the biggest steps ever to transform its business – and that’s saying something for a brand that went from utility vehicles to high-end luxury. Now the manufacturer is bringing to market an all-electric SUV, the I-Pace, establishing itself as the daddy of SUVs and at the forefront of electric technology. However, this has posed some problems for the company, which has been diesel-focused for years. ‘A lot of our retailers have had to learn very fast how to sell these cars and about them from a servicing, charging and infrastructure and customer information point of view. That’s a lot of learning,’ said Jeremy Hicks, managing director of JLR. It might seem like an odd pairing, but the company has done a fantastic job with its Formula E efforts to create a new and forwardfacing image for itself. The response from customers who want to get their hands on an I-Pace has been impressive. Hicks explained: ‘On the website we have an ‘‘I want one’’ button. Usually we have a ‘‘keep me informed’’ button, but this is a bit stronger. We had 13,000 people register their interest – and that was before the launch! One thousand depositors registered before we’d even announced the pricing. That says there’s a massive interest in this.’ While the Jaguar Land Rover boss has been adamant that the demonisation of diesel is damaging the industry and confusing consumers, he’s confident that the uptake of electric vehicles will increase. ‘I think that we will start to see significant growth in the number of people buying battery-electric technology. When you think about it, last year one in 100 cars sold was electric. That’s going to grow exponentially. ‘We think about 75 per cent of I-Pace customers will be new to us. I think that’s also because we’ve got the credibility. We’re a recognised car manufacturer and we’re a British brand – we’ve got a great pedigree and heritage. I’m really confident that we’ll see very strong order banks.’ Hicks added: ‘Other manufacturers will be 34 34| |CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk

by REBECCA CHAPLIN @believebecca

following us fast, we’ve got no doubt about that, and it’s great.’ The I-Pace wasn’t the only electric-powered vehicle that Jaguar was showing off at the show, with the Range Rover PHEV making its first official appearance. ‘About 20 per cent of the orders for new Range Rover have been plug-ins and that’s really interesting because it says that customers are really motivated by these new drivetrains,’ said Hicks. ‘That’s from nothing, because we’ve literally just launched it.’ That’s not to say he’s backed off from his campaign to make sure buyers are still aware of the benefits of diesel and petrol. ‘You can look at all sorts of estimates about how many cars will be BEVs by 2030 – and I see estimates of anywhere between 20 per cent and 50 per cent – but the bulk of cars sold will have internal combustion engines. ‘The internal combustion engine will continue to be really important. That’s why I’ve been so vocal, because we dismiss the market. Diesel is an important part of the future, too, and I will not stop talking about the way people get confused between air quality and global warming. For us, diesel is and will continue to be important.’

First drive

A handsome, practical and comfy

bout 20 minutes’ drive from Palexpo, the exhibition hall playing host to the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar had taken control of a small car park where it was offering journalists a brief chance to experience the brand’s most important new model – the I-Pace. We leapt at the chance to get behind the wheel of the all-electric SUV. The cars were close to full production specification, and first impressions were very good indeed. As you sink into a comfortable driver’s seat, the I-Pace feels every bit the Jaguar for the 21st century. Fixtures and fittings are reassuringly solid and familiar, but the dualtouchscreen control set-up and digital dials are slick, premium and handsome. The I-Pace is a total departure for Jaguar – the brand’s first electric car, ditching the internal

Driven ‘I think that we will start to see significant growth in the number of people buying battery-electric technology.’ Jeremy Hicks

SPONSORED BY

The I-Pace has generated a huge amount of interest

vehicle that should be fun on the road – Tom Wiltshire tries the I-Pace . . . combustion engine in favour of a large battery pack and two electric motors, producing a total of 395bhp. It should also be capable of 298 miles on a full charge, with the ability to reach 80 per cent capacity from complete discharge within 40 minutes at an ultra-fast 100kW charging station. The I-Pace will be available in S, SE and HSE trim, alongside a high-spec First Edition model. The range kicks off from £63,495 – an almost identical starting price to a Tesla Model X 75D. However, to get a Tesla with comparable performance and range, you’d have to step up to a 100D model, which starts from £80,200 – almost as much as the luxurious £81,495 I-Pace First Edition. As we put our foot down and set off, our first impression was one of serene silence – as in most electric cars. The I-Pace doesn’t have the insane

performance of the Tesla Model X P100D, but a 4.5-second 0-60mph sprint and instantaneous torque ensures it feels more than fast enough. Jaguar had disabled automatic transmissionstyle creep on our car, and ramped the regenerative braking up to max. That meant that lifting off the accelerator saw an instant reduction in speed. In town conditions, that should mean you barely need to touch the brake pedal. Approaching the first set of cones, we did our best to unstick the Jaguar. It felt admirably stable – courtesy of that low-mounted battery pack – and the direct steering is a Jaguar trademark that’s thankfully been retained. A slick patch of wet tarmac gave us the opportunity to feel the torque vectoring system in action, too – capable of sending almost all of the car’s torque rearward should the front begin to slip.

Journalists were able to sample the I-Pace A lack of body roll and a pleasingly comfortable ride were another two feathers in the Jaguar’s hat, but all too soon our test drive was over and we had to head back. From our short time with the I-Pace, we came away impressed. It may not have the futuristic touches or out-and-out performance of its Tesla rivals, but it’s a remarkably handsome, practical and comfortable vehicle that should be great fun to drive.

. . . and here is its polar opposite – the Land Rover Works V8 Defender: a celebration of past and present UNLIKE Jaguar, sister brand Land Rover was more than happy for us to take the Works V8 Defender out on to the roads of Geneva rather than limiting us to a car park, writes Tom Wiltshire. It’s the total opposite of the I-Pace – rather than looking to the future with a forward-thinking electric powertrain, it’s more of a celebration of the past and present – fitting a modern V8 engine into the boxy bodywork of a 50-year-old farm truck. Land Rover Works begins with Defenders registered no earlier than 2012 and replaces the rattly diesel engine with a 5.0-litre V8 pinched

from Jaguar. It produces 400bhp – enough to push this two-tonne off-roader from 0-60mph in a borderline-worrying 5.6 seconds. Fitting this into a stock Defender would be suicidal, but thankfully Land Rover Works has also upgraded the rest of the vehicle. There’s an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, while the suspension and anti-roll bars have been beefed up to keep the Defender stable in corners. There are bigger brakes, too. You don’t really ‘settle in’ to a regular Defender – depending on how big you are, you sort of cram

yourself into the vague shape of a human and hope the door will close. The same applies here, though Land Rover Works has fitted Recaro seats for a bit of extra comfort and support. With just 150 Works V8 Defenders produced, this will remain one of the most exclusive Land Rovers around. A price tag of £150k puts it out of reach as a working vehicle but places it firmly in the territory of the greatest ‘statement’ SUVs – the Bentley Bentayga, the MercedesAMG G-Class and custom creations such as Overfinch-tuned Range Rovers. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 35

Dashboard.

Senna set to become another McLAREN: British firm’s latest hypercar, capable of reaching 211mph and hitting 60mph in 2.6 seconds, made its public debut at Geneva

cLaren has revealed a number of people have bought TWO Senna supercars – one to drive hard and one to stash away for the future. The British firm’s latest hypercar, capable of reaching 211mph and hitting 60mph in 2.6 seconds, made its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show alongside details of a track-focused GTR ‘concept’. The £750,000 limited-run supercar – of which all 500 have already been sold – is powered by McLaren’s 789bhp 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged

Choosing buyers ‘We did not specify things like how many of our cars customers must own before they get a Senna. We’re not that formulaic. We like to be accessible. On the one hand, it’s a balancing act between rewarding your most loyal customers, who have been with us from the beginning. Those who, when the MP4-12C came out, were willing to invest in a totally new supercar brand and have been with us ever since. We want to reward those customers, but also, since we are very much a growing brand, we also want to get new people in. We don’t want to be a case where to buy a special McLaren it’s dead man’s shoes.’ 36 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by JAMES BAGGOTT @CarDealerEd

V8. This is the most powerful engine McLaren has ever put in a road car and also produces 800Nm of torque. At the show, we chatted to Jolyon Nash, executive director of global sales and marketing for McLaren Automotive, who told us about the Senna, its buyers and how many of them already look at the brand’s cars as investments.

The Senna name ‘There was a lot of debate in the company when we were thinking about what we should name this car. We decided with the Ultimate Series cars that we should focus on having a name that you can easily attach emotion to. That is our strategy now. With Ultimate Series cars, we would like to have more of a nameplate than letters and numbers. With this car, since it is so hardcore and track-focused, we thought it would be the perfect car to pay homage to Ayrton Senna. He was probably the most uncompromising race driver, and legendary. It kind of fitted.’

Numbers game ‘The car costs £750,000, but I think we’ve specced more than 60 cars now, and I’d hazard a guess that they probably cost about £840,000 on average. But there are obviously some extremes. It’s very easy to put on a visual carbon-fibre body like the one on display in Geneva and that’s about a £160,000 option. The total price for the car on display here is over £1m.’

Investment opportunity ‘The vast majority of customers, when they see a car like this, they just want to have it. It’s all desire. But also they see it as an investment. I think this car’s going to be another iconic McLaren. I really do think this will be a bit like the P1. A P1 is roughly £1.5m now. It has appreciated. I think the market, at the moment, has hit a bit of a plateau. I think things like a LaFerrari have come down a bit, so the market is flat, but they’re still worth considerably more than anyone would have paid for them new.’

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McLaren won’t ever make an SUV – ‘we just don’t see it’

Want it all

The GTR

‘Some customers want to make the car special for them. And for them that may well mean they want things like visual carbon fibre. Others want to be more understated. They’ll just be unique about the colour and a few other bits and pieces. With this car, there are very few standard options. It’s the glass in the bottom doors, the glass in the roof and some stuff with the hi-fi system. Other than that, the sky’s the limit. Some people are much more conservative.’

‘We haven’t started taking deposits, but we’re revealing a concept car. It isn’t finished, but it’s very close to what the finished article is going to be. Even before we started the process we had a good number of expressions of interest – not formal, but ‘‘if you’re doing a GTR I’m interested’’ conversations. From the beginning we thought we’d do a GTR version, so we’re pretty comfortable that having shown the concept we will sell out very quickly – but we haven’t even agreed a price yet.’

Our customers ‘It’s hard to make generalisations, but most of our customers are self-made individuals. A vast majority will be male, entrepreneurs and aged in their 40s to 50s. They are obviously successful, demanding people. But I think one of the things that differentiates us from other cars in the market we operate in is that our research indicates that people generally buy the car for how it drives. It’s the intricacies of the car that’s important to buyers.’

I’ll take two ‘We’ve had a couple of customers who wanted to buy two. Sometimes it’s because they have two residences and they want one here and one there. Others want to take one car and really work it hard while they want to keep the other pristine and hardly used. We have a very strong demand for this car and had sold all 500 before we even announced it. We have to satisfy as many customers as we can.’

McLAREN has categorically ruled out ever making an SUV – despite luxury rivals all charging ahead with luxury 4x4s for the road. Lamborghini, Aston Martin, RollsRoyce and even Ferrari are all in the process of putting the finishing touches to 4x4 models as buyers’ tastes change. However, Jolyon Nash, executive director of global sales and marketing for McLaren Automotive, has said that with the brand’s current shareholders in place, an SUV will definitely not happen. He said: ‘I would go so far as to say that with the management there is in McLaren today, no, we would not make an SUV. We just don’t see it. ‘For us, our DNA is lightweight, high performance and high technology – using technology for a great driving experience and great driver engagement. ‘An SUV is the antithesis of that. Naturally, it has a high centre of gravity, lots of unnecessary weight just to sit a little higher in the car, and that’s not a McLaren. I think if you were to ask Mike Flewitt [chief operating officer] and our engineers, they’d Jolyon Nash have the same view.’ Some would say that might have been the answer Ferrari would have given several years ago, but Nash says that was before it was listed on the stock market. Lamborghini has launched the Urus SUV, Bentley already has the Bentayga on sale, while Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Ferrari have all confirmed SUVs are coming. ‘Those brands have got to satisfy some external shareholders, investment funds, whatever, and they’ve got to have a different perspective on life,’ he said. ‘I think for us, our independence is what’s so important. It’s absolutely key to what this business is. ‘You can look at brands like Bentley, who are part of Volkswagen Group, and I guess there are different perspectives from their shareholders on what they want. ‘Independence means we can set our own course. The shareholders have bought into our strategy and they support it.’ Nash also ruled out making a smaller, more affordable McLaren sports car – something to rival the Porsche Cayman, for example. He said the costs involved in developing one for the smaller returns would make it uneconomical. CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37 | 37

Dashboard. The new Fiesta ST

Andy Barratt on: Are dealerships dead?

Excitement levels over forthcoming Fiesta ST run high

‘I THINK as more and more customers move online we know they’re often walking in having made their purchase decision. ‘They’re looking at the transaction primarily and whether there’s any upside in their part-exchange value, but I think the role of the dealer will continue. ‘I think the products and services that they offer will change as we move to electric vehicles and there’s less of a maintenance cycle on the mechanical parts. ‘But the UK dealers are not only the best in the world, they’re immensely resilient and very adaptable, and I think the leading dealers are already changing. They’re really quite inspiring.’

FORD: MD is begging for the UK to have a bigger allocation as he reckons it’s the best car he’s ever driven

ord of Britain boss Andy Barratt has declared the forthcoming Fiesta ST the ‘best car he’s ever driven’ as the hype around the hot hatch begins to escalate. It’s arriving in the summer, and with early prototype reviews lauding the car as one of the all-time greats, Barratt is already pleading with European chiefs to allocate the UK more. He said: ‘I drove it in November and in my humble opinion of only 37 years at Ford it’s the best car I’ve ever driven. I am so excited. ‘We sell around 18,000 to 20,000 Fiesta STs in our best year and I think that’s got to be the ambition with this new car – a 200bhp threecylinder engine takes a lot of weight out of the front dynamically. I just can’t wait for it to come.’ The Fiesta ST was first shown at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, so fans can be excused for thinking it’s been a long time coming. ‘I get more questions about Fiesta ST – when it’s coming, how good it is – than anything else. Customers are very excited,’ he said. ‘I’ve already had conversations this morning about needing more. I truly am really excited about it. One of those things that defines Ford is always a performance Fiesta, like the XR2 in its day. The ST is quite elegant – it’s slightly understated in the way it looks. ‘It’s a really cool car and driving it, the driver modes on it, changing exhaust note, everything, it’s a really good car.’ Barratt said that he thought Vauxhall being replaced by Volkswagen in the number two spot 38 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by JAMES BAGGOTT @CarDealerEd

in the market was no bad thing and that there was ‘never an absolute degree of rivalry’. He said: ‘We’ve never had a fixation on Vauxhall. Everyone in the press talks about the GM-Ford wars, but we never really focused on each other. My view is always focus on the customer, give them the best shot that you can and the market share is an output of whether you’ve been successful or not, and I think to a degree the Vauxhall team ran it the same way. ‘You need a competitive market because that drives innovation, it drives us to do better for the customer, it drives better-value products, and whether it’s Vauxhall or VW I really think it’s ultimately good for the motorist.’ Barratt added that despite car sales falling last year, and again predicted to fall in 2018, Ford’s healthy 85 per cent PCP penetration would help keep dealerships busy. The chairman and MD said: ‘Our route to market is PCP. Eighty-five per cent of our customers buy on a PCP and 70 per cent of those

‘I get more questions about Fiesta ST than anything else. Customers are very excited.’ Andy Barratt

come back and renew the balance, often settling and staying with the car, or some will move. It does fluctuate depending on the way we structure our offers, but 85 is the average. I think that’s a healthy number and we’re 23 years into the PCP cycle, so it’s kind of working as it’s matured. ‘We’ve had high deposit low payment, we’ve had low deposit higher payment, and it’s equalised and the customer’s found the bit that works, so we’re very happy with that, and we always build equity into our PCP so at the back end there’s a deposit for their next car.’ Barratt thinks that the market is still strong – despite the falls – and the drop we’ve seen is more down to manufacturers moving product to other markets that are stronger. ‘We’re still very close to near-record levels,’ he said. ‘What you’ve seen is when there’s a very strong pound the UK is a very attractive place to bring excess production. ‘That excess production level leads to things like pre-registrations and very aggressive offers in the marketplace, and that arbitrage is the bit that’s disappeared from the market. ‘With a weaker pound, there are more attractive places for manufacturers to take excess production and put it in Europe or elsewhere globally. You’ve seen that piece be sucked out of the market, so you see a lot fewer pre-registration vehicles out there now. I think what you’re seeing is much more a levelling of demand, which is more akin to natural demand. It’s more customer pull than push.’

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EVs signal rebirth – but diesel still has major role HONDA: Urban electric car with 300-mile range set to make production form for 2019

‘Diesel’s still got a big place to play in the UK market, the facts tell us that.’ David Hodgetts

onda’s wacky new electric cars will be with us by September next year and will signal a rebirth for the Japanese brand. The Urban EV and Sports EV concepts took pride of place on the Japanese brand’s Geneva show stand and bosses are very excited about their arrival. While the Sports EV might be some way off, company bosses MD David Hodgetts and head of cars Phil Webb told Car Dealer that the Urban EV will likely be seen in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2019. ‘They do feel like a rebirth – they’re going to give us the opportunity to speak to a different type of customer and I think it will be really powerful for the brand image,’ said Hodgetts. Webb added that the senior Honda UK team had put a lot of pressure on the company’s top brass to ensure it keeps its unique look too. He said: ‘I’m confident they are going to keep all of the design elements the same. Practically, there’s got to be compromises, but I do have quite a lot of confidence that it will stay true to the initial images. ‘It’s novel, it’s got a lot of heritage in it, it’s got a lot of potential premium appeal, and there isn’t much out there at the moment in the small car electric field that people would say is desirable. ‘The idea of a sports version is up in the ether, but we have no real clear idea. It would be very nice, but the market for that is much smaller globally.’ Although there are no details on pricing or range yet, Hodgetts said the Urban EV’s name was a clue as to where it was targeted and, as such, its range aspirations. ‘It’s not called an Urban EV for nothing. If you make it capable of 300 miles and you’ve got a massive battery pack and you’re lugging all that weight around when actually it’s designed to be an urban car, what’s the point? ‘But it does tend to mean that it might need to be a second car. I think there is a market for that, though. If you were an urban commuter, why wouldn’t you have a lower-cost car and a smaller car?’ The pair said inquiries from customers for the Urban EV had been ‘huge’ but that there was still a job to be done by the manufacturer on expectations of an electric car among potential buyers.

by JAMES BAGGOTT @CarDealerEd

Hodgetts and Webb also think a clearer understanding of the benefits of diesel for the right car buyers is what’s needed to stimulate demand. The firm has just launched the Civic diesel – at a time when sales are falling across the board for cars powered by the fuel. Hodgetts said: ‘Diesel’s still got a big place to play in the UK market, the facts tell us that. I think for the consumers there’s not that clear understanding and that’s what’s been frustrating for us. We’ve tried to do a lot of work with our dealer network to enable them to educate the customers when they get the opportunity. Diesel is here for a while.’ Webb said he felt the media had played a poor role in reporting on diesel and those stories led the government to act. These moves have in turn caused the firm’s diesel sales to fall, too – but not as sharply as for other car makers, say the duo. ‘On CR-V diesel it’s dropped but not alongside the market to that degree,’ said Webb. ‘We haven’t had a Civic diesel over the past 12 months. We’ve just launched it, which has gone down really well, so it’s difficult for us to say how it’s affected us.’ Hodgetts added: ‘We’ve got to continue to get the message across at local level as well as national that diesel is going to be around for some time.’ Honda also revealed a CR-V hybrid prototype at the Geneva show. It’s likely to join the range in 2019.

Geneva

Bitesize

Rotary rules for Mazda UNDER a public showing of the gorgeous Mazda Vision Coupe concept and a mildly facelifted Mazda 6, the topic turned to the brand’s most iconic product – the rotary engine. It’s set to return as a range-extender for an electric vehicle, which we’ll see first in 2019. Why rotary? ‘We’re looking for a compact solution, low in weight,’ said Mazda’s EU chief executive, Jeff Guyton. The rotary’s inherent smoothness helps maintain that eerie electric-vehicle silence, too. As for new, purerotary vehicles such as the old RX-7 and RX-8, Guyton added: ‘We have a small team of people trying to make the same kind of breakthroughs that we’ve made on our other products.’

The Urban EV

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 39

Dashboard.

WLTP testing backlog will cause delivery delays DELAYS owing to WLTP ‘real world’ fuel economy tests will hold back the delivery of some model variants by as much as two months, a Volkswagen source has revealed. WLTP, which replaces the NEDC fuel economy standards used since the 1980s, requires a complete re-test of all new cars to be sold from September this year – and it’s this that’s reportedly causing disruption. So many vehicles need to be tested to the new standards in such a short time, the source explained, that there simply aren’t enough certified facilities to deal with the backlog in time for the September cut-off. ‘The issue is certifying all cars at the same time – more resources are needed,’ said our source. While the more stringent WLTP tests have already forced the disappearance of some of the thirstiest cars on sale – such as the Subaru WRX STI and BMW M3 – our source says even models already designed to pass regulations are likely to be delayed simply because of the sheer volume of cars requiring the tests. The result, for VW at least, is that certain powertrain options could temporarily vanish from sale – or more likely, says our mole, deliveries of some model variants will be delayed until testing is complete. A VW UK spokesman said: ‘We welcome the new WLTP tests, but the way the legislation has been implemented is causing some issues.’ 40 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Volkswagen planning R version of T-Roc and other models, but no more GTIs VOLKSWAGEN has ‘plans to develop’ its high-performance R range to include more models, the brand’s head of R&D Dr Frank Welsch has revealed. Speaking to us after the Geneva Motor Show, Dr Welsch told us that the ‘flexible’ R brand could be extended to a number of models across the range – most likely starting with the T-Roc. Singling out the freshly-launched compact crossover for its combination of modern, aggressive styling and agile driving dynamics, Dr Welsch hinted that the T-Roc in many ways fills the void left by the Scirocco three-door coupe – VW’s last car to receive R badges outside of the Golf range. A T-Roc R could be fitted with a version of

VW’s ubiquitous 2.0-litre TSI petrol, but tuned for higher performance – as used on the Golf R. A Haldex four-wheel-drive system, also already available on T-Roc, would likely be included to help the R put down its power. While Volkswagen has eyes on further Rs, it looks like its famous GTI badge won’t be appearing on additional models any time soon. Dr Welsch hinted that the maker isn’t keen to extend GTI beyond the three models already on sale – namely Golf, Polo and Up. The reason, says Welsch, is more about values than business – GTI having an intrinsic ‘feeling’ that won’t necessarily translate to all models in the range. Similarly, he argues GTI-badged cars ‘must be front-drive’ – compromising dynamics

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Beetle will not be replaced – but Buzz is just the ticket! VOLKSWAGEN: Manufacturer looks set to concentrate on making a production-ready version of electric vehicle concept

VW’s I.D. Buzz concept

VW Up! GTI

for larger models that might need higher power outputs to be seen as sporty. After the somewhat derided mk3 and mk4 Golf GTIs of the 1990s, Volkswagen is understandably keen not to dilute the historic GTI brand again. Even the recently-launched Up! GTI almost wasn’t labelled as such, Welsch revealed to us. ‘We looked at whether to call it a GT or a GTI,’ he said, ‘but you cannot look at just the power output and so on, on paper and decide.’ It was only once the development team had taken a prototype for a drive and come back smiling, said Welsch, that they knew it was worthy of the badge.

olkswagen will not replace the Beetle in its current form, it is understood, with the maker not keen to ‘keep reinventing’ the retro hatchback beyond its current generation. Dr Frank Welsch, VW’s head of research and development, confirmed the news – with the mk2 ‘new’ Beetle set to be the company’s last – at least in its current form. Instead, Volkswagen will concentrate on making a production-ready version of the I.D. Buzz electric vehicle concept – a throwback to the iconic VW ‘bus’ of the 1960s – while an all-electric Beetle could be a possibility further down the line. The T-Roc convertible meanwhile – due in 2020 – will replace the current soft-top Beetle in the range until then. Dr Welsch explained that the all-new electric-focused platform on which the I.D. Buzz sits – named MEB – is key to why Volkswagen finally decided to put the reimagined bus into production. A model true to the shape of the 1960s original simply wouldn’t be viable on Volkswagen’s existing front-engined platforms, said Welsch, and producing a new one specifically for the project would be uneconomical. A modular EV platform,

by JON REAY @JonReay

meanwhile, offers much more flexibility – 15 different VW Group models are destined to be based on MEB, though the firm is remaining tight-lipped as to what form the majority will take. While the I.D. Buzz has already been confirmed, it seems less likely that an electric Beetle would make production. The current generation was a comparatively low-volume car for the brand, and flexible platform or not, a new EV version would still need to be profitable. No dates have been confirmed for the current-generation Beetle’s demise, but we’d expect it to disappear from sale just before the next-generation Golf arrives next year – by which point the Beetle’s architecture would be two generations behind VW’s other models.

VW Beetle

T-Roc – R on way? CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

Dashboard.

Driving mode On the road, the PAL-V Liberty is subject to all the same rules and regulations as any other car. In driving mode, it has a power output of 100bhp and a fuel consumption figure of 37mpg, with a range of 817 miles from its 100-litre fuel tank. The vehicle has a 0-60mph time of less than nine seconds and a top speed of 99mph.

Training As the PAL-V Liberty is a dual-mode vehicle, you need both a driving licence and a flying licence to operate it. European customers will need to attain a gyroplane-graded light aircraft pilot licence or private pilot licence, requiring around 35 hours of in-flight training. Fortunately, PAL-V has partnered with a number of flight schools to offer approved instruction for its customers.

Where we’re going, we don’t need roads PAL-V: The sky’s the limit for Tristan Shale-Hester as he takes a look at a vehicle that is no longer a flight of fancy...

long with laser guns and cyborgs, flying cars are one of the stereotypical expectations that science-fiction writers have for inventions that will be commonplace in the future. In reality, the idea has been floating around quite a bit over the years but nothing has ever really come of it – until now. At the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, Dutch company PAL-V unveiled the Liberty, which it describes as ‘the world’s first flying car production model’. 42 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Pricing and specification The PAL-V Liberty is available in two different trim levels. The Sport Edition starts at around £265,080, which buys you the standard – if you can call it that – flying car. If you’re willing to fork out about £442,370, you can have the Pioneer Edition, which gives you extra features such as dual controls, an electronic flight instrument system and power heating.

Practicality PAL-V is adamant that the Liberty is a practical way of travelling, pointing out that it can be flown to an airport and then driven away and is small enough to be parked in a normal car parking space. However, there is only room for two occupants and limited luggage space, so you can forget about using it for a family camping holiday.

Flying mode Background The idea for the PAL-V Liberty came about in 1999, when co-founder John Bakker took up flying. He found it frustrating that he frequently had to depart from an inconvenient location and would have to land far from where he actually wanted to be, always leaving his aircraft behind. He helped start the company, and more than a decade of development followed.

Following a five-to-10-minute switchover process, the PAL-V Liberty can enter flying mode, where the car becomes a gyroplane and engine power output doubles to 200bhp. A total of 330 metres of runway is needed for take-off and the minimum speed required for level flight is 31mph, while the economic cruising speed is 87mph, high cruising speed is 99mph and top speed is 112mph. Maximum range is 311 miles with a single occupant.

Geneva

Bitesize

Toyota gets emotional TOYOTA revealed the new Auris, which continues the firm’s commitment to its UK manufacturing plant at Burnaston in Derbyshire. ‘We’d like to continue building in the UK,’ said Auris chief engineer Tatsuro Ueda. ‘Auris is a core segment in Europe. It’s big business, and we’d like to keep the business in the UK.’ It’ll be the first Toyota vehicle to get a choice of hybrid powertrains – a 1.8-litre system producing 120bhp and a 2.0-litre system with 177bhp. ‘It’s a more emotional hybrid,’ said Ueda. Elsewhere, we got our first glimpse at a facelifted Aygo as well as the exciting new Supra – albeit only as a racing concept. We’re still holding out for a full production model...

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

Dashboard.

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Nissan’s IMx Kuro concept

Electric tech is powering ahead Geneva

Bitesize

New chapter for Alpine FOLLOWING the successful introduction of the A110 Première Edition, Alpine announced three new versions of its lightweight sports car. The A110 Pure and A110 Légende are the production series versions that broaden Alpine’s scope, while the A110 GT4 competition car, developed by Signatech, will write the next chapter in Alpine’s motor racing story.

44 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

NISSAN: New concept blazes a trail for a crossover set to arrive in four years . . . meanwhile, more and more buyers are loving life with a Leaf !

t was all electric over at the Nissan stand, as the company showed off its latest concept car. The IMx Kuro comes ahead of a fully electric crossover that will arrive by 2022, and debuts a whole host of high-tech features. The company’s ProPilot autonomous driving system is present, but now features brain-tovehicle technology – essentially a form of mindreading that can predict inputs and detect the driver’s mood. It’s an updated version of the car that we first saw at the Tokyo Motor Show. But for now, the Leaf is Nissan’s most important EV, and sales seem to confirm that the market’s taken a shine to the latest, second generation model. Since its launch, the new Leaf has received more than 20,000 customer orders – with 13,000 of those placed before it even arrived in showrooms. ‘We think that makes it the fastestselling EV in Europe ever,’ said Alex Smith, Nissan’s UK managing director. ‘We’re very proud of that. Consumer reaction has been great.’ The Leaf is also the world’s best-selling electric car overall, with over 280,000 sold since the firstgeneration car went on sale in 2010. It could be overtaken, though, with Tesla taking over 450,000 deposits for its Model 3 electric saloon – though production of that has proven to be slow. The Leaf continues to be built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, alongside big-sellers such as the Qashqai and Juke as well as models from sister brand Infiniti. Despite the UK’s impending exit from the EU, future plans haven’t been altered, and Nissan intends to keep building cars in Sunderland for as long as it is able. ‘We continue to work closely with the British government to ensure we have a

by TOM WILTSHIRE @mctreckmeister

competitive environment to manufacture in,’ said Smith. ‘The next-generation Juke [launching this year] will be built in Sunderland.’ Keeping with the electric theme, Nissan confirmed its entry into the all-electric Formula E championship. With partner brand Renault focusing on F1, Nissan will become the first Japanese manufacturer to race in Formula E. It debuted its racer at the show in a concept black, red and silver livery. The car will make its city circuit debut at the start of the 2018/19 season, which kicks off towards the end of this year. Michael Carcamo, Nissan’s global motorsport director, said: ‘We are taking our expertise in EV technology for the road and bringing it to the race track. The level of competition in the Formula E championship is on the rise and we’re eagerly awaiting the unique engineering challenge ahead.’

Nissan Leaf

‘One new Leaf is ordered every 12 minutes in Europe.’ Alex Smith

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Dashboard.

Audi – Italdesign pop.up next We’ve seen autonomous cars and we’ve seen flying cars – but this has to be one of the first times that we’ve seen the two combined. The pop.up next concept has been designed to transport people via both road and air, and features a two-seater ‘pod’, which can be attached to either a car or a flying module. Its aim is to help solve congestion issues in urban areas.

Top tech

It’s like tomorrow’s world – today! There were some incredible technological advancements on show at Geneva. Jack Evans reports

he Geneva Motor Show has thrown up some impressive pieces of technology that look certain to shape the future of the motoring industry – autonomous cars and even vehicles that can fly appeared at this year’s show. We paced the halls and took a look at some of the most interesting and high-tech concepts to come from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Here they are.

Hyundai Nexo fuel cell

Nissan IMx Kuro

Volkswagen I.D. Vizzion The fully autonomous Vizzion concept is the latest in Volkswagen’s I.D. range of cars, and is set to be available in 2022. Though initially offered with conventional controls, the car is designed to be operated via augmented reality, gestures and voice commands.

The IMx Kuro is an evolution on the IMx concept showcased at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show. Now, it features a dark grey colour scheme but also, more importantly, a range of Nissan’s cutting-edge technologies, including Pro Pilot fully autonomous functionality. It also gets Nissan’s brainto-vehicle technology, which allows the car’s system to predict actions by monitoring the driver’s brainwaves. See also p44.

Hyundai’s Nexo fuel cell vehicle made its European debut at Geneva, and comes as the world’s first dedicated hydrogenpowered SUV. It sits on an all-new platform designed for hydrogen power from the ground up rather than being adapted from a traditional chassis. Capable of travelling close to 500 miles on a single tank, it also features autonomous capabilities.

Renault EZ-GO Renault’s EZ-GO is another electric autonomous concept to feature at Geneva – but this one has been created with ridesharing in mind. Inside, there’s a wide open cabin with space for up to six passengers. As it’s capable of Level 4 autonomy, there’s no need for a driver – and this makes for a more spacious interior.

46 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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C-segment hatches: Under pressure but still very important KIA: The crossover might be king but new Ceed certainly has growth potential – and what about the success of the brand’s EVs and hybrids?

hether big or small, crossovers are the new vogue in the car industry: but don’t think that means the traditional C-segment hatch is any less important – that was the message from Kia in Geneva. With the freshly unveiled third-generation Ceed the proud focus of the manufacturer’s stand, Kia UK president and CEO Paul Philpott reckons the nameplate still has some mileage in it yet – despite the challenging marketplace. ‘It’s a segment that’s been under pressure,’ says Philpott. ‘If you look at the numbers, it’s come down in terms of volume – but it’s still an important segment in fleet, and really it’s still dominated by the likes of Focus, Golf and Astra.’ Philpott is convinced that even with SUVs and crossovers cannibalising sales, Ceed can still succeed – even predicting a growth on sales figures in an otherwise shrinking segment. ‘With new Ceed, we see the growth potential of about 10 per cent on current model sales – which isn’t huge, because there has been a fundamental shift towards SUVs,’ admits Philpott. ‘But Ceed is very central to our brand: it was our first European car, and I think the right combination of design, engineering, quality, warranty and value is still pretty strong for customers.’ So what of the brand’s crossovers? Sportage continues to be Kia’s biggest seller, but the newlylaunched Stonic hasn’t quite matched up to expectations, suggests Philpott. ‘It went on sale at the beginning of November, and I think because there were these six other new small SUVs coming into the segment all at once, we

by JON REAY @JonReay

expected – as did all the forecasting people – that the segment would boom,’ Philpott told us. ‘In January, the retail B-SUV segment was down 12 per cent. So the segment has not yet grown in the way everyone anticipated it would.’ Philpott is confident that things will change, though – and the order bank is looking good. ‘I think we as manufacturers sometimes launch a new car into a segment we’ve not been in before, and expect it to take off from day one. ‘These things take time. We’re seeing that Picanto and Rio are having really strong first quarters – that’s a year after launch for Rio, and nine months for Picanto – and yet we’re seeing demand still growing. I think we’ve become too ambitious too quickly. Stonic will become a big

‘I think the right combination of design, engineering, quality, warranty and value is still pretty strong for customers.’ Paul Philpott

No plans for anything sportier than GT models SISTER company Hyundai might be making waves with its hardcore i30 N hot hatch, but Kia isn’t keen to stretch any further than ‘warm’ GT-level cars, Paul Philpott said. ‘We’ve taken a different path,’ he explained. ‘GT and GT-Line within the core model range is our strategy right now. I think beyond that, it would be quite a niche volume, and I think it’s important that Kia and Hyundai have different strategies.’ Philpott said that Stinger GT was doing well as a halo model: ‘It’s creating lots of interest from new customers to Kia. The press coverage has been fantastic, lots of people are talking about it and comparing Kia with Audi and BMW models. It’s performing pretty favourably.’

success for us, it’ll just take time.’ Meanwhile, demand for the brand’s hybrid, plug-in hybrid and EV models has almost taken Kia by surprise. ‘We’ve had Soul EV for three years now, but we’re seeing demand for it at its highest level right now,’ says Philpott. ‘Last year we sold about 200 EVs – this year we’ll probably double that. ‘In terms of plug-in hybrids, we brought out PHEV Optima and Niro last year. Demand was slow to steady, until this quarter, where we’re now short of supply.’ The growth, reckons Philpott, is down to a number of factors – not least the confidence of sales staff in being able to sell more complex powertrain options. ‘The education process and face-to-face discussions that salesmen have with customers had to evolve – and I think it’s taken time for them to be really confident with their facts, and to be confident to talk about alternative powertrains with customers in general,’ Philpott said.

Kia Ceed has growth potential

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 47

Dashboard.

SHOWSTOPPER IN DETAIL

Ferrari Pista

It’s a marriage of extreme performance and track-car style handling from the Maranello marque – and Tristan Shale-Hester is impressed

ew people would complain that the standard Ferrari 488 lacks performance, but regardless, the Maranello-based marque decided it needed to be put on the receiving end of a few upgrades. Encompassing all of the racing experience Ferrari has built up with the 488 Challenge and GTE, the Pista has been designed to follow on from the 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 Scuderia and 458 Speciale in representing the perfect marriage of extreme performance and track car-style handling.

Exterior design The design of the 488 Pista was guided by aerodynamics, as the car is totally geared towards performance. The S-duct at the front of the car was used by the designers as an opportunity to shorten the vehicle’s nose. The splitter in the side air intakes has been removed and aerodynamic profiles run along the length of the car. The dolphin-tail rear spoiler gives an impression of lightness and the rear diffuser juts out prominently. To top it all off, a two-tone livery covers the whole car and completes the sporty look. 48 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Interior design The 488 Pista’s cockpit has been designed to feel like the inside of a racing car. There are no luxuries, with lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre and Alcantara being used as much as possible. Triangularpatterned hand-stitching, tread plates and heel rests are included, but the glovebox has been removed as part of weightsaving efforts in the under-dash area.

Gearbox The 488 Pista features a gearbox capable of high-performance shifting, which is available in the race position. This reduces shifting time and allows for more positive acceleration when a higher gear is engaged, as well as adopting the Ferrari variable torque management strategy in all gears.

Engine The 488 Pista is powered by the same 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 as the standard 488, but it has been upgraded to deliver 711bhp at 8,000rpm and 770Nm of torque. It only takes 2.65 seconds to do 0-60mph and can carry on to a top speed in excess of 211mph. The improvements made are so extensive that 50 per cent of the Pista’s engine’s parts are brand new compared with the original version.

Vehicle dynamics Aerodynamics The 488 Pista is 20 per cent more aerodynamic than the car it’s based on, thanks to a number of advancements made by the marque’s engineers. The front radiator arrangement has been completely redesigned, with hot air being directed to the underbody ahead of the front wheels. Rear intercooler performance has been improved by 10 per cent and the virtual fairing of the exposed area of the tyre cuts drag by seven per cent.

The Pista is 90kg lighter than the standard 488, making it more agile and responsive. These reductions have been made in the most weightsensitive areas of the car, away from its centre of gravity. A side slip control system has been incorporated, along with a lateral dynamics control system.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

Dashboard. Geneva

Bitesize

Comfort king for Citroen COMFORT is a key quality for any Citroen car – from the historic floating suspension of the DS to today’s C4 Cactus – so could this make the brand the logical first choice for autonomous technology in the PSA Group? Speaking with Car Dealer at the Geneva Motor Show, Citroen chief executive Linda Jackson hinted that she was pushing the brand’s comfort ethos even further as technology progressed towards autonomous cars. ‘People are spending more and more time in their cars, and as you move towards autonomous cars comfort becomes more and more important. ‘We’re trying to widen that comfort message into a much more modern approach.’

50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Evolution, not revolution as Rob succeeds Lance MITSUBISHI: New managing director looks forward to taking over and praises the products, brand and people that he’ll be heading in the UK

itsubishi UK’s new MD Rob Lindley and outgoing boss Lance Bradley gave a unique double-header interview at the Geneva Motor Show, promising: It’ll be business as usual. In a show of solidarity, the duo explained that despite the fact Bradley was moving on, Lindley would be starting very much where Bradley left off. The new MD takes over on April 16 and is currently shadowing Bradley at events and functions and will soon meet dealers at the brand’s conference. Bradley said: ‘I’m moving on but the team isn’t. We’ve never run the business as ‘‘it’s all my ideas’’. My job has always been coaching other people and coaching the best ideas out of the people who are actually doing the jobs, so none of that’s going to change. ‘I’m sure Rob will have his own ideas and experiences that he’ll want to bring in but I’m not expecting dramatic changes. It will be an evolution, not a revolution.’ Lindley previously worked for Mazda – at a time when the brand changed into a national sales company – but was most recently in charge of Harley-Davidson. He said: ‘Mitsubishi is a really interesting brand with some great history. The company has a strong history, interesting products, people, customers and dealers, as well as a nice team. ‘It’s also local to me, which is fantastic, so it makes the transition that much easier. ‘I’m really looking

by JAMES BAGGOTT @CarDealerEd

forward to it.’ Bradley said there were no plans to change Mitsubishi UK’s distributor status and for the brand to become a national sales company. But now, as part of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, there have been some changes. Trevor Mann and Guillaume Cartier – two of Nissan’s most trusted lieutenants – have been parachuted into the brand and are already making positive changes, said Bradley. ‘They understand the European market well, literally speak our language, and know where the opportunities are, which is a big help to us,’ said Bradley. The alliance is also helping to bring down the cost of parts, which in turn will make models cheaper. Bradley said the frequency of new models arriving was also likely to change – something that has caused Mitsubishi issues over the years. With platform sharing across the alliance, Mitsubishi will be able to tap into a wider line-up of models far faster, but still with a focus on SUVs and four-wheel drive. So, the brand will become the Land Rover arm of the alliance then? Bradley said: ‘We’ve always focused heavily on SUVs and four-wheel drive and also on electric drivetrains. We led the market with Outlander PHEV and that’s where the company’s positioning of Mitsubishi is going to focus. ‘We’re going to become very focused on SUVs and electric drivetrains. Within the alliance that’s the kind of niche we want to occupy and position Mitsubishi.’ Bradley said he was now looking forward to the future – although he hasn’t decided exactly what he’ll do. With offers from the world of rugby – a passion of his – and from the automotive industry, there’s a chance he’ll be popping up again soon. Lindley concluded: ‘I’m really excited to be joining the company. I think it’s a great time to do that and I’ve met a few of the team now and they’re fantastic. I’m very grateful to Lance for his help and support.’

‘The company has a strong history, interesting products, people, customers and dealers, as well as a nice team.’ Rob Lindley

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‘Gradually, bit by bit, it will all become petrol, and petrol hybrid, then electric.’

Subaru Viziv Tourer Concept

Chris Graham

The future is looking bright – even with the spectre of Brexit SUBARU: The manufacturer’s first plug-in hybrid is on its way as brand recovers from the currency exchange problems of two years ago

think we’ve seen the worst of the Brexit effect,’ said Subaru UK managing director Chris Graham, who was only 17 days into the job when we interviewed him at Geneva. ‘I think people who were put off by the original announcement in 2016 are now beginning to spend a little bit.’ As an importer, Subaru UK is affected by exchange rates more than most. But after the serious hit that the rates took in 2016, it’s recovering, strengthening the brand’s prospects. As for future products, the brand’s UK arm is limited by what the overlords in Japan decide to build. ‘Gradually, bit by bit, it will all become petrol, and petrol hybrid, then electric. ‘You can never say there’s never a future for diesel, but in terms of the manufacturing it’s slowed down dramatically for it. As Volvo have said diesel is not the way they want to go, I think Subaru will do the same.’ A facelifted Forester will come at the end of the year, but the all-new model will become the brand’s first plug-in hybrid. And despite the launch of the ‘Final Edition’ WRX STI back in 2017, Graham is optimistic about the future of the brand’s beloved STI

by TOM WILTSHIRE @mctreckmeister

performance brand. ‘I’d never think that it’s the final, final edition,’ he said. ‘We don’t yet have any dates from Subaru for a relaunch, but I think we may even see it as one of the hybrids.’ The concept that Subaru revealed at the show – the Viziv Tourer – certainly seemed to preview a future STI. It follows previous Viziv concepts – the Performance and Performance STI concepts – and takes the form of a low-slung, sporty wagon in a nod to previous Impreza estate models. But the brand’s focus for now is firmly on the core values of its main model range – solidity,

reliability and particularly safety. ‘Subaru vehicles can do a lot that other vehicles simply can’t do,’ Graham said. To that end, the brand’s Eyesight safety system – which provides autonomous cruise control, lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking to name a few – will feature heavily on its new offerings. Unfortunately for enthusiasts, though, Eyesight does not play nicely with a manual gearbox – meaning the brand’s maligned Lineartronic CVT is here to stay. ‘I’m not sure Eyesight is compatible at all with a manual gearbox,’ Graham said. ‘My gut tells me it will be Eyesight with Lineartronic long term.’

Subaru Impreza and Outback CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51

Dashboard. Geneva

Bitesize

The Apple of his eye...

Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder Lamborghini unveiled the open-top version of its Huracan Performante in Geneva, as Tristan Shale-Hester reports

Honda design boss Makoto Iwaki revealed his biggest design influence outside of the world of cars was Apple. If you take one look at the Urban EV you can clearly see the Apple iMac influence...

Driving dynamics

Lamborghini’s Urus, right, is opening doors to customers new to the brand

52 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Like the coupe, the Performante Spyder is equipped with an enhanced suspension system, recalibrated ESC, Lamborghini Dynamic Steering and permanent fourwheel drive. In addition it has a revised version of Lamborghini’s ANIMA driver mode system, made up of Strada, Sport and Corsa, allowing the driver to customise the set-up of the car’s dynamics.

Weight reduction One of the key advantages the Huracan Performante Spyder has over the standard car is its lightness. The use of ultra lightweight carbon-fibre technologies means the car’s mass has been reduced by 35kg to a total of 1,507kg.

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Roof The Huracan Performante Spyder features a lightweight, electrohydraulic roof, which is designed to blend with the car’s lines and help maintain rigidity for the benefit of handling and overall performance. It opens automatically in a brisk 17 seconds at speeds of up to 30mph.

Engine The Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder has a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 engine mounted in the middle. It produces 640bhp at 8,000rpm and 600Nm of torque, making the car capable of 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-124mph in 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 201mph.

Aerodynamics One of the Huracan Performante Spyder’s most technologically advanced features is its aerodynamics system – Aerodinamica Lamborghini Attiva (ALA). It varies aero load in conditions that require either high downforce or low drag, while also enabling aero vectoring in high-speed cornering.

‘We were always careful not to inflate the market but to create the right demand.’ Federico Foschini

Urus will help us attract new customers LAMBORGHINI: Sixty to 70 per cent of buyers are coming from other brands, according to order analysis

ore than 60 per cent of Lamborghini Urus customers will be new to the brand, according to the company’s commercial director, Federico Foschini. Urus, the Italian brand’s first SUV, will go on sale later this year as Lamborghini ramps up production at its plant to manufacture double its current output by the end of next year. Foschini said: ‘We are doing analysis of our order intake and what we’re seeing is that 30 to 40 per cent of people are existing customers, but 60 to 70 per cent are coming from other brands. ‘They’re coming from other SUV, luxury sedan or 2+2s and they have different expectations, but at the end of the day this is the first Lamborghini

by REBECCA CHAPLIN @believebecca

in many years that is giving you the possibility to drive many people. It’s not something to be under-estimated.’ The head of brand and marketing, Katia Bassi, explained that while there are key continuations of Lamborghini’s values, there are huge opportunities to win new customers with Urus. ‘Urus is very consistent with Lamborghini DNA because it’s a super-luxurious car with the soul of the Aventador and the Huracan together, but the body of an SUV.

‘It’s exciting that it’s opening doors to other customers, women definitely. We’re acquiring customers who aren’t just the female target, but those who are more inclined to drive SUVs.’ The UK is now Lamborghini’s third most important market and Foschini adds that dealers here are ‘really smart and really professional’. He said: ‘The good thing that Lamborghini did in the last five to six years, apart from the product, was focus on the balance between demand and supply. We were always careful not to inflate the market but to create the right demand. ‘There’s no denying this gives the cars more value but people also see Lamborghini as a consistent brand.’ [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

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54 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

VISIT THE EMPLOYMENT ZONE

Behind the scenes REBECCA CHAPLIN

Blackball Media’s head of editorial is never afraid to tell it like it is

Geneva may be thriving but some brands are letting themselves down

hile the Geneva Motor Show is an ideal place to find out about the latest cars and speak to all of the important people, the run-up always feel like one of the most arduous times of the year. My aim is to run the logistics of our coverage of it with military precision, but the reality is never quite the same, once because a colleague chose the morning of the press day to fall seriously ill and head to the hospital in an ambulance – very inconsiderate of them. One of the best things about any motor show is getting a sense of where the industry is going from a straw poll around the event, with similar themes arising from conversations or a lack of certain people from the show. It’s something we’ve reported on from other shows. However, in comparison, Geneva was bustling with life. Without a doubt it is still the European show to be at as manufacturers make tougher choices with budgets. The despair and uncertainty that we’ve been reporting didn’t seem to be an issue from lavish stands showing off the latest technology – and some things so wild they’d surely wow the crowds throughout the remainder of the show. That said, there’s definitely a strong sense of déjà vu as you walk through the halls. If you’ve been going to it for a few years in a row then there’s no need for a guidebook, as you’ll know where almost everything is, and it’s a reminder that while the cars may change, the brands stay the same. Almost, at least, as the most noticeable absentee from this year’s floor plan was Opel. According to those at now-parent company PSA, it’s taking the time to strategise for the future. It’s all a bit strange in my opinion, when you’re trying to reassure the public and employees that you’re still here and here to stay. But one brand’s loss is another’s gain, and a previously struggling brand was able to take the space and prove it had truly risen from the ashes. Aston Martin’s decision to take on the large floorspace is maybe one key reassurance that the right management and strategy can transform a business. Then there is still the oh-so-dated idea of having girls on your stand, which despite continued negativity in the mainstream media remains part of how the automotive industry works. However, as bad as this is, having the female models in the same ugly outfits year after year must be a cardinal sin. Actually, sticking them in dresses that look like bin bags, as one oil company did, was the

absolute worst thing they could do – unless they were genuinely trying to remind people what an oil slick wrapped around a starved bird looks like. With so much new product plus changes to powertrains and legislation, you’d imagine carmakers would be keen to talk with the press. While that’s true for some, others appear to unwittingly adopt the taking-the-shutters-down approach to public relations. It’s something you might not even realise is taking place within your own organisation – I doubt these businesses did either – but by taking on third parties to manage us pesky journalists, it appeared we were being kept at arm’s length more than ever. I’m well aware there are other outside forces, such as less time from executives as either fewer of them are at the show, big announcements are monopolising them, or they’re having meetings with senior leadership from overseas, but a simple no would suffice. However, instead of being given interview opportunities and a chance to discuss available times, we’re being put in a queue of those who have registered their interest and are awaiting a predetermined time. All I want to do is cut out the middle man but this year, despite strapped budgets, there seem to be more companies taking control of diaries and making my job more difficult. A time slot for an interview the day before the show that bears no relation to the schedule I’ve painstakingly crafted for several people is no use to me. Why should you care about this, though? Well, I doubt these car manufacturers even realise what effect this is having. If you’re hiring a company to ask for bookings, manage requests, send out the times and they report the coverage to you, then as long as they do that, there’s no opportunity for you to be disappointed. This is an outside agency that is being paid for what it’s achieving, but the missed opportunities will never come back. What are the chances that a part of your business is reporting success but is never being critical of its own actions, particularly if it’s an outside company that would never tell you otherwise? No one wants to create more work for themselves, but is someone making your business look bad when someone else out there, such as me, might be trying to make an opportunity? I know it’s too late for new year resolutions and we’re a bit behind the curve for Valentine’s Day, but we should all focus on not missing those opportunities that land in our lap.

‘We should all focus on not missing those opportunities that land in our lap.’

Rebecca Chaplin is head of editorial at Blackball Media and presents news programmes and features on its online video channel Trade Plates TV. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

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56 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Big Mike Our man on the inside shares his thoughts on the car business

My cars are like my kids – I love all their adventures and achievements

ccording to Henry Ford (whoever he was), ‘history is bunk’. When he spoke those famous words back in 1916, he also added: ‘The only history that means a damn is the history we make today.’ What this means, of course, is that Henry Ford should – by his own definition – be forgotten. Cast asunder into historical voids, never to be remembered. Except we can’t forget him, because all over the world there are cars that bear not just his name but also his secretary’s signature (it wasn’t Henry himself who signed the cheques but a clerk, whose signature is famously recorded as the Ford script). Henry, then, was lying. And here’s why. History is absolutely fascinating. And I’m not talking Time Team here. I’m referring to the ratty old scraps of paper you find in a car’s glovebox. It’s all very well for the supposed ‘experts’ to tell you that a full service history is important or even essential when buying a car, but the truth is that it isn’t. Indeed, it’s only the last couple of years’ history that actually matter – if it had an oil change at the main dealer 95,000 miles ago, that’s as much bunk as Henry Ford’s opinion on history. A cambelt in the past couple of years is worth knowing about, as is the fact that the oil and anti-freeze have been changed at some stage during the current Parliament, but other than that, none of it really matters at all. Apart from to weirdos like me. Aside from my sales cars, I currently have three vehicles of my own. They are a 1995 Jaguar XJ6, which I took in part-exchange about five years ago and promptly fell in love with, a Nissan QX that served me well for more years than I care to remember and I’m too stupidly sentimental to scrap, and a Rover 75 with the horribly underpowered 1.8-litre engine and cloth trim, which is extremely comfortable but borderline unsaleable, so has taken over from the Nissan as my daily smoker. All three of these cars have one thing in common and that’s a service history that’s truly fascinating. The Jaguar, for example, was bought new in London in 1995, with the original owner part-exchanging a J-registered XJ40 against the newly introduced X300 Sport. He paid £39,000 for it and got £11,000 back in part-exchange against his old one (quite what made him not think ‘Hmmm, this thing’s going to depreciate by 28 grand over the next four years...’

is beyond me, or maybe he didn’t care). Soon after it was bought, it was given the cherished plate AXJ6S, which it wore until 2012 when it was bought by a number plate dealer for its registration and put back on its original M-plate. Bored yet? I’m not. My cars are like my kids – I like to tell you about their adventures, their achievements. My QX, for example, is a worthless piece of slightly crusty old Japanese tin that few people other than me could really love. Indeed, I nearly scrapped it four years ago when Her Indoors stacked it into the back of a milk float, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Instead, I sourced a load of parts over several months and got my mate, the Reverend, to fix it all up, complete with a photographic record. The Reverend is a former vicar who now runs a body shop. I have no idea why he left the clergy but his advertising slogan is ‘Let Us Spray’, which wins him a few pun points, quite aside from the fact he’s probably the best painter I’ve ever known. And speaking of Reverends, my Rover 75, which is finished in Doom Blue for the ultimate 90+-day sales turnaround, was first owned by a man of the cloth, hence its rather parsimonious specification and colour scheme. After all, why be frivolous with the options sheet when your job is all about teaching people to value what really matters, and moreover what doesn’t? He kept it in the way he kept his church, meaning that despite being largely undesirable, it’s bloody immaculate and comes with every order of service from new (see what I did there?). I can, and do, spend hours leafing through the history of cars. In a way, the service histories are as much a social history as they are relevant to the car. As a car ages, for example, you can look at the addresses on the old bills on Google Earth and trace its journey from leafy suburbia to an inner-city council estate. When I get a sales car in that comes with its own manila folder (something I love to see), I’ve been known to disappear into the smallest room in the house and not come out until I’ve read every last column of it. And on that note, folks, I’m off for a Donald Trump. Apologies if that’s too much information, but I’ve just had a Mercedes E-Class come in and there’s a manila folder winking at me from under the passenger seat...

‘All three of these cars have one thing in common and that’s a service history that’s truly fascinating.’

Who is Big Mike? Well, that would be telling. What we can say is he’s had more than 40 years in the car trade so has probably forgotten more about it than we‘re likely to know. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

INTERVIEW

Advertisement feature

We’ve got some outstanding new cars – now we need more great dealers

Recruiting now: SsangYong UK chairman Jim Tyrrell talks to Car Dealer

sangYong is on the hunt for a raft of new dealers to join the franchise – and it’s a great time to get involved with the brand. The South Korean manufacturer might not be the best-known carmaker in the UK but all that is changing very quickly – and you could be part of its success. After all, it’s producing great cars at very attractive prices and its vehicles are winning admirers from all corners of the automotive industry – and picking up awards, too. The brilliant new Rexton was named 4x4 of the year by 4x4 Magazine. Becoming a SsangYong dealer ticks a LOT of boxes. For a start, it’s a great first step into franchising but it also works well if you already represent another marque. The manufacturer is sensible and supportive when it comes to working with its dealer partners – and the cars are priced well and simply excellent in terms of build quality, technology, design and pricing. All in all, it adds up to a pretty compelling proposition – and there’s a whole new impetus driving SsangYong forward, too. A hugely experienced

58 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

new management team are now at the helm and they’re determined to take the company to the next level. Its UK chairman is Jim Tyrrell – and although he knows there is work to do in terms of raising awareness, the challenge is one that he’s relishing. So what would he say to any dealer thinking of getting on board with SsangYong? He replied: ‘Look at the product range. ‘Sit in our cars, drive them, shut the doors and hear how that feels. Look at the technology, look at the interior trim. ‘Compared to our nearest competitors – Mitsubishi, Nissan, Isuzu, Toyota – our product is absolutely up there. Look at the margins that our dealers are retaining on their vehicles – selling SsangYong cars is a great profit opportunity.’ Potential SsangYong dealers don’t need a fortune in the bank to get in on the action, either. Tyrrell said: ‘We’re not looking for a significant investment. We want dealers to run six demos and hold a minimum of 15 cars in stock. They also have to have a dedicated sales person and a showroom – which can be shared with another brand. We plan to keep things simple. We are happy to talk to good dealers who may not want to make the same level of investment that other brands currently demand. ‘We’re looking for people who have talent and energy but maybe don’t like the demanding standards of some of the bigger brands.’ Over the course of his career, Tyrrell has been involved with companies of

varying sizes, including Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi, where he was UK managing director for almost 10 years. After leaving the company in 2009, he has had a number of non-executive positions. SsangYong may be the smallest car manufacturer he has worked with, but Tyrrell has a huge amount of faith in the company, which he believes can follow in the footsteps of fellow South Korean manufacturers Kia and Hyundai, which have become well established and well regarded in the UK. He believes that, with the help of managing director Nick Laird, he can definitely make a success of SsangYong in the UK. ‘Nick and I have a clear plan to go back to basics. We know who we are – we’re an unknown brand with product which is substantially better than you’d expect. ‘That doesn’t mean to say we can get ambitious with our pricing. We’ve got to have a price position where we give more equipment as standard than you would expect, and a better warranty, so we’ll be a bit cheaper than our competitors, and value-for-money-wise we’ll be better. ‘We are not a big fleet player. The dealers will take priority. We’re ultimately going to need 90 dealers to cover the UK – they’re primarily going to be privately owned – either individual sites or small groups. We expect them to be great at retailing vehicles and at looking after their local business users.’ Tyrrell says SsangYong is currently looking for between 20 and 30 dealers – and in different areas of the country. ‘We’ve got some opportunities all over

I want people who are members of the golf club, support the local rugby or football club, whose kids go to school in the town...

Find out why you should become a SsangYong dealer inside the InFocus supplement

A big advantage that SsangYong has is that Kia and Hyundai are leading the way in terms of market acceptance of Korean vehicles, says Jim Tyrrell the UK, so if you are interested give us a call. We have 35 areas of the country where we are actively looking for new dealers, including opportunities in the North East, North West, Midlands, South West, South East and the Scottish Borders. ‘If there’s someone there who’s good and they’re not too close to an existing dealer, we’ll sign them up. It’s important

that they know that we are looking for community-based dealers. ‘I want people who are members of the golf club, support the local rugby or football club, whose kids go to school in the town – we want dealers who are trusted by the local community.’ Tyrrell clearly has confidence in SsangYong’s potential, but he doesn’t appear to be unrealistically ambitious

in his planning. We asked him where he saw the brand in 10 years’ time. ‘A lot of it depends on the manufacturer,’ said Tyrrell. ‘I’ve seen the product cycle for four or five years and it’s absolutely competitive. In the UK, it’s all about awareness and I wouldn’t put an unnatural limit on it. We’ve set a target to sell 8,000 cars a year by 2020 and I think we can do that.’

Join the SsangYong dealer network! Go online to bit.ly/SYdealer email david.rose@smotor.co.uk or call 01582 488192 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

Dashboard. Around the world

Another month of decline for the new car market

Latest SMMT statistics: p96

SPAIN

SEAT’S factory in Martorell, the driving force behind the company, has just turned 25. The plant was inaugurated in 1993 after 34 months of construction work and an investment of 244.5 billion Spanish pesetas (1.47 billion euros). Since then, Seat has turned out nearly 10 million vehicles on the premises. Company president Luca de Meo said: ‘We are very happy to celebrate 25 years since the factory’s inauguration.’

Dealer news from somewhere other than here AMERICA

THE authorities in California are to allow tech companies and car manufacturers to begin testing automated vehicles on the state’s roads without human safety drivers. Such vehicles could start to appear as early as April and as of January, 50 different bodies were in possession of permits allowing them to crack on. In reaching its decision, the local Department of Motor Vehicles said the number of comments in favour of the move outnumbered those against.

SOUTH AFRICA

THE results of a recent survey by the country’s largest general insurer, Santam, have found that four in 10 South Africans have names for their vehicles, with two-thirds of respondents considering themselves to be ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ attached to their cars. Forty-four per cent of respondents do not allow anyone else to drive their cars, the survey found.

AUSTRALIA

A CAR dealership in Ipswich, Queensland has gone green in a big way by creating an urban solar farm to power the business. Llewellyn Motors has set up Australia’s largest privately-owned power station using almost all its roof space for solar panels. The powerful system now provides around half of the Queensland business’s electricity needs, according to the website Energy Matters. And the special type of battery used turns itself on and off to balance peaks in demand, therefore reducing power bills.

THAILAND

NISSAN is stepping up the levels of customer service it delivers in Thailand. It has just launched a concept showroom under the ‘Nissan Retail Environmental Design Initiative’ in the western Kanchanaburi province. Antoine Barthes, president of Nissan Motor Thailand, said: ‘Nissan is committed to putting its valued Thai customers at the heart of everything it does.’

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Dashboard.

Part 12: Pricing

Finally, it’s time to start selling some cars. But first you’ll need to put some numbers in the windscreens... Dan Read gives you the lowdown.

n the old days, a car’s ‘book’ price was exactly that: a price plucked from the pages of a monthly directory as thick as a phonebook. These days it’s all digital, so not only can you carry all the info in your pocket, but it’s updated minute by minute and allegedly more accurate

WHERE SHOULD I START?

The big two valuations providers are Glass’s and Cap HPI. Both have a mine of data services, while Cap also incorporates HPI history checks. Both have live valuations based on real-time info from auction houses, classifieds and other sources. And both work in broadly the same way: enter a reg number, select the spec, mileage and condition, then get an instant appraisal. But hold on, because at the end of the day, there’s no such thing as a definitive valuation, and what works for one dealer doesn’t always work for another. Glass’s and Cap HPI can certainly be useful and a good starting point for newcomers with limited pricing experience, but they aren’t the only ways.

HOW ELSE CAN I DO IT?

Auto Trader has an i-Control function – accessed through its dealer portal – which includes a valuation tool based on live market data. This is essentially a smart version of the classic ‘retail back’ technique, where you see how your competitors are pricing similar cars and work backwards from there. You could do this manually, but trawling through the classifieds can be very timeconsuming, especially if you want an overview of them all. Then there’s good old-fashioned experience. But arguably the most reliable method is to combine every tool at your disposal. ‘I use various places to check what a car is worth, then make an informed decision based on that information,’ said Umesh Samani of Specialist Cars in Stoke. ‘I might check Glass’s Guide, then compare that to the Cap valuation, maybe check what the Auto Trader portal says it’s worth, then look at the classified adverts to get a feel for what that model/spec is selling for. Then, armed with

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62 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

than ever. However, be warned: pricing cars can be a pricey business, especially if you get it wrong. So whether you’re buying or selling, make sure you’re armed with the tools for the job.

all that confusing information, I’ll go with my gut feeling.’

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS

A few factory-fitted options can make a world of difference to a car’s value, so it’s important to factor them in. Most valuation tools do this, but sometimes the customer doesn’t and may get the impression that your car – with more options than others on the market – is somehow overpriced. ‘Often a customer wants a car with full leather, but they price-match it against one without,’ said James Bush, a regular on the Car Dealer Forum. ‘This is becoming more of an issue with the ‘‘value markers’’ the online adverts are displaying.’ These flag certain cars as being particularly good value. Bush said: ‘I don’t think I’d totally abandon an independent valuation guide, because they can spot trends better than we can, but I worry that more and more dealers just trust the Auto Trader valuations, which can leave very small margins.’

‘I use various places to check what a car is worth, then make an informed decision based on that information.’ Umesh Samani, Specialist Cars

REMEMBER YOUR MARGINS!

Ultimately, you know what you need to make from each sale to cover your overheads and make a profit. So it’s important to have a clear idea of a car’s forecourt value before you raise your hand at an auction or wherever you buy your stock. Whatever valuation method you use, make sure you leave enough room for variables such as market fluctuations, haggling (customers inevitably expect you to knock something off) and plain old bad luck, because if the stock doesn’t shift, you may have to drop your price. ‘I look at my prices every two or three days and reprice if necessary,’ said Rob Higham of RH Trading. ‘Not to be the cheapest but to make sure I’m in the mix. I try to get the maximum margin from day one, but if the phone’s not ringing after four or five days I reduce the price and monitor the effect that has on my ads. ‘I won’t knock £500 off straight away, but I might do £100 then keep an eye out. When I see people clicking on it, I know I’ve priced it right.’

WHAT ABOUT PX PRICES?

We’ll be covering part-exchanges in an upcoming article but it’s worth briefly mentioning here. Because while it’s hard to value a car on the spot, especially without a proper inspection or knowing its full history, customers often expect a price there and then. At times like these, instant valuation tools can be very useful, as you won’t have time to check the classifieds until later. ‘I use

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£££

‘I look at my prices every two or three days and reprice if necessary.’ Rob Higham, RH Trading the Glass’s app for part-ex valuations when out on the forecourt,’ says an anonymous dealer. ‘But more often than not, it’s only to show punters that their car isn’t worth what they’re expecting...’

WHAT WILL IT COST ME?

Just like pricing the cars themselves, there’s no easy answer to this, so we contacted Glass’s and Cap HPI to find out more. First, Glass’s. For its ‘Radar’ service – basically a live, retail-back pricing tool that does the legwork of scanning classifieds for you – prices start at £630 per year or £52.50 per month for a single-user licence with unlimited registration look-ups. So, the more cars you value, the better the deal becomes. Cap HPI responded with the following: ‘Our pricing structure is built around the customer to give them the best value possible. The individual business needs of the customer are taken into account, from the number of vehicles they buy and sell, to the depth of service they want to offer their customers. The approach ensures the customer isn’t paying over the odds for a service they don’t need.’

££££ In other words, what it charges varies from one dealer to another. It’s worth noting, too, that Cap valuations tend to include HPI history checks as well. We also asked a few independent dealers for some ballpark figures. Understandably, they asked to remain anonymous, but came back with similar numbers: roughly £100 per month for around 40 Cap valuations with HPI checks included, and around £50 to £70 per month for a Glass’s package.

AND FINALLY

In the words of Umesh Samani: ‘There’s no one place or easy way to value a car. And, on top of this, each dealer will have their own personal experiences with the model and each one sees desirability/saleability differently.’ In time, you’ll get a feel for what a car’s worth and how to make the most from it, especially if you specialise in a certain make or model. At this point, some dealers abandon the guides. But when you’re starting out, you can’t expect to have this depth of knowledge. So for now, keep an open mind, don’t rely on one source, and leave some wiggle room. If the price is right, the rest will follow.

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Feedback. Your comments via email to dave@blackballmedia.co.uk

Our website at CarDealerMag.co.uk

Why I painted a gloomy HAD a good friend visit us today for a cuppa, a biscuit and some advice. His son has been made redundant and has £40k in his pocket. He likes cars and is thinking of going into car retail. The guy is quite savvy and runs a Caterham track car. He knows his way around a car, but has zero car trade or business experience – he has always worked for a large company. My advice was to avoid this trade and here’s why. Putting to one side his lack of experience, I couldn’t help but paint a very bad picture. I think this business is very sick and poorly and I can’t see a cure. Here are some of the problems: the very serious issues of buying stock at the moment (been getting worse over the last few years for us); cut-throat margins; everyone wants a new car on PCP; the fragile build and expense of newer gear; outrageous customer expectations; customers only seeing cost not value; punitive tax and VAT; the Consumer Rights Act 2015; his potential problems trading from home (is a site any better though?)... it’s been a crappy couple of years really and I was thinking out loud, so he got it, warts and all. My friend, looking from the outside in, was genuinely amazed and puzzled. He said, ‘You’ve got a lovely house, and all your toys,’ but I reminded him that it was all paid for in what seems like a different world compared to where we are now. At the moment, we aren’t really going forward. We’re doing more work, for less reward, and having a lot less fun. He asked what the future holds for us (our business) and I had to say it’s not looking promising, but it’s what we know so we put up with it. We’re too old to change so will front it out until we retire in the next year or so. Where do you see this trade in 10 years? Would you advise your kids to start in it tomorrow? tradex I couldn’t agree more. It’s far too steep a learning curve these days, the electronics on these newer cars are bonkers. I would go and buy a small cafe and do the job well. People always need food.

Picture of the month THERE’S nothing like quality photography to show off the stunning cars on display at the annual Geneva Motor Show – and this is nothing like quality photography! Pictured by Car Dealer head honcho James Baggott, this is the new Ferrari 488 Pista – or at least most of it. Not sure who that is walking in front of the car – and we guess we’ll never know. For pictures of cars without bystanders getting in the way – and 21 packed pages of reports and interviews from this year’s show in the famous Swiss city, turn to pages 32-53. There was a statistic mentioned somewhere recently that driving tests are 30 per cent down on 10 years ago. Young kids can’t afford insurance, parking, plus the actual car these days – plus, when I was a lad, I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. Most kids these days with the internet don’t need to leave their bedrooms. justina3 I started trading as a novice last June. I have more than 30 years’ experience in the motor trade but not related to retailing cars. I remember putting a post up asking for advice and I got some very harsh feedback which I now realise was nothing but the truth. I have to say I am finding it very hard to earn anything like a respectable living from the current way I am running my business. My biggest worry is cars and their complexities and unreliability going forward. Dlloyds And yet with all this doom and gloom, I see quite a few young lads making a good go of it. twerp I’ve had this conversation quite a bit, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone gets into this trade. I’m talking about used cars here. I can’t comment

on being a young gun at a main dealer. We are dinosaurs. Sure, some will live longer and evolve into something else. As with all evolution, though, 98 per cent will die out over time. If you can source the cars, then it’s (relatively) easy. Trouble is, to do that, you’re pulled from pillar to post getting them and your margin is less now than it was in the ’80s when my old man was doing it from home. For the stock level, exposure and return, it’s not a business any more – we are just surviving and living on past glories mostly, hoping ‘it’ll happen in a minute’ but the busy periods come less and less frequently. A now departed old friend of mine often said: ‘VAT killed the game and the interweb put the final nail in the coffin.’ I still quite like it though. I must be masochistic! NOACROSS Well, I am going to buck the trend and say I’m happy with the way the trade is moving. We all need to diversify and embrace the digital era of selling cars. It is now ‘view online on your phone, click and buy’. The days of punters trawling car sites has long gone. Embrace it and cut costs. The times, they are a-changing... Arfur Dealy

Why do no-shows get offended when I ask where they are? JUST wanted people’s views on how you would speak to a customer after they haven’t shown up to their appointment or let you know they couldn’t make it. I have recently had a few no-shows and when I have rung them to see where they are, I get the usual ‘sorry, we forgot’, ‘we couldn’t make it’ or ‘we changed our minds’. When I actually ask: ‘Well, why didn’t you have the courtesy to let me know you couldn’t make it or you’d changed

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your minds?’ they seem to be offended that I would even ask them! Dan W Spot-on to be honest, mate. It’s rudeness through and through. The more they go unchecked, the more they feel it is acceptable to carry on. When someone is 15 minutes late, I call them to ask how they are getting on. If they’re on their way I say, ‘oh, it’s just we said

2pm, that’s all’. If I can’t wait around, I will reschedule them, not my plans. If they say they’re no longer coming, which is rare because most won’t answer, I tell them the same as you: it would have been courteous to tell me. Mojo 121 Fair play to you guys chasing them up. We get loads of flaky no-show bookings for test drives. grant8064

More and more of our readers are joining the debate – and it couldn’t be

On Twitter: Follow @CarDealerMag

Forum: CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

picture of the car trade Top tweets #18Plate has arrived! We have been handing over lots of stunning new cars across our group today despite the snow! Stratstone @stratstoneuk The sleek look of the 500X has been enhanced with the latest innovations and aesthetic details. Discover the new #500X Mirror at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show. Fiat @fiat A number of Snows Group dealerships have received the @JudgeService Gold Award for their 100% customer recommendation scores! Snows Group @SnowsGroup

Next motor sorted, thanks to the Sheffield branch of @thecarpeople. Paul Martin @RealPaulMartin The New Jaguar E-Pace – there’s never been a compact SUV like this before. Now available at @BelfastJaguar from £299 per month, 5.9 per cent APR representative on PCP. Charles Hurst @CharlesHurstGRP Did you know that a woman designed the windshield wipers? Mary Anderson’s design used a manual lever that operated a wiper from inside the car. Germaine Auto Centre @GermaineAuto

FEEDBACK

‘What’s my best price?’ Do you mean the lowest offer I’ll accept? Has anyone managed to prevent the ‘best price’, ‘last price’, ‘cash deal’ loons from trying their luck? All my adverts say in bold NO OFFERS but they appear to have lost the ability to read. It’s getting worse. Is there any text these wasters take notice of? andymc1973 I guess you’ve had a few nutters. I’m going through a quiet spell this week and I’ve had what can only be described as the most stupid offers from this country’s finest! I’ve had a bit of fun with a couple of punters. One I told ‘that’s the price’ only to receive an email offer two days later. I told him ‘yes’ and ignored his further emails. When he finally plucked up the courage to phone, I had the pleasure of sacking him off. I think there are some desperate people out there struggling with their finances but that’s their problem. BHM I don’t really mind the offers, to be honest. They’re mildly amusing and don’t get to me. If you’re super-busy and flying then I could perhaps see it being annoying. NOACROSS Don’t let these people wind you up, they don’t have any money. You should have stock

answers for these guys to make them go away. I used to say things like, ‘come back in nine months, if it’s still here, you can have it’ . . . ‘we must have a p/x with this sale, what have you got?’ . . . ‘thank you, I will accept the balance by post-dated cheque, just give me your details and I will check your credit status.’ trade vet I get loads of low-ballers. My recent favourites have been a chap making a genuine offer of half the asking price. I replied telling him he’d mistaken me for DFS. Another guy was trying to knock a wedge off as in his words, he ‘needed to put fuel in his car to get to me’. I replied that he needs to put fuel in his car to get his food shopping each week but I bet he doesn’t ask the cashier in Asda for a 25 per cent discount. Lakeside I am currently using, ‘My best price? My best price is the price I can sell it for the most. Do you mean, What is the lowest I would accept?’ I only use this really for the most aggressive customers who seem to think they know everything. They love a bit of sarcasm. Other than that, I say, ‘that is the price we will accept. If you are not prepared to pay it, no problem’. Dan W

Not even the #BeastFromTheEast could stop Mr & Mrs Day collecting their #18reg #RangeRoverSport from our sales executive Chris Donald! Harwoods Jaguar Land Rover Crawley @HarwoodsCrawley

The bizarre things customers say when negotiating deals I WAS out on a test-drive today with a father and son in a B-Class. It was a cold day and the car’s heater was blasting. The father, in his late sixties, was playing around with the heater vents and put all heat through the dashboard vents. The son, in his forties, quickly closed the middle dashboard vents above the radio/CD player and told his father not to use these vents with the heating on as Mercedes cars produce so much heat they can melt CDs which are in the player! Thankfully, though, they bought the car with the nuclear heating! Merlot Years ago, a friend was told by her father that when it’s dark, you have to turn the radio off because if you have it on with the lights on too, it might flatten the battery. A few more for you: A sale fell through due to wheeltrims being cable-tied to the wheels. The punter was taking motoring advice from her 14-year-old son. ‘This car has never been serviced!’ – said a punter because a front fog lamp bulb was u/s. ‘Give me a discount because it’s only a threedoor!’ Madam, it was a three-door in the advert. On a £1,000 Vectra: ‘Would you take £300 because my daughter might be disabled in the near future?’ (Yes, you read that correctly.) I looked at her 25-year-old daughter who seemed to be as fit as a fiddle and simply said: ‘Sorry, no, I think you’d better leave.’ BHM When it’s quiet, the oddballs, IQ-challenged and those looking at stonechips, but ignoring the big picture and big-ticket items, come out to play. tradex

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 65

Finance. AUTO TRADER

Finance ‘is key to cleaner motoring’ CAR finance is key to cleaner motoring, says Auto Trader. Speaking as its latest Market Report, which polled 4,000 consumers, was published, chief financial officer Nathan Coe said: ‘Finance is not only crucial for new and used car sales generally but it holds the key to cleaner motoring in the UK. The cleanest are also the most expensive. We need car financing to thrive if more people are going to switch to electric and hybrid vehicles. ‘Fifty-nine per cent of recent car buyers who did not choose an electric vehicle said it was due to the upfront cost.’ n Other findings on the right

Most important factors in finance choice

APPOINTMENT

71%

The monthly payment/budget

40%

The length of the agreement

37%

Deposit size

23%

The APR Additional dealer discounts/incentives (eg, free servicing, free car mats, paint protection, etc)

17%

The manufacturer/dealer deposit contribution

15%

Mileage allowances

14%

Conditions of returning the car at the end of the agreement Guaranteed future value Scrappage deals

11% 9% 6%

SOURCE: AUTO TRADER

AWARDS

Employees notch up almost 300 years of Close service C lose Brothers Motor Finance by JOHN BOWMAN has rewarded 18 staff john@blackballmedia.co.uk members for their service and commitment to the business. The special award ceremony Employees from its branches across took place in Doncaster, a town the country, including Peterborough, that has been the home of Close Leicester and Stoke, were honoured Brothers Motor Finance’s head office and given their long service award at a since opening the doors to its first special ceremony. branch in 1988. 2018 is a special year for the In the past 30 years, it has company, which marks its 30th expanded its network to 13 branches birthday in the same year that across the UK and specialist divisions two employees celebrate their 25th in Doncaster. year at the company. The firm also has branches in the Alongside those long-servers, six Channel Islands, offices in Jersey and employees received their 20-year Guernsey, as well as a partner in the award, five had been with Close Republic of Ireland. Brothers for 15 years, and another five In addition to their awards and celebrated a decade at the firm – a Car Dealer Advert Horizontal 2.pdf 2 01/03/2017 13:37:03 certificates, long-serving employees combined total of 295 years. C

CMY

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John’s the man for Mann Island MD position

receive five days’ extra holiday this year as well. Chief executive James Broadhead said: ‘Our proposition is built around people – it’s what makes us unique in our industry – and we are extremely grateful to those who have dedicated so many years to improving business for dealers. ‘It’s testament to our company values and the enthusiasm and expertise of our branch managers that so many people are celebrating such impressive terms. ‘It’s a year to be proud of for Close Brothers Motor Finance as we celebrate our 30th birthday, and it’s fantastic to be able to recognise the incredible longevity of some of our team as part of those celebrations.’

MANN Island Finance’s long-term head of sales John Hughes has been appointed as managing director of the business. He replaces Jo Jenner, who has moved to become investment director at parent company Investec. Having been part of the team that sold the business to Investec in 2014, Hughes said he was delighted to be taking the lead in building on the significant investment and work undertaken under Investec’s ownership. ‘The last three years have seen a transformation at Mann Island,’ he said. ‘Our dealer-driven ‘‘can-do’’ culture is now seeing the results of significant investment and a smart step to combine our brokerage heritage with our own lending capabilities. ‘It is a great time to be given the opportunity to lead the business, with a significant pipeline of technological innovation ahead. We are very well positioned to provide the type of smarter and deeper level of support that dealers are looking for.’

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Time is money BEN GARSIDE

A monthly look at the world of automotive finance and marketing

So much change in 13 years – and it’s all been for the better

remember the day that I joined First Response Finance back in 2005. It was a chilly January morning walking into the offices at the old Siemens complex in Beeston, Nottingham. Those offices have since been demolished and the company was a far cry from the First Response of today. Back in 2005, the Nottingham base had two small offices in what can only be described as a rabbit warren. It had lots of long corridors and many other companies had rooms dotted along these corridors. As a company, we also had a very basic website that was split into two sections: First Response and Brakefree (a motorbike finance spin-off we decommissioned a while back). There was an area where dealers could log in, send us applications and see if their applications were live, active or had been turned down (the data was always from the previous day). Fast-forward to today and we’ve made some significant changes, all for the better. We now have three purpose-built office buildings in Nottingham and we’re just about to renovate them to bring us in line with our Glasgow and Leigh offices, which have recently been updated. However, even before the upcoming renovations, the offices are far superior to the past and have helped us become what we are today. But that’s not all that has changed for the better. As all our dealers will now know, our online tech has been on the protein shakes recently and grown significantly! Following a complete website redesign in 2014, our development team started to develop our internal systems, making them as quick as we could for dealers and consumers. During this time, my team focused on building content and

growing the online business channel as a whole. In 2017, the development switched from our internal systems to our dealer portal and our consumers’ journey. This was a significant switch that opened the door for an amazing journey. As stated previously, the original dealer portal was just an application form and now, a few years on, this has become a hub for our dealers to utilise. The majority of our dealer partners are now proposing applications through this channel, so we’re obviously spending more time and effort on enhancements and our infrastructure than ever before. As a dealer you can now input your application, get an instant decision and a credit limit. You can then upload any documentation or proofs directly from the camera on your phone or your PC. If you don’t have the customer’s proofs you don’t need to worry, as the customer can upload from their own phone via their own secure customer portal. The customer can then input their own income and expenditure, choose their payment terms and set up their direct debit date – oh, and finally they can e-sign. As a dealer, you just need to send your signed copy of the legal agreement – again, which you can do from our portal – and voilà! You have completed another deal and the money is in your bank account within 15 minutes. As we are a non-prime lender, most wouldn’t expect the services that we offer, and we are always looking to provide what can only be described as a prime service in a non-prime market.

‘As all our dealers will now know, our online tech has been on the protein shakes recently.’

Ben Garside is marketing manager for First Response. Call him on 07817 518739 or email ben.garside@frfl.co.uk

Turn over the page for more finance stories

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Dealfinder.

Finance. YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO . . . CONVERTIBLES

Porsche 718 Boxster

Audi TTS Roadster OUR first pick is the Audi TTS Roadster – a car that provides 95 per cent of the thrills of its RS sibling for thousands of pounds less. The TTS uses a 2.0-litre FSI petrol engine producing 306bhp and allowing for an impressive 0-60mph figure of 4.4 seconds. It also comes with Audi’s fantastically built interior, too. The German manufacturer is currently offering a £4,500 deposit contribution for the TTS. The customer then pays an £8,000 deposit before making 35 monthly payments of £406.74. By the end of the three-year contract, the customer will have paid £22,235.90. If they then wish to buy their TTS, they can make the optional final payment of £21,251.50, as well as a £10 optionto-purchase fee. This brings the overall amount payable by the customer to £43,497.40 – just a couple of hundred pounds more than if bought with cash.

THE Porsche Boxster is one of the best convertibles to drive around and is highly regarded by enthusiasts. While you have the option of the more powerful Boxster S, the standard model’s 296bhp should be energetic enough for summer drives – and summer will arrive, rest assured! Porsche doesn’t tend to do offers on the Boxster, so doesn’t offer deposit contributions or attractive finance deals like other manufacturers do. The Boxster requires a customer deposit of £9,900, followed by 35 monthly payments of £459.02. Once the three years are up, the customer will have paid £25,965.70. They can then choose whether or not to pay the optional final payment of £24,995.45 to keep their Boxster. Along with the £10 option-to-purchase fee, this brings the overall amount payable to £50,971.15 – quite a lot more than the £44,758 cash price.

NEXTGEAR CAPITAL

Latest StockMaster is rolled out across UK – and more is to come N extGear Capital says it successfully released the latest version of its StockMaster platform to more than 1,300 independent and franchised dealers in the UK in February, with dealers in the Republic of Ireland to follow in the coming months. The new features mean dealers can now load trade-sourced and part-exchange vehicles directly on to StockMaster, see their available balance and stocking limit, search for existing vehicles on their plan and settle vehicles. In addition, it is all now in the palm of a dealer’s hand and can be accessed from any device anywhere – a first for the industry. Liam Quegan, pictured, managing director of NextGear Capital, which provides stocking plans

by JOHN BOWMAN john@blackballmedia.co.uk

and is part of Cox Automotive, said: ‘We’re focused on simplifying stocking plan management for dealers. They are busy people who are always on the go, so they need tools that provide a seamless experience, real-time information and accessibility from any device. ‘The new functionality in StockMaster makes this a reality. We’ve made it easier to manage stock than ever before and we’re proud to be the first to offer these features to dealers. It will undoubtedly change the way stock management is performed by dealerships.’ He added that the upgrade was driven by dealer

Car Dealer Advert Horizontal 1.pdf 1 01/03/2017 13:36:04

CMY

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demand for a tool that would reduce time spent on admin, offer real-time status updates and be simple to use. Rachel Smiles, managing director at Fleet Sales (Leicester) Limited, said: ‘The enhanced functionality has increased efficiency within our dealership, with loading and settling vehicles being so simple.’ Quegan said: ‘It doesn’t stop here. We thrive on innovation and are ambitious for Stockmaster. ‘We have plans to continually develop the platform to ensure it keeps pace with dealer expectations and developments in technology.’

Car Dealer Advert Column.pdf 3 04/01/2017 10:42:23

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 GT Convertible WHILE the Porsche and Audi are refined and luxurious convertibles, the Mustang is in an entirely different category. It is crude and unrefined but comes with the most incredible and raw 5.0-litre V8 engine. But while it might not be the fastest of cars, it’s firmly an American muscle car in every respect. Ford is currently offering zero per cent finance on the Mustang, making it cheaper than the other two cars here. A customer deposit of £9,000 is required and then 36 monthly payments of £363.33. By the end of the agreement, the customer will have handed over £22,079.88. They then have the option to buy the car. If they choose to do that, they must make a final payment of £19,515. This brings the total amount payable to £41,594.88. And because of Ford’s attractive finance deal, it means customers will have paid exactly the same price on finance as they would have with cash.

TOP ROLE

MANAGER

New chairman at Oodle is hailed as bringing ‘indispensable guidance’

Ian to lead technical support team at growing iVendi

OODLE Car Finance has made Roger Lovering its new chairman. The consumer finance guru has more than 25 years’ experience of managing consumer finance as a director of HSBC, Santander and HFC. Lovering said: ‘I’m really excited to join Oodle Car Finance. They have a great team with a strong entrepreneurial approach. ‘I am looking forward to working with them to create a genuine new type of finance company in the automotive sector.’ Jonny Clayton, chief executive of Oodle Car Finance, said: ‘Roger brings incredible experience and insight to our team. ‘His lessons and industry stories constitute an invaluable resource as we continue to grow and meet the challenge we set ourselves of being a finance company embracing technology to drive fundamental improvements to customers’ experiences. ‘In an increasingly complex regulatory world, Roger will provide indispensable focus and guidance.’

A NEW technical support team has been created at iVendi with the appointment of a departmental manager and six other personnel. Ian Jones has been named as technical support manager and will be responsible for ensuring an outstanding level of service and support to clients. The new team consists of a mix of existing staff within iVendi and four new hires. Chief operating officer Richard Tavernor said: ‘As a business, we are growing at a pace, and being able to provide an outstanding level of support to our customers is essential to our success in a highly competitive market. ‘The new tech support team will be available to help dealers, manufacturers, finance providers and others to ensure that any questions and issues that arise are dealt with in a fast, effective and professional manner.’

CMY

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 69

Forecourt. FIRST DRIVE

Mercedes-Benz CLS

Design

The CLS exhibits Mercedes’ latest exterior design and is similar to that found on the upcoming A-Class replacement.

Jack Evans travels to snowy Spain (yes, really!) to test a stylish saloon that will suit buyers after something a little different

THE KNOWLEDGE Model as tested: Mercedes-Benz CLS 350d Price: £57,510 Engine: Six-cylinder diesel Power: 282bhp Torque: 600Nm Max speed: 155mph 0-60mph: 5.5 seconds MPG: 48.7 Emissions (g/km): 156 TARGET BUYERS: Those who want something a little different from the norm. THE RIVALS: BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, Audi A7.

Lights

These ‘multi beam’ headlights produce the maximum amount of light permitted by law.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Stylish look. 2. High-tech interior. 3. Good standard equipment. DEAL CLINCHER: The Mercedes CLS is the ideal car for those who want saloon spaciousness with coupe looks.

What is it? This is the latest incarnation of the Mercedes CLS – the German manufacturer’s swooping, elegant saloon with coupe styling. The original CLS broke the mould in terms of what a saloon could look like and, while the second generation failed to set hearts aflutter, this latest model looks to take on a little inspiration from the car that started it all. Fitted with Mercedes’ latest range of engines as well as a much-praised interior already seen in the E-Class, it’s for people who want to stand out and who don’t fancy a ‘conventional’ saloon.

What’s new? There’s quite a lot going on here, actually. The exterior of the car uses Mercedes’ latest design language, and it’s easy to see the similarities in looks between this and the upcoming A-Class hatchback. However, the biggest changes are going on underneath the skin. A range of new 70 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

engines has been selected for the CLS, giving buyers better performance – and importantly, more efficiency – than ever.

What’s under the bonnet? Our test car was the 350d model, which will undoubtedly be one of the most popular. Its engine produces 282bhp and 600Nm, which allow it to hit 60mph in just 5.5 seconds before reaching an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Despite this decent performance, Mercedes claims that the CLS will return 48.7mpg on the combined cycle, while emitting 156g/km CO2. This car also uses 4MATIC technology, meaning drive is sent through a nine-speed gearbox to all four wheels, providing better traction in slippery conditions. If you’re after a little more punch,

there’s a more powerful 400d version, which produces over 330bhp and an impressive 700Nm of torque, despite returning similar economy figures to the less potent 350d we’re driving here.

What’s it like to drive? Our Barcelona test route was unseasonably covered in snow, so Mercedes opted to put all cars on winter tyres and 18-inch alloy wheels. As you’d expect, this does change the way the car rides – all vehicles ride on 19-inch wheels as standard, after all. So, the ride was just a touch softer than you’d expect. However, it was still clear that the CLS has solid steering, if lacking in feedback, and the engine is punchy enough from low speeds and refined at higher ones – we did get to drive on a cleared stretch of motorway for a while.

‘We have a variety of new trim parts, with the ash finish unique to the CLS.’

Interview Holger Kraiss, development department, Mercedes CLS Are there any aspects of the interior that are specific to this car? We do have some similar parts from the E-Class, but there are some touches that are new. The illumination of the air vents, for example, is new to the CLS – they change colour according to the temperature. We also have a variety of new trim parts too, with the ash finish unique to the CLS. The seats have also been restyled and, of course, we have this new five-seat configuration. Was it good to be able to style the car around a five-seat configuration rather than a four-seat one in the previous car? Yes, it meant we had more space to use. Also, because we used a lightweight design for the driver’s seat, we were able to increase the amount of room for the passenger sitting behind.

Wheels

All cars get 19inch alloy wheels included as standard.

How does it look? The new CLS certainly moves things forward from the previous edition, and if you look at the images of the next A-Class it’s easy to see where the CLS gets a lot of its looks from. The headlights are flatter than before, giving it a more aggressive front end, while the long, rakish roofline famed from the original remains. It’s instantly recognisable as a Mercedes, however, but perhaps lacks the drama of design that we’ve seen on models such as the E-Class Coupe.

What’s it like inside? The interior of the CLS takes a lot of design cues from the current E-Class and S-Class models. The steering wheel, for instance, is straight from the flagship S-Class – buttons for the cruise control are now found here, rather than on a stalk mounted to the steering column, Also, the CLS now comes with space for five rather than four

people. Everything feels exceptionally well made, and the wood trim that the finishers used on the dashboard help lift the cabin, too. The central plastic cubby remains a little less high quality; this is something we’ve noticed on other Mercedes models.

What’s the spec like? Here in the UK, buyers will only be able to choose AMG-Line specification vehicles, featuring a more dynamic exterior look. For a base price of £57,510, you’d hope there’d be plenty of kit – and the CLS delivers. A full leather interior comes as standard, as do 19-inch alloy wheels, a reversing camera and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. This final feature makes the biggest difference – we’ve already praised it in the E-Class Coupe, and having it fitted as standard is a real bonus. It transforms the look of the cabin and helps to make it feel particularly upmarket. A full DAB

Can you tell me about the digital car key? Yes, this is all new. We have a solution that is included in certified Android mobile phones, and the key is directly located in these smartphones. However, if your smartphone doesn’t support near field communications [NFC] technology, then we have a digital car key sticker which you can buy from a Mercedes dealer or order online. All you do is attach this to the back of your phone. Then, you just need to tap your phone against the door and it will lock and unlock the vehicle. Once inside, all you need to do is place the phone on the wireless charging pad in the centre console and the smartphone key will start the vehicle.

digital radio system is fitted too, although our test car featured an uprated Burmester stereo – part of the £3,895 Premium Plus package.

What do the press think? Top Gear said: ‘The original four-door coupe is back after what seems like an eternity. And blessed relief – it’s very good.’ Car said: ‘The CLS is an epically comfortable, appropriately wafty four-door coupe that’s loaded with interesting tech, a visually arresting interior and luxurious equipment levels.’

What do we think? The CLS certainly makes for an attractive option compared with other, more run-of-the-mill saloons. It looks different, feels special inside and comes with an impressive amount of standard equipment. A fine range of engines means there’s something for everyone. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 71

Forecourt. THE KNOWLEDGE Model (as tested): Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross First Edition 4WD Auto Price: £29,750 Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol Power: 161bhp Torque: 250Nm Max speed: 124mph 0-60mph: 9.6 seconds MPG: 40.4 Emissions (g/km): 159 TARGET BUYERS: People bored of the crossover norm.

FIRST DRIVE

THE RIVALS: Seat Ateca, Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai.

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Eye-catching looks. 2. Loaded with equipment. 3. Five-year warranty.

Tom Wiltshire gets behind the wheel of the latest offering from Mitsubishi, which delivers generous equipment levels, a powerful engine and a bargain price tag What is it? Mitsubishi is, first and foremost, a four-wheel drive brand. Its product portfolio reflects this, with the Mirage city car a lone standout among the ASX, Outlander and Shogun SUVs, plus the rugged L200 pick-up. There’s also a Shogun Sport coming later this year. But the brand’s carved out some more space for yet another off-roader – the Eclipse Cross. The Eclipse mixes bold styling with a practical interior and throws a hefty dose of value into the mix.

What’s new? Bearing no relation to the Eclipse Coupe from the early 2000s, the Eclipse Cross sits on the same platform as the Outlander, but it’s been altered so much Mitsubishi says they share very few components. It debuts the brand’s latest design language, with a bold face, chiselled flanks and an interesting tiered rear, while under the skin sits an all-new engine and gearbox combo. It’s the first Mitsubishi to be penned wholly by the company’s current design boss, who was appointed in 2014. It’s also the first to be launched since the brand was absorbed into the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

What’s under the bonnet? Though Mitsubishi says hybrid models are on the way (and a diesel, if public demand for the fuel stops dropping), for now, the choice is simple. There’s just one 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine on offer. It produces 161bhp and has lots of low-down grunt, but real-world fuel economy in the mid-30s and a hefty CO2 figure of 159g/km 72 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

DEAL CLINCHER: Petrol, auto, 4WD for a much lower price tag than rivals.

mean you pay for the performance. With just one engine, you only need to choose your gearbox – six-speed manual or CVT automatic. Which you prefer will depend on your driving style – the CVT improves performance and isn’t a bad example of the breed. However, it’s no match for a ‘traditional’ automatic. It keeps the revs too high for our liking, while the manual ’box allows you to surf the engine’s low-end torque for smoother progress.

materials – from the textured glovebox lid to the hollow silver trim around the centre console. There’s good legroom for rear passengers, however, and the bench seat slides and reclines to balance people with luggage. The boot is a decent size too, with only slightly tight headroom spoiling the rear half of the cabin. Children might find it difficult to get a good view out of those narrow windows, though.

What’s it like to drive?

The Eclipse Cross comes loaded with equipment for the money. Entry-level ‘2’ cars have an infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, DAB radio, cruise and climate control, and a rear-view camera – features you’d have to pay extra for on similarly-priced rivals. ‘3’ trim builds on this with 18-inch alloy wheels, a head-up display, heated front seats, and keyless go, while top-spec ‘4’ models gain leather seats, a panoramic roof, LED headlamps and a suite of safety kit including all-round cameras, adaptive cruise control and lane-change assist. The Eclipse Cross is very reasonably priced compared to the competition, considering the powerful engine and ample equipment. Even a fully-loaded 4WD automatic model is priced at well under £30,000.

Mitsubishi’s concentrated on making the Eclipse Cross a dynamic car to drive, and to an extent it’s succeeded. It’s certainly more exciting to hustle down a back road than any of the manufacturer’s current model line-up, but it’s not as competent as a Seat Ateca – or as comfy as a Nissan Qashqai.

How does it look? The split rear window is definitely the most striking element of the Eclipse Cross’s design, and gives the car a bold taillight graphic at night. Elsewhere, chiselled flanks sit above the black plastic wheel arch cladding so beloved by crossover designers. Round the front, the latest development of Mitsubishi’s family face suits the car well – it looks modern and rugged without becoming a caricature of an SUV.

What’s it like inside? Mitsubishi says this is its best interior yet, drawing attention to the stacked layout and softtouch plastics atop the dash. Look a little closer, though, and you might notice some cheaper

What’s the spec like?

What do we think? It’s hard to argue with the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross’s generous equipment levels, powerful engine and bargain price tag. If you’re becoming weary of best-sellers such as the Nissan Qashqai, it might not be a bad choice.

Beyond finance “I’m more like a consultant, taking time to understand the dealership so that we can add real value to their business.” Watch Aimee's video to see how: blackhorse.co.uk/beyondfinance

Aimee Winder Account Manager North East Region

A better way of doing business CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

Forecourt. FIRST DRIVE

BMW X2

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: BMW X2 xDrive20d Price: £33,980 Engine: 2.0-litre diesel Power: 187bhp Torque: 400Nm Max speed: 137mph 0-60mph: 7.5 seconds MPG: 61.4 Emissions (g/km): 121 TARGET BUYERS: Young and young-at-heart drivers who want a crossover with badge appeal. THE RIVALS: Jaguar E-Pace, Range Rover Evoque, Mercedes-Benz GLA. KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Looks great. 2. High-quality interior. 3. Refined and relaxing to drive.

Darren Cassey finds BMW’s ‘hot hatch’ doesn’t quite send the metaphorical mercury sky-high, but there’s still plenty here that should get rivals worried What is it?

What’s it like to drive?

The X2 is a new model in the BMW range as the German firm continues its pursuit to fill every possible niche in the car market. It’s a small SUV with a coupe-like body shape, packaged in something that looks a bit like a hot hatch. Consider that niche filled... ‘Hot hatch’ is how a BMW representative described the way the X2 drives, but it’s about as hot as the lemon and herb sauce at Nando’s.

Safe, predictable and capable is the simple way to describe the X2’s driving experience. Any hint of sportiness the looks provide is quickly banished when you put your foot down. The engine does enough to not feel asthmatic but there’s nothing exhilarating about pinning the throttle. Things improve marginally in corners, with an eager turn in and lack of body roll in the bends making B-road blasts in the X2 pretty satisfying, but not particularly fun. The ride is superb, absorbing bumps and settling quickly.

What’s new? It’s based on the chassis of the X1, BMW’s crossover with slightly less sporty looks, although the firm says the chassis has been tweaked to make the car more fun to drive. The main changes are to the exterior styling, while purists will be sad to see another frontwheel-drive BMW entering the ranks.

What’s under the bonnet? At launch, there’s just the one engine option – xDrive20d. That means you get all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic transmission and a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine. Performance is adequate if not electrifying at 187bhp and 400Nm of torque – there’s less punch than that second figure implies, though. The engine is quiet and refined, has enough performance to pull off overtakes when needed and returns low running costs. Three more configurations will be available later in 2018, all with the same diesel engine, bringing a manual transmission, lower power output and front-wheel drive to the line-up. 74 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

How does it look? The first thing that strikes you upon first seeing the X2 is just how small it is. In pictures, it looks like a compact SUV, but in the metal it looks more like a large hatchback. It’s handsome, too, particularly from the front, wearing the new upside-down kidney grille design and chunky bumpers well. The rear is a bit more of a struggle, but a particularly nice touch is the C-pillar-mounted BMW logo, which is a well-judged nod to models gone by – to our eyes, at least.

What’s it like inside? It’s decently spacious. Front passengers could be forgiven for thinking they’re in a mid-sized SUV, while rear passengers get good legroom and only a small compromise on head space thanks to the slightly sloping coupe-esque roofline. We tested a high-spec M Sport model with optional full leather upholstery and it was typically BMW – high quality and well put

DEAL CLINCHER: Nice to drive and it looks good too.

together. As many rivals move away from dashboards full of buttons, the X2 is refreshingly slow to follow, but while this is a boon for usability, it does already feel rather dated inside.

What’s the spec like? Standard equipment appears pretty generous, with some basic safety assistance systems, smart 17-inch alloy wheels and BMW ConnectedDrive, which includes sat nav, real-time traffic updates, a concierge service and various other services. For this, prices start at £33,980. Our M Sport model was well-equipped at a £3,550 premium. For the money, you get 19-inch alloy wheels, leather and Alcantara upholstery, LED lights all around and a sportier body kit.

What do the press say? Autocar said the X2’s major positive was its overall calmness, while Top Gear said: ‘It’s refined and as good to drive as any SUV.’

What do we think? The BMW X2 is, in so many ways, an utterly predictable car. Despite being a totally new model, it carries all of the characteristics we’ve come to know and appreciate from modern BMWs – an unflustered ride and safe, if uninspiring, handling. It’s easy to become jaded by the constant influx of crossovers and newly created niche markets, but the X2 stands out for being genuinely worthy of your attention. It looks good, has a Tardis-like cabin and is decent to drive. The Jaguar E-Pace should be very concerned.

Smarter Stocking. Buy the stock you want from the source you choose with a NextGear Capital Stocking Plan. Whether from auction, trade or a part exchange, we will fund 100% of the vehicle value plus auction and delivery fees*. It’s all about freeing up the cash you need to help transform your sales and maximise your proﬁt. To stock up the smart way visit nextgearcapital.co.uk

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*100% of hammer price plus auction and delivery fees (auction purchases), or lower of CAP clean/invoice price (trade vehicles), + VAT funded on LCVs and qualifying vehicles up to the value of £45,000. NextGear Capital UK Limited, NextGear House, Kingsﬁeld Court, Chester Business Park, Chester, CH4 9RE. Registered in England and Wales number 08696123. Stocking Plan is subject to status, terms and conditions.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

Feature.

Tour de Corsica

The island of Corsica is home to some stunning scenery but also a variety of impressive roads. Jack Evans experiences both in Jaguar’s latest E-Pace SUV

ourists flock to the picturesque Mediterranean island of Corsica each year – and little wonder with its mountains, sandy beaches and vast forests. However, it’s also home to some hugely exciting roads. In fact, back in 1956 the first of many rallies was held there. Called the Tour de Corse, it initially took in the entire island, but now it only uses the roads around the main city of Ajaccio. Thanks to the sheer number of twists and turns in the asphalt, though, it soon became known as the ‘Ten Thousand Turns Rally’. We headed to the island to test Jaguar’s new E-Pace – the British manufacturer’s latest compact SUV that sits underneath the hugely popular F-Pace – and landing at Figari-Sud Corse Airport we were met with a mercifully dry and sunny day. Thanks to the island’s mountainous layout, the weather in Corsica – particularly during the winter months – can be extremely changeable. We’d been lucky, though, and avoided much of the rain that had beaten the island two nights previously. Our first route took us in a loop northward 7676 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | CarDealerMag.co.uk

before backtracking round and heading to Domaine de Murtoli – a selection of former shepherds’ huts that have been transformed into villas for visitors in the summer. After a quick lunch here, we carried on with the route. It’s during this section where it starts to get truly staggering. With the mountains rising higher and higher, the Corsican landscape looks more like Colorado than anywhere else. We stopped off as soon as we noticed a river flowing to the side of the road and clambered down some boulders to look at possibly the clearest water we’ve ever seen. A diving platform carved into the rockside denotes it as a popular swimming spot – though with the temperature at around 10 degrees, taking a dip was the last thing on our minds. Visibility was excellent, and we could see right to the top of the mountain ranges framing either side of the narrow strip of tarmac we were following through the valley. It’s a staggeringly impressive area, with high rock formations piercing the sky and blending seamlessly with vast forested sections. Clambering back in the Jag, we set

Dealer view ‘An interesting alternative to the competition’ THE E-Pace has been wowing dealers and customers alike since its arrival. Alex Merricks, franchise director for Inchcape Jaguar Land Rover, said: ‘We have had great customer feedback on E-Pace’s exterior and interior styling, ride, handling and performance. The E-Pace is delivering a major boost for sales, as it offers a really interesting alternative to the competition.’ Thomas Grubb, head of business at Harwoods Chichester, said: ‘The car has been received exceptionally well, opening up a new market share for the Jaguar brand. Following on from the success of the F-Pace, the E-Pace offers unique Jaguar F-Type sporty styling with the practicality of a spacious small SUV. ‘Although this is a fresh model for Jaguar, it holds true to Jaguar’s driving heritage in all areas of its performance.’ Grubb said customers had been impressed with the car’s sharp and dynamic handling and good levels of technology and visibility.

‘With the temperature at around 10 degrees, taking a dip was the last thing on our minds.’ CarDealerMag.co.uk | 77

Feature.

‘We quickly found ourselves on what you could imagine as an ideal mountain rally stage.’ off once more. It’s a nimble thing the E-Pace and, despite its relatively high ride height, drives keenly enough to deal with the Corsican corners being hurried towards it. The P300 model we were testing, fitted with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine pushing out 295bhp and 400Nm of torque, felt peppy enough to keep a good pace through the twisties – and had more than enough punch for the straights, occasional as they were. The E-Pace makes use of a lot of aluminium in its structure, and this – among other things – keeps it light. That, in turn, makes it sharper to drive, which is something at the very heart of Jaguar cars. We’ve heard countless times that the British manufacturer wants to ensure that its cars are still able to offer a relatively sporty drive, and though never able to match a sports car or hot hatch in terms of dynamics, the E-Pace does remarkably well to remain entertaining. As we climb higher, that clarity of vision slips away and we end up driving straight into the cloud perched at the top of the mountains. Very quickly, though, the weather goes south, with wind and rain battering the cliffside and sending debris scattering across the road. It was a stark contrast to the sun that we’d experienced lower down, but the E-Pace remained sure-footed despite the tricky conditions. Heading towards Auberge A Pignata – a hilltop coffee stop – the route became more winding and complex, testing the E-Pace’s dynamics and pushing its ability to deal with tighter corners at speed. Thankfully, its drive – though not quite as entertaining as the larger F-Pace’s – allows you to have plenty of fun in the bends. After a quick coffee, our route took us towards our final destination – Hotel Casadelmar, just over the water from Porto-Vecchio. This involved going through a deeply wooded section – so heavily populated with tall trees that it cast the road into near-darkness – and we quickly found ourselves on what you could imagine as an ideal mountain rally stage. The bends quickly opened up, and though the light was fading, we still had a good opportunity to do some actual driving – rather than battling through high winds and rain. With light dappling through the trees, you could just imagine classic rally cars battling for 78 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The winding and complex roads tested the E-Pace’s dynamics and pushed its ability to the limit

Dealer view Richard Morgan, head of business, Harwoods of Basingstoke:

time through the corners, exhausts echoing through the trees like we only wished our 2.0-litre petrol would do. The E-Pace isn’t what you’d call vocal at speed. However, you can see why a rally stage is hosted on the island. The narrow twists and turns make it challenging to drive indeed, and you can see why the Tour de Corse earned its ‘Ten Thousand Turns Rally’ name. Though the road may have been better suited to Jaguar’s two-seater F-Type sports car, the E-Pace made it enjoyable enough. Sharp corners were met with sweeping bends and the roads were – thankfully – quiet, enabling us to really see what the E-Pace could do. As the roads straightened out and we descended towards the hotel, we could understand why the Tour de Corse got its nickname. If there’s one thing Corsica isn’t short of, it’s bends – making it the ideal motoring destination and not just one for sun worshippers in the summertime. [CD]

‘THE launch of the E-Pace was one of huge anticipation, and upon arrival at Harwoods the new SUV certainly didn’t disappoint. ‘Jaguar are clearly in tune with the changing new car market and have produced an intuitive, agile and responsive SUV which is a cut above the rest. ‘When you first set eyes on the E-Pace, you cannot mistake its Jaguar pedigree. Its muscular stance coupled with a driverfocused interior and sporty driving position make the whole E-Pace experience second to none. ‘For Harwoods, the E-Pace has and continues to be one of the fastest-selling new models, encouragingly to a diverse customer base including high-mileage business and fleet users plus couples and families. Customer feedback is really positive as they are feeling the benefit of the Jaguar DNA. ‘It’s a fantastic-looking premium-brand SUV with a sure-footed driving experience without compromise. ‘Harwoods’ extended test drives have proved to be very popular with customers, allowing them to really get to feel and fall in love with this incredible new Jaguar.’

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Advertising Feature

SELL CARS FASTER.

This year’s top tech Dealer solutions from Modix to transform your dealership The evolving retail sales landscape is shifting the consumer buying process deeper into the digital age, so much so that Google’s Gearshift 2017 report states that a staggering 51% of new car buyers started their research online – is your dealership ready to cope with this figure that’s expected to increase in 2018? Consumers want their buying journey to be simple – information has to be at their fingertips otherwise they’ll look elsewhere, and that’s where cutting-edge tech comes in. Innovative advancements aren’t just needed by consumers though – dealerships also need them to become more competitive throughout their operation.

This is no exception within the automotive industry – over time we’ve seen an increase in the role that imagery plays in the consumer’s decision to buy, with 63%^ stating that images are more important than a description. Supporting this shift in preference is the increase in mobile technology; consumers will now use their handheld devices to find the answers they require. Around 84%+ of consumers are using their mobiles to carry out research during their car-buying journey,

At Modix, we’re here to help. As the number one market leader in automotive digital marketing, Modix offers a wide range of solutions that support key steps towards buying a vehicle, from the acquisition of new customers to engaging websites with immersive imagery solutions that drive sales. Modix AdBox supports the initial search stage of a customer’s journey ensuring your stock is advertised via Google when a customer is searching for their next car, generating leads that are delivered directly to your website and offering a more efficient way to advertise. It doesn’t end there – once on your website, customers want as much information as they can find about the vehicle they are interested in. Modix Imagery Solutions allow them to get closer to your vehicle than ever before with innovative Modix 360° imagery to professional photography services that present customers with the best possible view of a vehicle. Our latest Modix 360° imagery solution has been proven to increase intent to buy by up to 42%* and time spend on vehicle detail pages by up to 56%*. No matter what you’re looking to purchase, the ability to view it in as much detail as possible is crucial.

We’ve always believed that buying, selling and owning cars should be easier and more profitable for everyone

with 45%† of these completing this process in under three weeks. At Modix, we provide specialist automotive websites and used vehicle locators that are optimised for the highest search engine rankings, with responsive design

and technology really bringing your brand to life. This means a better experience, more customers and improved return on investment. Digital retailing is a reality. Modix Websites focus on the consumer experience, providing an easy-to-use, fully customisable dealer website solution that’s scalable and integrated with your systems. Our solution delivers a platform where consumers can obtain information, view engaging content, find tools and where they will be encouraged to take action and ask a question, or book a test drive. Sometimes, attracting a customer isn’t just about finding them on Google, it’s about the quirky and inventive ways of making your dealership stand out. In the past we’ve seen items such as car vending machines or pop-up shops catch our attention, but with the continued increase in technology throughout our everyday lives, the possibilities are endless when it comes to the next show-stopping automotive innovation. KPMG’s recent Global Automotive Executive Survey shows 83% of people anticipate a major business model disruption over the next five years – and we couldn’t agree more! From the Google Auto Drive to Decide – Gearshift 2017 report, there are four key statistics we want to highlight, which will be able to influence the way in which your dealership markets: z

75% of smartphone users researched their next vehicle on their smartphone

72% of people watch online videos to support their decision

95% of purchases still happen at the dealership.

In conclusion, your digital activity is essential to drive consumers to your physical dealership where you can close the sale.

*GardX and SpinCar. ^MDG Advertising. +Weve Primary Automotive Research 2017. †Weve Primary Automotive Research 2017.

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Advertising Feature

AdBox

Efficient cost-per-click

using your existing paid search budget

Increase website traffic with our automotive specific paid search solution.

42%* increase

Drives high-quality,

in customer intent to buy

relevant traffic to your own website The easiest way to take high-quality 360Â° images and video.

56%

Dynamic,

localised Google ads based on your live inventory

increase

in time spent on vehicle detail pages

Reporting tools including lead tracking and performance analytics.

Easy-to-use, fully optimised dealer websites that put you in complete control of your brand and digital forecourt to help you sell more cars faster.

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Focus on. Top tech

Helping you to sell more parts OEC

W: oeconnection.com T: 01245 236600

wo heads are better than one, or so the saying goes, which is part of the reason why OEC’s purchase of Clifford Thames will be of huge benefit to your dealership. Clifford Thames has been in the automotive business since the 1960s, focusing on data creation and management for OEM customers. OEC was set up in 2000 to help OEMs and their dealer networks sell more OE parts and regain parts market share. OEC has purchased Clifford Thames, which will now be called OEC. While each separate entity had an impressive industry footprint and was considered the expert in its respective geographies and market segments, they will perform better together as the product portfolios and market presence are complementary across both businesses. OEC recognised that if it was to continue to outshine the competition, it had to invest in additional products and services to lead the way. The new OEC now boasts a global footprint, with solutions and services that cover every parts market segment, and an unrivalled customer list of global OEMs that use OEC solutions millions of times every month. Dealers will benefit from the single global OEC in several ways. OEC is an expert in helping dealers and their wholesale customers sell more OE parts. Adding in the OEC experts from Europe completes the circle. Now OEC can not only help its customers via supply chain and e-commerce solutions, field services and pricing solutions, and by providing market-leading data creation, electronic parts catalogues and service-focused and extensive fleet solutions, but can also use OEC solutions from end-to-end to sell more OE parts. Its business intelligence provides extensive in-depth information on what parts are sold when and where so customers can plan better for the future. OEC’s products and solutions are focused on the needs of dealerships. They’re fully endorsed and backed by manufacturers and link in to most dealership systems, using genuine manufacturer data to ensure accurate and fast look-ups of information. This means that no time

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The new OEC now boasts a global footprint, with solutions and services that cover every parts market segment.

is wasted on ordering incorrect parts, so customer satisfaction is greatly increased. Subject matter expertise in each area is OEC’s USP and allows the company to have an edge over its competitors. No rival covers every segment like OEC does. Alongside these core offerings, OEC also provides an integrated approach to workshop automation, taking customers through a complete journey from initial online booking right through to leaving the dealership as a satisfied customer, which increases dealership brand loyalty and customer retention. One of OEC’s products is the Electronic Parts Catalogue (EPC). The EPC has been developed by leading experts in technical parts authoring, and has been optimised for accuracy and ease-of-use. It can be configured for use as a simple partsfinding tool or a fully-integrated service solution, using OEC’s experience in aftersales to deliver the right part at the right time.

Enabling the initiation of the supply chain process, EPC provides: • Enhanced filtering capability • Original OEM-sourced data • Simple search functionality • VIN filtering • Catalogue illustration navigation • DMS integration • Global accessibility and multiple language capabilities • Cost efficiency, speed and accuracy EPC is flexible in allowing multiple user groups to access it, such as OEMs, authorised repairers and independents and is available globally. With increasing demand for parts to service, maintain, repair and customise vehicles, the OEC EPC provides a consistent best-in-class performance. Another of OEC’s leading products is Menu Pricing. This secure system delivers accurate parts prices in less than 10 seconds and can provide a

and retain customers OEC’s products and solutions are focused on the needs of dealerships.

full job quote in under a minute. It’s currently being used by more than 10,000 retailers and has been proven to enhance customer satisfaction ratings and improve retention. Menu Pricing is both web-based and DMSintegrated, and lets users tell customers exactly how much a job will cost and what will be included. This saves time that can be used to upsell and dedicate more time to your customers. The system enhances the customer experience, promotes extra sales and generally streamlines your business. When quoting for a customer, Menu Pricing provides valuable, business-building advantages. This is the currency that buys customer appreciation and loyalty, re-enforcing your reputation for honesty and openness, and creating the perfect environment to sell more. Ease-of-use is a key element of Menu Pricing. There’s only one menu for selection of all

operations, with full vehicle information on display. Content is to manufacturer standards, with parts, labour time and fluid quantities clearly visible. Pricing at the market level delivers national promotions. In addition, job details are printable, eliminating errors in picking the parts and speeding up the repair process. Menu Pricing can be used as a secure, webbased application or can be delivered directly to your own DMS, with no re-keying. It lets manufacturers and markets set campaigns and manage content, pricing and participation. Jobs are regionalised based on market, while miscellaneous items are added for ‘parts-only’ sales. Content is based on manufacturer-supporting

systems and data, so accuracy is optimal and the data sources are trustworthy. The supporting team is fully conversant with the industry, using core manufacturer technical data to create and maintain all necessary repair data in a costefficient and robust manner. Menu Pricing covers all fast-throughput jobs, which is 80 percent of most dealership aftersales business. So, if you want to benefit from the vast experience and expertise of a global company to streamline your dealership’s servicing business, retain customers and make more profit, contact OEC! CarDealerMag.co.uk | 83

Intelligently connecting people to their next vehicle

www.codeweavers.net

84 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

contactus@codeweavers.net

0800 021 0888

Focus on. Top tech

Reacting to shifting trends in consumer behaviour CODEWEAVERS

E: contactus@codeweavers.net

echnology should react to shifting trends in consumer behaviour and be built in a way so that it can be enhanced continuously for the future. When you are selecting a software provider to provide you with a solution, the solution should be innovative and solve a problem. A software provider should have credibility, expertise in the area you require a solution, an innovative approach and an excellent speed of delivery. Codeweavers connects people intelligently to their next vehicle by providing innovative technology to the automotive industry. With over 16 years’ experience in finance technology, Codeweavers helps dealers to sell more cars by providing a comprehensive range of beautifully tailor-made solutions, from finance calculators, lead-generation tools and online car-retailing solutions to powerful quoting and multi-lender systems. We have put together a range of guidance for dealers to think about when selecting a software provider to work with. Multiple processes just get confusing Having multiple processes and systems in a dealership can be time-consuming and confusing. It also means that there is more room for mistakes to happen. Rather than continuing solely to offer its point-of-sale system ‘Showroom’ to dealers, Codeweavers has created a range of APIs that allow any CRM or DMS provider to create their own point-of-sale finance solution using Codeweavers’ finance services. It means that dealers do not have to log in to multiple systems and go through multiple processes, as finance leads and proposals are all held in one system. Long-term contracts a thing of the past Technology should enable dealers to be able to react, adjust and innovate continuously. Software providers should be able to deliver measurable

‘Codeweavers connects people intelligently to their next vehicle by providing innovative technology to the automotive industry.’ results in a short length of time rather than persuading you that a lengthy contract is the answer to get those results. Codeweavers believes short-term contracts support long-term visions. Codeweavers has found that dealers have enjoyed the flexibility of short-term contracts and have been able to switch between Codeweavers’ range of calculators and lead-generation tools to determine what suits their website. Variation is the spice of life When selecting a software solution that is already available, it is important to ensure that the solution can be tailored to your requirements and that there is a range of solutions that can be adapted to best suit the needs of the dealership. Codeweavers provides a range of finance calculators for dealers to pick from. The range of calculators includes functionality that allows car buyers to select lenders they want to work with when personalising a finance quote. The calculators can also include features such as sliders, free text input boxes and alerts when

they select a quote that’s outside the parameters of a particular lender. All of Codeweavers’ calculators can include a dealer’s branding and are continually updated and enhanced to remain at the forefront of the industry. Reacting to your consumer’s behaviour Today, a growing number of people want their car purchasing journey to mirror the way they buy other goods and services. Are you monitoring how your consumers want to search your vehicles and buy through you? Codeweavers has recently launched an eRetail solution providing the ability for car buyers to reserve a vehicle through a dealer’s website and put down a deposit. Even if some of your car buyers aren’t ready for this, you are providing them with the option for when they are. We hope you have found this guidance useful. If you would like any further information about selecting a software provider to work with, Codeweavers will be happy to help. l

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Vehicle Appraisal Our appraisal tool is a quick and simple way to record the condition of any vehicle using photos and notes, including part exchanges. Additional valuation data is also an available feature.

Vehicle Health Checks Your technicians can use the comprehensive VHC tool, including photos and videos, to help create trust with your customers, advise on safety issues and also give you up-selling opportunities.

Dealer Management System of the Year

FREE mobile app Revolutionise the way you buy, sell and service cars with our mobile app, Dragon APPraise. The app is fully integrated with DragonDMS and is included free for all our users. Compatible with Apple and Android devices. No set-up fees required!

Record a Sales Video Create and send personalised sales videos to your prospects and receive alerts once the video has been watched. This is an essential tool to help increase your sales team’s conversion rate.

Add a Car to Stock Add cars straight into your DragonDMS via the app from any location, such as car auctions. This allows sales@dragon2000.co.uk  you to advertise stock as dragon2000.co.uk  soon as possible through 01327point 222 333 asingle of data entry. 86 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Dragon2000 DMS

Websites

 sales@dragon2000.co.uk 

dragon2000.co.uk



01327 222 333

Apps

Focus on. Top tech

APPraise be! Mobile app has host of tools to help you in many ways DRAGON2000

E: sales@dragon2000.co.uk T: 01327 222333

ar buyers are increasingly turning to the internet and the use of mobile technology for researching and making buying decisions. Dealers and garages who embrace this will improve customer engagement, which in turn leads to increased sales. The APPraise mobile app, from dealer management software and website provider Dragon2000, has a suite of tools that are designed to improve customer trust, upsell service work, speed up the sales process and help stock-buying decisions. APPraise features include sales presentation videos and vehicle health check videos, the ability to appraise vehicles with photos, carry out full VHC reports and also add vehicle stock to the dealer management system remotely. Videos are the most effective way that dealers can connect with existing and potential customers. They offer a more personalised experience for customers, while providing sales departments with the opportunity to improve engagement and transparency by accurately displaying a vehicle’s condition. It is the same for workshops where extra work is identified. Sending customers a video demonstrating the work required increases customer trust and means they are more likely to authorise the work, having seen what needs to be done first-hand. The customer receives the APPraise video link by email or text for them to view the video on the dealer’s personalised online landing page. Alerts are sent to the dealer via email and within the DMS once the video has been watched, which is the ideal time to contact the customer and progress the sale, or discuss the service work required, improving sales conversion rates and service revenue. The video capability of Dragon2000’s APPraise app was also highly commended in the most recent Car Dealer Magazine Power Awards, in the Video Provider of the Year category. APPraise’s VHC tool allows workshops to create and perform their own vehicle health checks, seamlessly integrating them into DragonDMS. After the VHC has been completed on a service

The Appraisal feature can help dealers’ stock-buying decisions and part-exchange valuations by recording the condition of a vehicle with descriptions and photos. vehicle, a clear and simple red/amber/green report can be produced in order to highlight any defects found. The technician inspecting the vehicle can attach images and record videos, which can be sent directly from the DragonDMS to the customer to help them decide whether to have the work carried out or deferred to a later date. The Appraisal feature can help dealers’ stockbuying decisions and part-exchange valuations by recording the condition of a vehicle with descriptions and photos. Valuation data is also available within the app for those who subscribe. Workshops can record the condition of courtesy cars and service vehicles at collection and delivery handovers to also help avoid unwanted repair costs. In addition, stock can be added straight into DragonDMS from the app, regardless of location. The app is user-friendly and there are no set-up fees or supplied hardware, as it will work on both Apple and Android devices – APPraise is also included

free to all users with a DragonDMS subscription, which the app fully integrates with. • To find out more about how Dragon2000 can help drive your business, call our team on 01327 222333 or email sales@dragon2000.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 87

THE SCIENCE OF SELLING ONLINE 24/7 AUTOMATED ENQUIRY RESPONSES SIMPLE CONSUMER DEAL STACKING MULTI-LENDER FINANCE QUOTES WITH INSTANT DECISIONS ONLINE RESERVATION PAYMENTS MANAGE YOUR DEALERSHIP WITH ONE SYSTEM

For more information or a free no obligation demo call or email Click Dealer on:

t: 01782 454 354

e: cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk w: www.clickdealer.co.uk

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Focus on. Click Dealer

Don’t miss leads – keep your digital dealership open 24/7! CLICK DEALER

E: cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk T: 01782 454354

magine if Amazon shut its website to shoppers at 6pm every day just like many UK dealerships do. ‘Sorry guys and girls, the working day is now over. Please log on again at 9am sharp, when we’ll be back open for business!’ It’s completely unthinkable that a company would do that today, isn’t it? Amazon would lose out on so much money, it’d be commercial suicide, surely? Consumers expect to be able to surf the internet and buy things 24/7. A culture of immediacy and an ‘I want it now’ attitude has taken over and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. So, then, why do many car dealers still adhere to such rigid business practices when other industries adapted many years ago? The answer, in a word, is ‘inertia’. That is until recently, when a large segment of early adopters from Click Dealer’s client base took a strategic step into the future of automotive retailing by starting to sell vehicles online through ClickEngage. The results, even in a short space of time, are incredibly encouraging for the industry. Click Dealer has seen the efficiency of recording leads for its dealers increase drastically because of the cutting-edge automation available in ClickEngage, as well as helping dealers to easily identify the bestperforming advertising channels through advanced lead source tracking technology. The average wait time before consumers search for another vehicle is just 60 minutes, which means that dealers need to find a way to get back to their leads promptly or risk losing them altogether. With ClickEngage, portal and website inquiries drop straight into the system, meaning no double data entry. These inquiries are then automatically replied to, sending the consumer an SMS or email link so they can build their own deal. With peak dealer website traffic being between 6-9pm in the evening, it’s little wonder that

Click Dealer has increased customer inquiries by 14.7 per cent for dealers signed up to ClickEngage. based on industry averages, 64 per cent of lead inquiries are lost owing to a lack of contact, as well as the fact that a dealer’s average response time to inquiries is a huge six hours. So far with ClickEngage dealers, 34.6 per cent of all inquiries have been processed out of hours. Without this technology, these leads could have been lost. It’s also worth noting that, on average, Click Dealer has increased customer inquiries by 14.7 per cent for dealers signed up to ClickEngage and that’s without the backing of paid channels at present. It’s simple really: if you’re open for business longer, you’re more than likely to increase your inquiries, and if you process leads out of hours,

then the chances are, you’ll improve conversion. Since November 2017, a staggering 100 per cent of online reservation payments made through ClickEngage have resulted in a complete sale. This indicates that consumers are ready and willing to part with their hard-earned cash online to secure their vehicle of choice. The current landscape of the industry is shifting and even some franchised dealers are now looking to used vehicles to maintain profitability. Competition is fierce and ClickEngage could prove a vital asset in the ever-more-fearsome battle with competitors. Whether you’re an independent or franchised dealer, if you’re retailing used vehicles, ClickEngage provides a fully integrated, low-risk and costeffective method for dealers to sell vehicles online. Get in touch with us today to find out more. •For more information or to book a free demo of ClickEngage, get in touch with The Clickers today via cardealermag@clickdealer.co.uk or on 01782 454354. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 89

Focus on. Progress Recruitment Solutions

So how can you turn high staff PROGRESS RECRUITMENT

W: progressrecruitment.co.uk/employers

e are in a candidate-led market, and due to this as a manager or business owner you will always want to win that candidate over. You want the best employee in your business, so unfortunately sometimes the truth gets bent and promises are made that may not always be possible. But we need to remember that candidate has taken the time to go to an interview to see you. In that interview they are told by you that they will receive training, be given more responsibility, get put through their master technician training, etc, and when they join your business then it doesn’t happen. How does this make the individual feel and how does this alter their trust in the business? If you haven’t spoken with the individual as to why a promise isn’t being honoured (perhaps this is because the manager doesn’t feel the individual has performed to the desired standard that they wish to see to invest in them) you haven’t set out clear expectations for the individual to know what they need to do and what their career path looks like in order to retain them. There need to be clear expectations set out from day one – if not, you may be faced with issues in staff retention. It may be obvious, but low staff retention in many businesses can be a serious and detrimental issue. If you have a high staff turnover, it can cause issues within your existing team and can cause those left to feel unsettled and uncertain in their roles. This can also have an effect on how new hires will perceive the business. If you are having issues keeping staff, what are the chances these new members of the team will last in your business? How do you combat a high staff turnover? It may be a first instinct to just ‘throw money’ in the direction of a potential leaver and this may convince them to stay, but have you resolved their issue? If they are serious about leaving your employment it is likely that there are issues other than money, eg, training and motivation. When it comes to keeping your team motivated, our company director Laura Rycroft has the following to say... ‘It only takes one negative event, a cancelled order, an unhappy customer to turn a day full of

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‘Here at Progress Recruitment Solutions Ltd, we as recruitment professionals hear all manner of reasons for candidates wanting to leave their current workplace and look for a new job. A couple stand out more than others through those reasons – training and broken promises. People want to feel valued and invested in.’ Laura Rycroft, company director

potential into a write off because they no longer see the point in trying. It often doesn’t take long for this to impact on the people around them either! So what can we do to stop this happening? Unfortunately, events like these are a regular occurrence within the workplace, but by making the company a positive and happy place to work, the ripple effect will be minimised. ‘It’s a constant learning curve, but the simple

things are often the most valued. I believe in treating everyone the way in which I would wish to be treated and recognise hard work and loyalty. ‘As an example, our company lets our employees have their birthday off as an additional paid day off after a year of service, which has had great success in engaging our staff for the long term. ‘Other ideas that we have found work well in

turnover into high retention?

businesses can be incentive-based, eg, hitting personal targets and being awarded an additional bonus or prize, or having a team target which all are working towards for a fun day out! ‘Although all sectors need to be kept motivated, this is more prevalent in the sales sectors. These need to create an energetic and exciting workplace to keep momentum high. One way of keeping the team going and working towards their target, eg, towards the end of the sales month, can be to introduce a prize wheel, where there is a physical ‘‘wheel’’ to be spun and a number of prizes to be won by the individual. These could be anything from a packet of sweets to a case of beer or a half-day holiday! ‘If you are based in a workshop or department

where sales targets and KPIs aren’t monitored, I have seen great staff experiences when food is involved. If it’s a Friday morning, why not treat the team to a breakfast? Or introduce a flexitime/ early leave option once a month? ‘We also need to look at the other issue above – training. If your staff don’t feel that they are getting the level of training they require, they will not feel valued or invested in, especially if this is what was promised originally. It could be not getting trained to a certain skill level, not getting put forward for MOT testing, or not getting their ATA accreditation, or it could mean not having training on a certain system, or not being put forward to a training course that would allow them to progress in the business. There

are also other types of training: training that will strengthen the team and allow those involved to work as a unit. You are still investing in the team, but you are investing in them as individuals. ‘So, to conclude, staff retention is not a fine science. There is no proven method and it is a learning curve for each business to find out what works. Throwing money at the situation isn’t always the solution. Invest in your employees in other ways – find out what motivates them individually, implement new methods and you will see that you are positively turning your staff turnover around. •If you are looking to recruit new members of staff, visit our website: progressrecruitment.co.uk/employers CarDealerMag.co.uk | 91

PHYSICAL AUCTION

Search for cars online and deal with telephone enquiries from customers. Welcome unexpected customer into showroom and take on test drive. Carry on searching for more cars and decide on auction to visit. Put in diary and shuffle other appointments around to clear day. Brief team on customer enquiries and any stock actions such as servicing or valeting. Set sat nav. Handle multiple calls and messages whilst on route. Stop at services for a coffee and sandwich, checking all emails and any voicemails. Fill up the car. Get stuck on the motorway for an hour in traffic, arriving late at auction. Find parking space. Discover some of the preferred cars have already been sold. Assess other cars going through the lanes and make quick decision on whether to make a bid. Bid on desired cars and buy. Check emails and messages. Back in the car, get stuck on the motorway for an hour and a half. Arrive back at dealership tired, to several messages that need responding to. Start searching for more cars coming up at next auction.

UPSTREAM AUCTION Find cars anytime. Bid anytime. Buy.

Less time sourcing, more time selling. ADESA UPSTREAM lets you instantly access the freshest stock anytime, anywhere and on any device. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most advanced vehicle auction system. Visit adesa.co.uk/upstream

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Focus on. ADESA

A convenient alternative to the physical auction ADESA

W: adesa.co.uk/upstream

hanging the way you do things isn’t impossible – and when it comes to your stock sourcing habits, it’s worth giving it a shot and discovering just how beneficial it can be. ADESA UPSTREAM is pioneering a different way of vehicle remarketing. So, if you’re committed to going to physical car auctions, we’re here to help with a more convenient alternative. Here are five steps to get you started. 1. You’re halfway there already We’re only on step one, but you’re halfway there already. Because the chances are, the alternative to physical car auctions is in your pocket, on your desk or in your hand right now. The beauty of ADESA UPSTREAM is that it’s accessible on your phone, tablet or desktop. It means you can take part in those auctions wherever you are and whenever it suits you. Once registered, you just need to download our app. 2. Prepare to clear your diary You might spend an awful lot of time sourcing new stock for your dealership at physical car auctions. These are the hours on the motorway in all weathers, the shivering in vast auction houses, the quick cheese and pickle sandwiches from Newport Pagnell services and the late arrivals home. There’s not even any guarantee that these long journeys will get you the vehicles you’re looking for. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With ADESA UPSTREAM you don’t have to go anywhere. So, whether you use the extra hours to sell more cars or spend quality time with the family, you’ll suddenly discover your diary looks a lot clearer.

3. Expect plenty of choice If you quit physical auctions, you don’t have to compromise on having access to a wide range of stock. ADESA UPSTREAM offers you a huge choice of cars and light commercial vehicles from vendors such as Arval, Motability and many others – and gives you an early opportunity to view them. You can filter the stock you’re interested in, set up wish lists and get notified when vehicles are live. And do all of that without having to move from the comfort of your chair. 4. Don’t worry about vehicle descriptions You might be nervous about not being in the

same place as the vehicles you’re bidding for. We understand that, which is why ADESA UPSTREAM comes with clear, transparent descriptions and quality images of the vehicles you’re interested in. Plus, to give you extra confidence, we offer a No-See Guarantee – so if the vehicle isn’t as described, you can simply return it. 5. Finally… just give it a go We’re here to make it easy but we realise that switching might not happen overnight and that you might prefer to dip your toes in UPSTREAM prior to taking the plunge. Perhaps you’d like to speak to one of the many dealers who are already using UPSTREAM. If so, that’s great – you’ll hear some glowing reports. And when you give us a try, we won’t need you to pay a joining fee or subscription or commit to a contract. You can just sign up and have a go. It’s an easy process and we’ll provide any support you might require. So with that in mind, there’s no time like the present…

See how we’re revolutionising vehicle remarketing for dealers by registering with UPSTREAM today. More time selling. Less time sourcing. Visit www.adesa.co.uk/upstream CarDealerMag.co.uk | 93

Data File.

Ask Lawgistics .com

Car Dealer Club lawyers at Lawgistics answer dealers’ legal questions. Join for £49.99 a year to get advice like this when you need it

Just one previous keeper or 101 drivers? E

arlier this year – in January, to be precise – Gateshead council’s trading standards department prosecuted a car dealer (not a Lawgistics client) for failing to point out that advertising a car with ‘one previous owner’ amounted to an offence when that previous owner turned out to be a well-known car hire firm. The offence was one of materially misleading a prospective consumer such that it affected their transactional decision, contrary to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). In other words, the consumer may not have decided to buy (or even look at) the car had they known that it was once owned by a car hire company. The same point could be made if it had been previously owned by a taxi firm, leasing company, driving school or similar. It follows on from a ruling in October 2017 from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that ‘…if a dealer was aware that a vehicle was ex-fleet because it had previously been used for business purposes, then that was material information

JOIN CAR DEALER CLUB AND GET ALL THESE BENEFITS WORTH £1,000s FOR JUST £49.99 94 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

likely to influence a consumer’s decision to purchase it. Furthermore, if a dealer knew that such an ex-fleet vehicle was used by multiple users, then that, too, was material information for consumers to make an informed decision.’ The key words are ‘if the dealer knew’ or ‘was aware’ – also ‘consumer’ as CPRs do not include trade purchasers. We urge clients (or prospective clients) not to immediately fold if they are approached by a customer demanding compensation or if approached by trading standards. They should contact us first for guidance and advice as to whether we can dispute what is being alleged against the dealer. Lawgistics employs more than one former trading standards officer, and they regularly stand up for car dealers when faced with what may appear to be overwhelming evidence against them in the first instance. Reverting to the prosecution by trading standards in Gateshead, the dealership was fined

A free telephone consultation and other great benefits, too n A free telephone consultation worth £100. n Lawgistics’ Basic package worth £95. n Twenty-five per cent off the ‘pay-on-use’ legal helpline and casework service. n Up to 25 per cent off any stationery or warranty products. n Upgrade the Basic package and receive £100 off the Small Business package or £250 off the Professional package.

£5,000, ordered to pay costs of £500 and to give the consumer compensation of £1,000. Note, though, that they pleaded guilty and, as such, the offences were not legally challenged in court, which we also believe to be important. A spokesman for the council said: ‘It is extremely disappointing to find a main car dealership failing to provide its customers with this kind of information.’ Interesting, given that at the time of writing, the website of Gateshead trading standards tells businesses that ‘applications for a credit licence must be made to the Office of Fair Trading’ – omitting to mention that the OFT was abolished in 2014! But back to the serious side of things – car dealers must now make it clear in advertising if they are aware that they are selling a car that has been used either by multiple users (car hire/ leasing) or for business purposes such as a driving school or taxi firm – even if it remains technically correct to say that it has ‘one previous owner’. James Litton, p106

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Exclusive five per cent discount on your tailormade trade insurance At Unicom, we’ve been safeguarding our clients with the best protection policies for more than 20 years – so, no matter what role your business plays in the motor trade, we can have you covered for every possible risk. From road risks to legal cover, your motor trade insurance can be tailored to suit your individual needs. It’s our job to make sure that you get the best price for the cover that you want.

Changes on way to MOT tests...

Q A

WANT TO UPGRADE?

WHY I LOVE LAWGISTICS

I have heard that the MOT test is about to change. Is this true? New legislation comes in on May 20 introducing new testable items. Diesel engines will face a tougher test since any car fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) that gives out ‘visible smoke of any colour’ during testing will automatically fail. Plus, any diesel car that has had its DPF removed or tampered with will instantly fail the test. Steering will also be looked at, while aftermarket high-definition headlamp bulbs will be outlawed. Reversing lights will be tested for the first time and brake discs will be inspected to see if they are ‘significantly or obviously worn’. The car will also fail if the brake fluid has visually deteriorated. Classic cars over 40 years of age will now be exempt from testing. This will affect some 293,000 cars and mean that 1.5 per cent of cars on British roads will have no MOT certificate but still be road-legal! Finally, the current system of advisories will be replaced with minor, major and dangerous faults. Minor faults will work the same as the current advisory system and won’t constitute a fail. A vehicle with dangerous faults cannot be driven away from the test until the repairs have been carried out.

Lawgistics made a difficult time and situation much less stressful for me STEPHEN Hull is a director at Motormech Guildford Ltd, a servicing, mechanical repair and MOT centre in Surrey. Motormech deals with Lawgistics fairly infrequently these days, but in the past, Hull had to use its services regularly, and over an extended period of time, because of a dispute with one of its suppliers. A company tried to take Motortech to court over alleged non-payment of invoices. Hull said: ‘It was entirely erroneous on their part. One of their managers had not credited any of our returns, so they were trying to charge me about £9,000 more than I owed. ‘After an ongoing struggle, they took me to court, and this is when I handed it all over to Lawgistics. They fired off a rebuttal and instructed me to find evidence of invoices to hand over in court, which I did. ‘Our supplier didn’t provide any evidence and in the end just sent me an email saying that they weren’t pursuing the case any further. What made

ADVICE the situation much worse, though, was that at the same time, one of my business partners sadly died all of a sudden. Lawgistics helped with the legal side of that too, and advised me what to do, how to do it and when to do it. They were very, very good. ‘In short, they made a very stressful time and situation much less stressful.’ Lawgistics also helps Motortech with human resources and health and safety issues. Hull said: ‘Lawgistics makes dealing with everything much easier. ‘If there is ever a time when I need them, they’re behind me 100 per cent. I have no complaints at all.’ by Ted Welford

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LAWGISTICS’ Basic membership – which you receive as a member of Car Dealer Club – is a cracking deal, but what if you need something that has extra clout? Larger dealer groups or a dealer embroiled in a big legal battle may require some more firepower, and the good news is that club members get discounts on Lawgistics’ other packages. You’ll receive a £100 discount off the Small Business package (normally £795) – perfect for sole traders, a partnership or a small dealer group – and £250 off the Professional package (normally £1,595). This is ideal for franchises, a dealer group or a car supermarket and covers all relevant legal areas and documentation. There really is a package for everyone with Lawgistics.

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Dragon2000 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 95

Data file.

Thestatistics

| SMMT SALES DATA | TAKING STOCK |

SMMT sales data Feb/year to date

MONTHLY STATISTICS

Another dip for new car market, but it’s still at a ‘good level’ says SMMT T

he UK new car market dipped again in February, according to figures released at the start of March by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. A total of 80,805 new cars were registered, a 2.8 per cent drop compared with February 2017, in what is traditionally one of the quietest months of the year ahead of the March number-plate change. The new car market has now declined for 11 consecutive months. Continuing recent trends, demand for petrol and alternatively-fuelled vehicles (AFVs) rose, up 14.4 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively, with the former driven by some new, smaller models coming to market. Registrations of new diesel cars declined 23.5 per cent. So far this year, the UK new car market has declined 5.1 per cent, with registrations by business, private and fleet buyers all down: 29.8 per cent, 7.1 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, double-digit growth for petrol cars and AFVs has been unable to offset the move away from diesel, which now commands a 35.6 per

cent market share. The discrepancy in demand suggests diesel car owners are keeping their older cars for longer. Mike Hawes, above, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘Although the new car market has dipped, it remains at a good level despite the drop in demand for diesel. Looking ahead to the crucial number plate-change month of March, we expect a further softening, given March 2017 was a record as registrations were pulled forward to avoid VED changes.’ Ian Gilmartin, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays Corporate Banking, added: ‘Another fall for the new car market should come as no

surprise, but also needs to be viewed in context, as the very high sales figures posted in the last couple of years were always going to be difficult to maintain. ‘The dip in February was less pronounced than in January, although it’s worth remembering that February data isn’t a particularly reliable bellwether for new car sellers. ‘Concerns over diesel continue to dominate the statistics, with sales dropping a quarter. The “diesel bad” narrative is over-simplistic. Consumers need clarity on what the future plans are around diesel regulation, so they can make an informed decision about which vehicle is right for them.’ James Hind, chief executive and founder of Carwow, said: ‘There is still so much confusion in regards to the future of diesel. There is a continued clear trend for consumers looking for petrol cars over diesel cars. As a result, there are lots of diesel cars in stock that have great offers. ‘However, until there is greater guidance from the government on diesel and plans for the future electric car charging infrastructure, the industry will continue to face pressures.’

Top

Most-improved manufacturers in February Dacia

+138%

Porsche +108% McLaren +100% MG

+67%

Mitsubishi +45%

Bottom

Worst-performing manufacturers in February DS

-56%

Nissan

-54%

Infiniti -50% Lotus

-50%

Aston Martin -42%

‘Brexiety’ – the phenomenon that’s making people hang on to their cash THE CAUSE of February’s dip in new car sales is ‘Brexiety’, according to Auto Trader. The chief operating officer at the online marketplace, Nathan Coe, said: ‘The expected dip in new car registrations continues to reflect the serious decline in diesel sales and the broader UK economic environment. This is further compounded by the uncertainty car buyers have 96 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

over Brexit. You could call it Brexiety I suppose! ‘It will be used cars that provide the most interesting opportunity in 2018. In the past five years, the number of cars less than four years old listed for sale on Auto Trader has increased by a third, providing people on a wide range of budgets the opportunity to change into a newer, cleaner and better specced vehicle.’

Chris Bosworth, director of strategy at Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: ‘February is traditionally a quiet month for new car sales, as consumers hold out for the new registration plates which are released in March. ‘Coupling this with the market challenges that the motor industry faced over the last year, these figures don’t come as a surprise.’

Subaru

Vauxhall

+29% February 2018 Marque

2018

February 2017

% market share

Abarth

141

Alfa Romeo Aston Martin

2017

% market share

% change

0.17

353

0.14

18.98

0.24

-9.69

454

0.19

480

0.19

-5.42

0.04

-41.94

118

0.05

220

0.09

-46.36

6.30

17.26

17,947

7.34

16,913

6.56

6.11

0.07

-28.33

181

0.07

223

0.09

-18.83

6,119

7.36

10.21

15,744

6.44

14,608

5.67

7.78

0.00

2.55

0.61

5,621

2.30

5,370

2.08

4.67

0.53

138.72

3,169

1.30

2,433

0.94

30.25

0.22

196

0.02

6,141

7.60

5,237

0.05

6,744

8.35

0.00

Citroen

2,133

2.64

2,120

Dacia

1,048

1.30

439

Chevrolet

% market share

420

177

BMW

% change

2018

8.46

130

Bentley

Year-to-date (YTD)

% market share

0.17

Audi

-22%

0.16

162

0.20

369

0.44

-56.10

452

0.18

1,028

0.40

-56.03

Fiat

1,306

1.62

1,426

1.72

-8.42

3,020

1.24

4,647

1.80

-35.01

Ford

12,046

14.91

9,909

11.92

21.57

31,700

12.97

32,687

12.69

-3.02

Honda

1,959

2.42

2,126

2.56

-7.86

6,241

2.55

6,136

2.38

1.71

Hyundai

3,049

3.77

3,009

3.62

1.33

9,478

3.88

9,396

3.65

0.87

Infiniti

0.07

118

0.14

-50.00

153

0.06

300

0.12

-49.00

Jaguar

738

0.91

869

1.05

-15.07

2,912

1.19

3,563

1.38

-18.27 -57.49

171

0.21

227

0.27

-24.67

406

0.17

955

0.37

Kia

3,075

3.81

3,243

3.90

-5.18

10,657

4.36

10,904

4.23

-2.27

Land Rover

1,500

1.86

1,778

2.14

-15.64

7,160

2.93

7,205

2.80

-0.62

180

0.22

206

0.25

-12.62

1,067

0.44

1,006

0.39

6.06

Jeep

Lexus Lotus Maserati Mazda

0.01

0.03

-50.00

0.01

0.02

-51.02

0.06

8.70

160

0.07

211

0.08

-24.17

1,226

1.52

1,164

1.40

5.33

4,087

1.67

3,991

1.55

2.41 28.57

0.03

0.02

100.00

0.03

0.02

6,088

7.53

6,099

7.34

-0.18

17,979

7.36

19,147

7.43

-6.10

186

0.23

111

0.13

67.57

661

0.27

316

0.12

109.18

Mini

1,786

2.21

2,045

2.46

-12.67

4,657

1.91

4,325

1.68

7.68

513

0.63

354

0.43

44.92

2,068

0.85

1,683

0.65

22.88

2,316

2.87

5,033

6.06

-53.98

10,233

4.19

16,411

6.37

-37.65

McLaren Mercedes-Benz

Mitsubishi Nissan Peugeot

3,066

3.79

3,273

3.94

-6.32

8,342

3.41

9,225

3.58

-9.57

Porsche

421

0.52

202

0.24

108.42

1,415

0.58

889

0.35

59.17

Renault

1,326

1.64

2,092

2.52

-36.62

5,073

2.08

6,112

2.37

-17.00

Seat

2,358

2.92

1,728

2.08

36.46

6,561

2.68

5,582

2.17

17.54

Skoda

2,838

3.51

3,236

3.89

-12.30

8,311

3.40

8,667

3.36

-4.11

Smart

265

0.33

294

0.35

-9.86

866

0.35

1,045

0.41

-17.13

0.08

105

0.13

-38.10

252

0.10

403

0.16

-37.47

Subaru

0.08

0.06

29.17

217

0.09

226

0.09

-3.98

Suzuki

1,552

1.92

1,587

1.91

-2.21

4,857

1.99

5,349

2.08

-9.20

Toyota

2,703

3.35

3,095

3.72

-12.67

10,678

4.37

10,531

4.09

1.40

Vauxhall

4,860

6.01

6,299

7.58

-22.84

17,512

7.16

20,169

7.83

-13.17

Volkswagen

7,036

8.71

7,326

8.81

-3.96

19,615

8.03

20,293

7.88

-3.34

1,150

1.42

1,077

1.30

6.78

3,420

1.40

3,872

1.50

-11.67

Other British

0.02

5.88

0.02

0.03

-18.84

Other Imports

189

0.23

234

0.28

-19.23

393

0.16

624

0.24

-37.02

-2.78

244,420

SsangYong

Volvo

Total

80,805

83,115

257,679

-5.15 Figures supplied by SMMT

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 97

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Market Insight.

...in association with ASE-global.com

Motor retail stocks unloved, with investors seeing big risks Tricky start to the year continues, with interest in UK auto sector expected from overseas, says Mike Jones

he difficult start to 2018 continued for the majority of the motor retail stocks. While there was a recovery in January’s biggest faller, Pendragon, and a modest improvement in Marshall’s share price, the majority of the stocks remain underwater on the year. Pendragon, delivering its results for the year during February, reported a fall in profit before tax for the second year running, with a drop of more than 10 per cent. Some update was provided on the company’s increase in focus on used vehicles, with additional sites opened or planned. However, there was no mention of progress in the sale of the US operations or the downsizing of premium brand exposure. Inchcape reported a rise of a third in its full-year pre-tax profits, but that was down to a strong performance in emerging markets and Asia. All of the commentary at present indicates caution over 2018 performance, with everyone waiting until the end of March, when the picture will become clearer. The UK motor retail stocks continue to be unloved, with investors seeing significant risks in the sector. There is likely to be little positive movement until investors believe they can spot the start of the next upturn, at which point in time we should see a rise in prices. All of the UK retailers have very tough comparatives to compete against, particularly

Share price movement from Jan 2 to Feb 28, 2018

Share price movement from Jan 2 to Jan 31, 2018

Pendragon

93.7%

79.6%

Vertu

85.3%

88.6%

Lookers

85.8%

89.0%

Inchcape

86.7%

92.6%

Cambria

104.1%

104.9%

Caffyns

103.6%

102.4%

Marshall

93.4%

91.0%

for March. This is also the case for registration performance, with the SMMT statistics likely to be significantly behind for the first quarter, before flattening out for the remainder of the year. Financial performance Pendragon, which was supplanted by Sytner as the UK’s largest retail group in 2017, reported a 10.5 per cent drop in profit for the year ended 2017. The results were in line with expectations but represent the second year of falling profits. Specific mention was made of the growth in used vehicle volumes achieved on a like-for-like basis and an expansion in the number of used retail outlets. The business is looking to double

used vehicle revenue in the five years to 2021. International distribution and retailing group Inchcape reported decent growth in both revenue and operating profit for the year ended December 31, 2017. The improved performance was through the company’s distribution business, which generated 79 per cent of all profits. The company no longer spits out its UK retail performance separately, reflecting the group strategy. With regards to UK operations, mention was made of the general decline in the market and margins being under pressure. The UK and Europe region, which contains the UK retail group, saw profit for the year reduced by 17 per cent, with a marked downturn in the second half of the year. Transactional activity There was no transactional activity among the listed retail groups during February. Given the share price performance and the public pronouncements of some of the retailers, I would expect disposals rather than acquisitions over the coming months as portfolios are rebalanced. I see continued interest in the UK motor sector from overseas and certainly wouldn’t rule out significant moves in that regard over 2018.

Mike Jones is chairman of dealer profitability specialist ASE plc. You can read his column here every month. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 99

Auctions.

Buy the last true M3 while you can!

Real Deals: p105

EXTRA CAPACITY

Aston Barclay invests £1m in Chelmsford site

ston Barclay has announced plans to invest £1m into its Chelmsford auction during 2018 to increase its site capacity and to build a state-of-the-art, twin-turntable inspection bay. The 12-acre site will be transformed to improve vehicle workflow across all areas of vehicle preparation, inspection, sale and logistics. A new entrance for car transporters on the north-west side of the premises close to the new inspection facility will increase efficiencies. Cars will be unloaded, washed and then imaged using two new turntables complete with SpinCar technology, which enables buyers to closely examine the car’s interior and exterior condition online. Aston Barclay was the first to introduce the technology into the UK. The improved site flow will provide an additional 160 extra parking spaces and reduce the number of times cars have to be moved. ‘Chelmsford has been at full capacity for a while now and this investment will make a big difference to the site’s

AUCTION STATIONS

Dealers should look for LCV profit opportunities

W efficiency. Ultimately it will allow us to further grow our vendor volumes,’ explained Neil Hodson, Aston Barclay’s group chief executive. ‘Chelmsford will be the final site in the group to introduce SpinCar, but the first to adopt two turntables which will speed up our vehicle inspection process.’ The site’s two auction halls will be retained. They host several sales every week, including a fleet and leasing sale on Monday, a dealer group sale on Monday evening, a weekly Mercedes-Benz sale on a Tuesday and a second dealer group sale every Wednesday.

HR Owen renews BCA remarketing deal HR OWEN has signed a new deal with synonymous with luxury, prestige and BCA to manage the remarketing of its performance vehicles. We are pleased part-exchange vehicles. to see the hard work of the team at The partnership will see a fortnightly Blackbushe recognised with an extension sale of HR Owen high-end luxury vehicles of the relationship for another year.’ at BCA Blackbushe. The sale programme The HR Owen sales take place on has already seen considerable interest with alternate Wednesdays at Blackbushe as an average sale price of £37,000 and 95 per part of the regular Top Car event. cent first-time conversion. Recently-appointed group used car sales BCA’s major account manager, Suzanne director at HR Owen, Mark Rose, added: Spencer, said: ‘The regular HR Owen sales ‘BCA continues to deliver a first-class attract a large crowd of buyers both in the service to support the resale values of auction lanes and online. our vehicles. The sales continue to attract Car dealer new strip ad 11-17 5/12/17 10:43 Page 1 ‘HR Owen is a respected brand interest and deliver exceptional results.’

The Fleet Auction Group Professional Vehicle Auctions for Professional Vendors & Buyers

Henstock

ith demand for used light commercials at exceptional levels, now is a good time for dealers to look at this marketplace and make the most of the opportunities it brings. Increasing needs from the logistics sector and ‘last mile’ delivery companies, alongside a requirement for vehicles to service the building and construction trades, are driving demand. Virtually every region of the UK has seen a rise in SME start-ups and one of the first assets a new small business is likely to acquire is company transport, invariably a light commercial. For the used dealer who has the experience and ability to buy vans well, these are the sort of opportunities that should not be missed. A selection of LCVs on the forecourt will drive additional footfall, and potentially develop a new customer base that could also benefit car sales. It could also improve ties with other local businesses, generating further opportunities. With all of BCA’s LCV sales available to buyers both physically or online, a huge variety of stock is available to suit all budgets. BCA has recently launched an enhanced national sales programme with sales every day, which means more choice than ever. All stock on offer is multi-imaged, video-appraised and often offered with a BCA Assured report. From the retailer’s perspective, handling any resulting LCV part-exchanges doesn’t need to be a headache. Any that don’t fit the retail profile of the dealer can quickly be remarketed through BCA’s specialist sales around the UK, with a strong following from buyers. The incoming P/X van can even be funded via BCA Partner Finance, freeing up valuable cash for the business. Access to the broadest range of stock enables dealers to react quickly to market conditions and make the most of burgeoning demand from the small business sector. Simon Henstock is BCA UK’s chief operating officer for remarketing. Visit bca.co.uk or call 0845 600 6644.

Excellent variety of weekly stock from premium sources Regular Top Car Sales, Motorcycles & Motorhomes Fixed cost buyers premium User friendly website & stock locator. On-line bidding Fleet Car Sales every Tuesday at 1pm & Thursday at 10am Van sales every Wednesday at 10:30am Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles fortnightly, Wednesdays at 10am Truck, Trailer & Plant fortnightly, Wednesdays at 12noon Collection of vehicles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Purpose built 12 acre auction complex Enclosed and heated auction halls and viewing area The UK’s finest auction restaurant Central UK location

www.fleetauctiongroup.com 100 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Call 01530 833535 or go online for account application NAMA Vehicle Grading

Taking Stock. Remarketing specialist BCA analyses its latest Pulse report to give its thoughts on matters that dealers need to consider in the months ahead

Competitive bidding across the board in another strong month Cold blast of weather had no impact on trading, with buyers simply going online if travel was difficult, says Stuart Pearson, managing director of BCA’s UK remarketing operation

verage used car values rose across the board at BCA in February as strong demand continued unabated from buyers. Our latest Pulse Report shows that average used car values rose by two per cent month-on-month and are up by nearly £700 compared to a year ago. The headline figure of £9,498 is the second highest on record and builds on the strong start to the year that saw BCA sell record volumes across our 24-strong nationwide network of remarketing centres. Values rose for fleet & lease, dealer part-exchange and nearly-new vehicles. Average age and mileage continues to reduce and, year-on-year, the headline value figure improved by £672 (7.6 per cent) – reflecting both the richer mix of cars available at BCA over the past 12 months and the sustained level of demand experienced during the month. As February was another strong month, we saw

competitive bidding across the board from high-value prestige stock to older, higher mileage budget vehicles. The Arctic blast of weather had no impact on trading, with professional buyers switching to our Live Online platform if travel was difficult. While Easter is often seen as a watershed in demand, every indication suggests the used car sector will enjoy continued demand during 2018, with a number of retailers expecting used sales to play a significant role in overall profitability in the months ahead. Average used car values have been rising at BCA for an extended period and 2018 seems set to maintain that pattern. This reflects the demand from buyers, the high quality of stock consigned to BCA by fleet & lease and dealer vendors and a general falling in

Average value of used car in fleet & lease sector :

£10,792

average age and mileage at remarketing time. February returned the second highest average value on record for fleet & lease stock, with values rising to £10,792, an increase of £279 (2.6 per cent) compared to January. Retained value against original MRP (Manufacturer’s Retail Price) improved by more than a point over January to reach 43.23 per cent. Year-on-year values were up by £613 (6.0 per cent). Average dealer part-exchange values reached the highest point on record, rising by £121 (2.6 per cent) to £4,824 in February. Year-on-year values were ahead by £256, equivalent to a 5.6 per cent uplift. Values for nearly-new vehicle values rose by £71 (0.3 per cent) over the month to £19,751, the highest point in over a year. Model mix has a significant effect in this very low volume sector, with brand-specific winners and losers.

Average dealer part-exchange values:

£4,824

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 101

A Global View.

...in association with

Delivering a digital aftersales experience Stuart Miles, CDK Global’s managing director for the UK & Ireland, considers how the customer experience in the workshop can be connected with digital technology

hanging consumer demands are raising the bar for today’s automotive retailers. High expectations of a connected digital experience means dealers should look to ensure their businesses are in step with the new world. Digitising the aftersales operations not only provides significant efficiency gains and helps uncover new revenue opportunities, but it can also wow consumers by creating the digital endto-end experience they have come to expect. A first step in creating a connected workshop is to offer a streamlined, online process for booking their next service or MOT. Research shows 79 per cent* of consumers prefer to book their service via a website, so it’s important that retailers are catering for this expectation. CDK Service Online has been developed to help dealers achieve this and offers the following benefits: 1. Be open – even when you’re closed Customers want to make their appointment when it suits them, which may not correspond with business opening hours. Since Service Online is linked directly to the workshop diary, dealers determine the available appointments – governed by workshop capacity. 24/7** availability is a real benefit to customers, as they no longer need to take time out of the working day to call and book a service. Just a few simple clicks on their laptop, tablet or smartphone and their booking is complete. Appointment confirmations are automatically delivered by email, with calendar reminders to reduce no-show appointments. 2. Personalise the customer experience Your customers have many options for their vehicle service, so a personalised booking

A first step in creating a connected workshop is to offer a streamlined, online process for booking their next service or MOT to customers to keep their car roadworthy. DMS integration makes it possible to highlight outstanding VHC work due, or offer value-added extras such as winter checks.

experience can build loyalty and future business. Full integration with the DMS means you can invite customers to create an account for all their car maintenance needs and display accurate pricing for all work upfront. This means there will be no unwelcome surprises for customers and gives them more transparency regarding the cost of work on their particular vehicle. This also creates new opportunities for increasing workshop revenue. Alongside the service booking, extra options can be offered

3. Customise the technology to suit your brand A workshop connected with digital tools gives you the power to define your own customer experience. You choose to link an existing website or mobile app to the DMS, giving you complete control over branding and the way you want to be perceived by your customers. Next steps CDK Service Online helps you meet changing consumer expectations, improve business efficiency and find more revenue opportunities – and this is just the beginning. With CDK digital aftersales products, every step in the consumer journey through your workshop can be transformed.

Stuart Miles is managing director UK and Ireland for CDK Global. He is responsible for one of the largest regions and helps deliver growth and market share for CDK Global through customer engagement in the automotive sector. Stuart has more than 20 years of automotive knowledge and experience. References: *Servicing Stop March – April 2017. ** System may be unavailable for short periods for product updates. Service Online will work in ‘offline’ mode during DMS ‘end-of-day’ processing. For more information visit www.cdkglobal.co.uk/SOL

102 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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104 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Real Deals.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

You should buy the last true M3 while you can! ADAM WELLER turns the spotlight on a sports saloon that is almost guaranteed to go up in value, thanks to its status

very time we search the classifieds for Real Deals, there are always a few cars we routinely look for. This month, we’re focusing on one of them: the E46 BMW M3. The first M3 of the 21st century, and the last to come with the ‘original recipe’ naturally aspirated in-line six-cylinder engine, the E46 M3 is surely one of the most sought-after BMWs on the second-hand market. Surprisingly, these cars are still relatively cheap compared with other M3s, but we don’t see that being the case for much longer. With that in mind, we’ve found a great example of the iconic sports saloon for sale at a dealership familiar to Real Deals readers – catch this car while you can! Like so many late ’80s performance cars, BMW’s M3 was initially pressed into life to meet the minimum of 5,000 road-going examples that were needed to meet touring car racing rules. Of course, the M3 was a profound success on the circuit, but its hero status was almost certainly cemented on the road. The E46 was a significant step forward from the previous model, with 338bhp being delivered from the 3.2-litre straight-six engine. At 1,549kg, the car wasn’t ultra-lightweight, but the power of the engine and poise of the masterfully fettled chassis made the car ideal for both road and track. The E46 was one of the 2000s’ strongest drivers’ cars – no doubt, most readers have seen footage of Tiff Needell drifting one effortlessly on several occasions while the ex-F1 driver was a part of Fifth Gear. The chassis is tuned and adjusted to perfection, with a near-50/50 weight distribution, helping the M3 in its quest to be one of the most finely balanced performance cars on the market. The engine is, of course, an absolute wonder, as the most developed naturally aspirated six-cylinder that BMW

would fit to an M3 before switching to a V8 for its successor, the E92. Nought to 60 in five seconds, a restricted top speed of 155mph and the ability to eat up B-roads or trackdays for all eternity are, of course, very much in the M3’s favour. However, what is perhaps more impressive is its everyday usability. Of course, the car always feels sporty, but the ride doesn’t try to reformat the order of your vertebrae, and is very consistent as to how it handles bumps and jolts. Admittedly, the optional SMG gearbox rather detracted from the car’s real-world abilities, but fortunately, the original owner of this car elected to go for the wonderful six-speed manual ’box. This example, a 52 plate with 70,000 miles on the clock, comes with the all-important full service history – make sure that when buying this type of car you can see the evidence that it’s been looked after properly throughout its life.

‘The ride doesn’t try to reformat the order of your vertebrae’

With striking 18-inch alloys and silver metallic paint, this is a very smart-looking example of the E46 M3 – the ruggedly handsome short-backand-sides look. The interior is a smorgasbord of black leather, and other interior creature comforts include sat nav, heated front seats and a Harman Kardon hi-fi system. The car is for sale at German performance car experts Derbyshire Specialist Cars for £10,990. This isn’t the very bottom end of the market but it is still a very good deal. The car should have a fair amount of life left in it so long as the service history doesn’t throw up any issues. It’s almost guaranteed to appreciate, too, as they become rarer and more sought after as what many consider to be the last ‘proper’ M3. Look out for tell-tale knocks under braking and acceleration that could spell the early stages of a cracking subframe, and make sure it’s been through an under-warranty fix of the oil supply – a response to big-end bearing failures that cropped up on pre-June 2003 examples of the E46. So long as the car is clear of both these issues, this little Beemer should be a joy to own.

The E46 BMW M3 was a significant step forward from the previous model

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 105

Data file.

James Litton

TRADER TALES

Stay ethical to ensure you stay on right side of the law

ou may remember a story in issue 117 of Car Dealer Magazine about the Advertising Standards Authority reversing a ruling against Glyn Hopkin and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles UK. It said the used car website didn’t make the history of two cars clear to potential buyers. This fresh ruling has provided an opportunity for a legal firm to target car dealers that may have sold a hire car and not explicitly disclosed this information to the new owner. Whether or not the class action suit will gather any momentum will become clear in time, but – and as the ASA found in its case – manufacturers have an equal responsibility in the disclosure of this information. No manufacturer used car site that I can see declares the precise source of a car. Hiding behind the notion that a dealer was aware is not acceptable. Most franchises use manufacturer portals as their primary source of used car leads and they are not designed by the retailer. It is clear why manufacturers are not exactly racing to disclose this information either. You can imagine the customer search being radically altered if HIRE CAR was typed in bold across a used car advert. Prices of hire cars would be driven down and this channel of registration would then need a lot more financial support. The irony of this case is that sales teams no longer fear the customer objection of the car having been a hire car. This source of stock has been so plentiful and generous in price compensation in recent years that the majority of customers accept it at the time of asking. What this case does highlight, however, is the tenuous lengths that ambulance-chasing legal firms will go to in order to target the motor trade. This is both concerning and enlightening in equal measure. I think we would all accept that there have been many practices that have been employed in the motor industry over the years that might not be described as treating customers fairly, but given this fact, there have been very few legal cases that have opened the doors to class action suits. The best example of this is the VAG emission scandal. No one entity has been able to get traction on a class action suit in the UK as they have in Germany and the US. There will always be singular legal cases as a result of incompetence or malpractice, but providing ethical operational practices are employed, we have no reason to fear the law.

‘There have been many practices that might not be described as treating customers fairly.’

James Litton is general manager – director of Volvo Cars Poole. He always has something to say about the industry he loves. 106 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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The day we managed to cut our boss down to size

orkshop pranks are part of the job, with unachievable errands for those on work experience almost an inevitability. You’re meant to grow out of these – at least a little bit – the longer you’re in the trade, but that wasn’t the case for me. Our boss’s car needed some routine work – just a regular service and change of tyres – and I was overseeing the job. He’d recently tried to prank me, hacksawing the legs of a chair to make it lower before seeing if I’d try to plonk myself down on it. Thankfully, he missed his target – one of our apprentices went for a break and was quickly sent to the ground with a thud. The boss subsequently admitted it was meant for me. Big mistake! I don’t work in the workshop any more – I’m looking after the other side of things, out on the forecourt – but I still manage a lot of the repairs. Back to the boss’s car... Like I said, the work that needed doing wasn’t big. But I thought we could have a little fun as we went about it. Our boss loves to sit high up in the car – we constantly tease him about it. So what I got the chaps in the garage to do was sand down the seat mounts, sending the chair around 4mm lower towards the floor. That was the first thing, anyway. I was making sure that all of these changes were subtle enough that he wouldn’t notice them straight away. Next, the guys managed to change all of the preprogrammed stations on the car’s radio to Radio 1 – his most hated – and set it so that these couldn’t be changed without a passcode. The car featured an aftermarket stereo, and for some reason it had this feature – something we quickly exploited. We quickly wrapped up the rest of the jobs, so all we had to do was wait and see if the boss noticed when he returned to collect his car. As he arrived, I was out on the front desk – so he was completely unaware that anything was out of the ordinary. He headed straight out to the back to get his car – and I saw him driving out shortly after. The next morning, I was surprised that he barely mentioned anything at all. He was, however, wearing a somewhat puzzled look. After a little while, he leaned over to my colleague and – while wearing the same troubled look – asked: ‘Do you think I’m getting shorter? I can barely see over the steering wheel these days.’ How I managed to keep a straight face I’ll never know!

‘He was unaware that anything was out of the ordinary.’

Tell us your story

Have you something to confess? Email our head of editorial (you can find her details on page three) or post it on our forum – cardealermagazine.co.uk/forum CarDealerMag.co.uk | 107

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Key Notes.

...in association with Traka

Supermarkets set for success S

ales of new cars began dropping off significantly from the start of Q2 2017 as dealership bosses finally called time on excess pre-reg and demo stockpiling and began requesting OEMs to lower sales bonus targets to more realistic levels. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ full-year 2017 sales numbers told the full story by reporting a 5.7 per cent drop on the figures for 2016, leaving 2.5 million new cars registered. The SMMT predicts a further new car sales fall of 5.4 per cent to 2.426m for 2018. However, it seems that some of the larger dealer groups saw the new car sales drop coming and began diversifying as early as 2016. Sytner has perhaps led the way by buying two top-10 used car supermarkets in the last year alone. It bought CarShop in early 2017 and followed that with the purchase of The Car People which is set to complete within the next few weeks. Sytner is serious about expanding its used car division aggressively. Its chief executive, Darren Edwards, is on record as wanting to build the largest car supermarket group in the UK within the next few years. These two acquisitions are clearly the cream of the growing car supermarket crop but what is it that successful supermarket operations do which impresses the likes of Mr Edwards so much? Firstly, used car sales generally offer better margins than new car sales. Secondly, there are clear synergies between franchise-heavy groups and supermarkets as the group’s franchise dealerships gain the opportunity to offload part-exchange stock more profitably by passing it onto their own supermarkets to sell.

Annual new car registrations 2000 to 2016 3,000,000 2,500,000

2,692,786

. . . and that’s because they have large, well-placed sites, switched-on staff and are digitally savvy, says Paul Smith

2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 500,000 0

‘00

‘01

‘02

‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06

Thirdly, the best car supermarkets have large sites in great locations, offering space for a huge volume and range of used cars, as well as highly efficient sales processes and staff trained to move all that stock at top speed and do a good job by the customer. They also tend to get their demographic analysis spot-on, making sure that cars which are likely to be of interest to people living nearby are present in number. However, the ‘secret sauce’ of many car supermarkets’ strategy is, somewhat paradoxically, an ability to niche, not necessarily by marque but by type of vehicle. CarShop specialises in three- to six-year-old cars which means it is less exposed to book drops and stock write-downs. It sells more than 18,000 vehicles and generates approximately £225 million in revenue each year. Saxton has developed a specialisation in high-end 4x4s largely from prestige brands, while Big Motoring World sells over 20,000 used BMW, Audi, VW and Mercedes-Benz cars each year. As well as concentrating hard on sales and operational process efficiencies, they also tend to simplify ways of remunerating staff.

‘07

‘08 ‘09

‘10

‘11

‘12

‘13

‘14

‘15

‘16

Many now operate fixed bonus schemes regardless of the value or type of car sold. This approach means that customers are less likely to be pushed into the wrong vehicle (for them) and less likely to be mis-sold unwanted add-ons. Customer service scores then tend to be higher. These scores feed into the other area where supermarkets have stolen a march on their franchise dealership cousins – digital marketing. The stage is now set for 2018 to be ‘the year of the car supermarket’ if current economic sentiment is anything to go by. The 2012-2016 new car sales boom years – illustrated by the graph above – are clearly over for the time being. Digital-savvy car supermarkets with the right niches, focusing on offering desirable cars with good provenance, selling from large well-located sites, supported by well-trained staff with strong business processes and good customer service, will be the ones to watch. Don’t expect Sytner’s sales numbers to drop any time soon. Indeed, you should see its profits further boosted as The Car People and CarShop show their profitable colours on Sytner’s bottom line.

Paul Smith heads Traka Automotive, part of the ASSA Abloy Group brand Traka. ASSA Abloy bought the electronic key management software provider eTag Solutions, which was founded by him. Traka is a leader in intelligent access control, key management control solutions and keyless electronic lockers.

Keys can make you money… Find out how at www.traka-automotive.com The only viable key management solution for automotive Email automotive@traka.com or call 0845 225 2910

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Long-termers. LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Volkswagen Amarok After using ‘Big Blue’ mainly for commuting, Jack makes a splash and really puts it through its paces. by JACK EVANS @jackrober

hat a difference a day makes, right? One moment I’m taking the Amarok – or Big Blue, as it’s come to be known – through the sunshine and the next, the country has been plunged into an enormous snowstorm. That said, there could be worse vehicles to be driving when the roads get slippery. But let’s rewind. A few days before the ‘Beast from the East’ arrived, I’d chosen to take the Amarok for a quick dip in a nearby creek. ‘Why?’ you may ask. Well, in truth, I’d not really tried the truck out in anything nearing challenging conditions – save for a brief stint on a snowy road in the Brecon Beacons – and had been using it mainly on the road for commuting. With a capable four-wheel-drive system, differential lock and that big, strong V6 diesel engine powering the whole affair, this seemed like a waste of its considerable prowess on the rough stuff. So I imagined that a brief stint of water-based driving would do the trick. The reality, however, was that the creek wasn’t that deep or all that challenging – but then the Amarok does look good in the photograph above right. I didn’t realise – like many people – the extent of the snowfall due to hit the UK until it was pretty much on top of us. That said, I jumped at the opportunity to take on some white stuff in the truck, glad that – for once – four-wheel drive would be coming in handy. Leaving to head home on the day the snow arrived, I switched on the Amarok’s ‘off-road’ button. Untouched up until this point, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to use a function designed specifically for tricky conditions. What does it do? Well, it engages the off-road Anti-Lock Braking System as well as the car’s ‘downhill driving assistant’. In addition, it shifts up the gears quicker and the lower rev levels provide better traction. In practice, it works very well. There were no issues during the drive home, despite the roads becoming really rather snow-covered. The Amarok didn’t even stumble on the steep and un-gritted approach to my house – though you’d like to think that a four-wheel-drive pick-up

Wet, wet, wet! Jack takes the plunge to tackle a creek in our long-term VW Amarok Highline

Snowy conditions didn’t pose a problem for KX 67 XSD – the pick-up coped admirably

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Volkswagen Amarok Highline Price: £41,971 Engine: 3.0-litre V6 diesel Power: 221bhp Torque: 550Nm Max speed: 119mph 0-60mph: 7.8 seconds MPG (combined): 34.9 Emissions: 212g/km CO2 Mileage to date: 3,719 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT: Getting to see how the Amarok deals with tricky conditions.

wouldn’t falter here. I only realised the quality of the off-road system the next morning, however. Coming back down said driveway, I tapped the brake and the Amarok automatically engaged the downhill assistance system, which brought it safely and slowly down the gradient. Given that I’d already seen other cars slide miserably down, it was impressive. And when the snow thawed, the Amarok

transitioned seamlessly into being a reliable, dependable daily driver. Economy figures still aren’t brilliant – I’m getting around 23mpg tackling a mix of motorways and B-roads – but elsewhere the Amarok continues to deliver. It’s relatively comfortable, and only really gets unsettled by larger bumps in the road. Of course, it’s not able to offer SUV-like levels of refinement, but for a pick-up it’s not bad at all. I even – shock of all shocks – gave the Amarok a clean. I have the mindset that a dirty car is a happy car, and the big Volkswagen certainly looks better with a good layer of grime on it. However, given the amount of grit and salt on the roads of late, I thought it deserved at least one good shower. I’ll admit, it does look good when clean – though I’m still far happier when it’s caked in mud. I’m off to Oman at the end of March to test the Amarok in slightly different conditions to the ones we experience here. Of course, I won’t be flying Big Blue out on its own plane – much as I’d like to – but I’ll be testing equivalent models on sand instead. It’ll be interesting to see how it copes. I’ve got high hopes for it indeed. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 111

Long-termers. LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Citroen C3 Aircross Cheryl didn’t think any car would quite live up to her beloved Seat Ateca – but this one does! by CHERYL KINGSTON @GobbyGibbs

loved almost everything about my previous long-termer and was gutted when I had to return it. However, a new year brings a new car and I am delighted to report that whilst I do still hold dear the memories of the Seat Ateca, there is a new kid on the block and it’s living up to its reputation as being one of the more affordable – yet good-to-drive – crossover options on the market today. Citroen’s C3 Aircross delivers on pretty much all fronts. It’s nice to look at, it’s got plenty of space and legroom, its design and in-built technology are as good as the rest and the vivid colours (mine’s a bright blue) make the car really stand out on the road. Last but not least, it’s a compact SUV, meaning I still feel relatively high up in the car and thus feel important when driving around town! As I said, I really was fond of the Seat Ateca, but from the day I got behind the driver’s seat of the Aircross I knew that a new love affair was happening. In the front, the car felt light and airy and gave a feeling of spaciousness, even if the glove compartment was rather compact and the cup holders aren’t anywhere near as deep as they need to be to stop a cup of boiling hot coffee spilling everywhere with each wheel turn. It’s the space at the back of the car and in the boot that really suited me down to the ground, however. Let’s start with the back – I am often on babysitting duties on a weekend for both my sisters’ children. That means I frequently have a 10-year-old, an eight-year-old and a 15-monthold baby in car seats in the back. As you might expect from a doting auntie, I have had them in many different cars over the years, but none of the vehicles came up trumps like the Aircross when they all piled in recently. There was plenty of room for all three of them, and even with my baby niece Sienna in a rather bulky car seat, none of them complained about being squashed or moaned about the middle seat! For ultimate versatility I had the option of sliding rear seats and backrests that can recline into one of four positions meaning you can trade up to 15cm of rear legroom for extra boot space and vice versa. This came in particularly useful when again carting all three children around, 112 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Cheryl was very impressed when she got behind the wheel of her latest long-termer

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Price (as tested): Engine: Power: Torque: Max speed: 0-60mph: MPG (combined): Emissions: Mileage:

Citroen C3 Aircross £18,610 1.2-litre engine 109bhp 205Nm 114 mph 11.8 seconds 56.5 115g/km 3,021

THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Carrying three children in comfort, none of whom complained about their sitting positions! with various buggies, car seats and bin liners full of overnight things that are allegedly ‘essential’ for overnight stays at my house. I also really like the infotainment system. The

Plenty of space in the C3 Aircross’s boot radio’s ease-of-use left me overjoyed (and I mean overjoyed – quite frankly I was embarrassed by my reaction). When I discovered that you can use voice commands to call someone in your phone book I thought it would make my life easier. However, it often mis-heard my commands and would call the wrong person, which is more a nuisance than anything else. I highly recommend the Citroen C3 Aircross to anyone who wants to take the first step on the SUV ladder.

OTHER CARS WE’RE DRIVING

Mazda MX-5 RF

Skoda Octavia vRS

Mileage: 18,734

Mileage: 16,762

After 12 months and enough miles to drive it from our Gosport HQ to its Hiroshima factory and back, then to Japan again, it was finally time to say goodbye to VN66 ZHZ this month. We’ll miss you!

Mal Hay says his Skoda Octavia is a great all-round car, whether you need a motor that will eat up the motorway miles or you’re a parent after a flexible vehicle that can deal with the demands of family life.

Subaru Outback Our Nigel’s behind the wheel of a value-for-money estate car with the benefit of four-wheel drive. by NIGEL SWAN @motoringnut

he Subaru Outback is one of those rare cars that pretty much lives in a class of its own. On paper, it’s deemed a premium four-wheel-drive estate, which sets it up against rivals from Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. But because it has a much lower sticker price, which for our long-termer is £35,000, that makes it a much more attractive proposition for anyone wanting an estate car with the benefits of fourwheel drive on a budget. The Outback’s ownership costs work out between £10k-£15k less than the more expensive, more premium competition. At the other end of the scale are cars like the Skoda Octavia Scout and Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, which are around £7k cheaper than our Subaru. In fact, the only real direct rivals for similar money are the VW Passat Alltrack or the smaller Audi A4 Allroad. Now, while they are very capable, the Outback is built as a four-wheel-drive from the ground up making it a car with a very clear target market. The competition, on the other hand, makes four- wheel-drive an option in already extensive model line-ups. But, just because the Outback is cheaper than its ‘plush’ rivals, don’t think there’s any evidence of skimping when it comes to equipment.

A recent service at Proven Subaru, Haslemere, took the best part of two hours and cost £350

The Outback comes fully armed with 18-inch alloy wheels, electric power boot and heated leather electric seats, as well as a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It seems though that you do start to pay when it comes to ownership costs, something we found out when it was due its first service. At just over 11,000 miles, we had a warning message come up advising it was due a trip to a service centre. So we headed over to Proven Subaru, Haslemere. The first service isn’t a major one, it’s simply a diagnostic check as well as a change of oil and oil filter. The service took almost two hours and cost a rather pricey £350. The car was returned though in a much better

state than it was delivered in, with an excellent full valet thrown into the deal. Living with the Outback has, so far, been fairly trouble-free. It’s spent most of its time moving to and from video shoots, carrying filming equipment and crew in comfort. In real-world conditions it’s averaging around 38 miles per gallon, around 8mpg less than the official combined figure. For a car with permanent four-wheel-drive and a CVT automatic gearbox, that’s not bad. The other major running cost for the Subaru is road tax, and this is where the Outback certainly does save its owners some money. Over 12 months, the road tax bill will set you back £190, whereas the Audi A6 Allroad, Volvo V70 Cross Country and Mercedes-Benz E-Class All Terrain will set you back a rather hefty £450.

THE KNOWLEDGE

BMW M240i

Seat Leon Cupra 300

Mileage: 5,546

Mileage: 6,939

Darren Cassey says he hadn’t noticed the poor ride on the M240i before, but driving the stiffly sprung Hyundai i30 N opened his eyes. Turns out the BMW is jigglier than a performance-focused hot hatch!

With the arrival of the Beast from the East and Storm Emma, we’ve been taking it slow and sensible in our fiery Spanish hot hatch. It’s still great fun to drive – even in slippery conditions.

Model: Price: Engine: Power: Torque: Max speed: 0-60mph: MPG (combined): Emissions: Mileage:

Subaru Outback 2.0D Premium Lineartronic £34,995 2.0-litre diesel 148bhp 350Nm 124mph 9.9 seconds 46.3mpg 159 g/km 11,984

THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Making sure BK 17 CFE gets a little bit of TLC. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 113

The last word JA M E S B AG G OT T

Against our better judgment, we give our CEO the final say each month

What role will dealerships have when science fiction becomes fact?

ast forward a decade and what do you think car buying will be like? Will customers still be attracted by bunting and open boot lids at the side of a main road, or will they be too focused on their digital screens as they waft on by in an autonomous Uber to notice? No matter what you hear from manufacturers who say they’re invested in a retail dealership model, I’d bet there are very few car brands out there that aren’t secretly beavering away on a project to sell cars online. Why wouldn’t they? Buyers can get whatever they want on the internet these days – from takeaways to taxi cabs, and everything in between. Consumers are used to logging on and ordering whatever they need from Amazon and getting it the next day, with many simply asking Alexa to do it for them. Don’t tell me you’re not the same. You might own or work in a car dealership that’s still selling cars the same way it has always done, but do you honestly shop the same way you have always done? Elsewhere in this issue, I report on the fact the car-buying cycle starts more than two years before a customer walks into a showroom to complete their transaction. Much of that is research carried out online – videos are watched, reviews read and opinions garnered from friends and mouthy nobodies on social media. Why, then, are dealers not penetrating that research cycle at every opportunity? Coaxing, informing, interacting with these would-be customers who are impressionable and ripe for nurturing into customers – and then selling them the car they want at the click of a button. When you’re in the automotive industry, it’s incredibly easy to forget just how much many people hate buying a car. People are scared of dealers and confused by the options. There’s simply too much to choose from, too many different body styles and brands, and now too many different propulsion methods. Try sitting down with your mum and asking her whether she would prefer pure electric or a plug-in hybrid for her next car, or perhaps a parallel hybrid? Can you easily and simply explain the difference? Enough for her to then make an informed buying decision about the second biggest purchase of her life? And it’s only going to get worse. Car companies are implementing more tech into their cars than ever before – gone are the days of opting for electric windows or the poverty-spec wind-up versions.

But 10 years from now, will any of this really matter? The younger generation these days aren’t interested in driving, they’re interested in mobility. They don’t care about carburretors or fuel injection, they want to be transported to their friends or the pub in a machine that they don’t have to interact with. Autonomous cars might be a little further away than many in the car industry would have you believe, but they’re coming – and, when they do, do you think buyers will care what options pack they need? Just as some of the budget brands have tapped into the ‘I don’t care what it looks like as long as it’s cheap’ buyer brigade now, brands in the future will target the ‘I don’t care what it looks like as long as I don’t have to drive it’ brigade. And, believe me, these consumers won’t want to visit an out-oftown car dealership to buy one. These cars will be sold like fridges, or TVs, on Amazon or by Apple. Ordered at the click of a button, paid for by a glance at a phone screen. They’ll be delivered direct to the buyer’s door – they’ll turn it on, tell it where they want to go, and it’ll go. Chances are, when it drops the owner off at their destination, it’ll even drive off to recharge at a wireless station, ready to be beckoned back when the owner is ready to return. Where does the dealership fit into that scenario? Sounds like science fiction, I know, but it’ll soon be reality. I’ve even seen the promotional videos from the manufacturers to prove it. Change is coming and it’s coming fast – and dealers up and down the country need to take a long, hard look at their businesses and plan for it. You may have seen in the last issue the manufacturers who pledged their allegiances to their retailers – but did you notice how many didn’t respond when we approached them? If your brand’s MD didn’t comment, perhaps you ought to drop them a line. That said, we’ve seen similar prophecies in the magazine world. Print will die, readers will move online or to iPads. Yes, some of them have, but far fewer than were predicted. The fact is, people like to sit down and relax with a magazine, feel the paper, turn the pages – and as a publisher that’s music to my ears. Perhaps the same will be true for car buyers – while there might be many who want to buy an autonomous car online, there could still be many more who want to drink your free coffee and haggle over a deal on a sporty V8. Only time will tell…

‘These cars will be sold like fridges, or TVs, on Amazon or by Apple.’

James Baggott is the founder of Car Dealer Magazine and chief executive officer of parent company @BaizeGroup, an automotive services provider. He now spends most of his time on Twitter @CarDealerEd and annoying the rest of us. 114 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

0115 946 6370 enquiries@frfl.co.uk www.firstesponsefinance.co.uk

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