Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 23 by Blackball Media

CarDealer. Issue 23 | February 2010 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

[ SALES FIGURES: 2009’s full year results p57 ]

Driving the future of the motor trade

nissan 370z vs Porsche cayman S

World

coupe Website revamp

Remarketing mastery How to get the best results for your part exchanges

Why SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk has been given a new look to benefit YOU

PLUS: Car Dealer launches new Trader Directory!

458 italia-n job Well it wasn’t going to road test itself, was it?

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start Issue 23 | February 2010

SPARKS of inspiration don’t come often in the Car Dealer office, but when they do we get a little over excited by them. Being a small team, and a small company, we’re in the fortunate position to be able to take an idea from brainstorm to fruition very quickly – and so it was the case with our new Trader Directory. Our commercial manager, Duncan Chappell, joined the Car Dealer team from a large Mercedes and Chrysler dealership where he was a salesman. Sometimes when he was writing a deal up for a new car, his boss would task him with getting the part exchange underwritten, especially if it was something they didn’t want to put on their forecourt. A large majority of the cars went to ‘the block’, but those that didn’t Dunc would have to get a price for from traders listed in the popular price guides. Problem was, he found thumbing through the hundreds of pages a bit of a pain – and that’s where the idea for our Trader Directory came from. The plan was simple – create a directory of buying traders online and in the magazine – so when you need to get a car underwritten you only need go to one place. And because Car Dealer is all about helping you, the dealers, out we decided to do it at a price that couldn’t be ignored.

Listings cost just £30 to be included in the online version and £40 to be included in the magazine too – for a period of SIX MONTHS! We’ve heard rumours traders are being charged 10 times that per month in other publications. We hope you find the Trader Directory useful – full details can be found on pages 52 and 53 of this issue – and you can place your advert at CarDealerMagazine. co.uk/trader-directory.htm or call (023) 9252 2434. REMARKETING THE launch of our Trader Directory was a good excuse to take a wider look at the different ways you can buy and sell stock. Companies are popping up all the time offering you different ways to fill your forecourts and many of these are now based online. This has meant established auction houses have had to launch their own online products too. BCA, for example, has had impressive results with its Live Online service – especially in the recent bad weather when many dealers bid from their desks instead of venturing out into the snow. In this feature we take a look at the new products and services available – we hope it helps. Check it out on page 45. CARS THIS month our Forecourt section is packed with

Three Things not To Miss... Trader directory Ferrari 458 italia

cayman v 370z

our new section puts selling dealers in touch with buying traders for a pittance. [p52]

a david v goliath battle – nissan takes on Porsche – with some interesting results. [p20]

it’s quicker than an enzo, looks incredible and by all accounts goes like stink. We like. [p30]

some tasty new metal. We’ve been out and about in deepest, darkest East End London trying the wacky Cube (p18), slip sliding around a test track in a Nissan 370Z and Porsche Cayman S (p20) up north, and jetting to Italy to try the much-anticipated Ferrari 458 Italia (p30). All were top drawer. NEXT MONTH AND lastly, next month we’re planning a special issue to mark the end of the scrappage scheme and how you can still keep profits healthy in 2010. In typical Car Dealer style it will be packed with information – but they’ll also be a rather wacky tale to mark the end of the scheme. If it all goes to plan – and we don’t end up in hospital because of it – we’ll hopefully bring you the story next month. And I know it’s a bit late, but the Car Dealer team would like to wish all our readers and advertisers a very happy new year!

James Baggott, Editor

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ignition Issue 23 | February 2010

dashboard 06

Daihatsu worries

Protection racket

Nissan Cube

Sunday closing

New E-Class Cabriolet

Big Mike

‘Where the designer saw a dog wearing sunglasses was beyond me, but then I remembered this car hails from Japan where suction cup hats to stop your head bobbing around on trains are normal.’

Fears as firm halts imports The traders living in fear

Maker gives retailing a rethink Peter Vardy’s dramatic move

[Nissan Cube Road Test: p18]

Pictures of new luxury drop top

Scrappage scam uncovered

forecourt

Nissan Cube

City car’s had some wacky inspiration

Cayman S v 370Z

Find out who wins our twin test

30 33

Ferrari 458 Italia Sales Legend: Rover 200 Cult Car: Caparo T1

features 37 39 40 41 43 43 45

Right Click Dot Com Servicing Online Auctions On the Spot Remarketing

New look website

Trader Directory

The new technology changing the way you buy and sell stock SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk gets revamp a new way of putting selling dealers in touch with buying traders

55 56 57 58

Suppliers Guide HPI Valuations SMMT sales figures Sub-Prime Time

Reach more buyers

...sell more cars

with classified listings that reach 2million web visitors per month on great websites such as www.carpages.co.uk and www.channel4.com/4car with Smart Banners on the web that include your actual cars for sale on Banners and Skyscrapers

contact info@skupenet.com or 0208 610 6103 to include your vehicles today

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dashboard Focus voted used car of the decade

CaP has ranked the UK’s top used market stars of the past 10 years – making the Ford Focus its used car of the decade. Judges included many used market experts who voted unanimously to give the overall prize to the Ford Focus, thanks to it setting ‘new standards of quality in the volume car market during the decade’. large used family car of the decade was the Volkswagen Passat, executive used car of the decade the audi a3 and luxury used car of the decade was the BMW X5.

Lamborghini opens its sixth dealership

laMBOrGHINI has opened a new dealer in Sevenoaks, Kent – a Jardine Motors facility. The addition to Jardine’s lamborghini reading site makes it six dealers in the UK now. Ian Barrow, general manager there, said: ‘We’re proud to be investing in lamborghini for the long-term benefit of both the brand and its clients.’

Manheim sets up base at Brunters MaNHeIM will open its new super-centre this month – on a former US airforce base! The car auction group has set up a 30,000 sq ft auction hall area at the Bruntingthorpe facility. It’s located not far from J20 of the M1. Stay up to date every day at CarDealerMag.co.uk

DaIHaTSU’S future in the UK market hangs in the balance, Car Dealer Magazine has learned. News reached our office just before Christmas that Daihatsu cars are no longer being brought into the country by importer IM Group. Our sources said Daihatsu car dealers were being offered the sweetener of a Chinese car franchise by IM Group instead (see story below). The importer’s operations director Paul Hegarty admitted: ‘IM Group continues to look at new opportunities, some of which are Chinese.’ It is believed dealers are being told they can choose to end their contract with IM Group if they prefer. ‘We can’t bring any more cars into the country because the exchange rate has made it no longer economi-

Dealers left ‘in limbo’ as importer reveals it has stopped bringing cars into the UK because of costs

cally viable,’ a spokeswoman for Daihatsu said. ‘We are currently getting rid of stock in the dealer network – and this is rapidly running out.’ One car dealer confirmed it was indeed the exchange rate causing the problems. This canny trader, when he heard about the problem, went out and bought 60 Daihatsu cars – when we spoke to him he was

down to his last 10. Interestingly, the Daihatsu spokeswoman added: ‘We are not saying we will never bring the cars in ever again, but it is just not viable at this time.’ Hegarty added: ‘Currency differences prevents us from currently ordering stock. When it changes, it is our intention to do so. Daihatsu is still in the UK, but we are currently not ordering.’ IM Group’s spokeswoman admitted this was a period of real uncertainty and added: ‘We understand that dealers are not very happy, and that this has left them in a period of limbo.’

James Baggott & Richard Aucock

Dealers offered Great Wall franchise instead DAIHATSU dealers are being offered the Great Wall motors franchise from China. Car Dealer Magazine heard rumours the sweetener from IM Group came as imports of Daihatsus were halted – and then the news was confirmed in a press release a few days later. Dealer insiders told us the new franchise is one of several options open to Daihatsu retailers, who can also choose to end their association with IM Group. So, what is Great Wall? Well, one of China’s most controversial new car makers, that’s what! It takes only a few minutes on the firm’s corporate website

to reveal that, although its car range is extensive, many bear a passing resemblance to more famous models. The Florid, for example, looks not unlike a Toyota Yaris. The Haval M1 is a bit similar to a Fiat Panda. To our eyes, there’s a little Mitsubishi Outlander in the Hover 3. And this is the concept Phenom – Ford Fiesta anyone? Great Wall Motors have been TypeApproved for the UK market. The VCA’s China office has completed the process, which takes 12 months. IM Group said it will

import the Chinese models in 2010. However, UK car dealers will not get the cars until 2011. First, IM Group will import cars to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Scandinavia, UK and Ireland will not follow until 2011.

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Toyota’s new prince of India TOYOTA has revealed first pictures of its low-cost Indian market Etios compact hatch and saloon range. It is the first new car developed by Toyota’s new Indian sales and production division, and will go on sale in late 2010. But while it is primarily aimed at developing markets, Toyota tantalisingly said the Auris-sized model could also be exported to other countries. Does this mean Toyota car dealers could have, in time, a family-sized budget-price offer?

The new Toyota Etios

The Etios concept follows what Toyota calls a ‘one class above’ theme. This is about offering maximum space and value for the money, and means it comes as a roomy five-door hatch or four-door saloon. Concept models are being shown with two petrol engines, either a 1.2-litre or 1.5-litre. Some 2000 people spent four years developing the Etios, says Toyota. it hopes for 70,000 annual sales in India and this will be bolstered by the promise of further exports.

Protection rackets hitting car dealers Car Dealer has been alerted to a worrying scam that has left some traders living in fear. News has reached our offices of a scary protection racket that has many dealers ready to shut up shop for good. It seems there are a number of dodgy ‘security companies’ visiting forecourts across the country enquiring about their current security arrangements – and when they’re given the brush off, nasty events follow. One email from a dealer, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: ‘I have been threatened with reprisals should I go to the police, but we were recently visited by a nasty piece of work who was wearing a bullet-proof vest. ‘He asked us who provided our security and we told him one of our customers does it for us and we were happy with his services. ‘When we told him that, the guy became irate and wouldn’t leave. He kept asking who did it and how much they charged.

Worried dealers are advised to call the police

Traders ready to shut up shop after threats from dodgy ‘security’ men ‘Eventually he went and I wanted to call the police, but the others didn’t. Then a couple of nights later my cars were sprayed with paint stripper causing about £5,000 worth of damage. ‘This has caused me huge problems as you can imagine. I haven’t claimed on my insurance as I don’t want to become uninsurable.’ The dealer added the ‘security man’ returned several times, sometimes demanding cash, and said if he went to the police there

would be serious trouble. ‘I would like to see the guy behind bars, but he has made it clear that he would still be able to reach out,’ added the dealer. Car Dealer contacted the Association of Chief Police Officers for advice. Their answer was typically short and to the point: ‘Dealers should contact the police.’ However hard that seems at the time, it certainly makes sense. These bullies can only carry on until someone stands up to them.

Aston Martin reveals more about the Cygnet ASTON Martin has unveiled the first official images of its bizarre Toyota IQ-based city car, the Cygnet. In describing it as a ‘luxury commuter concept car’, Aston says it hopes to make it a production reality this year. Note, however, the firm has not said it is DEFINITELY reaching Aston Martin dealer showrooms... Work is instead ongoing, says the firm – but much already seems to have been done, judging by the leatherlined cabin and Aston Martin add-on detailing you can see here. It is sure to use the existing Toyota engines too, meaning it will be the all-important low-CO2 car Aston needs to bring down its overall emissions rate. Talk is of producing several thousand per year. The idea is also to retail it ONLY to Aston Martin customers. Shame – we want one...

Although we don’t understand it, we still want a Cygnet

Rise of the Fenix has got us excited

FENIX Automotive has revealed shots of its new supercar due on sale in the UK later this year. The new Fenix is a home-grown British supercar created by father of the Noble brand, Lee Noble. It will be fitted with a choice of two V8 engines; a 480bhp entrylevel unit, or a 6.2-litre supercharged motor that produces 638bhp. That will give 200mph, and 0-100mph in under seven seconds. The Fenix will have the finish of a £150k supercar, claims Noble, but shouldn’t have the pricetag to match.

Essex Auto Group’s new Kia showroom

ESSEX Auto Group launched a brand new Kia franchise at its Lakeside outlet just before Christmas. The Car Dealer Eward winner started trading at its latest addition on December 21. Kia joins Ford and Mazda at Lakeside, and adds to the car dealers’ existing Kia relationship at Southend.

Aston Barclay joins forces with firms ASTON Barclay has become England’s third largest remarketing company after bringing together three firms. Westbury, Chelmsford and Prees Heath Motor Auctions will all now be known as the Aston Barclay Group. They will help the firm achieve 60,000 sales per year. Stay up to date every day at CarDealerMag.co.uk

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Trader directory Car Dealer Magazine has launched a new service to help traders in these tough times. It’s called the Trader Directory and aims to put selling dealers in touch with buying traders. Used car stocking is a major problem for many dealers – finding the right cars at the right prices can be very difficult. Not only that, selling cars that you don’t necessarily want to put on your forecourt

See

Tra the full Dire der ct p5 2-5 ory 3 isn’t easy either. So our solution is a simple one – it’s called Trader Directory – and will be THE list to come to when you need a part exchange underwritten. The Trader Directory – which can be found on pages 52 and 53 of this month’s magazine – lists active buying traders who want your cars NOW. It can also be found on our website.

Getting your name in our Trader Directory is simple – just fill in your details below and pick whether you want to go in the magazine or the website, or both:

• SIX MONTH listing in the magazine • SIX MONTH listing in the magazine & website

– £29.99 – £39.99

Manufacturer (your listing will be placed under this heading in the directory): ......................................................................................................................................................................... Your name: ......................................................................................................................................................................... Company name: ......................................................................................................................................................................... Phone numbers (landline & mobile if required): ......................................................................................................................................................................... Email address: ......................................................................................................................................................................... Your advert (no more than 10 words, any more will be cut) ......................................................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................................................... .........................................................................................................................................................................

Please make cheques payable to BLACKBALL MEDIA LTD and send this form to Trader Directory, Blackball Media, 2a Church Rd, Gosport, Hants, PO12 2LB If you’d like to be invoiced instead please tick here [ ] Invoices will be sent to the address specified above. If you would like the invoice to be sent elsewhere please fill in the details below: ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Or you can fill out your advert and pay online – log on to CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/trader-directory.htm We take all major credit and debit cards!

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Nissan give Cube retailing a rethink NISSAN pulled the plug on selling its new Cube at only select dealers because of huge demand from its franchise network. Initially the marque planned to sell the unique city car only at specialised dealers – like its GT-R supercar – but feedback from its network saw the manufacturer change its mind. Mark Kinnard, category manager for city cars for Nissan, told Car Dealer Magazine at the Cube’s launch that all dealers will now get to retail the car with every outlet offering a demonstrator. He also revealed Nissan is planning a series of unique events to market the Cube. These will kick off with a VIP exclusive preview evening on a Thursday, followed by three days of activity on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. ‘We’ll be holding competitions and interacting with local art colleges and designers, promoting the new design element of our cars,’ he said. The Cube, which starts at £14,000, will arrive in dealers this month, and Nissan hopes a huge range of accessories will prove to be profitable for dealers. The car art, graphics and accessories brochures will be updated every year, giving customers a reason to return and modify

Dealer demand for cult new model saw carmaker open retailing up to all franchises their cars more often – giving dealers a chance to sell add-ons every year. Prices will range from £50 to £250 for the extras. ‘We think the Cube will be personalised like the MINI – in Japan it’s radically altered by most customers and we hope that will happen here too,’ explained Kinnard. ‘Dealers are very excited by the car. We held a training course on it and it was the fastest course to fill up we’ve ever put on – that shows the level of interest out there. One dealer even sent four people from each of his sites.’ This is the first Cube to be officially imported to the UK. It’s been a cult car in Japan since 1998 and has sold more than one million units worldwide. Kinnard added: ‘There’s no doubt 2010 will be tough for this industry. Especially for those manufacturers with an over-reliance on scrappage. But Nissan is confident – we’ve got a lot of new product coming.’ [JB]

Road Test, p18

Kia’s seven-year warranty shock

Dealer comments from CarDealerMag.co.uk

It’s part of the firm’s intention to become world number one for customer satisfaction, said COO of Kia Europe, Paul Philpott: ‘Our new seven-year Kia warranty on all models is a major step towards achieving that goal.’ UK MD Michael Cole revealed it would even be transferable to subsequent owners.

‘As a Kia dealer it’s great news, as a Nissan dealer not so good!’ [Guy]

KIA has wowed the car industry by giving every single new car a full seven-year warranty! The staggering deal instantly makes it the best new car cover offer in the industry. Previously, it was restricted to the cee’d and Sportage. But now, all Kias are getting it – including the smash scrappage hit of 2009, the budget-priced Picanto city car.

‘You can buy a car with seven-year warranty for £4,650 on scrappage! That’s unbelievable.’ [Steve] ‘How confident must Kia be in their product?’ [John]

Hill

Net gains

Did you know you could be committing an offence?

ooking back at how your web strategy may have evolved during 2009, you might think to yourself that you have made great strides in developing a customer focussed approach to the web. You may even have included some of the best practices seen in the recent Ewards in this magazine! It is highly likely, though, that whatever you have done to enhance your web offering, one of the central reasons for improving it is to increase customer contact via your website. This may well involve asking customers to share their personal data with you in some way. The handling of customers’ personal data is taken for granted. You may even have a privacy statement on your website that outlines to people how their information will be ‘Failure to used. However, although this comply is a is a good start and a formal acknowledgement that data criminal offence is sensitive, in my experience, and there are many car dealerships have very few failed to comply with another basic data handling and data exemptions protection obligation… to the data I’m talking about the requirements.’ Information Commissioners Office – sometimes referred to as the ICO. Never heard of them? Well, if you are handling personal data (and you will be), and processing it in any way, then they are an organisation that you need to be aware of! There is actually a legal requirement under the Data Protection Act for you to notify the ICO that you handle and process personal data. This notification allows you to be placed on the register of Data Controllers (which can be viewed by the public in the same way as other registers such as the FSA Register). Failure to notify is a criminal offence. There are very few exemptions to the requirement to notify. As they are responsible for deciding whether a breach of the Data Protection Act has been created, it makes sense to take a look at the Codes of Practice and Data guidelines that they produce. The good news is that if you haven’t yet notified the ICO, then it is a very straightforward process, which for most dealers will only cost £35 a year. Take a look at ico.gov.uk for an overall view of what the ICO does and how they do it. Perhaps the new year is a good time to give your data processing procedures an overhaul? If we can help just get in touch.

Who is Martin Hill? Martin is commercial director at Codeweavers. Learn more about how he can help you at Codeweavers.net or call 0870 443 0888.

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Dealer decides to close on Sundays

Henstock Auction stations It was a difficult year for values, so what’s next?

fter nine month’s of incremental – and sometimes substantial – month-on-month price increases in the used car market, a slowdown of some sort was almost inevitable. So it should come as no surprise that the tail-end of the year has not ‘wagged’ quite as well as some of the earlier periods of 2009. All-in-all, however, 2009 was remarkable for the price recovery in the used sector, following the equally remarkable falls posted in 2008. Prices got so keen a year ago that it is little wonder that motorists started buying again. Early in 2009, BCA was featured on the Tonight programme with TV car pundit Quentin Willson urging viewers to ‘buy now, because they’ll never be as ‘BCA was on TV cheap again’. And it appears that advice with Quentin was followed. Demand Wilson urging increased in the wholesale sector sharply in January. buyers to “buy Initially this looked just like now because a typical seasonal uplift – they’ll never be January regularly sees a lot of competition as dealers re- this cheap again”. plenish their stocks after the And they did.’ festive and New Year break. But February delivered more of the same, as did March. Demand alone was not driving the market, however. The auctions were short of stock, with the fleet and lease sector happy to extend cycles in response to the economic downturn. The new retail market, meanwhile, was very slow indeed. This in turn impacted on the supply of dealer partexchange cars reaching auction. As a result, the auction halls and online bidding arena got even more frantic. Although stock levels were reduced, conversion rates were at record levels, as was performance against CAP. BCA was averaging more than 100 per cent of clean guide values and selling nearly every car consigned to us. It couldn’t last, could it? Volumes began to creep up slowly from the dealer sector as the scrappage scheme began to generate some business, but prices remained on an upward slant until September, when there was a very small drop of just £4 on the average value compared to August. BCA’s latest figures show that average used car values have now decreased for three months running. The overall average value for cars sold in November was £5,903 – a fall of £118 (two per cent) compared to October. With this slight slowdown, the marketplace appears to be resuming a more typical pattern of activity. Now we wait to see if prices rise again…

Who is Simon Henstock? Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Find out more at www.bca-europe.com or call 0845 600 6644.

PETER Vardy has made the surprise announcement it is to CLOSE all its showrooms on Sundays. The ‘keep Sunday special’ move is part of Vardy’s intention to become a top employer. It’s something that has already been trialled at Peter Vardy’s Vauxhall dealer in Perth. This ceased opening on Sundays in October – and has since received the thumbs-up from more than 100 customers. That paved the way for more to follow. Now the following car dealers are closed for business on Sundays: • BMW and MINI in Edinburgh • Vauxhall and Chevrolet in Motherwell • Vauxhall Kirkcaldy • Vauxhall Perth ‘As a business,’ said chief executive Peter Vardy. ‘We have two key objectives: a commitment to delivering excellent

Peter Vardy shuts on Sundays to give staff time with families customer service, and a passion to ensure our people are looked after and fully motivated in their working environment. ‘To get the right balance between these aims, I believe it is important that staff should have one day of the week which they can spend with friends and families. I believe that Sunday closures will help us strike this balance.’ Vardy now reckons he’ll be able to attract better quality staff as a consequence; it’s already been welcomed by Peter Vardy’s existing employees. ‘The UK is one of the few countries in Europe where Sunday openings have become the norm for many businesses,’ he added.

Could F1’s Bernie save Saab from oblivion? F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly made a shock move to buy Swedish carmaker Saab. The Formula 1 ringmaster was believed to be one of the interested parties in the carmaker after a number of bids to buy it failed. GM said it would be winding down the manufacturer’s operations this month and initially said a deal to sell Saab was unlikely. But as Car Dealer went to press a number of last ditch attempts were being prepared. The deadline for offers had expired when these developments were revealed and GM chief executive Ed Whitacre initially said no bidders had come forward. He said plants were set to start closing this month. The most promising deal – with Dutch firm Spyker – was unable to be concluded and a buy-out by Koenigsegg could also not be arranged. But as the deadline for offers expired it seemed Spyker had made a revised offer.

‘We have continued a constructive dialogue with GM over the acquisition of Saab,’ said CEO Victor Muller. ‘We believe the Saab brand has lots of potential.’ But in yet another twist, reports emerged Ecclestone was also looking into buying the maker too! The deal would involve the new co-owners of the Renault F1 team, Genii. But as we went to press, nothing was set in stone. For the latest, see CarDealerMag.co.uk.

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YourCarLoan

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dashboard Arnold Clark takes over GK Group arNOlD Clark has completed a big-money takeover of Cumbria’s GK Group of car dealers. Trading under the new name for GK Group has already begun. In even better news for the four-outlet car dealer group, chairman Sir arnold Clark promised there would be NO job losses resulting from the takeover. ‘We are delighted to begin trading in these areas,’ he said. ‘This is a new and exciting opportunity for the arnold Clark Group and we look forward to meeting and welcoming the local communities to our new branches.’ It’s arnold Clark’s first expansion into Cumbria, and further adds to its 145-strong UK car dealer profile. arnold Clark branding now comes to Ford Carlisle, Ford and Citroen at Penrith and Workington and Ford, Citroen and Peugeot at Dumfries.

Bit chilly for that, mate... Mercedes reveals pictures of new E-Class Cabriolet, due to hit showrooms this year MerCeDeS has revealed first images of its new e-Class Cabriolet, already a hit in saloon and coupe form. as we already know, the Mercedes e-Class range will soon be joined by a new estate version. But that’s not all: a cabriolet variant is also coming and

was due for an official unveiling at the Detroit Motor Show. Details were revealed ahead of the show though, Mercedes clearly keen to spill the details on some innovative new features. These include a new ‘aircap’ wind deflector that pops up

from the windscreen header rail and removes the need for a clip-in wind deflector behind the front seats. We can’t help thinking it looks like it’s wearing a baseball cap... But it does mean the e-Class can be used as a true four-seater soft-top with all four occupants able to enjoy draught-free al fresco motoring in what Mercedes describes as a ‘sea of warm air’ inside the cabin. The e-Class Cabriolet also gets an uprated version of the airscarf system seen in the SlK and Sl. Safety is high on the agenda too. The cabrio gets the same attention assist and Pre-Safe features as the saloon, gaining head airbags for the first time. Pop-up roll-over protection is also included. engines will encompass the full range of direct-injection petrols and the latest Blueefficiency diesels. [RA]

Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet features weird wind deﬂector on windscreen

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Share watch

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Turbulent year ends on a downturn I

t has certainly been a turbulent 12 months for the majority of the share prices of the UK’s listed motor retailers. A large number of the businesses entered 2009 with significant concern over their covenant compliance and the reaction of the banks to breaches to those covenants. All of the businesses suffered from a significant risk discount massively reducing the market capitalisation of the sector. In the spring a number of positive pieces of news coincided to provide a much-needed favourable boost. The worries over potential business insolvencies were calmed by renegotiation of banking facilities, albeit with some hefty interest coupons. Trading results for the first quarter were positive reflecting a significant improvement in the used car market producing a shortage of saleable stock and monthly price rises which coupled with the cost reduction programmes introduced in 2008 to deliver greater profits.

‘Listed businesses also chose this time to approach the stock market for additional share captial to pay debt, or in the case of Vertu, to build an acquisition warchest.’

The introduction of the scrappage scheme was also met with considerable cheer and boosted footfall, sales and market sentiment, albeit with a smaller positive impact on profit. This all led to significant price gains through the summer for all except HR Owen and Caffyns. The remaining listed businesses also chose this time to approach the stock market for additional share capital

to pay down expensive debt or, in the case of Vertu, to build an acquisition warchest. The last quarter has seen share price falls for the majority. This is principally down to concerns over 2010 trading, be it the end of scrappage, the increase in VAT, the new showroom tax or the longer term effects of decreased volumes on profitability. Trading has certainly taken a downturn in the latter part of 2009 for all except a few brands who are still benefiting heavily from scrappage and this is likely to continue into the new year. The outlook for 2010 should be more settled for the stock market valuations. The sector has not seen the dramatic falls recognised at the end of 2008 and, in the longer term, some of the shares still appear good value with the market capitalisations at a discount to net assets excluding goodwill. If you have any questions concerning the above, please contact me on 0161 493 1930.

ï ï ï ï ï ï

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14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 14

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8/1/10 1/7/0913:33:14 14:06:55

big mike

Listen, you didn’t hear I this from me, right? ’m going to tell you a story, but if anyone asks it wasn’t Big Mike you got it from... Much has been made in the past few months of the government-backed scrappage scheme, and its effect on both the new and used car markets. So much so that, like me, you’re probably sick to death of hearing about it. So Big Mike makes you a promise – this is the last time I’ll mention it. For now, at least. I’ve been around this industry long enough to know that even when you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t. And this latest scam, floating around the lower reaches of the used car market, is a real eye-opener, even to a seasoned professional like me. See, one of the downsides of the scrappage scheme, at least to someone like me, who specialises in pre-owned, but not nearly new stuff, is that the supply of good, clean older cars has generally dried up. That’s because your average scrappage customer with their immaculate old Rover, Volvo or Nissan Micra is the kind of person from whom, via the part-ex auctions, us traders would previously have sourced lovely old one-owner cars. Most of these, older than T-reg, have now gone; and that leaves us with a real shortage on our hands. While the older cars that have survived are generally the scruffy third or fourth-hand examples as seen doing burnouts on a council estate near you… But it may not wholly be thus; and here’s why. A short while ago, I was down at one of my local breakers yards picking up a front wing for a car I had on my lot (if there’s one benefit to the older stock trader of the scrappage scheme, it’s that there’s a huge oversupply of decent used parts at the moment, making prices cheap, as I mentioned last month). Ear, as ever, firmly to the ground, I inspected a P-registered Vauxhall Astra Mk3 that had recently arrived. It had just 22,000 miles on the clock and was in lovely condition, despite being such an unremarkable car. It was, of course, a scrappage scheme special, it’s place alongside the owner’s neatly tendered bungalow lawn no doubt now filled by a Korean shopping car. But I’m confident that this car,

22,000-mile Astra with a hidden history was spotted by our man after being ‘scrapped’...

‘It wasn’t a surpise to see the Astra resplendent on his forecourt wearing a different ID...’ most probably like a few others, will live on. For while all scrappage cars have to have a Certificate of Destruction issued, there’s no law that states they can’t be sold, complete, to somebody who wishes to own them as a source of spares. As I needed a few little bits and pieces for my son’s Astra, I asked the yard owner if I could take a few bits off this example – but was told no. It had already been sold, along with another rusty and dishevelled looking P-plate Astra that had come in a day later with an expired MoT; both to the same disreputable local trader of whom I have prior reason to distrust. It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, to see a 22,000-mile Astra resplendent on his forecourt a few days later, wearing the ID of a

nasty old rotten car that I had seen on the back of the scrapper’s lorry just a few days earlier. He’d either restored it to the same standard as the scrappage car, right down to details such as the tartan cushions and safari park sticker in the back window in just over a week, or something a little more sinister had gone on… As I value my knee caps, and there’s an outside chance he could be reading this, I couldn’t possibly suggest what, so let’s just say he’d got a bit ‘confused’ with his paperwork. So I guess the real question is, which is the more unethical practice? To remove a car from the scrappage programme and discreetly bring it back to life under an assumed identity, or to throw away an immaculate and perfectly serviceable vehicle in the first place? After all, whichever way, it’s all about profit… Who is Big Mike? Well, that would be telling. What we do know is he’s had 30 years in the car trade and picked up some seriously funny tales along the way.

16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 16

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Nissan is hoping its new Cube – imported for the first time officially – will gather a cult following

hat does Jennifer Lopez’s backside, a bulldog wearing sunglasses and a Jacuzzi have in common? No, they’re not part of a set from a soon-to-be released topshelf movie, but design cues Japanese scribblers styled parts of the new Nissan Cube on. Seriously, how much sake must Nissan’s pen pushers have had to come up with a car that resembled any one of those random objects? I’m guessing more than a lunchtime snifter. It might sound completely random – and believe me it was – but every one of them were mentioned at the launch of the first officiallyimported Cube to arrive in the UK. With a straight face, Nissan’s man from Japan, told us how the front end of the Cube, with dark strip across the lights, had been modelled on a pet pooch. Where said designer saw one wearing sunglasses was beyond me, but then I remembered this car hails from Japan where suction cup hats to stop your head bobbing around on trains as you sleep is normal. I had to stifle a laugh when our speaker announced the bulbous back end had been shaped to resemble pop idol J-Lo’s butt. He actually meant it! If this speech had been delivered on April 1 the assembled hacks would have walked out. But then, as he described the roundshaped interior that boasts four distinct sections, a shot of a Jacuzzi flashed up on the screen. And I kid you not, we were told: ‘When the designer was on holiday enjoying a Jacuzzi with five other people he decided that he wanted to shape the interior of the Cube like that.’ That’s exactly what he said. I know that because writing it down was the only thing I could do to stop myself bursting out in fits of laughter. And considering his straight face that would have been like laughing at a funeral. But take one look at the Cube and you realise this is no ordinary car, so you could hardly expect a normal press conference. It’s just mad to look

DEALER VIEW Mark Kinnard Category manager for city cars at Nissan The target buyer for the Cube is a different one to that which dealers usually see. We need to think about marketing it differently which is why we’re planning a series of special design events at dealers.

These will be four-day events and will aim to market the design elements of our new products – the Cube, 370Z roadster and Qashqai. We’ll be holding competitions and interacting with local art colleges and designers, promoting the new design element of our cars.

at with that wraparound rear window on one side (which changes sides depending on left or right hand drive), and its boxy shape. The Cube is relatively new to the UK, but this is in fact the third generation of a car which first hit the streets in 1998. Since then, Nissan has shifted a million units worldwide. Really. But then if you Google the Cube you’ll see in its home country this is not just a car, it’s a lifestyle. Personalising the city runabout is rife with graphics, big wheels and mad engine mods, making it much like the MINI is over here. And with this new model, Nissan hopes to bring some of that personalisation to the UK. The options list for the Cube includes dramatic graphics and car tattoos that the manufacturer hopes buyers will use to make their Cube their own. What’s more, every year this brochure of extras will be updated with a new range so those modifications can continue. Nissan hopes

this will draw buyers back into dealers for even more extras – a welcome revenue stream. The manufacturer says the Cube will primarily appeal to design savvy consumers. You know the kind: Guardian-reading, tight trouser wearing, weirdy beardy types. That’s why the Cube was launched in fashionable East London in a ‘pop up’ store that’s filled with design icons and holds regular fashion and art events. But to be honest, as much as the tofu-eating flower lovers would like to keep the Cube for themselves, I’ve got the feeling they’ll have a hard job on their hands. It’s a brilliant car that will appeal to old and young alike. They’ll be able to pick from two engines at launch: A 1.5-litre dCi with 110bhp, 240Nm of torque, a handy 54mpg and emissions of 135g/km. Or a 1.6-litre petrol unit that also produces 110bhp, but 153Nm of torque, 42.8mpg and emissions slightly higher at 151g/km. The diesel commands a £1,200 premium over the £14,000 base model. We got to try both engines at the London launch and have to say they’re equally impressive. Punchy and reasonably refined, they’re a great match for the car’s agile handling. With its wheelin-each corner design, manoeuvring around clogged city streets is a doddle too. And the specification list is impressive. Buyers get 16-inch alloys, glass roof, air con, Bluetooth, cruise control, keyless start, ESP and a CD player all as standard on the base model. So, all in, the Cube is a cracking car. Just remember, don’t tell buyers about J-Lo and the bulldog, they’ll just think you’re high… [JB]

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Coupe de grace C ay m a n s v 3 7 0 Z Words by James Baggott

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Pictures @neillwatson

Their prices might be very different, but Porsche and nissan are aiming for the same buyers with their cayman and 370z offerings. But which is better?

Porsche versus a Nissan? Hardly sounds fair does it. But then a good old David v Goliath test always makes things interesting. In the price guides these two cars might be poles apart – one costs around £30k, the other without sensible options is 10 grand more. So what are they doing here together? Well, take a closer look at the stats and these two coupes are more closely related than you might think. Performance is near as dammit identical – the 370Z rattling off the 60mph dash in 5.3s, the Cayman S completing it in 5.1s. Top speeds are a little different, but only because of an enforced limiter on the Nissan – it will hit 155mph while the Cayman will push on to 171mph. But how

often are buyers going to be doing that? Exactly. More important in this style-conscious sector is the looks. The coupe market is a style statement, a ‘marque’ of wealth for drivers clawing their way up the corporate ladder. Like a fine watch or smart wallet, these cars are subtle statements of success. But has a Nissan really got what it takes to cut the mustard here? Well, you need to remember this isn’t any old Nissan. This is one of the marque’s fabled Z cars, built from the ground-up with the driver in mind. Performance and driver enjoyment were the first things on the designers’ menu, with looks dictated by function as well as form. The gaping front shark-like mouth, the rear diffuser and subtle spoiler – all have a

purpose, and that’s not just to make the 370Z look pretty. Add in the halo effect of it’s bigger, labotomised brother – the GT-R – and you’re onto a winner, especially when you can see more than an essence of the supercar’s looks in the smaller Nissan. The 370Z certainly has the credentials to put up a fight. But then it’s not going to be easy. The Cayman is the Porsche that rumours have it was so good in development it had to be toned down for fear it’d steal sales from its bigger brother, the 911. Get behind the wheel and that’s not so unbelievable. It’s an incredibly capable car with a badge that more junior executives aspire to than any other. What’s more the Cayman has managed to >

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mould itself a niche. It doesn’t come with the sour connotations a Boxster does. And despite some still slating it as a cut-price 911, those that have enjoyed a stint behind the wheel will have very few bad words to say. This is a drivers’ car in its own right and a difficult challenge for the 370Z to overcome. For this test we headed north for a road trip that would test our pairing properly. The plan was to rendezvous with friend of the giants, snapper Neill Watson, near Middlesborough. We’d take in the delights of the Yorkshire Moors before an overnight stay, then head to a little known track on day two to really test the pairing out. Performance coupes like this aren’t just supposed to look pretty – they’ve got to have the undercrackers to entertain too, so it felt only fitting to let them show us what they’ve got on a closed circuit.

Day One

lumber is disturbed by the clattering diesel hum of the Porsche delivery driver pulling up outside just before 7am. Sure beats getting woken up by the dustmen. Bleary eyed I watch as the truck gives birth to a retina-disturbing ice white Cayman, but immediately there’s a problem... the Porsche has a flat tyre. The driver can’t apologise enough as he wakes the press office and tells them about the problem. Turns out a puncture had been repaired the day before, but this hadn’t cured it’s primary objective and because the car had been stored in the truck over night no one spotted it. To be honest, I was rather pleased we’d found out the repair wasn’t going to hold then, rather than 10 laps in at the track. Problem is, the solution isn’t as simple as fitting the spare, Porsche want the car back at their Reading HQ where we’ll have to pick it up at lunchtime. As it’s technically on the way, this isn’t too much of a problem, so Dunc and I jump into the 370Z for the first 100 miles. Nissan has really gone to work on the 370Z’s interior – it’s got a superb cabin. Yes, there might be more buttons than a Cadbury’s factory, but the layout is logical and easy to use. Especially good is the sat-nav screen

with mobile phone-style buttons that make inputting destinations a breeze. And you don’t need a degree in biomechanical engineering to connect your phone to the Bluetooth handsfree system either – it’s surprisingly simple. It’s a comfy car too. The sports seats are supportive, with a huge range of adjustment, and for long distance work they’ve excellent. We soon discover it’s a very capable motorway tool – that 3.7-litre V6 unit is flexible and packs an almighty punch. With 366Nm of torque you’re never wanting for grunt and overtakes can often become over-zealous bouts of speeding with a misplaced flick of the right ankle. The 100 miles to Reading are covered in record time and we decamp to the nearest Golden Arches for some R&R while Porsche replaces the Cayman’s rubber. The manufacturer’s HQ doubles as a huge Porsche Centre. I find the design of Porsche showrooms always smacks of such perfection for the brand, clean lines everywhere, solid swathes of aluminium and glass, they’re breathtaking feats of engineering – much like their cars. Take away the branding from inside and I bet you’d still be able to guess what cars were sold there. We spend rather too long staring at a sold GT2 in the showroom, remembering the incredible five laps sat next to one of Porsche’s finest drivers on the tightest of tracks at Millbrook in the summer. That’s one lucky buyer awaiting delivery. Parked outside is a Panamera and it’s the first time I’ve seen one up close – it’s sat in front of a 911 and absolutely dwarfs the sportscar. I’m not entirely sold on the four-seater, but there’s little doubt it’s imposing, and this one isn’t even moving. An hour of window-shopping later and we’re on our way. Rubber renewed, we point the cars’ noses back along the M4 towards Silverstone for our trek north. I take the opportunity to slot behind the wheel of the Cayman and the difference between the two is stark and instantly obvious. These two cars might have similar goals, similar target buyers and sit in similar categories in the backs of car magazines – but the way they go about business is extremely different. >

Porsche was clinically efficient on track – but was was a little too good?

22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 22

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Y The Cayman is noticeably more focussed, more ruthless in its power delivery. Its steering feels more direct, more connected and its engine note more purposeful, more attacking. even the chassis feels more taught, more in tune with the driver. It’s so apparent it’s instantly noticeable – even on the short run along the a43 past Silverstone. The a43 connects the M40 with the M1 and makes the perfect route north. Not only does it avoid the M25 and much of M1 hell, it’s also littered with entertaining roundabouts and short interconnecting straights (of course, I mean roads, ahem…). The Cayman and 370Z trade blows, putting smiles on our faces and stand the hairs on the back of our necks on end. These coupes are good. Very good. after several hours thrashing out monotonous mile after mile on the M1 and a1 we decide to up the tempo again and head off the beaten track. With a good old-fashioned map we find a gem of a road. The B1363 nestles in between the busy ring roads of York pointing north. It’s a quick expanse of Tarmac that twists and turns like a race track. It’s damp and starting to rain, but the Cayman feels utterly planted. The rollercoaster road takes complete concentration to keep car from meeting hedge, but is so rewarding. The Porsche is edging away from the following 370Z, in which Dunc looks like he’s working hard. The Nissan is a car that’ll bite your hand off if you’re not careful and on this road, my colleague’s taking no chances. as the sun sets a glorious satsuma orange, capping the moors in a coat of burnt amber paint, we continue our charge north towards Helmsley. From there we hop on to the B1257 to Stokesley – known locally as the Yorkshire TT – and it’s soon obvious why. It’s stunning, the scenery breathtaking and the corners sublime. Just a shame then we get stuck behind Mr Sunday Driver still trying to get home late on Monday evening. With double white lines as far as the eye can see it’s impossible to overtake, so we sit back and enjoy the scenery, in slow-mo.

SECOND OPINION... Nissan 370Z loved the 350Z. In my previous job selling cars, I relished the chance to drive one every time I took one in as a part ex. It sounded awesome, went even better and in the right hands was one of the best ‘fun’ cars you could buy. It was for this reason I hoped for even more greatness from the new 370Z – problem was, I was left feeling a bit cold. I think it looks okay. It’s a bit smaller, more

aggressive and modern compared to the outgoing model. But it lacks the hooligan side of the 350Z. It will still produce smoke like an Amsterdam ‘coffee’ shop, but it just takes a lot more to get it to do it. It seems Nissan have toned the animal down, perhaps for a wider audience? Still, £30k buys you a VERY good car. At the beginning of our test, it was the clear under dog, but in my opinion finished a very respectable second. [DC]

nissan 370z

’m seriously looking forward to this. Snapper and part-time track driving instructor Neill has arranged for some alone time on a large outdoor karting track so we can get some decent pictures, as well as some proper time for testing our twosome. Teesside autodrome is a real hidden gem. Tucked away in deepest, darkest Middlesborough you’d struggle to find it without the help of a local, but it’s well worth tracking down. For a circuit primarily used for karting, it’s surprisingly wide, well surfaced and hugely entertaining. Wide open corners for fun and games combine with challenging crests and camber changes that will cut the wheat from the chaff in this twin test. First on the shoot list is some static photography and while Neill sets up his lights and picks the locations we get the chance to argue over the pairing’s looks. I’m not completely convinced by the 370Z’s curves. Much like the first – the 350Z – the front end is perfect, but it’s like they’ve left the back-end styling to the cleaner. The rear light clusters don’t work, the centrallymounted fog light looks like a kind of add-on fitted to Japanese imports at the docks and the shape does nothing for me. The front end is gorgeous and even the side profile pushes the right buttons – but the back just grates. It seems I’m alone here though. The 370Z is lavished with praise from the gathered onlookers – the kart mechanics love it, slating the Porsche as ‘boring’. Pah! What do they know… >

If it’s fun buyers are after the 370Z won’t disappoint; headlights are radical and interior smart and comfy

‘Tail-sliding arcs of rubber-melting frolics are a right-foot prod away. The 370z makes you feel like an absolute hero.’ 24 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 24

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Again, I’m out on my own here, but I think the Cayman is a classic shape. It’s far enough removed from the 911 to be desirable in its own right and all the proportions are spot on. Boring it’s anything but. Discussions over, it’s time for some action shots and with the bike track day that’s been roaring all morning coming to an end, we edge out on to the circuit. For the first stint I pick the 370Z. Its predecessor had a reputation for being a bit of a hooligan and thankfully the latest incarnation is no different. Tail-sliding arcs of rubber-melting frolics are a controllable right foot prod away, corners become skating rinks with the Nissan breaking traction with ease. The 370Z makes you feel like an absolute hero. Ever wanted to be Tiff Needell? Then get yourself one of these. The torquey engine makes short work of the track and around the Teeside ribbon of asphalt it’s completely thrilling. That great engine – which produces 326bhp (up from 309bhp in the 350Z) – doesn’t sound as good as the performance figures and fun factor suggest, but sublime steering and a chassis that delivers feedback Lord Alan Sugar would be proud of combine to make it a true delight. With each lap comes more confidence, the 370Z goading you into pushing the limits that little bit further. But although the back end could be kindly described as ‘loose’, it’s massively entertaining. Our test car was fitted with the six-speed manual gearbox complete with heel-and-toe-down-change emulator, Synchro Rev Control. This clever bit of kit blips the throttle for you, matching engine speed with road speed, for seamless shifts as you swap cogs. It works utterly brilliantly and makes years spent trying to learn the art of heel-and-toe completely pointless. After each session behind the wheel of the 370Z, it’d take more than a slap around the chops to take the smile off my face. This is a car that puts driver involvement at the top of its To Do list and is extremely rewarding to drive. I’m smitten.

Porsche Cayman

ith the 370Z cornering action in the bag, I turn my attentions to the German. Ruthless, efficient and menacing, it seems the white Cayman is poles apart from the 370Z. And on the track, much like on the road, it’s immediately obvious. There’s no drama here, no rubber burning, back-end wagging show-boating with this tool. One would

SECOND OPINION... Porsche Cayman t is often said Porsches lack the passion and soul of competitors, but I think that is down to personal prejudice. Porsche has a racing history to rival any other marque, and the soul is one of purpose and direction. The beautiful Cayman S is a car that delivers on every level. The way

in which it delivers its performance is nothing short of astonishing. For a mid-sized sportscar, the pace is scary. With the PDK gearbox and launch control it feels fast. Very fast. The sense of occasion in the Porsche is enough to make me want to spend the extra on it. In my book it’s a cut above the Nissan. [DC]

imagine the word fun doesn’t even have a German translation. This is about point-to-point, getting you from A-to-B as fast as possible. After a few laps in the Cayman it’s abundantly clear this is the better track machine of the two. It puts several car lengths on the 370Z before you’ve even covered half a lap. And boy does it grip, scything through bends with scalpel-edged precision. If you miss an apex there’s no one to blame but the man behind the wheel. The Cayman is packed with performance goodies too, ones that make fast a science, not an art form. First up is launch control: click the right buttons, hold your foot on the brake, nail the throttle and wait for it to level at 5,000rpm, then simply take your foot off the brake. It’s unbelievably effective, matching power with grip to thrust you forwards with the efficiency of a super computer. Of course this only works alongside the marque’s seven-speed PDK gearbox. Don’t ask what PDK stands for, it’s unpronounceable by humans, just be satisfied that all you need to know is it works, much like everything else in the Porsche, fantastically well. It’s a dual clutch set-up, not dissimilar to VW’s DSG unit, which prepares the next cog you want to use in preparation for the next shift. Yes, that sounds hugely complicated, and I have no doubt it probably is, but it’s safe to say it makes gear changes very swift matters indeed. That’s not to say it isn’t without its faults. Most noticeable are the button toggles for up and down on the steering wheel which work the opposite way to that which you’d expect. They’re also far more awkward to get the hang of compared to paddles favoured by other manufacturers. >

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In most cases it’s far easier to use the gear lever that can be pushed up and down for shifts instead of the buttons. But despite this small handicap, the Cayman still manages to edge it out on track. The Cayman S produces 320bhp from its 3.4-litre unit, down a fraction on the 370Z, and 370Nm of torque, again a gnat’s whisker down on the Nissan. But it’s the way it manages to translate those numbers into forward inertia so effectively that nudges it in front ahead here. That being said, it’s nowhere near as much fun as the Nissan. Yes, it may be faster, classier and more effective, but you always get the feeling you’re only half of the picture. The Cayman’s so honed and sorted it takes away a large part of the enjoyment. After a day’s fun and frolics on track, I’m swaying towards one of our pairing, but it’s not an easy choice. While the engines tick-tick themselves cool, we glug Red Bull before the long drive back south. Maybe another 300 miles of motorway will help me make up my mind…

The Verdict

ard one this. You’ve probably guessed which one I like the most, but this time it really is down to personal choice. Which would you rather – a car that makes you feel like a hero, or a car that makes you lap like a hero? I drive cars not to get me from one place to another, but because I enjoy it. I’m one of the small number of people that holds a driving licence who’ll simply go out for a drive for no particular reason. Try telling that to someone who doesn’t like cars and they’ll look at you like you’ve just spooned half a jar of Coleman’s Mustard in your mouth. They’ll think you’re just plain mental. But there’s a band of brothers out there, other likeminded individuals that know what I’m talking about

– and it’s these people who’ll pick the 370Z. Ok, so it doesn’t look quite as cool as the Porsche and the badge might not have the same kudos, but when you’re behind the wheel you can see neither, and you will be able to feel every second of pleasure this car will induce. That’s not to say the Cayman will be bought purely by people who want to get to the shops and back. It’s much, much more than a pretty shopping trolley. The Cayman S is a devastating machine that covers ground extremely quickly, in pretty much anyone’s hands. It sounds superb, steers like few cars you’ll ever experience and is packed with technology. It’ll also catapult you around a track, or damp B-road, faster than you’d ever think possible. But, the thing is, you won’t realise it – and in my eyes what’s the point of going really quickly if you don’t feel like you’re going really quickly? It’s not as though you’re trying to qualify for a grand prix is it, where lap times are all. This is about life; enjoying every one of those pounds you spent on your car, every time you get behind the wheel. And in the German offering, I just don’t know whether I would. I think cars like this should be about soul, about passion; they should make you want to pull open the garage door on a Sunday morning and go and get the papers, via France. The decision for me is made a lot easier too when you add in the fact the 370Z is quite a healthy chunk of cash cheaper than the Porsche. But, like I said, there’s no clear-cut champion here. The arguments on the day between the Car Dealer team made that clear. This one really is down to the buyer: Do they want fast, smart and effective, but lacking in personality? Or a little bit porky, tad wayward but ever so more entertaining for it? Tough choice but, one would imagine, a rather nice predicament to be in… [CD]

Nissan 370Z Price: £26,900 Engine: 3.7-litre, V6 Power: 326bhp Torque: 366Nm 0-60mph: 5.3s Max: 155mph Insurance: 19 Weight: 1,525kg Gears: Six-speed manual CO2: 249g/km MPG: 26.9 (comb’d) Rating: H H H H

Porsche Cayman S Price: £44,107 Engine: 3.4-litre, flat six Power: 320bhp Torque: 370Nm 0-60mph: 5.1s Max: 171mph Insurance: 19 Weight: 1,350kg Gears: Seven-speed PDK CO2: 221g/km MPG: 30.1 (comb’d) Rating: H H H H

Thanks to... Teesside Autodrome. Call 01642 231117, teessideautodrome.co.uk

‘Tell people you go out for a drive for no particular reason and they’ll look at you like you’ve just spooned half a jar of Coleman’s Mustard into your mouth.’ 28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 28

8/1/10 13:34:05

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K^`blm^k mh]Zr Zm ppp'fhmhkZmb'\h'nd(]^Ze^k&lb`gni service_and_repair_code_ad:188 X 130 30/7/09 16:20 PageThe 1 online comparative new car marketplace

If you already do this: honest and fair services open and transparent pricing work completed as agreed invoices that match quoted prices competent and conscientious staff

You would benefit from signing up to this:

The Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair commits garages to an open, fair and responsible way of doing business. It is a voluntary Code that has the backing of the whole of our industry and delivers the benefits of self regulation to garages and their customers. It’s likely your business already meets the standards required by the Code so by subscribing you can easily benefit from being part of an initiative designed to benefit the industry as a whole.

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Be part of this industry wide initiative and register now at www.motorindustrycodes.co.uk

8/1/10 13:34:09

Forecourt We’ve drooled over the pictures for months, now Car Dealer is let loose in the new Italia 458

errari doesn’t hang onto its laurels for long, with a lifespan of just five years for every new model. Yet even Ferrari was surprised at how quickly the mid-engined F430 fell from fashion once the California, with its fancy folding hardtop, hit the streets. So the F430’s replacement, the 458 Italia, really must do the business. Just a quick walk around tells you they’ve got it spot on. This is simply the best-looking Ferrari in the past decade. Gone are the traditional massive air intakes behind the doors, and that simple move – which leaves an expanse of countered bodywork in their place, – changes the whole character. The visual changes continue throughout. There are small engine air intakes hidden behind that tiny triangular window to the rear of the doors. There are others that intake air from the edge of the headlights and exit shortly above the front wings, with the sole purpose of balancing the air pressure built up in the wheel arches. Those small winglets in the very front actually deform at speed to redirect air beneath the car instead of to the radiators – cooling is easy at higher speeds. The Italia is simply full of clever, well thought-out details like this. The engine and transmission are derived from those in the California. That means a 4.5-litre direct injection V8 and a

DEALER VIEW Clive Sutton THE Ferrari 458 Italia is already commanding a premium of £30k over list! A lot of buyers out there are bored: they’re driving Aston Martin DB9s and Bentley Continental GTs, and want a change. The problem is

getting hold of an order – hence the premium. The 458 really is a stunning car, but it’s a lot more expensive than the outgoing F430: a lot of owners are going to get a shock. The 458 has been priced in Scuderia territory…

seven-speed DSG box instead of the old F1 paddle shift of the F430. and there’s much more power: 570bhp is reached at a piercing 9,000rpm – and boy, was it fun making the most of the power in the hills above Maranello. With the police absent in a way that only Italy seems to manage, the 458 Italia would slingshot between corners with such astonishing vigour. It’s so fast, in fact, you rarely make use of the full 570bhp, flicking the paddles instead at 7,000rpm just to get more of those lightening changes in and to hear more of the delicious Wup-Wup-Wup from the trio of exhausts. You can punt the Italia along at vast speeds through the bends too. It shoots from one corner to the next, tracks left or right as soon as you move the wheel and then grips,

seemingly forever. This is such a flattering car to drive really quickly, tempting you to push further and harder towards the edge of the envelope. To help you keep this Ferrari in shape it has heaps of electronic chassis controls that continuously monitor the conditions and brake individual wheels if things start to get out of line. You have a choice of five settings via the Manettino switch on the steering wheel, though most, it must be said, are orientated to race track use. Still, it makes the 458 Italia a highly entertaining drive, and you don’t need to suffer from a bone-jarring ride either – it really is rather comfortable. Ferrari has done it again, but this time with more conviction than ever. Yes, £160k-plus is expensive, but Mclaren and Mercedes, with their new MP4-12C and SlS, must be wondering how they can get close to the all-round appeal of the 458 Italia. The dealer order book for mid-engined Ferraris has already bounced back.

PETER BURGESS Ferrari 458 Italia Price: £170,000 (est) Engine: 4.5-litre V8 Power: 570bhp Top speed: 202mph 0-60mph: 3.4 seconds Economy: 21.2 mpg

Ferrari 458 Italia looks stunning from every angle; And we love those triple exhaust pipes

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Ferrari 458

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List s n io t u l o s e R ’s r New Yea

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[Sales legend]

he rover 200 was one of the best cars rover ever made. Sure, it wasn’t quite the most dramatic-looking. Nor was it the most interstellar to drive. It wasn’t even history’s most innovative rover. But, in terms of markethitting success, probably nothing can beat it. No, not even the iconic original Mini. Controversial? Maybe. But it’s also because the 1989 rover 200 was just about as perfect an all-rounder as it’s possible to be, given the market rover was aiming at. Taking on the Ford escort, Vauxhall astra and Volkswagen Golf was never going to be easy for a relative minnow like the plucky Brum Brit. With this car, though, rover did it. at launch, the press were so amazed by it, plaudits flowed from every corner. That was at the launch, from where group tests were hastily organised. During these, it was discovered that rover had done the unthinkable. Built a family hatchback that took on all-comers – and won. For a few star-struck years, there really was no better family mass-market model on sale. This was unthinkable. This was unheralded. So how was it possible? Through one of the best partnerships of recent times: rover and Honda. The Japanese designed the car, made it work, made it reliable. rover then took it, tuned it for UK roads, added its own styling genius tweaks and, most importantly, piled on some trad British elegance to the already-impeccable interior. Most models came with a real wood strip on the dash (the more expensive the car, the more wood you got). There were chrome kickplates when you opened the doors, rover 800-spec executive seats to drop into, and the sound of total build quality from the noise of the door closing to boot slamming. rarely has a British car had such a winning combination. This ensured there were rational reasons for choosing the rover, too. The firm’s own 1.4-litre

ROVER

The best ever Rover? Bold claim but one RICHARD AUCOCK plans to stick by

AND OUT K-Series was punchy, smooth and economical – back then, head gasket problems were an unheard of concern. Buyers wanting more chose the 1.6litre Honda version instead, which progressively upped the power to near hot-hatch levels. Which gave rover an idea. In time, there would be home-engineered three-door models. Dramatic Vauxhall Calibra-rivalling coupes (with a 2.0-litre turbo!). Fancy drop-top cabrios too. even a smart, ahead-of-its-time lifestyle Tourer estate. all joining the five-door hatch which, from launch, was complemented by the junior BMW 3 Series-style rover 400. No, it wasn’t cheap. Sure, the spec levels on the base i and Si versions were austere at best. But

even this didn’t matter, because the build quality, elegance, refinement and kudos of owning a rover compensated. What a winning mix. What potential it had for the future. Of course, it couldn’t last. rover is a British company, after all. Something had to go wrong. It did – owners British aerospace sold the firm to BMW, Honda rightly got brassed off, and the rest is history. What a tragedy. Because, for a few fleeting years in the early 1990s, rover really was where it was at. It was a model that sold more than 100,000 a year – massive numbers by rover standards, and impressive even by Ford levels. enough to make it, in our eyes, a sales legend. alas, there’s no chance of seeing its like again…

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Don’t let your profits go down the tube!

Everyone wants to make more profit and we have a GAP/RTI product that will help you do just that! Warranty Management Services provide bespoke insurance solutions to retain your customers and increase profits for your dealership throughout the lifecycle of the vehicle. To help you, we have designed a new easy to use, web based sales package to help dealers improve product penetration - the ‘WMS Showroom’ system is a state of the art sales and administration programme, designed to introduce a suite of products to your customers at point of sale, covering compliance and product information at the point of purchase. We’re one of the fastest growing warranty companies in the UK with over 2000 dealers - if you would like to bridge the gap and make more profits please call our Business Development Director, Eric Stone, on 07789 682502 today.

0844 477 4909

sales@warrantymanagementservices.co.uk www.wmswarranty.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 34

8/1/10 13:34:26

[cult car]

The Caparo scared Clarkson and burnt Plato, if that’s not enough to make it a cult car, then what is?

It looks like the Batmobile, but goes like a rocket. You’d need Batman’s deep pockets to buy one too at £235k...

olloquially known as the car that burned touring car hero Jason Plato on national TV, there’s far more to the Caparo that just being, er, a bit of a hottie. Designed to demonstrate cuttingedge British technology, it’s thoroughly deserving of Cult Car status. Indeed, its fiery habits maybe even only enhance this… The designers, both ex-Mclaren F1 men, proclaimed it at launch back in 2006 to be an F1 car for the road. You don’t say. look at it. How would we have guessed! With a twin-element front wing, singleelement rear wing and ground effect diffuser similar to that which got Brawn all the 2009 F1 headlines, the only thing missing is a 250-strong race crew seeing to its every need. It doesn’t need them because it’s fully road legal. For £235k, you too can have one of the most dramatic cars in existence. rarity is guaranteed, too – it’s built in numbers fewer than the cars set to line up on the F1 grid next year. But, believe us, it’s not looks and rarity that make it truly cult-worthy. No, try this: the dry weight of the thing, thanks to aluminium/carbonfibre monocoque construction, is less than 500kg. The mid-engined, two-seat reardrive monster seriously challenges the strength of this at 150mph too, by generating almost twice this kerbweight in downforce alone. Which, to Car Dealer Magazine’s lame physics brain, suggests to us that you can drive it upside down through a tunnel at this speed in complete confidence. Which would be Men In Black cool. even cooler would be getting there. Behind the two passengers – with one sitting slightly behind the other, to make it narrower and more aerodynamically smooth – is a nuts 3.5-litre V8 engine. This, the spec sheet says, can produce 575bhp at a dizzy

10,500rpm… and there isn’t even a turbo to help it along. Mad. Such power is sufficient to see it from 0-60mph in, and we believe this is correct, around 2.5 seconds. even that’s not enough for Caparo, though. Word is, the version fuelled by Methane is even faster, due to its power boost up to 700bhp. Helps it get to 100mph even faster than the standard car’s 4.9-second time, and illustrates just how stupidly potent it could be. We’d stick with the standard version, mind. even this has a power-to-weight ratio which, at 1,045bhp/ tonne, is twice that of a Bugatti Veyron. That would do for us. a six-speed sequential gearbox, five-way adjustable race dampers and a full set of digital data-logging instruments complete the F1 racecar experience. Blimey, you can even strap yourself in with a six-point race harness if you so wish, and fit a full neck-protecting HaNS device. Well, the M25 is usually a pain in the neck, so… Seriously though, you probably wouldn’t guffaw if you got the Caparo onto a track, and fitted the optional track-orientated wing setup. With a juicy set of tyres, the designers claim it can generate 3G in corners. 3G! That really is F1-level, and thus cements it for us. The Caparo T1 is a cult car, and no mistake. It may be surrounded by controversy – and Clarkson may have been terrified of it on Top Gear – but, to we batty journos, that only adds to its cult-ability. Besides, at £235k, even a middling lottery win would be enough… [RA]

Caparo T1 Engine: 3.5-litre V8 Power: 575bhp Top speed: 200mph-plus 0-62mph: 2.5 seconds

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How do you close a sale

if you can’t get the lead into the showroom?

www.HookLogic.com

Sales happen face-to-face. Motivate more in-market leads to visit your showroom with innovative walk-in incentive technologies from HookLogic. s Raise your show rate by 50% or more s Pay only for real lead actions s Attract more high-quality leads into your dealership

Call 0161 309 8381 or email sales@hooklogic.com.

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right click

...in association with GForces

Make sure you hit the mark Get help to make your new year resolutions achieveable, says Gforces’ Tim Smith

s the last of the turkey sandwiches are finished and roger Moore orders his Martini shaken, not stirred, before saving the world, thoughts move from the festive season to the year ahead and how we’ll make 2010 a better year than 2009. From learning a new instrument to getting in shape, the sad fact is that an estimated 80 per cent of New Year’s resolutions are broken by January 31. Perhaps this is due to biting off more than you can chew and not having a clear plan of action. Wanting to learn an instrument is one thing, but picking up a trumpet and going for Miles Davis on the first try will only end in disappointment. Pulling a muscle while jogging on a chilly January morning will only result in your return to the couch to watch roger Moore save the world, rather than helping to shed that Christmas excess. However, were resolution makers to find a trumpet teacher or join a gym and find an instructor to help them formulate a plan to help achieve their targets, results are a lot more likely. With the internet generating 4.4 times as many automotive leads as offline channels, according to leadBeast, making the most of their online presence should be high up on the 2010 resolution list for automotive dealers. With the online audience in the UK expected to reach 44m by 2013 (source: eMarketer), the potential audience for digital dealerships has yet to peak. Next year is set to see a 7.6 per cent increase in online marketing with a further 93 per cent increase predicted for 2011. Those dealers without an online presence will find it increasingly competitive if this resolution waits until the start of 2011. Developing a successful web presence may seem daunting; the internet is a rapidly evolving environment and there’s a difference between simply having a website and having a successful,

‘Were resolution makers to find a trumpet teacher or join a gym and find an instructor to help them formulate a plan to help achieve their targets, results are a lot more likely.’

lead-generating digital dealership. What makes that difference is the partner and support behind your online presence. Finding a web company that works more like a partner – supportive and understanding of your business and targets – is vital. From your web platform and site design to target-driven marketing and dedicated support, the right partner can make success at all levels an achievable resolution. If it’s done right, automotive dealers will not only establish an online presence but will see dramatic results, both immediate and long term

One of our clients, one of the largest and fastestgrowing Scottish automotive groups, saw a 140 per cent increase in leads through their website while their conversion rate increased by 300 per cent after a little over a month of going live. The internet represents a wealth of opportunity for automotive dealers. Those looking to make the most of their online presence will find doing so in partnership with a dedicated and supportive team will bring success, and something to blow your trumpet about, throughout 2010 and beyond.

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wms ad - Jan10.pdf

05/01/2010

12:09:51

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Do you sell new cars? Do you sell used cars? Are you looking to increase profits?

PROTECT YOUR PROFIT BY PROTECTING YOUR CUSTOMERS Guaranteed asset protection and return to invoice insurance should be the first product offered in the buy cycle for every customer. “Lets face it, a customer with a vehicle is an opportunity but a customer without a vehicle is a pedestrian.” How many customers are leaving showrooms without product and without protection? Why? A dealer principal recentlycommented “If you can secure the asset you can secure the customer!” It doesn’t take much these days for a damaged vehicle to be considered beyond economical repair, and the devastating effect that this can have on our customers and their ability to overcome the financial shortfall realised between the original purchase price of the vehicle or outstanding finance balance and their road risk insurance payout. Trying to reinstate the status quo and return the customer to their original purchase position can be impossible to overcome and result in a lost customer forever. In fact it is estimated that over ½ million vehicles are written off each year.

Car values are unpredictable in the current climate so the opportunity for stability and guaranteed protection is an attractive proposition when explained clearly for every customer. Surely our commitment to all customers should go beyond the initial sale and protect their asset and our business into the future. How much involvement and through how many stages do you interact with your customer from initial purchase to second part exchange? Warranty Management Services provide bespoke insurance solutions to retain your customers and increase profits for your dealership throughout the lifecycle of the vehicle.

CMY

We handle the claim for the customer and keep you informed to enable you to liaise with the finance company if applicable and to re-supply a vehicle and a new GAP/RTI product. We have designed a new IT solution to help dealers improve product penetration. The WMS Showroom system is a state of the art industry leading sales and administration programme, designed to introduce a suite of products to your customers at point of sale, covering compliance and product information STATISTICS - It is estimated by industry insiders that 50% of all stolen vehicles are never recovered and with a vehicle stolen every 90 seconds GAP/RTI is powerful proposition and a demonstration to every customer is a must. You may choose to ignore the stats but the following are hard facts... 1. WMS offer a product that is available for every customer. 2. Increased penetration and profit reported from supporting dealers. 3. Sales and product training provided. 4. Guaranteed under a claimable event. 5. Finance GAP and Return to Invoice protection in one product at one price. 6. Dealer fitted accessories and Insurance excess can be included. 7. Monthly direct debit payments available.

If you would like to discuss the profit opportunities available from Warranty Management Services, please contact Eric Stone on 07789 682502 or email sales@warrantymanagementservices.co.uk

0844 477 4909 www.wmswarranty.co.uk CarDealerIss23.indd 38

8/1/10 13:34:37

...in association with Really Good Domains

dot com

...in association with Really Good Domains

Even more buyers will head online in the next 12 months If your dealership isn’t geared up for it then make it a resolution to get your online adverts in shape

he Christmas decorations have been put away, the New Year is here and now is as good a time as any to look ahead to the next 12 months. So what changes in online marketing can we expect to see and how will this effect the car buying process? Well, in 2009 we brought you news of the latest research that showed the internet had overtaken TV as the biggest advertising platform in the UK during the latter half of the year. Now, as we enter 2010 we can expect to see that gap grow. We also brought you news of the latest research from several respected organisations which highlighted the amount of time adults are now spending online; again this trend is set to continue into 2010. all this research irrefutably shows that online advertising is absolutely key in being successful during 2010. Get this right early in the year and

‘Buyers coming on to the website are there for one thing – looking for their next new or nearly new car.’ you stand an excellent chance of staying ahead of the game. Greater numbers of car buyers will continue to use the internet as their primary source in key stages of the car buying cycle – from intensive research early on, to looking for specific cars and deals towards the end of the process. It makes it imperative to open a dialogue between your dealership and a potential car buyer as early as possible, so when the consumer switches to actually making a purchase it’s your deals they are looking at. This is where selecting your online marketing partners to advertise with is key to getting your deals in front of not only large numbers of car buyers, but the right type of buyer. There is little mileage advertising on a website which attracts vast numbers of used car buyers if you’re trying to sell new and almost new cars. This is what makes SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk so appealing to car dealerships, the newly designed website, live this January, solely contains car deals for new cars and those classed as nearly new, (under three years old). This gives you the confidence to know that the car buyers coming onto the website are there for one thing only – looking for

The Jaguar XJ and Peugeot RCZ, below, are likely to be popular in the leasing market this year

anuary is the perfect time to also make a few predictions about what we will see in the contract hire and leasing sector in the coming 12 months. First up, we can expect the numbers of consumers looking to contract hire as an affordable way to drive a new car to further increase. Continuing uncertainty in the economy coupled with the end of the scrappage scheme will lead to more car buyers opting for the leasing route, either to drive down their costs of running a car, or to drive that aspirational car they’ve always wanted. Historically, contract hire has

always been a popular way for businesses to run a ﬂeet. Hopefully, with real green shoots of recovery, increasing economic output and an upturn in business confidence, this will only have a positive impact on the numbers of business contract hire deals out there for car dealerships. Looking at the new metal from the manufacturers, there are some truly exciting models in the offing which are sure to be popular in the car leasing sector. The new Audi A8, BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XJ, Peugeot RCZ, and Citroen DS3 are just some of the thrilling models due out

in the first few months of the year, which are sure to entice people to switch cars. No doubt we will be seeing keen interest in these models on the number one contract hire website, ContractHireAnd Leasing.com. Speaking of new generation models, the all-new website will launch during 2010 – watch out for more on that later in the year. To make sure you get the most out of your contract hire channel during 2010, advertise your deals on ContractHireAnd Leasing.com. Call 0161 482 7650 to see how your dealership can benefit.

their next new or nearly new car. The old website garnered a lot of testimonials from car dealerships delighted with not only the quantity of genuine leads coming through, but also the quality of leads – and developers have ensured the new website is better in everyway. To find out more, see pages 50 and 51. So this January, when you’re looking at your marketing mix for the year ahead, give the people at SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk a call on 0161 482 7650 – you’ll be pleased you did.

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servicing

in association with the Motor Industry Code of Practice

AutoProtect signs up to the Code Warranty firm pledges its allegiance and it’s revealed Code is edging closer to approval

otor Codes subscribers have another new member as warranty firm auto Protect signs up. The car warranty company will add further to the three million car-related products Motor Codes members already administer. ‘This is good news for consumers,’ said Motor Codes director Chris Mason. ‘It’s another organisation demonstrating its willingness to embrace self-regulation for the benefit of its customers, in turn enhancing the reputation of the industry. ‘Vehicle Warranty Product Code enables responsible businesses such as autoProtect to demystify the terms and conditions of the products they offer and give increasingly higher standards of customer service.’ The latest subscriber comes as news emerges that Motor Codes is edging closer to gaining Office of Fair Trading Consumer Codes approval. It has already successfully passed Stage One. This commits subscribers to increasing consumer protection by setting new standards for non-insured warranty products including pre-sale information, cancellation rights and protected claims funds by offering: • Products written in clear English • No high pressure selling

Warranty firm signs up to Motor Codes • Providing written summaries of the key contract terms • Simple, straightforward claims procedures and autoProtect? It’s been trading for five years through dealers nationwide and has a sales team of more than 70. Its product offerings include cover for motor vehicles, motorcycles, motor homes plus light and heavy commercial vehicles and coaches. Michael McVeigh, autoProtect operations director, said: ‘We are impressed with the work and initiatives handled by Motor Codes, which have helped car warranties to become credible mainstream products that can be trusted.’

Why I signed up... Kingshurst Automotive

embedded on it. Indeed, he was convinced sufficiently to sign up right away. ‘I don’t know what it was – there have been loads of different such schemes, and none have really taken off. But there was just something about this one that encouraged me to subscribe. It just seemed a step above the others.’ A few minutes later, Trippas was on his way to becoming a member. He’s since maximised the halo effect of being a subscriber, by

ingshurst Automotive Birmingham owner Colin Trippas is on the Unipart Car Care Panel. He signed up for Motor Codes after being encouraged by a great talk from Car Dealer Magazine friend Chris Mason, during one panel meeting. ‘The message he gave us was very strong indeed,’ he said. So encouraged was Trippas, he checked out the Motor Codes website when back at base. He was particularly taken by a video

promoting the certification logo prominently. It’s both on the website and will soon be splashed on unique display boards to be housed in his reception. These will also carry full details of just what the scheme means to customers. ‘We print calls to action everywhere for the Motor Codes feedback service. We have a simple form that people can fill in and send off, but we’ll also be putting full details of the website on there, too,’ he added.

Cracking the Code Chris Mason, says asking customers to rate your service is a good thing

uring 2010, the consumer-driven ‘Motor Codes Garage Rating’ is set to become a massively influential business tool for subscribers. Following a service or repair at a subscribing garage, consumers can fill in a Motor Codes consumer survey and the data collected is then translated into an online garage rating that is displayed on the subscriber’s profile page on the Motor Codes website. When consumers search for local garages using the garage finder facility at motorindustrycodes.co.uk they see a list of nearby garages along with a unique consumer rating for each business. Once a garage reaches 25 consumer surveys, a speedo-style image appears on its profile page informing the user how a garage is rated from ‘poor’ to ‘very good’.

‘More than 90,000 consumers searched for their local garage using the postcode facility.’ More than 90,000 consumers searched for their local garage last year using the postcode search facility at motorindustrycodes.co.uk. This significant potential customer base is set to grow in 2010 and I’m confident that more cars will go on to the ramps of rated garages than to unknown businesses. Every Motor Codes subscriber should direct its customers to the Motor Codes website to complete the consumer survey or ask them to complete a freepost survey from the subscriber’s in-garage display. Also, linking from a garage’s homepage to the Motor Codes site will help encourage consumers to vote, pushing the number of completed surveys past the 25 required. If you’d like more advice on the garage rating system or have not yet subscribed to Motor Codes, visit our website or call 0800 692 0825. At the Codes’ website you can order hard copy versions of the survey to hand out to customers without the internet. The message is clear: By asking your customers to rate your garage, you will benefit from an independent garage rating on your Motor Codes profile page which should lead to more customers coming through your doors!

Good for customers, good for our industry, good for your business.

40trade_ad190x30a.indd | CarDealerMag.co.uk 1 CarDealerIss23.indd 40

For more information see motorindustrycodes.co.uk

Find out more about the new Service and Repair Code at motorindustrycodes.co.uk

19/12/08 16:58:00

8/1/10 13:34:44

...in association with Motoring.co.uk

online

...in association with Really Good Domains

Trust me, W I’m a car dealer...

Motoring.co.uk’s Terry Hogan explains why you might not be as trusted for online purchases quite as much as you’d like...

ell one good thing to come out of 2009 is that car dealers have moved up the trustability rankings, and are now streets ahead of bankers, city traders and any MP submitting an expenses claim. The industry still has a reputation for sharp practice, even though most retailers operate in a saintly manner when compared to the above. But compare your reputation as a retailer to Tesco or Sainsbury’s and you may well come up a long way short, as would we all. Most industries have moved sales online, but consumers and car dealers and manufacturers appear resistant to transacting cars online. Perhaps this is due to trust, or the reluctance of manufacturers to commoditise their product, but facts are facts – in the UK we don’t sell cars online to any great extent. We may advertise cars, but the transaction takes place offline. There appear to be other barriers to selling online such as accurate stock records, location of cars, security etc, but I pin my money on trust being the biggest issue. Since the absorption of the reg Vardy name, only arnold Clark, lookers and evans Halshaw have a large national footprint and recallable name in the car market. Other than these it is the manufacturer who owns the space. Comparing this to almost any other product, it is the retailer who holds the power and the footprint, and controls the transaction. But we trust Tesco, we trust Sainsbury’s and we don’t hesitate to buy online from them – in fact we spend around £2bn a year online with the number one retailer. For years dealers have invested millions in new showrooms, and a much lower amount in their brand. This year there will be a big push by retailers to get consumers onto their own website, but this will push up the cost of search marketing, just like it has done in the loans and insurance market, where a single click can be more than £15. However, this will increase their ability to track end to end and ultimately to sell on the net. as for us, we’ll still be using search marketing heavily, but will also be promoting our brand via TV, outdoor media and social media. We’re also developing some real life reasons for consumers to use our service and transact with our partners, which we’ll be launching these in the first quarter of 2010. Trust us, we’re Motoring.co.uk. Trust our dealers, they are Motoring.co.uk...

For 2010 motoring.co.uk charges you for RESULTS ONLY Expose all your new and used car stock and pay for clicks and enquiries only Call us on 0844 245 1556 or Email: trade@motoring.co.uk Download our brochure: www.motoring.co.uk/brochure

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Run by dealers for dealers Est 1999

22,323 prime used cars offered on Autotrade-mail last month *

* Excludes Wanted Ads

A FEW FRANCHISED DEALER QUOTES LAST MONTH

Franchised & Non Franchised Dealers If you aren’t already a subscriber to Autotrade-mail we’re certain we can help you make more profit!

“Over the last two years I have found Autotrade-mail an invaluable tool in assisting me to sell cars! Being a large dealer I rarely struggle to find stock, however on the odd occasion when I have, Autotrade-mail has helped me find them quickly. The great thing for us has been responding to all the wanted adverts that come through day after day, as a large majority of the time we have the cars! I have lost count of the number of deals we have done and the new relationships we have formed as a result of your website.” Mark Hill, JCT600 Aston Martin December 2009

“I have been using Autotrade-mail.com since it was launched and still find it one of the most effective tools that assists me daily in doing my job. It pays for itself ten times over and more. In these particularly hard trading times it is one of the last things I would ever consider doing business without. Keep up the good work Autotrade-mail.” Ian Struthers, Ingram VW December 09

Call us on 08444 702513 for a FREE two week trial to experience the full range of Autotrade-mail subscriber benefits.

The UK’s leading online real time used-car trading network CarDealerIss23.indd 42

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Auction4Cars’ d meteoric rise

as ve

”

VISITOrS to fee-free auction website auction4cars.com have risen by 93 per cent in 2009 according to the firm. The site says it had 30,000 visitors per month in the fourth quarter of 2009 – a big increases since the start of the year. average viewing time was nine minutes, and visitors typically looked at around 25 pages in that time. Some spent up to an hour in a single sitting looking through the site! This points to the growing trend among the trade to source vehicles online, says group disposal manager at Motorpoint, Neil Prescott. auction4cars is the trade-only PX sale channel for the car supermarket group, and Prescott says 2009 has been a ‘year of unprecedented growth’ for the site. ‘Traders are flocking to the website from all over the UK to find a cost ef-

fective alternative to the traditional car auction,’ he said. It’s even beginning to attract worldwide interest, with traders across europe, asia, United States and even australia browsing the site. likely then, the current total of 4,000 users and 300 online sales each week is set for even further growth in 2010…

Remarketing special, p45

auctions Thousands compete for cars online as BCA gets new owner BCA buyers beat Janauary’s icy chill by logging on to Live Online and bidding for vehicles over the internet. On the first day’s trading of the New Year, nearly 2,500 online buyers competed with customers in the auction hall at BCA, buying more than 20 per cent of the stock on offer on January 4. That’ll be great news to BCA’s new owners who acquired the remarketing firm in a deal that was announced on Christmas Eve. Private equity firm CD&R reached a deal with the existing owners, Montagu Private Equity, for the car auction firm. One of the oldest private equity firms in the world, CD&R has promised expansion for BCA, particularly into new countries. London-based CD&R partner David A Novak said the attraction was BCA’s status as ‘leading provider of used vehicle remarketing services’ in Europe.

Money will be put behind ‘a management team with a proven record of creating value, with a view to growing and expanding the business in both the UK and Europe’. He added: ‘We look forward to supporting the company as

BCA has new owners

it pursues a number of exciting long-term growth opportunities, including expansion into new countries, the introduction of new services and strategic acquisitions.’ BCA CEO Jon Olsen said customers should be reassured it was committed to continuing the highest levels of service and will continue investing.

Peering into the lives of the motor trade...

On The Spot

Name: Mark Mullen Age: 31 Works for: Specialist Cars of Malton (Independent Porsche Sales Garage of the Year) as sales manager

What do you hate? email enquiries where you reply straight away and despite following them up you never hear from them again. Best sales tip? Never pre-judge customers on appearances. I’ve got multi-millionaires as customers who dress really scruffily. You can never tell.

How is your business made up? One showroom with a separate building for workshops and a bodyshop opening soon. Owned by? John Hawkins, MD. MG TF135 to a policeman. First job? Door to door sales when I was 16 – I loved it! What made you get into the car trade? I love selling and I love cars. I was disillusioned with my job selling audio visual products and fancied a change – I figured I could combine the two interests. I had my resignation in my pocket when the manager said they needed to make a redundancy... What was the first car you ever sold? a le Mans Green

What’s your best ever deal? Hard to say on an individual deal, but 10 cars for £895,000 in six days in January 2009 will be hard to beat! How many cars do you sell a month? as many as possible! Usually 10 or so retail plus trade. What do you love about your job? I get paid to drive the best cars in the world. I’ve driven £300,000 Carrera GTs, Ferraris, lamborghinis, you name it.

What car would you buy for £30,000 and why – and it can’t be one you sell! If it can’t be a Porsche it would have to be a Dodge Viper. I’ve always had a soft spot for them. as the americans put it: ‘There aint no replacement for displacement.’ What car would you buy if money were no object and why? Porsche Carrera GT. The noise, the looks, speed and quality is second to none. What would be your best tip for someone starting out in the motor trade? Start off

with a big franchise with lots of turnover and learn the ropes. If you do something wrong and burn a customer on a £5k astra the chances are there will be another one along shortly. If you start in prestige, customers are few and far between. Who do you look up to? My MD, John. He’s one of the best salesmen I’ve worked with. What is the biggest threat facing car dealers? Declining margins. Many (though not all) customers are not interested in good customer service, just the lowest possible price. What magazines do you read? all the Porsche mags (hey, it’s work!), evo, Octane, Focus and, of course, Car Dealer. Finally what’s your motto in life and business? Do my best, in whatever I do. If I am doing something, I want to be the best at it, no matter what it is.

Want to face the Car Dealer questions? It’s not as bad as it sounds. Email james@blackballmedia.co.uk for details

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feature

Stock

Kings S

ourcing used stock is changing. In many ways, it’s been forced to. 2009 was a year of high drama in so many ways – with actually getting hold of used cars proving a pretty major one. We all know the fields full of unsold cars is something that simply doesn’t affect the used car industry. Indeed, for many, such a sight would have been like an oasis full of fat profit at times last year… Inevitably, it is technology that is the driving force behind this change. Chances are, many of you took part in your first online auction during 2009. This is a trend that is only going to be magnified in the future. That’s not to say traditional car auctions have had their day. It’s just that the means and methods of hooking into them are changing. Take leading UK car auction house BCA, for example. Director Tony Gannon says its online auction site is proving

so popular, it already attracts ‘three times the traffic of its nearest rival’. Developments already instilled during 2009 and early 2010 – coupled with further ones planned for 2010 – will drive this even further ahead. It’s all about efficiencies. Online trading gives instant access to account details and reports, while transport can be arranged and stock in the pipeline can be tracked. The cars are still physically there, somewhere, and are still actually flowing through a live hall. But many more car dealers now have the means to ‘attend’ them and bid on the cars filtering through. Such technical integration means, for example, BCa was able to start 2010 with a burst of remarketing activity, to help car dealers restock after the Christmas break. a full catalogue of sales were scheduled in the first week, nationwide,

New technology is changing the way dealers acquire fresh forecourt stock. Richard Aucock takes a look at the various options available

many of which were broadcast through live Online. Gannon reveals BCa was offering ‘up to 20,000 vehicles in week one alone’. The choice of cars was vast, too. For example, he said, nearly every corporate sale section was offered through live Online, which meant buyers didn’t have to miss out, regardless of where it was physically located in the network. Factor in 24/7 hosting throughout the Christmas period and, well, getting the forecourts stocked up for the start of the year was, for some, easier than ever before. Such a committed, well-managed programme, which BCa called Fast Start, ensured it was ‘ready to meet the demands of buyers with a great selection of stock from corporate sellers on the very first trading day of the year’. One example of how new tech is making things better. reducing time to sale is another, and that’s >

‘BCA was able to start 2010 with a burst of remarketing activity, to help car dealers restock after the Christmas break.’

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feature something that will become even more important in 2010. Car dealers have been scarred by the rapid residual price changes of 2008 and 2009, and are very reluctant to be so exposed in the future. Any way of minimising this exposure by getting cars on sale and sold will be grabbed with both arms. Expect remarketing channels to really drive this as the year progresses. BCA, for instance, is promoting a special ‘BCA Showroom’ section of the website, as a further development of online auctions. Here, car dealers can instantly see the very best of BCA’s upcoming auction stock – it’s been developed in response to the fact things change so fast in the car auction world. Illustration of this with stark numbers come from Autotrade-mail’s Kevin Watson. He said that on his site alone, 22,000 unique cars were advertised at any one time – given such speedy turnover, it’s easy to lose track of what’s what. By pulling out particularly flash or marketable cars, BCA is looking to enhance the buying experience for those in the market for such cars, while also ensuring they get the due prominence they deserve for sellers. After all, if you have a customer in the market for a particularly rare car, you really do want to know when one goes on sale. That’s the thinking behind developments such as the BCA Showroom. And again, continuing the ease of navigation, BCA’s Tim Naylor said the listings include photographs and a full catalogue description, plus details of where and when it is being sold. Gavin Smith and Clive Colyer at Dealer Auction are going the personalised route, too, with yet another clever service. ‘We actively remarket any

trade cars listed on the site,’ says Smith. ‘To any potential buyers of that type of car. ‘Rather than just hoping that any of our registered users will login and access the site to view cars, we speak to every user who has registered with us. When a car is added, we then contact anybody who we think might be a good buyer, generating even more interest. We also contact new dealers when retailable trade stock is added.’ Not bad, considering how Smith and Colyer charge selling dealers no listing fee, or monthly subscription, don’t impose tie-in contracts but do

operate a no-sale, no-fee system… Yet more reason to move online is to reflect used car buyers doing the same. This has, reveals Sally Owens of HPI, given greater importance to car manufacturers’ own websites. That’s why the firm was so eager to develop a cost effective enhancement to its Manufacturer Stock Locator, to help car dealers piggy back on the huge investment the car firms have put in here. While also, of course, responding to this demand from customers. Its solution enables car dealers to embed an Approved Used car stock locator page within their

‘When a car is added, we then contact anybody who we think might be a good buyer, generating even more interest. We also contact new dealers when retailable trade stock is added.’

Gavin Smith, Dealer Auction

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own site, displaying the cars they actually have on sale in a manner indistinguishable from the slick content elsewhere on the manufacturer site. They seamlessly mirror the manufacturer’s existing website, enabling car buyers to effortlessly browse for cars being sold by the manufacturer’s dealers. It supports this with search tools, plus contact details for that car dealer, and a call to action for a test drive. Dealers can even display their own POS material to boost their proposition. All for no effort on the part of a car dealer – models are automatically uploaded via an HPI Check, or DMS upload, with key vehicle information backfilled by HPI, thereby reducing dealer time and effort. More exposure, a slicker profile for less effort on your part: yep, sounds pretty good to us, too… Motorpoint group disposals manager Neil Prescott is another man to invest big in new tools for used cars dealers who need to source stock. He was the driving force behind the firm launching trade-only site Auction4Cars back in 2008 – prior to which, Motorpoint’s 18,000 part-exchange cars were primarily being disposed of through auctions, at a £1.5m annual cost. ‘During the second half of the year, we decided to address these costs, through the launch of Auction4Cars.’ Result? ‘Overnight, we’ve been able to save ourselves nearly £1m in fees and transportation costs, while creating a whole new market segment – namely, fee-free online auction websites.’ Prescott is happy to admit support from the car trade is the main reason for this success. ‘ They’ve been telling us for some time now that they were looking for an alternative to the traditional

‘Overnight, we’ve been able to save ourselves nearly £1m in fees and transportation costs, while creating a whole new market segment – namely, fee-free online auction websites.’

Neil Prescott, Auction4Cars.com auction, and in Auction4Cars, they have got that.’ Evidence comes from the fact that, last year, Motorpoint disposed of more than 10,000 cars through it – and ‘we are aiming for 15,000 in 2010, as more traders register on the website’. This comes with a bold statement by Prescott: ‘We expect to save traders more than £550,000 in auction fees alone in 2010, a saving they can pass on to their customers, resulting in a win-win for all concerned. ‘The advent of modern technology has turned remarketing into something akin to an art form these days, and Auction4Cars is at the forefront of this change – giving traders high quality stock at a price and a time which is convenient with them.’ As for stocking issues, well the vehicle parc is not getting any bigger, warns Autotrade-mail’s Watson, someone else behind a trade-only site; with a decade’s experience, his credentials mean his views carry weight. Indeed, he expresses surprise that car manufacturers didn’t do more to counter stocking issues back in late 2008. ‘They could have provided more new cars to rental fleets – this would have, in time, generated more used vehicles,’ he told Car Dealer. ‘Everyone knows how fundamental to profitability used car sales are for a dealership. Indeed, I’m surprised people weren’t knocking on the door of Number 10, asking for more leniency >

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feature ‘Sourcing and reselling used stock is changing, fast, and technology is the driving force behind this.’

on the pre-registration regulations…’ But while we shouldn’t expect many more used cars, we shouldn’t particularly worry about getting any fewer, either. It’s hard, says Watson – but it shouldn’t get significantly harder… Given such a relative dearth of decent stock, though, something more and more car dealers are coming round to the idea of is putting the legwork

in to getting them. With the national reach of online remarketing resources easing the sourcing process, suddenly geographical boundaries count for nothing. Thus, the idea of a car dealer in Dorset shooting up to Inverness to pick up a used car is less and less out of the ordinary. Watson admits: ‘Many car dealers are actually factoring in travelling costs into the sourcing

budgets – this include air fares, as the budget airlines offer a lot of speedy, nationwide coverage at low cost.’ The trend will only grow further in 2010 – indeed, that’s why autotrademail now includes a map of the UK in its promotional material! It’s all about the speed of response. autotrademail has developed this yet further, and will soon introduce an enhanced version of its car dealer computer ‘toolbar’. Basically, this informs dealers, in real time, about any stock that they’re particularly interested in, the very instant it goes on sale. ‘There’s the distinct possibility of dealers posting up a car for sale, then getting someone on the phone enquiring about it 20 seconds later,’ explains Watson. We know that’s true too, we’ve seen a dealer using it and were very impressed. In not replying on email and other more ‘laggy’ methods, it’s yet another example of how the industry is harnessing technology responding to car dealers’ calls for faster and faster speed of response. Sourcing and reselling used stock is changing, fast, and technology is the driving force behind this. Hopefully, we’ve presented you with plenty of food for thought to get online and try some of them out: there was one reassurance from all of our contacts, though. The means and methods may be new, but it’s still the same car trade. The same people are still selling, the same are still buying. They’re just trading a motor auction bacon buttie for a bowl of Bran Flakes at their desks. Well, even technology has downsides… [CD]

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8/1/10 13:34:53

Feature

Hit refresh Site gets revamp By RICHARD AUCOCK

What do you do when your website is already at the top of its game? Well, if you’re Really Good Domains you make it even better. We find out how they did it

ar makers do it all the time: launch a new version of an existing model. Really, it’s sometimes tricky to see why they’re doing it – after all, the old car is still selling really well. Why bother bringing out a new look, new features and other flash tricks? The sales figures soon show the reason why. Customers start flocking in. Sales go up. The buzz outside the showroom makes that model plain easier to promote against rivals. It’s simply a more effective proposition – despite not losing any of the strengths of the old one. Smart stuff. Which is why Richard Lawton, marketing manager of Really Good Domains, has taken note. His firm, which collectively boasts almost two million visitors every single month to its portfolio of websites, is the brains behind SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk. This is a site that, since launch, has worked amazingly well for car dealers. Indeed, this has continued to be the case, even recently. ‘However, the old website could have been described as aesthetically weary,’ he admitted to us. ‘The visuals, while still acceptable, were not as polished as many consumers now demand from their websites.’

1,500,000

...number of page views SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk gets per month

Furthermore, there was a whole host of extra tech he wanted to install, giving car buyers lots of new features to help them along the process. Enter SaveMoneyOn Cars.co.uk mkII – an entirely new website, built from the first line of code upwards. ‘SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk has always been the most effective way to advertise new and nearly new cars on the internet,’ MD Dave Timmis told us. ‘The old website has been one of the biggest drivers of traffic to websites in the motoring industry, as confirmed by Experian Hitwise, for several years. During the past year we identified areas of the website that could be further improved, and this led us down the path of building a new website from scratch. Everything about the new site has been dramatically improved.’ Lawton added: ‘While the old site has been very popular with car buyers and dealerships alike, Really Good Domains isn’t a company that rests on it laurels. As part of the company’s strategy of renewing the whole portfolio of automotive websites it’s the turn of SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk to receive the treatment.’ All the fundamentals remain the same. It still lets car buyers access thousands of new and nearly new cars, from some of the biggest car dealers in the country. However, the new site is built on a different programming language, so everything about it is entirely new.

What’s been done to it? Lawton tells us a key boost has been the introduction of CAP vehicle data. This lets advertisers ‘align car deals displayed on the site to the exact specification contained within CAP data’. It means visitors can really drill down into the data, and opens up thousands of additional pages for the search engines to index. One of the many other improvements Lawton signals have been focussed on effective SEO. But that’s not all – security and ease of use have also been given attention. Lawton said: ‘Car dealers can quickly and easily get their deals onto the site, either by using the intuitive and fast web-based advertiser console; alternatively, the website also accepts a variety of industry-standard feed structures.’ Making the big website much easier for all concerned. And, big it indeed is – indeed, it’s the number one new and nearly new car website, says Lawton. Note the differentiation here: ‘There are a huge number of buyers that aren’t interested in a “used” car: we cater for anything up to three years old, meaning every car still has some manufacturer warranty. Such a single segment orientation also ensures the visitors are all high-quality.’ Lawton puts figures on just how big it is. The site, he says, has 400,000 monthly visitors, and a staggering 1.5m page views every single month. Such growth has come in a rush since the site was launched in the summer of 2003. The genesis behind it, Lawton revealed to us, was based around another site owned by Really Good Domains, ContractHireAndLeas ing.com. The idea there was deals rotating around the website, depending on when they were added to the site. ‘As more deals are added, older deals fall down the results page,’ he said. ‘Advertisers can then manually renew their deals, which push them back to the top of the list. Alternatively, an advertiser can use AutoRenew on a selection of deals, which randomly renews a deal every 15 minutes.’ It’s an extremely clever and innovative method that has seen the firm grow big over the past decade. Along the way, it’s been well supported by car dealers – because, explains Lawton, it isn’t a price comparison model. ‘Car dealers concerned with trying to hold onto skinny margins needn’t cut them to the bone,’ he said. ‘Sure, prices displayed need to be competitive, but as users of the site cannot sort deals by price, the website works on exposure. The more exposure your deals have, the more enquiries are generated.’ Car buyers also love the URL. Lawton admits dealers may not be so keen, but for those ‘looking for a bargain’, it’s just what they’re after. What’s more, the clever marketing and targeting tools ensures BOTH dealers and customers get a good deal.

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‘The main principle of the website remains unchanged – providing dealers with a highly visible platform to advertise cars.’

Various packages are offered for dealers, says Timmis. The full package comes with a flat monthly fee, and allows all makes and models to be advertised: ‘In actual fact, up to 13,000 deals!’ This is done through either a web-based login panel, or an xml data feed. With no cost per car, or week, or pay per click, advertisers can budget accordingly. There are also two ‘Lite’ versions of the login – offering the same features as the full package, but for a single marque. Great for single-make franchises and specialists. There is a feature-laden statistics package offered, too. Lawton presses home the point about no pay-per-click,

or PPC, dependence. ‘Our search engine derived traffic is all ‘organic’ – from people clicking on the natural search engine results, not a sponsored listing,’ he explained. Experian Hitwise regularly places SaveMoneyOnCars. co.uk in the top five websites sending traffic to car dealer websites. He shows us dozens of testimonials on the site, proclaiming its value for money: ‘For many car dealers this website equates to the cheapest cost per lead of all their marketing, and has become a fundamental cornerstone of their online marketing strategy. Featuring a raft of new features, and built on an entirely new platform, the new SaveMoneyOnCars.co.uk builds on the success of the old site by being an improvement in all respects. ‘Crucially, however, the main principle of the website remains unchanged – providing car dealerships with a highly visible platform to advertise new and nearly new cars to an eager, large, and importantly high quality audience.’ [CD]

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