Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 55

Issue 55 | October 2012 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

ROAD TEST YEAR OF THE

FAST

FASTER

Porsche 911 Carrera S Nissan GT-R Track Pack Aston Martin Vantage S Morgan Three-Wheeler Lotus Exige S Renault Twizy* Ford Focus ST BMW M5 * Yes, really

COLDER

YOURS FOR A MONKEY

Brewer’s back!

Ewards 2012 launch Our search for the best websites is on again See inside for details of our Online Conference bag a FREE place today

WHEELER DEALER AWARDS 2012 Join us as we celebrate the very best in the used car industry

Join Car Dealer Club by visiting CarDealerClub.com Members get free legal advice worth £195 for a £39.99 subscription

Blackball Media Endeavour Quay Mumby Road, Gosport Hants, PO12 1AH T: (023) 9252 2434 W: CarDealerMag.co.uk Editorial Director James Baggott james@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerEd

IGNITION.

STAFF WRITER James Batchelor james.batchelor@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jrrbatchelor Sub Editor Dave Brown dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave ADVERTISING Manager Duncan Chappell duncan@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAds Advertising EXECUTIVE Jade Simmonds jade@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerJade Advertising EXECUTIVE Natasha Smith natasha@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerTash

Contributors Mike Jones, Big Mike, James Litton, Tim Naylor, Tim Smith, Tim Heavisides and Jonathan Such

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month we’re Welcome. This launching not one, but

two sets of awards. The first aim to celebrate that oft unsung area of our industry – the used car business. In conjunction with TV’s Mike Brewer, we’ll be hosting the Wheeler Dealer Awards at The Brewery in central London on December 3.

The Wheeler Dealer Awards aim to celebrate the very best in the industry, from the dealerships to the salesmen. Entering couldn’t be simpler – just pick which category you and your team want to be considered for (and you can enter as many as you like), send me an email with the reasons why you should win and we’ll do the rest. Winners will then be invited to the awards bash which Mike Brewer will be hosting on December 3. Read the full details on p18.

Ewards Our coveted Ewards enter their fifth year in 2012 so we thought it was about time they were given a shake-up.

This year we’re hosting an awards presentation for the best automotive websites as part of an Online Experts Conference at the Heritage Motor Museum on October 24.

We’ll be inviting the shortlisted dealers in each category along to this free conference to find out if they’ve won. Our judges – which include headline sponsors Autotorq.com, Google and others – will each

Free ipad App

3,463 people have it – have you?

give a short presentation on how you can make more money out of your web operations. Then we’ll hand out the awards. The conference is open to ALL dealers. To book your place call our events manager Jade Simmonds or email her – the details are in the panel on the left – and she will book you a place. Places are strictly limited so we suggest you book asap. Just by attending you’ll be in with the chance of winning an iPad3 or an amazing Alfa Romeo Mountain Bike. Read more on p10.

RTOTY Our annual excursion into Wales was, as usual, an entertaining affair. Bringing together some of the best cars launched in your showrooms in the last 12 months is always thrilling, but this year the assembled metal was so good there wasn’t one car I wanted to drive more than any other. Simply getting selected for inclusion in our test is an achievement, so the makers and dealers of these cars should be proud, but we still had to decide a winner.

Batch, Dunc and I argue over our favourites from p42.

Enjoy the issue!

James Baggott, Editor

Free iPhone App 3,457 people have it – have you?

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

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PLUS Keeping your cars clean this winter needn’t be a chore - try out NEW Aqua Free, the ultimate waterless car wash, with our compliments! t Ideal for showroom and forecourt cars t Cleans, shines and protects paintwork t No hoses, sponges or shampoo required t Leaves no streaks or scratches t Suitable for all paint finishes t Washes and waxes in one application t Can be applied anytime or anywhere t Saves both time and money t Generous 1 litre trade pack t 500ml customer aftercare pack also available Order your FREE trade size 1 litre trial pack today!

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Join Car Dealer Club by visiting CarDealerClub.com Members get free legal advice worth £195 for a £39.99 subscription

INSIDE. ISSUE 55 I October 2012

dashboard

42

RTOTY

Our favourite cars of 2012

39

Honda CR-V

New Brit-built SUV tested

Still places on Big BEN Rally

08

Enter Ewards 2012

10

Tweeting dealers get togeher

12

BMW’s soft target for crooks

16

Wheeler Dealer Awards launched 18 That Was The Month

22

Renault dealers ‘are happy now’ 27

36

B-MAX

We’ve given our Ewards a rethink and now they’re back!

Wheeler Dealer!

Our used car awards are go

28

Around The World

30

Big Mike

33

Car Dealer Club

34

forecourt

Ford’s crucial new baby

‘‘ 18

Finance

How to get your dealer website recognised

10

Ford B-Max

36

Honda CR-V

39

Audi A3

41

features Road Test of the Year

42

New Reg, New Partners

57

£50 Car Challenge

63

Central Car Auctions Insight

64

How to get an App

66

DATA FILE

41

new audi a3

Firm’s best-seller tested

a month in A picture...

No, you haven’t peered into some weird sex fetish – that really is Batch, wearing what can only be described as a gimp mask and goggles about to proudly tackle the Morgan Three-Wheeler during Road Test of the Year. He insisted that he hadn’t purchased the fancy dress outfit especially and did in fact have it ‘at the back of his wardrobe’. Most probably alongside the door to Narnia. We laughed at him. A lot.

The Statistics

70

Auctions

72

Right Click

73

Net Gains

74

Trader Talk

75

Driving Values

76

CSI Files

77

Suppliers Guide with Batch

78

Trader Directory with Reay

80

Long Termers

82

Workshops

84

Shares

86

Time is Money

90 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

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feedback.

Your comments via email at james@blackballmedia.co.uk | From our website at CarDealerMag.co.uk | And from Twitter: Follow @CarDealerEd

Idiots amid the good reviews A TRADE customer rang to enquire about a BMW 320i coupe and said he was going to send his girlfriend to look at the car as he was busy.

During her visit, she explained she wanted to part-exchange the vehicle she was in, so I offered her £3,000 after checking Auto Trader prices.

My jaw dropped when the customer’s girlfriend said: ‘He wants £7,000’, and hence no agreement was reached.

An hour later the phone rang and I received a tirade of abuse and expletives from the customer accusing me of trying to take advantage of a woman. He became even more threatening so I hung up on him.

I entered his car’s details into one of the many TV advert companies that offer to buy any car. It came up with £2,558 without a viewing and not including the £120 admin fee. I rang the man back and told him that if he felt my price was unfair, he should try this website.

He responded by saying he sells car like this every day and that he knows it’s worth at least £5,000, before continuing to threaten me.

I think this is the only trade where if someone doesn’t like the price, they argue about it.

Customers seem to think we are in this job to move stock and not to make profit, but in the last two years I’ve only sold two cars at less than my screen price, as I price them via the average selling price and check part-ex figures by the same standard.

We get new reviews on our company every week rating us highly on value and customer service, then you get an idiot every now and again who makes you feel like one of the bad guys.

Nicolas Raimo Luigi Motor Services, Disley, Stockport

Protecting independents In many ways, it’s always great to hear about

twitter comments I’ve got a theory: Driving at 10mph under the speed limit is actually more dangerous than over it. Because everyone else gets so frustrated.

James Baggott @CarDealerEd If you can’t do 40mph in a 40 zone and insist on doing 30mph then you should be walking instead. End of argument. #SundayDriversHell

James Baggott @CarDealerEd @CarDealerEd Totally agree. What about the poor kids on 50cc scooters limited to 30mph.

Legislation that will get them killed.

North West Minis @northwestminis

@jonbradbury @cardealered Exactly, everyone seems to bunch right up and you just end up totally stuck. Also annoying, people who happily speed up to 70 or so on straights but slow to 20/30 for anything vaguely resembling a corner.

William Patterson @willp1987

@CarDealerEd the worst people are those that drive at 35 in a 40 & still do 35 in a 30. #SundayDriversHell Lissa Nicholls @bbglan

@willp1987 @CarDealerEd Then to make it doubly so you get the precession of 45mph all following at half a car’s length impossible to overtake.

Jon Bradbury @jonbradbury

dealer businesses doing well and growing through acquisitions. The most recent examples of this in CarDealer were Vertu’s latest acquisition of Co-op Motors for £5.5m, and Jardine buying two dealerships from Turner Motor Group in Cambridge.

Both of these demonstrate that with the right business kudos, it is possible to not only survive but also grow in these difficult times. And with Vertu stating that 200 Co-op employees have been switched over to the firm’s payroll, it is excellent news that a large number of jobs have been protected.

But a major concern continues and resonates with many: these are yet more examples of smaller dealer groups being snapped up, leaving such businesses in the minority and at the whim of high-turnover supergroups. While Vertu and Jardine are certainly not on the scale of

Pendragon or the Sytner Group, they are gradually rising through the ranks.

Naturally, it is better that dealerships continue in some guise rather than close down, for the sake of local trade and employment, but nonetheless, the big question remains: what can we do to protect the original ‘independent’ dealer groups?

Toby Larone, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

They’re having a laugh As if things weren’t tough enough for car dealerships, what the hell is going on with fuel prices? Someone somewhere seems to be having a laugh at our – and our customers’ – expense.

Sam Crane, via CarDealerMag.co.uk

MY CONFESSION

Giving Princess’ dad a big discount AS A young single guy, I always managed to welcome the single women as they came into the showroom before anyone else. Some might think I was a bit of a tart. But I think I was just tending to the needs and wants of the female car-buying community.

One Thursday in walked a young blonde – she needs help I thought. ‘Excuse me Miss, can I help you?’ I asked. ‘Oh, I’m interested in the white Mini you have’.

I took her to my desk and started my usual chatting up/selling a car routine. ‘So how are you paying for the car?’ I asked. ‘Oh my dad is buying

it for me,’ she replied. ‘What a generous man, so, phone number?’ She gave me a number and I wrote it down. Bingo, or so I thought.

My work here was done I thought. We arranged an appointment for her and her dad to come back on Saturday. She gave me a little smile as she left, a clear sign that this could be on!

I wasted no time in texting her. ‘It was great to meet you today, look forward to seeing you again on Saturday.’ I got a reply almost immediately. ‘Me too, do you always text your customers?’ it said. ‘No, only the hot ones,’ I said. The texting went on for a couple of days, resulting in her asking for a grand off if she

went out for a drink with me. I agreed, thinking I was well in there.

So Saturday came, she walked in with her huge tattooed dad and sat down. I said hello to them both.

The dad leaned over to me and said ‘So, I get a grand off don’t I?’ ‘Um, yes, I managed to do that for you sir.’ The girl looked amazed and said ‘How come you got £1,000 off dad? That’s brilliant.’ It turned out that it was her dad’s number that she gave me. What followed was the most awkward half-hour of my working life. So, he got a very cheap Mini for his ‘little princess’ and I got a red face – and a lesson in life.

WO, Manchester CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

DASHBOARD.

Heavisides

warranty wonders

Extending the cover can lighten the load

B

link and you missed it, but summer’s nearly finished and as we head into autumn it seems that all the predictions are for a tighter used car market as stock continues to be hard to come by and nearly-new models are thin on the ground.

For used car sales teams up and down the country it points to fewer cars on the forecourts with a balance of manufacturers’ warranty remaining and the prospect of preparation costs to get them ready for sale.

At the same time, though, there’s never been a better opportunity to offer customers peace of mind and reassurance than extending the warranty when a car is sold, so the potential to mitigate those preparation costs is extremely strong.

We all know from talking to buyers that they have high standards when it comes to buying a car – and a warranty is usually top of their list.

Gone are the days when it’s seen as a nice-to-have – today it’s an essential element of any deal.

So what better way to capitalise on this than by offering an extension to the warranty cover already built into the package?

Customers already understand the benefits that an extended warranty brings them and they love the reassurance that the cover provides, so it’s an ideal match for everyone.

If the customer tells you they’ll be keeping the car for three years and the deal includes a year’s warranty, leap at the prompt and suggest an extension.

For those retailers with workshops it brings the repair work back into the service bay and offers a further income from claims; for customers it provides a worry-free mechanism even before any problems arises; and for used car teams it generates useful revenue to help offset those preparation costs.

The used car market might toughen as we head out of summer but it’s good to know that there are ways to lighten the load.

‘For those used car teams it generates useful revenue.’

Who is Tim Heavisides?

Heavisides is CEO of Car Care Plan, the UK’s leading provider of motor warranty and GAP products.

08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Still time to join us on the Big BEN Rally!

Come with us to Spain and help out a couple of great charities too

L

ast month we told you how Bangers4BEN had been given a major revamp for 2012 – and it sparked a fresh surge of interest in our exciting road trip to raise money for worthy causes. So much so that places are starting to run out, but if you get in touch with us soon, there’s still time to join in.

As part of our revamp of this year’s event, we also changed the name – Bangers4BEN is now known as The Big BEN Rally.

Why the change? Simple really – car manufacturers and some dealers were put off the event because they didn’t want cars from their marque being associated with a ‘banger’ rally.

The Big BEN Rally starts on Saturday, October 13 – and we arrive back on Tuesday, October 16.

We’re heading to Barcelona, Spain, in an effort to raise some much-needed funds for a couple of great charities.

We want participants to fill their cars with shoeboxes which we’ll then deliver to a charity in Spain which will hand out the supplies to needy people in the country via the Salvation Army.

In previous years our rallies have been thoroughly enjoyed, but many participants suggested we make the trip for an additional reason (rather than just a jolly), hence this year’s idea of helping out another charity on the way. The panel, below, explains what sort of things the charity would like our competitors to take.

On the way to Barcelona we’ll drive over the famous Millau Viaduct – the world’s tallest bridge – and then when we get to Spain we’ll make our aid drop. Once that’s

Participants’ cars are sold at a charity auction to raise cash for BEN sorted and we’ve had a celebratory drink, we’ll head back again.

Back in Blighty the car you made the trip in will be sold in a charity auction at BCA’s Blackbushe site and all the proceeds will be handed to BEN. You have up to £500 to spend on your car, but it’s worth remembering that BEN makes its money from the sale of these cars so if you spend a bit more, that’s fine.

The good news is we’ve managed to get the entry fee back down to £500 for a team of two. This covers your hotels, evening meals and breakfast – plus your ferry crossings. You’ll have to pay for fuel, tolls and the terrible jambon sandwiches and pieces of dry quiche the French call service station lunch.

Once again, the AA will be sending two patrols with us, just in case teams break down (like we did last year) and that’s bound to come in extremely useful.

Now we’ve modified the event, places are selling out pretty quickly.

Last year, we sold out the 36 places we had available in a matter of days. If you want a place we suggest you get in touch with Kelly Neal at BEN on 01344 294720.

Places are only secured upon payment of the £500 entry fee. We look forward to joining you on the start line!

SHOEBOXES We suggest participants hook up with their local paper or radio station to help fill your car with goods for the charity.

We’ve done exactly that and expect members of the public to help support our cause.

It will be a great bit of publicity for your dealership – and ask them to drop off goods at the showroom and you’re likely to get some decent footfall too!

The charity we’ll be supporting in Barcelona is called the St George’s Church which will distribute the goods to two causes. Firstly, any second-hand clothing will go to needy families in Spain.

And then the festive-care packages will be distributed to the homeless via the Salvation Army at Christmas.

Here’s what they need: 1. Any second-hand clothes 2. Toothbrushes 3. Razors 4. Soap 5. Shampoo 6. Deodorant 7. Scarves, gloves and hats 8. Treats (sweets, chocolates) Place these in shoeboxes and ensure the contents are clearly marked on the outside to avoid issues at borders.

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EWARDS 2012.

CarDealer.

Ewards

2012

I n a s s o c i at i o n w i t h

autotorq.com

Our search for the best automotive trade websites starts here – and we want to offer you a FREE place at our Ewards & Online Experts Conference too

O

ur search for the best automotive trade websites is back on – but this year we’ve given the Car Dealer Ewards a twist.

For the first time we’ll be handing out the gongs to the winners and highly commended firms at a special event.

Our Ewards & Online Experts Conference will be held at the Heritage Motor Museum – a Car

Dealer Magazine event favourite – on October 24.

There our judges will give delegates their advice on how to make the most money out of their websites. You’ll hear from our headline sponsors Autotorq.com first as well as our other judges.

These include experts from Google, Auto Trader, Razsor, Dianomi, Contact Advantage, The Auto Network, Autos On Show, Webzation

and Trade Outs. All these firms will be handing out their expertise on the day as well as judging entries. After they have imparted their advice we will be handing out the coveted Ewards.

The event is free to attend and simply by turning up you will be in with a chance of winning an iPad 3 and an amazing Alfa Romeo bike worth more than £500. Anyone is free to

THE JUDGES Autotorq.com

Autotorq

I WILL be looking for websites that really engage with customers, providing relevant offers and building an online relationship with them for both sales and aftersales. With 50 per cent of profits coming from aftersales, having less than 10 per cent of the website content reflect this is a real missed opportunity!

Stewart Niblock 10 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Autotrader.co.uk

Auto Trader

razsor.com

Razsor

dianomi.com

Dianomi

hyI will be looking for hysites that are simple and

hyWinning dealers deliver hya class-leading digital

hyFrom a survey of around hy2,500 consumers, we

intuitive to navigate, enabling consumers to easily return the most relevant results for them, as well as the ability for the dealer to promote their stock and other services with innovative imagery, products and calls to action to maximise sales leads.

experience. I’ll be looking for intuitive navigation, engaging design with clean, clear, attractive imagery, a user-friendly search and strong calls to action. As website lead generation is key, excellence in SEO and a superb mobile user experience are also critical.

found that 90 per cent search for cars online before deciding which to buy. Therefore this year I’ll be looking for userfriendly sites that provide prospective car buyers with the tools they need to make better-informed purchasing decisions.

Paul Shoesmith

Paul O’Donoghue

Paul Hughes

Google.com

Google

hyI will be looking for hyfocus and purpose in dealer websites.

Are customers and prospects doing what you want them to do on every webpage? Many automotive websites still prioritise information and interactivity rather than clarity and ease of use, a trap which many industries have learned to avoid!

Alex Rose

hy hy

..held in association with autotorq.com

attend the event to listen to the advice from our judges too – it’s not just for those that have been nominated.

However, for those that have been shortlisted, there will be an added bonus at the end of the event – the chance to win an Eward! We are looking for entries in the following categories: 1. Multi Franchised Dealer Website of the Year 2. Single Franchised Dealer Website of the Year 3. Independent Dealer Website of the Year 4. Car Supermarket Website of the Year 5. Car Manufacturer Website of the Year 6. Web Innovation of the Year Entries need to be made via email to james@blackballmedia.co.uk by October 1. We need the website address for the entry, your contact details and why you think you should win. Our judges will also be nominating their favourite sites.

Once the shortlist has been drawn up we will be putting the nominated sites to the public vote on our sister website MotorTorque.com. Here the public will get the chance to choose from the top three sites in each category and vote for the winner.

The winners will be revealed at our Ewards & Online Experts Conference on October 24. The day will start around 9am where delegates will be treated to coffee and pastries on arrival.

Our judges take to the stage at 9.30am, then there’s a second coffee break mid-morning, before a few more speeches. Then around lunchtime we move into the awards. Once these are handed

askaprice.com

Auto Network I will be looking for dealer websites that bring together elegant design and eye-catching content to help consumers navigate the buying process. A winning website should match this with functionality to create a virtual showroom environment that makes it easy to build a lasting relationship with the consumer.

Anton Hanley

Our Ewards conference follows a series of popular Car Dealer events and will be a great networking opportunity

COME ALONG!

out, delegates will be free to take a look around our exhibitors’ stands and enjoy a free buffet lunch. And included in the free ticket is entry to the museum which has a fantastic collection of classic cars for you to enjoy. We wish you luck!

Autosonshow.tv

Autos on show

hyOnline consumers hyare now more savvy,

information hungry and they want it now. Car dealer websites have to make the consumer’s life easy. I will be looking to ensure they will be providing them with the latest technology to best show off the vehicles and make it an enjoyable experience.

Rachel Price

tradeouts.com

Trade outs

hyWebsites need to hydemonstrate they

understand the needs of their users, both in terms of functionality and ease of use. After all, there’s little point having a visually appealing website if it’s difficult to use.

Flexibility across multiple platforms, including mobile devices, is also an important factor.

David Brown

Our Ewards & Online Experts Conference isn’t just open to those nominated in the Ewards categories – it’s for all dealers! Places at the event are completely free of charge and you’ll enjoy a free lunch, the chance to look around the Heritage Motor Museum and get the chance to win an iPad3 or an Alfa Romeo bike in our free prize draw. If you’d like to reserve your place at the event contact our events manager Jade Simmonds on (023) 9252 2434 or email jade@blackballmedia.co.uk.

Webzation.co.uk

Webzation

hyOur winners will need hyto demonstrate an ability to convert prospects into potential customers.

Getting more users onto your website is great, but if they don’t identify themselves, then your ROI will soon deteriorate – are you attracting the wrong type of user? Effectively identifying and qualifying visitors is the next step too.

James Tew

contact-advantage.com

Contact Advantage

hyWE know dealers need hy‘E’ products or services

to add to the bottom line, fit in with processes, and save time and money in doing so. I will be looking for proof these products have added to dealer profits, giving benefits over traditional operations while helping to drive quality processes.

Bob Feltham CarDealerMag.co.uk| 11

hy hy

DASHBOARD.

Dealer delighted at new dual dealership bit.ly/brayleydelighted

Twit, twit . . . hello!

Dealers become firm friends after harnessing the power of micro-blogging site to boost business and have a bit of fun

T

wo independent dealers are harnessing the power of Twitter after meeting on the social network site.

Jim Reid (@jimreidvehicle) from Jim Reid Vehicle Sales in Aberdeenshire and Umesh Samani (@specialistcars1) who runs Specialist Cars in Stoke-on-Trent have become firm friends after meeting on the site. They both recognised Twitter’s potential for improving business and interacting with customers and other people in the motor industry.

The friendship began with them following each other’s Tweets and retweeting, before they started to converse over the phone about deals.

Reid described the match as ‘almost like a love story on the internet’. ‘It feel a bit like that because Umesh and I are very alike in our business and family backgrounds. And certainly his processes and how he treats customers are very similar to me. It got to a point when he said: ‘‘I need to come up and thank you for your help and assistance.’’ ’ Since then, a Twitter trend (#boom) has started between them and others, signalling that a dealer has sold a car: ‘There’s some banter at the weekends where we use #boom when we sell a car so that people in the trade know, but other people don’t know so it’s not seen as bragging.

‘It’s just a wee gesture to keep people going, a bit of fun. I think fun is missing in the trade quite a lot isn’t it?’

Samani added: ‘Jim and I had been having various conversations via Twitter about general sales and business areas and after a few of these, it was obvious we had a lot in common in how we did business and our approach to customer care. I then asked Jim about his sales process; it was very refreshing and interesting to compare notes which benefited both our businesses. Next thing I knew I was on the plane to Kintore in Aberdeenshire to meet my ‘‘Twitter friend’’.’

12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Umesh Samani and Jim Reid Initially hesitant to embrace social networking, Samani said that after ‘dabbling’, it wasn’t long before he understood how it worked and how much he had underestimated its potential. ‘The real shock was how I could have overlooked such an important thing for so long. I think too many people don’t understand how Twitter works and shy away from it, thinking it’s all about sending sales messages. Others think it is about the number of followers you have. In my opinion, it is about engagement, being interested and being interesting to others.’

Reid added: ‘It’s not about being on Twitter, it’s about what you put on Twitter and the quality of your tweets. It’s not about what you say, it’s about how you say it. It’s about interacting on a personal level to bring more business in the future. What people are looking for with any advertising is for

somebody to pick up the phone or make contact in some way so that you know they’re in the market.

If you’re not on social media, you will be unaware of these people. And of all the people on Twitter, I’ll bet 60 or 70 per cent are drivers so there is a huge amount of potential customers out there.’

And the Twitter alliance doesn’t stop there: Samani said that he had made many motor industry contacts through the site but also made acquaintances with local businesses.

He has also met up with a number of other car dealers including Hertfordshire-based Matt Butcher (@ifindanycar) and motor trade veteran Barrie Crampton (@barriecrampton). A team meeting with Reid and Samani and a host of other dealers is also imminent, after a Twitter conversation led to shared sponsorship of the kit for football team Blyth Rangers Whites. [CD]

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DASHBOARD. HONDA

‘New CR-V is crucial for us’ HONDA dealers are being given a great opportunity to attract new customers to the brand with the fourth generation of the company’s best-selling soft-roader, the CR-V. The company’s UK marketing director, Martin Moll, told Car Dealer: ‘The new CR-V is extremely important for the dealer network in the UK. ‘It’s got a good sales history, dealers know how to sell it, they know the type of customers they’re dealing with and with the arrival of the two-wheel drive, they have got a wider price point basis.’

Forecourt, page 39

NISSAN

Qashqais are called back NISSAN recalled thousands of British-built Qashqai models because a steering wheel came off in a driver’s hands.

A Nissan spokesman said only a small batch of cars were affected – around one per cent – of models built between February 27 and May 16 this year. The recall affected Qashqai, Qashqai +2 and the NV200 van.

SALE AGREED

Endeavour takes over ENDEAVOR Automotive Limited has purchased the flagship Hyundai London site from Hyundai Motor UK. The current Hyundai London site, which is situated on Edgware Road in Hendon, will now be known as Hyundai North London and will continue to service new and existing customers in the area to the same high standards. John Caney, MD of Endeavour Automotive Limited, said: ‘This is very exciting time to be joining the Hyundai brand.’

16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Jaguar Land Rover invests £370m in UK factory bit.ly/JLRinvests

BMW drivers left worried over Watchdog security revelation Dealers facing questions after criminals target high-value models

B

MW dealers have been fielding queries from anxious customers concerned at news that thousands of modern models can be stolen in minutes – even without the keys.

The thefts, potentially affecting tens of thousands of models produced between 2006 and 2011, involve the programming of a new blank key to match the vehicle’s unique identity.

BMWs don’t actually have physical metal keys, but a piece of plastic that slots into the dash – it’s this connection that allows the car to be started.

The reprogramming process usually takes a trained technician up to 40 minutes, but sly car thieves can manage it in minutes after smashing their way into the car, allowing them to start the vehicles and drive them away. X5 and X6 models are particular targets due to their high value.

The issue was raised on the BBC consumer affairs programme Watchdog. For obvious reasons, the programme didn’t reveal the precise details of the process in last month’s programme, but it’s understood that the device plugs into the vehicle’s diagnostics port, something your customers might have spotted in the passenger footwell.

Usually used for simple things like resetting the ‘service due’ alert or

reading fault codes, criminals have managed to crack BMW’s software and use the port to programme a new key.

While BMW models are currently being targeted, they’re far from the only possible victims. With similar ports standard in almost all cars produced since the mid-90s, most modern motors could be stolen in a similar way.

BMW issued the following statement: ‘Our engineers and technicians review all aspects of our vehicles constantly, including security systems, and after extensive research we are clear that none of our latest models – new 1 Series Hatch, 3 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series and 7 Series – nor any other BMW built after September 2011 can be stolen using the method highlighted.

‘However, as responsible manufacturers, we are looking at ways of mitigating against this new

kind of attack.

‘We are now in the process of offering any concerned customers of targeted models, extra technical measures which will mean the car cannot be taken using the piece of equipment highlighted in these stories, although of course there is no such thing as the ‘‘unstealable’’ car.’

Concerned owners have been advised to call BMW’s customer services department on 0800 083 4397 or their local BMW dealer.

BMW also suggests owners follow police advice on securing their car which includes making sure the doors are actually locked after using remote locking, checking carefully who has been given the keys (for example, valet parking) to ensure they haven’t been cloned and parking in a locked garage or in sight of CCTV cameras where possible.

Owners can hide diagnostics port to foil thieves BMW owners worried about their car being stolen by cunning crooks can take action – by hiding their car’s diagnostics port.

Many owners who fear their cars may be stolen by crooks reprogramming blank keys are taking drastic action – moving the location of the vulnerable diagnostics port to a safer place.

The process, detailed by BMW owners’ website 3seriesownersclub. co.uk, is said to take around 20 minutes, and requires nothing more than a pair of Torx and a

Phillips head screwdriver. By simply unscrewing a few items of trim in the driver-side footwell, owners should be able to move the port somewhere safer – with the guide suggesting somewhere under the steering column. There it should be out of reach (and sight) of potential thieves, but still accessible should dealers require its use.

But if owners aren’t handy with a screwdriver, there are some other steps that can be taken.

For a start, and we know this should be a bit of a given, owners

shouldn’t leave their cars unlocked.

Their pride and joy might have an immobiliser, but with the diagnostic port beginning to provide so much functionality, they shouldn’t make it even easier to access.

Also, and while it may be an unattractive addition to a £30,000 BMW, customers should consider fitting a steering lock and keeping the key in a separate place.

A car might have one built in, but a secondary lock adds an extra barrier if keys are cloned or – in theory – stolen.

dashboard.

18 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Download our iPad App: bit.ly/CarDealeriPad

Enter our awards to celebrate champs of used car industry Car Dealer Magazine has teamed up with Mr Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer to find the very best in the used car industry. James Baggott reports on how you could win

C

ar Dealer has joined forces with Mike Brewer, one of the country’s bestknown car salesmen, to launch awards specifically designed for the used car industry. The Wheeler Dealer Awards will be held at The Brewery in London on December 3 and we want you and your team to be there to celebrate in style with us.

We’re looking to recognise the very backbone of UK automotive plc – the used car industry – and will be handing out awards in 16 different categories. We’re accepting entries for the Wheeler Dealer Awards – sponsored by paint protection firm GardX – now. All you have to do is email james@blackballmedia.co.uk with the name of the award you would like to enter in the subject title, your dealership’s name and contact details and a few words about why you think you should win – and we’ll do the rest.

Shortlists for each category will be drawn up by our panel of judges – which will be chaired by Mr Wheeler Dealer himself – and those in the running will be invited to our gala awards night.

The evening promises to be very special indeed.

Held at The Brewery in London, attendees will enjoy all-they-can-drink beers and wine, a threecourse meal, live entertainment and a disco.

Awards categories are varied and open to any dealership, no matter how large or small. The awards categories are: • Used Car Dealer Of The Year – under 50 cars • Used Car Dealer Of The Year – 50-100 cars • Used Car Dealer Of The Year – over 100 cars • Used Car Dealership Group Of The Year • Manufacturer Used Car Scheme Of The Year • Used Car Sales Team Of The Year • Used Car Sales Manager Of The Year • Best Upsales and F&I Performance Of The Year • Best Used Car Customer Care • Best Used Car Website • Best Used Car Marketing Scheme • Outstanding Achievement Of The Year • Lifetime Achievement • Used Car Supplier Of The Year • Used Cars Of The Year A full explanation of the categories can be

Wheeler dealer AWARDS

sponsored by

found on page 21, but as you can see from our list we’ve got the used car industry pretty well covered. So where did the idea come from? Well, we’ll let the big man himself explain.

‘My wife gave me the ideas to do these awards,’ explained Brewer. ‘Every year I go to so many award ceremonies where I see other parts of this brilliant industry we’re in, rewarding themselves for having the best this, or that. It’s always new though – nobody rewards the people who are the backbone of this industry: The used car industry.

‘There are more used cars sold every year than there are new so the Wheeler Dealer Awards are all about rewarding those people in this area of the industry which never gets recognised.’

DEALS DONE Brewer may now be known as a TV personality with hugely successful global series Wheeler Dealers, as well as being the face of a number of popular documentaries, but he hasn’t always been a man on the box.

‘At the age of 19 I started to buy and sell cars in south London,’ he says. ‘By my sixth week I was put in charge of a large site and ran it very successfully. I had two great teachers – the best car buyer and best salesman around who are still spoken about today as legends. They taught me everything from the ground up so I know everything about maximising profits.’

By the age of 24, Brewer had opened his own site – at the time one of the largest 4x4 dealerships in the country – and he was jetting off around the world brokering deals with the likes of Mitsubishi and Suzuki. But it was during this period that his wife, Michelle, fell seriously ill and his attentions turned to caring for her.

When she recovered, Mike and his wife decided to start again and ran another car site in south London along with another partner. And it was during this time that fate came knocking or, to put it more accurately, telephoning.

‘I shared the used car showroom with a mate and popped down on my day off,’ says Brewer.

‘He was sat behind his desk crossed-legged as I walked in because he was desperate for the loo.

He shot off while I held the fort and the phone rang and it was Channel 4 who got me instead of him. We spoke about this car show they were making called Deals on Wheels and that led to them coming down to meet me. The rest, as they say, is history.’

So Brewer obviously still harbours a love for used car sales and it’s for this reason he and his wife decided to devise the Wheeler Dealer Awards with his favourite trade publication, Car Dealer.

Brewer adds: ‘There is nothing better than to have recognition for all the hard work you do, no matter what industry you work in. Whether you are under the railway arches or you’ve got a great big super car site you’re both fundamentally doing the same job and that’s servicing the needs of the customer.

‘It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got three cars to sell or 1,000, at the end of the day if you make the customer happy and fulfill their dream to find their new car then you should be proud of that. We want to reward people for that and help them get recognised.’

Brewer is understandably very excited about the awards, but what have you got to look forward to if you’re lucky enough to get an invite?

‘Well, it is in the most amazing venue,’ he said.

‘It will look spectacular and there’s a hotel on its doorstep, it’s in a cracking part of London – and it’ll be one of the best Christmas parties ever. Plus dealers will need a new liver afterwards as I’ll be at the bar, it’s in The Brewery and it’s all you can drink!’

So if you want to be in with your chance of winning at the inaugural Wheeler Dealer Awards, check out the categories over the page and send in your entry. As Mike says: ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it!’ We wish you the best of luck.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

dashboard.

Categories

Wheeler dealer AWARDS

sponsored by

Entering is easy: Email the editor the category you want to enter or nominate in, include your details and a brief reason why you should win and we’ll do the rest!

Used Car Dealership Of The Year – Under 50 Stock

Best Upsales and F&I Performance Of The Year

Manufacturer Used Car Scheme Of The Year

Used Car Dealership Of The Year – 50-100 Stock

Best Used Car Customer Care

Best Used Car Website

Used Car Dealership Of The Year – Over 100 Stock

Used Cars Of The Year

Sponsored by GardX This award is to be given to the dealer that offers the best all-round performance from a used car site holding more than 100 cars. These dealers will see all kinds of customers and need to be at the top of their game at all times to survive in this highly competitive market.

Sponsored by Auto Trader This category is dedicated to the best used car on the market.

Split into two sections: Best Residual Value and Most Popular. This double award will go to the manufacturers of each car. If you think one of your models should be considered then let us know. We’ll be working with sponsors Auto Trader to work out the winners for each award.

Used Car Sales Manager Of The Year

Used Car Dealer Group Of The Year

Best Used Car Marketing Scheme

Used Car Supplier Of The Year

Outstanding Achievement Of The Year

Lifetime Achievement Award

Used Car Sales Team of the year

Sponsored by GardX This award is to be given to the dealer that offers the best all-round performance on a site that holds fewer than 50 cars. These small dealers are just as important to the car buyers as the large groups, and for that reason they are just as important to us and these awards.

Sponsored by GardX This award is to be given to the dealer that offers the best all-round performance from a site that holds between 50-100 cars. With a larger number of used cars, it is easy to get things wrong. We will recognise and reward one dealer that has managed to keep their dealership performing.

Sponsored by GardX This award is to be given to the dealer group that offers the best all-round performance from multiple sites in the UK. Expanding your dealership to other sites raises the possibility of failing. We will congratulate the dealer group that has succeeded in building a brand.

Open for sponsorship There are thousands of people employed in car sales across the UK. Thousands of them are just making a living, thousands do it as a means to an end, thousands use it as a stop gap. But there are those that work in the industry because they excel in it. It is these people – who truly deserve the recognition – who we are looking for here.

Sponsored by Car Care Plan Selling a used car is only one part of a great salesperson’s mission. With every sale, there is the opportunity for selling other products and services. Selling the complete package increases profit and of course raises the individuals’ pay packet at the end of the month.

We will recognise the very best at this art here.

Sponsored by First Response When a customer visits a dealership, it is only the very best dealers that realise it is just the start of a very important relationship. Perfect customer care is needed to ensure every customer feels they are in safe hands. We will award the dealership who displays great customer service.

Open for sponsorship Every dealer needs to generate the right amount of traffic to their showrooms. Advertising and word of mouth is one thing, but being able to offer something over and above the rest is another!

Some use their own version of the scrappage scheme, some offer minimum part exchange prices. We are looking for the very best ideas here.

Open for sponsorship More than just a ‘flash in the pan’ – this award will go to an individual who has been in the trade for many years, delivering an outstanding performance and has made their position their own. In every dealership, large or small, you will find someone who has been there since the dawn of time, continuing to put the maximum effort in. It’s these people we want to recognise!

Sponsored by Car Care Plan The Used Car Scheme award will be awarded to the vehicle manufacturer that offers the best initiative for dealers to aid them in the art of selling used cars. Never before has the used car market been so competitive, and manufacturers know the importance of a strong brand in this area.

Sponsored by BCA Every dealer that wants to sell needs a decent shop window. In this digital age, dealers that embrace the internet are far more likely to sell cars. We all know this is true and that a huge number of customers will search for their car online first. We will congratulate the dealer that utilises the web the best here.

Open for sponsorship We’ve all been there, working for a boss that we either regard as the best or worst we’ve known.

We want to recognise the best! Entered by their own team, these sales managers will need to have the support of those around them. This doesn’t come with just great sales, but with the overall ability to manage a team day in, day out.

Open for sponsorship Dealers use many different suppliers in the course of their daily business – but there are good ones and there are bad ones. We will recognise the very best suppliers here. Whether that’s a finance company or paint protection firm, website design company or advertising portal – this is the award that marks the best to do business with.

Open for sponsorship Behind every great dealership, there is a great team. Every member of that team needs to have the right work ethic to succeed. We will recognise and applaud the best performing group with this award. We all know how tough the market is, and the winning dealer will be one that has shown it’s built that team for success.

If you want to sponsor one of the remaining awards call us on (023) 9252 2434 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

DASHBOARD.

That Was The Week – our roundups are posted online on Fridays CarDealerMagazine.co.uk

The month, digested We keep an eye on the motoring must-knows so you don’t have to.

Here’s what’s been happening in the auto industry this month

AUGUST 20-24 JAPANESE firm Nissan now has a dealership in north Norfolk for the first time in six years.

Crayford and Abbs’ showroom represents a major expansion of the company’s presence there.

BMW started to offer a more accessible way into X3 ownership with the first rear-wheel-drive model in the range, the new BMW X3 sDrive18d.

Perodua dealers who are Motability accredited will now be able to offer the Myvi super-mini on the Motability scheme from £47.22 per week. The firm is also offering all Motability customers the option of having reverse park control supplied and fitted free of charge.

Eight years on from the first CLS launch, Mercedes-Benz added the Shooting Brake to the model line-up. The company has confirmed prices will start from £49,360.

July saw a 41.7 per cent increase in car dealer insolvencies compared to July last year, figures from Experian revealed. Fifty-one business went under during the month.

Fiat added the Street model to its 500 range.

The special model boasts dark tinted windows, alloy wheels and satin chrome finished mouldings, handles and door mirrors. Prices start from £11,360.

Vauxhall dealer Approach – which runs dealerships in Andover, in Hampshire, and Salisbury, in Wiltshire – went into administration.

AuGUST 28-31 DEALERS were able to take advantage of an allnew BCA website that recognises what device a visitor to the site is using. The website can now recognise if a dealer is viewing it on a laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet.

An Exeter car dealer was the driving force behind the Ghanaian Paralympic squad’s quest for glory at London 2012. Seat dealer SMC Exeter backed the squad with the loan of a seven-seat Alhambra MPV. Japanese brand Isuzu extended its West Midlands dealer network with the appointment of Shukers Limited. Based in Bayston Hill, just outside Shrewsbury, Shukers has a number of state-of-the-art dealerships across Shropshire.

Luxury car retailer HR Owen will undergo a full rebranding exercise this autumn. The firm holds franchises with Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani and RollsRoyce.

‘Used cars bought from independent dealers’ is the top category of complaints made to the Citizens Advice helpline, Hyundai dealers were able to look forward to the arrival of a hotter version of the Veloster 1+2 22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Clockwise, from top left: Fiat 500 Street; Porsche in Portsmouth; Honda CR-V; Audi A3

BMW SECuRITY FEARS

Story of the month BMW dealers have been fielding queries from anxious customers concerned at news that thousands of modern models can be stolen in minutes – even without the keys. The thefts, potentially affecting tens of thousands of models produced between 2006 and 2011, involve the programming of a new blank key to match the vehicle’s unique identity.

Full story, p16 door coupe next month.

Euro NCAP tested six new models to hit dealerships, and reported some strong results.

Audi’s all-new A3, the Ford B-Max, Isuzu D-Max, Kia Cee’d, Renault Clio and the new Volvo V40 were all stringently tested by the NCAP programme.

Pre-registrations are a lifeline for hard-pressed dealers and it’s time to bring them out from the cold, CAP declared.

Honda dealers are being given a opportunity to attract new customers to the brand with the fourth generation of the CR-V, according to the company’s head of UK marketing, Martin Moll.

Dealer group Endeavour Automotive Limited

has purchased the flagship Hyundai London site from Hyundai Motor UK. The current Hyundai London site, in Edgware Road, Hendon, will now be known as Hyundai North London.

SEPTEMBER 3-7 A LACK of demand for new cars as the Eurocrisis deepens has led Vauxhall to shut down BOTH its UK factories for a week. The paid ‘down week’ was due to start on September 24 and comes just weeks after Ellesmere Port celebrated winning the new contract for the next Vauxhall Astra.

Jaguar has made its spiciest XFR saloon even more super with the addition of a not-very-PC ‘Speed Pack’. The new upgrade increases the top speed from 155mph to 174mph. It costs an additional £2,750 over the standard car’s £65,380 list price.

A British dealer could sell the world’s most expensive car – if the right buyer is found for a unique £20m Aston Martin. If it makes more than the asking price, it will easily become the most expensive car ever sold in Britain. And if the price goes up a further £2m it will become the most expensive car ever sold in the world. The car in question is a 1957 Aston Martin DBR1/2 and it is being offered for sale by Berkshire-based Ferrari specialist Talacrest.

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Arnold Clark buys John R. Weir Group bit.ly/ClarkbuysWeir

It’s been tough for Renault, but dealers are happy now Sales director Darren Payne talks to Car Dealer’s James Batchelor

I

t would be an understatement to say Renault dealers have had it tough recently.

The dealers who survived the supposedly necessary culling in December last year, were left with a product range that had been sliced in half, and little else.

But the French brand’s new sales director has outlined his plans to Car Dealer, and is confident Renault will return to profitability next year and that the good times will return.

‘There are three things we are trying to achieve with the brand this year,’ Darren Payne told us. ‘We want to build more desirability into our range and ensure we have Va Va Voom products.

‘Secondly, we want to build on the strong reliability that we have in our vehicles, but importantly be more convincing to customers about our reliability message.

‘And the third part is to ensure we have got customer excellence through our dealer network. We call this the Va Va Voom customer experience.’

Underpinning all of this is a crucial year for Renault whose chief aim is to return the dealer network to a profitable situation, and ensure the UK arm of Renault turns a profit by 2013.

Making its products desirable is probably the key to this. With the aged Espace and Modus, left-field Wind and uninspiring Laguna now gone, Renault is set to introduce exciting new cars to the UK which customers will want to own. ‘We deleted those cars because they either didn’t add Va Va Voom to the range or they were less profitable for us,’ said Payne.

Now the French firm’s product portfolio consists of Dacia being the value brand, Renault – the volume brand, and the

‘‘

PORSCHE

Big day for new centre PORSCHE’S state-of-theart new showroom on the South Coast has been officially opened. The Portsmouth development is one of the largest Porsche centres in the UK. The company’s UK managing director Chris Craft told Car Dealer: ‘There’s always been an opportunity here and if it hadn’t been for the recession, we might have made it happen sooner. It’s a great development and the location is fantastic.’

NISSAN

More dealers selling Leaf

Darren Payne all-electric Z.E. (zero emissions) range holding the status of the halo brand.

But will customers understand this?

Payne thinks so: ‘I think customers will look at the Dacia and Renault brands separately,’ he said. ‘Our marketing activity will enforce this and will be separate. But from a dealer’s point of view, they need to market the brands separately, but, obviously, see where they fit together. We see our dealers marketing four brands – Dacia, Renault, ZE as the halo, and vans. That’s four distinct opportunities.’

In terms of the product plan, Payne was pleased to report Renault dealers are on-board and, more importantly, happy.

A crossover version of the Dacia Sandero hatchback called Stepway will arrive in quarter two 2013, the crucial new Clio will debut in February, Zoe in April and the crossover version of the Clio in June.

Clio order books and dealer marketing activity will begin in earnest in November.

In a recent Which? reliability survey, Renault finished in fourth place.

While this is good news, Payne admits customers do not perceive Renault to be a quality brand with strong reliability.

‘Our nought to three-

Our nought to threeyear-old cars are very strong in terms of quality and reliability.

year old cars are very strong in terms of quality and reliability, but customers don’t know this.

‘This is why we introduced the 4+ Plus package – it’s to show that we are standing behind our strong reliability.

It’s difficult to change customer perceptions but we feel this will change with time.’

Payne revealed 90 Dacia sites have Dacia signage installed already and that Renault has received a large number of requests by dealers outside of the network to take the Dacia franchise. But any dealer wanting Dacia would have to take Renault as well as they go ‘hand in hand’ – consequently none of the dealers who lost the Renault franchise last December have been given the rights to sell Dacias.

The main priority Renault has with Dacia is to establish a market share of one per cent – strong in itself as Renault’s current market share sits at just 1.84 per cent.

Around 450 Renault electric vehicles have been sold this year – 50 Fluences and 400 Twizys and Kangoo vans – but Payne is hopeful this will pick up next year. ‘Zoe will be the game changer.

It has the best range of any ZE (zero emission) car and has ‘Va Va Voom’ styling. We’re really hoping sales will pick up thanks to Zoe.’ The next 12 months are crucial for the French brand and for dealers – we’ll be reporting on Renault in a year’s time to see whether it really is back on the road to recovery. [CD]

THE number of Nissan dealerships equipped to sell the all-electric Leaf has increased by 21.

Fifty-three showrooms are now able to handle sales of the emissionfree hatchback, with each outlet having a specialist Electric Vehicle Relationship Manager.

The expansion is another stage of Nissan’s drive to reach a total of 180 showrooms selling the Leaf by next spring.

SALE AGREED

Dealership’s new owner ONE of Scotland’s best-known car and commercial vehicle dealerships has been sold to Arnold Clark Automobiles for an undisclosed sum.

The John R. Weir Group has been purchased

by Arnold Clark and the sale includes the group’s MercedesBenz car dealerships in Grangemouth, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness; the group’s Kia and Chrysler Jeep dealerships in Perth; Smart dealerships in Aberdeen, Inverness and Perth; and the MercedesBenz commercial vehicle dealership in Aberdeen.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

FINANCE. SKODA

Two offers on Octavia are announced SKODA has launched two new limited-edition offers for its popular Octavia hatchback and estate models.

The Octavia SE Connect – based on the SE trim with £1,680 of extras – now has 25 per cent off, dropping to the new list prices of £13,990 and £14,760 on the road for the hatchback and estate respectively.

Additional equipment includes parking sensors, 16-inch alloy wheels and Skoda’s MDI connectivity package. Just 2,000 are available to order, and all with the 105PS 1.6TDI option with a manual gearbox. Outputting 119g/ km of CO2, Skoda are touting the SE Connect’s suitability for both fleet and retail customers.

Additionally, the Octavia vRS Blackline – based on the high performance vRS range – is offered up with £1,900 of extras.

Available in a trio of the vRS’s usual range of colours (candy white, black magic or race blue), the Blackline arrives only with the Volkswagen Group’s tried and tested 170PS 2.0 diesel option.

The Blackline starts from £21,269 to £23,495 on the road – depending on body style and whether the DSG gearbox option is selected – and is also eligible for Skoda’s finance programme, with a rate of 7.9 per cent APR. Finance customers will also receive three years’ free servicing and a £500 deposit contribution.

Significant increases in value and volume of finance deals ‘It allows people access to the cars required to support their lifestyles’

T

he market for finance on new cars grew by 48 per cent in value and 42 per cent in volume this July, according to the Finance and Leasing Association.

In addition, 68.8 per cent of new car sales to private customers were bought with dealer finance – reportedly the highest level since FLA’s records began.

‘Almost 70 per cent of car buyers – 600,000 people used finance from the dealer to buy their new car in the last 12 months,’ said the FLA’s head of motor finance, Paul Harrison. ‘It allows people access to cars they need to get to work and support their families and lifestyles,’ he added, enforcing the often vital source of credit that motor finance provides.

Meanwhile, used car financing through dealers is up 11 and 12 per cent by value and number respectively for private

‘‘

customers, demonstrating that it’s not just applications for new models that are on the up.

Personal contract purchase was the most popular option, making up 60 per cent of the figures for new models, while hire purchase accounted for 28 per cent, and leasing for seven per cent. The remaining five per cent involved dealer-provided personal loans.

Meanwhile, firstparty fraud, including ‘fronting’, was the most common type of motor finance fraud in the second quarter

Almost 70 per cent of car buyers – 600,000 people – used finance from the dealer.

of 2012, says the FLA. A finance agreement is ‘fronted’ when a vehicle is not being used by the customer who was originally approved by the finance company.

The practice accounted for 37 per cent of all car finance frauds reported to the FLA in the quarter two 2012.

Application fraud accounted for 30 per cent of all fraud cases in the same period, and conversion fraud (when a car is sold when it is still on finance) accounted for 25 per cent of cases.

The remaining eight per cent of fraud cases were identification or impersonation frauds.

Overall, motor finance fraud cases overall fell by six per cent in quarter two 2012 compared with the same quarter in 2011.

New system is kinder to the environment but tougher on fraud RENAULT and Nissan dealers are going eco-friendly – not with another EV, but a new finance system.

RCI Financing’s Electronic Document Identification and Signature Operation – or ‘EDISON’ for short – is reported to significantly reduce the paper usage of traditional financing agreements, and includes increased levels of fraud protection to boot.

An e-signature pad cuts down the need for multiple copies of finance agreements to be printed, instead requiring the customer to check the details on screen and sign electronically.

A state-of-the-art scanning device is also included, allowing the dealer to check the authenticity of a customer’s form of identification, including

possession of a valid driving licence – a feature useful for more than just financing. Along with reduced paper use, the system sends all relevant details to RCI’s head office almost instantaneously, speeding up the process considerably.

Each iteration of the system costs around £2,000 to buy, although it is possible to rent from £500 per year.

Valuing Service – Valuing You! First Response Finance is the first choice for the UK’s small to medium sized dealer market.

28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

..in association with

DEAL FINDER Latest finance deals on mini MPVs FORD B-MAX FORD’S funky new B-Max might be the firm’s first proper mini-MPV, but it’s already won over the press with its handy sliding doors and sporty Fiesta underpinnings. These traits, combined with the Ford brand’s almost unrivalled popularity in the UK, should send families flocking towards it too.

To get the ball rolling, Ford is offering competitive finance deals for those who take the plunge and pre-order the car: 4.9 per cent APR representative on the twoyear Ford Options plan, to be precise, with a £1,000 deposit allowance.

Selected B-Max models are offered with

some tempting extras, as well – Zetec trim receives a free Thatcham alarm and the blue oval’s impressive ‘SYNC’ entertainment system complete with an upgraded stereo and Bluetooth support, worth £250.

example, with a deposit of £5,025, while a Meriva S with the same engine can be had for £185 every month for 56 months with a deposit of £4,850.

Vauxhall also offer £1,000 towards deposits, and a MasterFit service plan can be added for £19.99 per month.

CITROEN C3 PICASSO FOR buyers less interested in clever rear doors, Citroen are offering up some quirky Gallic charm in the form of their C3 Picasso. It might be the oldest car of the three, but it’s still more than a match for its rivals in terms of practicality and equipment – and with the C3’s trademark panoramic windscreen it’s a nice place to sit, too. The French company is matching Vauxhall with a 0 per cent finance deal – this time over a fixed term of 36 months with a 30 per cent deposit, and it’s only available on VTR+ models, which range from £14,300 to £15,950, depending on engine and gearbox. A 1.4 95bhp model with a manual gearbox could be yours for

time is money

Big rewards are waiting

W

VAUXHALL MERIVA THE B-Max might have sliding rear doors, but the Meriva has a party piece of its own, opening – as on the Rolls Royce Phantom – backwards on the opposite hinge. The Meriva might not be as well equipped as the Phantom – or indeed the B-Max – but Vauxhall are tempting consumers with a 0 per cent finance deal instead.

Available on all but Expression and Tech Line trim levels, the offer is available over a term anywhere between 24 and 60 months, with the vehicle yours to keep at the end. A Meriva Active 1.4 (100PS) will cost £189 every month for 60 months, for

Meldrum

36 monthly payments of £278.05 and a £4,295 deposit, for example. Alternatively, a 1.6 120bhp model with an automatic gearbox is available for £310.13 per month over the same period, preceded by a £4,785 deposit.

ho are your non-customers? Or put another way, why is it that some people never buy from you or your competition?

I’ve heard it said that the largest single share of potential voters during an election are the ‘non-voters’ – that’s the 40 to 60 per cent of people who stay at home having decided not to have their say.

It’s very obvious that they would change the result of any election if only they could be motivated to go to the polling station and put their X in the right box.

When it comes to POS finance I’m sure the number of ‘non-customers’ in the UK is also high and that big rewards await any motor dealer who can persuade these customers to buy from them.

Not only would there be a significant increase in sales – because people on a tight budget will have access to much-needed extra money – there would be opportunities to upsell to higherspec vehicles AND there would be the higher potential for repeat custom that comes with providing POS finance. I read recently that there are four main reasons why customers are not applying for POS finance: 1) They believe the economic outlook is still too bleak and the time isn’t right to borrow.

2) They will use other available funds because they feel this gives them more control.

3) They think that it’s too much hassle and it would be expensive.

4) They think they might be turned down because they asked elsewhere and were put off.

Your finance partner should be providing your sales staff with training on how to successfully answer these four concerns because, after all, it is in their own best interests as well as yours.

This type of help and advice is always available from us so feel free to call us anytime.

‘There would be a higher potential for repeat custom.’

Who is Jim Meldrum?

Jim is regional sales manager for First Response Finance. Call him on 07917 460 111 or email Jimm@frfl.co.uk

Tel: 0844 8730819 Web: www.frfl.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 29

dashboard.

Around the world Dealer news from somewhere other than here

Endeavour takes over flagship Hyundai site bit.ly/Hyundaisite

UAE

Authorities in the UAE have accused some car dealers of selling old tyres as new. The Ministry of Economy is reported to have fined some tyre shops for carrying out the illegal practice. Hashim al Nuaimi, consumer protection director, said that the ministry would meet with dealers and car agencies to discuss the issue.

USA

Car sales figures in the USA are up 20 per cent overall on last year, according to automotive research group Autodata. Toyota and Honda showed the largest increases in sales – with 46 per cent and 60 per cent rises – while GM, Ford and Chrysler’s figures were reported to be equally solid. Those firms recorded rises of 10 per cent, 13 per cent and 14 per cent respectively.

30 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

BRAZIL

Car dealers in Brazil have upped their sales forecasts after record sales in August – in part helped by a rush to cash in on government grants for locally-made vehicles. The grants, which expired at the end of the month, meant Fiat held the top sales spot with a market share of 24.2 per cent. VW and GM followed closely behind with 21.9 per cent and 18.7 per cent respectively.

AUSTRALIA

JAPAN

Rolls-Royce has announced two new upgraded showrooms in Japan – one in Tokyo, another in Yokohama.

There are also plans for a presence in Osaka. Strong sales in the country have resulted in the expansion, with the Phantom Series II proving particularly popular. The new 318 square metre Tokyo facility accommodates five of the brand’s cars, and provides customers with a ‘refined, private setting in which to commission their vehicles’, along with a direct line to the company’s headquarters in Goodwood, UK.

A number of Opel showrooms have opened in Australia – marking the end of the brand’s ‘European-only’ designation. While Opel products have previously been sold under the native Holden brand, it’s the first time the German marque’s name has appeared down under.

Opel’s Australian rivals are likely to be similar to those in its European homeland: VW, Ford and Peugeot/Citroen.

How to

maximise

your

warranty sales

with WMS Group’s Eric Stone

Q. Do you have any new products or services?

A. Yes we have many! Since the start of the year we have launched a family of ‘Safe and Sound’ products all endorsed by Sir Stirling Moss OBE (‘SmartShine’ paint and fabric protection; car and motorhome Guaranteed Asset Protection available as pay-monthly or straight payment; and MOT cover). We also recently introduced four levels of motorcycle warranty (guarantee schemes) for dealers that are non-FSA registered, and motorhome warranty products for dealers that are FSA registered.

Our portfolio is now extensive and we have products for every single FSA and non-FSA registered business, including warranties for cars, CV’s, motorhomes and motorcycles; GAP; MOT cover; paint protection; breakdown cover and wheel & tyre cover for starters. Having partnered with the Unipart repairer network at the start of the year also means that if our policy holders experience problems away from home they can book the vehicle in at their nearest Car Care Centre - Unipart are renowned for offering the highest possible service and customer care.

Q. How should dealers be looking to use warranties during 2012?

A. With drivers now hanging onto their vehicles for between five & seven years, and repair costs reaching an all time high over the last few years, for dealers the spotlight is now on going above and beyond the call of duty if only to protect their margins. Buyers now expect to be able to walk away with the best warranty cover that their vehicle qualifies for, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that dealers have to pay for a 12, 24 or 36 month product. In fact many of our dealers include a comprehensive three or six month plan within the sale, but then upsell to the customer with some achieving a conversion rate of around 60%.

Q. Anything else you need to mention?

A. Yes, for dealers it’s no longer about looking for big margin opportunities, but instead concentrating on increasing the volume of products sold (product penetration) and choosing to make a sensible margin instead, Industrywide, the focus is now on customer care and satisfaction, and if that means spending ten minutes of your time to explain a product at the point of sale, offering the very best deals/ products/services that you can, providing an exceptional sales/support service and a pleasant environment which customers will want to come back to, you are automatically going to increase your business referrals and retention levels, which will add substantially to your bottom line.

In short, it’s all about delivering a high perceived value in products that will actually protect the motorists, and this trend that the industry is embracing is certainly set to continue at least for the next handful of years. The bottom line is that if your customers leave the showroom with the best possible products available to them then you are automatically going to improve your retention levels, whilst generating countless profit opportunities such as the servicing required to keep the warranty valid, repair work carried out under the terms of the product, extension plans and renewal.

Eric’s Top Tips...

Explain the product included with the vehicle without misleading them to avoid disappointment when the customer submits a claim.

Explain the importance of a warranty during their ownership to avoid expensive repair bills.

Outline the key benefits of the product - in our case, no excess to pay; no restriction to the number of claims allowed; care hire, tow-in expenses, hotel accommodation and EU cover are all included; claim limits which include the costs of parts and labour; and no incremental reductions in the amount we pay out regardless of the age and mileage that the car reaches during the term of the policy.

Draw the customer’s attention to the special offers you have available when they extend their cover.

To help dealers maximise the chance of making the sale, we have a fantastic range of incentives such as receiving up to 50% extra warranty or recovery free of charge which represent fantastic value for money for buyers, and a great profit making tool for you.

Scan this with your Smart phone!

Eric Stone - 07789 682502 Sales@WMSGroupUK.com www.WMSGroupUK.com

At GardX we just can’t stop winning at had focused “As a company th on products in ti c te ro p t in a p n o en impressed e b e v a h I t, s a p the product but with not only the port, ideas and p u s f o e g n ra e th ur business.” commitment to o I Director, David Johnson, F& Perrys Group

the product “Unlike other suppliers GardX don’t just leave en approach and walk away. They take a very process driv products which enables a dealer to fully understand the and remote and the benefits they bring, also their on-site ctive”. account management support is extremely effe

“In all we were generating over double the income from the dealerships where Gard Michael Holahan, Finance Director, Car Giant X was being sold, so you d GardX will appreciate that the “Since we launche “As a business we were lo oking account d n a g in in a decision to appoint tr the to ga in m ore net profit from our een of agement has b GardX Group wide was n a m Pa int Protection Product. Sinc a e libre and has a c t s e h ig very easy one.” h e th sw itc hi ng to GardX our Paint atly to our contributed gre John Tordoff Protection sales penetratio n has I profit.”

Managing Director, JCT600 incremental F& increased to nearly 50%.”

I Director, Paul Bentley F& Lookers plc

The GardX® Vehicle Protection System delivers substantially increased profit to Motor Dealers far in excess of the competition. Why? Firstly, the product performance is exceptional. Secondly, GardX® provide a proven training programme that coupled with a simple and effective sales process delivers profit, every time. Motor Dealers all over the world are enjoying the benefits GardX® can deliver. So, be a winner and ‘Go for Gold’ with GardX® Protection.

To join the ranks of GardX® Winners: call GardX® on 01730 710220 or visit www.gardx.co.uk

Anthony Masterson Sales Director, Knights BM W

Knights BMW

With testimonials like these you’ll understand why.

Global Profit Provider for Paint and Fabric Protection

big mike.

A

All Big Mike’s columns are on our website. Enjoy here bit.ly/bigmike

Magnificent men and their robotic machines

friend of mine, Derek, whom I know from a certain gentlemen’s society I shouldn’t be discussing in these pages, has recently taken delivery of a brand new MercedesBenz S-Class.

As part of the service, he was given the option of flying out to the factory in Germany to collect his car off the line and drive it home, which struck me as a rather canny piece of marketing. After all, not only was Mercedes saving itself the cost and hassle of delivering the car from the factory to the UK dealer, but at the end of the exercise (on arrival back in Birmingham) Derek, a successful businessman who in all other respects has quite a good head for figures, would end up with a distinctly used Mercedes covered in dead flies, and with over 1,000 miles on the clock, all for the price of a brand spanker.

Far be it for me to question his reasons. The same bloke does, after all, raise an eyebrow when I turn up at the golf club in a 15-year old Toyota Camry, and why shouldn’t he?

After all, he’s the captain…

And it was through the golf club that I found myself spending this year’s summer holiday not relaxing by a pool drinking mojitos while my much-beloved topped up her wrinkles in the baking Mediterranean sun, but instead sitting on a rainy autobahn on the outskirts of Frankfurt during Friday night rush-hour.

My friend’s wife, see, had got so disgruntled with the boyish enthusiasm for his new car that instead she invited Mrs M and a few more of their sunbed club cronies on a girls’ week on some God-awful Greek island, where no doubt each individual one of them was the combined age of the entire bar staff, leaving me, Del and a rather dull old bugger called Roger home alone. So when my mate asked if we wanted to join him in collecting the Merc, I leapt at the chance. Sadly, Roger also showed a ripple of enthusiasm (he’s not the kind to leap at anything), but then he did chip in for the fuel, and spent the entire road trip sitting in the back seat not speaking, or reading tourist leaflets in his hotel room while Derek and I went out for a stein or two of the local brew.

Anyway, I digress. I was expecting the trip to the Mercedes factory to be a little bit boring. The only two factory trips I’ve done before were to the HP Sauce one, which was basically a load of bottles being filled by what looked like a giant turkey baster, and the Guinness factory tour in Dublin, of which I remember very little despite my best attempts at recollection.

Big

mike Our man on the inside spills the beans on the car business...

The car factory, though, was immense. We watched Derek’s car begin its life as raw material, with metal panels being pressed, welded and painted. We then planted ourselves in Stuttgart’s finest watering holes before returning to the plant to watch the S-Class go through general assembly – a process in which hundreds of robots dance and jigger as they assemble S-Classes with military precision and millimetric accuracy.

It’s an amazing display to watch, and even more amazing to think of the engineers who plan the whole thing.

The layout, the sequence in which the car is built, the dimensions of each part, the precision timing required – it’s all very impressive. And how on earth are the robots made to understand the instructions? There’s no scope at all to deviate from the plan by a millimetre or a millisecond.

What’s even more amazing is that this is not a process

‘I was expecting the trip to the Mercedes factory to be a little bit boring.’ exclusive to a luxury brand such as Mercedes. The very same level of skill, precision and engineering excellence goes into a Corsa, Fiesta or Micra, yet more often than not the end user treats the finished item with little or no thought for the thinking behind it.

And maybe that’s where the Mercedes treatment works well, because chances are Derek will go on forever to cherish his S-Class, knowing the care with which it has been built.

Meanwhile, I’ll spend the rest of my career flogging semiderelict metal to people who pay less than they cost to build in the first place, expect the world from a car that is already well into its cycle of life by the time they get their hands on it, then treat it (and sometimes me) with absolutely no respect whatsoever when the thing finally coughs up a good ’un while in their hands.

My eyes, meanwhile, have been opened, and next time I’m in Germany I’ll raise my stein not to the Mercedes engineers, but to the boffins behind my ancient Camry for not only sweet-talking some 1990s retro-robots into welding it together in the first place, but also for making it tough enough to survive the ownership of a brainless moron who never serviced it before me, and for a similar life in my hands since (on the basis it’s worth the square root of zero)…

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.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

helpdesk.

Join Car Dealer Club by visiting CarDealerClub.com Members get free legal advice worth £199 for a £34.99 annual subscription

Ask Lawgistics Car Dealer Club lawyers Lawgistics answer dealers’ legal questions.

Join for £39.99 a year to get advice like this when you need it

Q

A customer sold me a car in part exchange. I use invoices which require the customer to make certain declarations. One of these is a question about whether the car has been used for a driving instruction business.

The customer responded that it hadn’t but when I checked some old service paperwork I found out he had bought it from such a business.

I am very concerned that it might not have been treated well during its use by the driving instructor. I called the instructor and checked it out. She said that she had made it clear when she sold it to my customer that it had been used for such work and, in fact, there were one or two tell-tale signs on it when you look carefully. What can I do?

PR, Hampshire It is quite clear that the customer has misrepresented the vehicle when selling it to you. Furthermore it is a description you relied on when going into the contract. It appears to have been made fraudulently, i.e. made ‘knowingly’ or ‘without belief in its truth’ or ‘recklessly’, i.e. not caring whether it is true or false. In such a case you can ‘rescind’ the contract, i.e. turn the clock back to the point before you did the deal. This would involve giving the mis-described car and the cash balance back and having the car you sold back.

In addition you could seek a measure of

A

ADVICE

Are employees entitled to legal representation?

Q. I have an employee I need to take through our disciplinary procedure. I have invited them to a meeting by letter, but they have requested they have legal representation at the hearing.

Are they allowed this?

JT, Derbyshire A. The simple answer here is NO. Employees are not entitled to a legal representative at a disciplinary hearing. They are entitled to be accompanied by a work colleague, who is not party to the incident which has led to the disciplinary action, or a trade union representative. Any other representative you can refuse to let into the meeting. This includes ‘damages’, i.e. what you may have lost from the monetary point of view. This could be an MOT, preparation, advertising costs and potentially your loss of profit.

It is very important to act quickly and we would recommend you put it in writing also. This helps if the case goes to court. One of the other requirements for ‘rescission’ is that both parties must be able to go back to square one. So, if for instance, the customer had already sold the new car, or had

parents and spouses, as often tried in these situations. If the employee does not select an appropriate witness, you may allow them time to find another. You can move forward with the meeting should you wish, however we would always advise allowing the employee a further opportunity to have a witness present, for the protection of all parties. travelled an appreciable mileage, then rescission isn’t a possibility and therefore ‘damages’ is the only option.

Whilst we recommend putting it in writing as soon as possible this does reserve your right to go for rescission if it is an option. Once that letter is in place you can, of course, discuss other remedies ‘off the record’ which may, for instance, be you agreeing a sum of money to cover your loss.

Not all finance agreements are the same Q. I have recently bought a car from a private customer but have just received a letter from a debt collecting company saying the car is still on finance and they want to arrange to come and repossess it. Can they do this?

DB, Devon A. In these particular cases it is vital to understand what sort of finance agreement we are talking about. If the car is on a lease agreement, it will be owned by the lease company and ownership won’t pass to the person leasing the car at the end of the lease. There may be a separate agreement whereby the person will be able to buy it off the lease company but this will be a further arrangement. It is the same situation

for an HP or Conditional Sale Agreement. Again the finance company owns the car until the end of the agreement.

However, there is a special set of circumstances for HP/Conditional Sale Agreements which give protection for third parties if they innocently buy such a vehicle. Basically if the car, at any point in its claim is sold to a person who a) buys it as a private buyer (not a trade or finance buyer) and b) buys it innocently, i.e. not aware that the vehicle was still subject to a finance agreement, then title passes to the private buyer.

So, assuming your customer was a ‘private and innocent’ buyer he/she will acquire good title and can therefore pass on that good title to you. It is

not uncommon for finance companies to ‘have a go’ and assert they hold title since it relies on you to argue your corner. It can sometimes be distressing for the customer if a debt collector arrives and tries to repossess the vehicle. If this should happen to a customer of yours and they contact you, it would be wise to tell them to contact the police. When you become aware that the finance company are trying to get the vehicle back, then you should make approaches to the people in the chain ‘upstream’ of you and get them to confirm they have bought the car as a ‘private and innocent’ buyer. Remember, though, this protection will not be available in the case of lease agreements.

Let Lawgistics help you Lawgistics are extremely experienced when it comes to helping car dealers with legal matters. The firm has a reputation for assisting the motor trade with customer complaints, health and safety issues, trade-to-trade problems and much more.

To get advice like this (worth £199) join Car Dealer Club for just £39.99 per year. Sign up at CarDealerClub.com 34 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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MANUFACTURER

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Mark Ovenden

Ford of Britain’s managing director tells James Batchelor about the new B-Max’s importance to the dealer network, and why his dealers are in good shape How much of a step-change is B-Max over the old Fusion?

It’s a huge change – it’s a completely different vehicle. Fusion did pretty well for us and our dealers, but with B-Max the wow is the door system. B-Max also has a lot of style, a large range of clever features and, of course, there’s the 1.0litre Ecoboost engine. The B-Max is an excellent car. Whereas the Fusion was essentially just a high-riding vehicle, B-Max has a got a lot more strength to it.

As one of my younger colleagues said to me, the B-Max is more of an automotive app than a car – I’m not quite sure what he meant by that!

That’s what customers want these days – they don’t want a Fiesta with more headroom, like the Fusion...

That’s true but it’s important not to deride the Fusion. We sold a lot of them and customers were very happy with it. Indeed, we continue to sell it. The volumes the Fusion did, while for a Ford weren’t that high, were numbers our competitors would give their eye teeth for. B-Max does take this into the next level. It ticks every box.

Will the Fusion carry on being sold alongside B-Max? No, we’re just selling the last remaining cars. We took the unusual step of announcing full prices and specifications six months before it was due in the showroom. We’ve sold more than 500 already and we firmly believe the B-Max will continue to have an excellent start and be a success.

Five hundred orders with little public awareness. You must be pleased?

We’re very pleased especially considering we have done no advertising for it. We’ve done a bit online and there’s been a little coverage prior to press events, but those orders have been due to word of mouth.

We have circulated a few B-Maxes around our dealer network to allow them to show off the car to some of their customers. Few new cars have such a visual impact or come with such clever technology – so it’s no surprise the word has spread.

September to October is set aside for the launch and we’ll build it up from there.

‘‘

How important is the B-Max to your dealers?

Any car is important to dealers.

Clearly, in terms of volumes, it’s not 36 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

going to be on the same sort of level as Fiesta. But the B-Max is important because of the conquest sales it will attract. I genuinely think it will bring incremental business to the franchise which is good news for dealers.

In terms of volumes, what are you expecting?

We have been fairly candid on this. We believe B-Max will take around one per cent of the car industry – that equates to around 15,000 cars a year. In planning it, I had hopes for more, but I don’t want to plan for more because if we do that we will be pushing the production too hard and that will put pressure on used values – the B-Max has an RV of 37 per cent. For customers, what better indication of the purchase decision they have made if their vehicle holds it value? If the market grows organically we’ll sell every car we can.

The 500 customer orders we’ve got for B-Max have been due to word of mouth.

How is dealer supply for the whole model range?

It’s okay. Because of the success we have had with Fiesta, we are a little bit tight with it. We are not oversupplied on anything, our dealers are not overstocked and they haven’t got extensive amounts of inventory. This in some ways is costing us a little

bit as some of our competitors are not in the same situation and are creating some sales. Our inventory levels are good – which is good news for dealers as their levels of surcharge aren’t high.

We’re pretty pleased but as a sales guy I’d like to see a few more Fiestas going into September!

How is the network doing at the moment?

They’re doing well. Profitability is slightly ahead of where it was last year, which, considering the current environment, we are pretty happy with.

Clearly it needs to be better.

Holiways – which went into administration in August – has been the only Ford dealer to go into administration this year. Unfortunately we couldn’t save it. Holiways was a long-standing Ford dealer and it was very sad as we have a very good relationship with our dealers. Despite having a great brand and products, we’re not immune to environmental conditions.

And finally, would you ever follow Vauxhall and enter premium car sectors?

If you look at a vehicle like S-Max and the demographics of the customers, that’s up there with the demographics and transaction prices of so-called ‘premium’ brands.

One of the beauties of One Ford was the sale of our premium brands – Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo – has actually given the Ford brand more headroom to do what we like.

That may involve building premium cars; we can take the Blue Oval wherever we want to.

in association with INSIDE

The B-Max has unrivalled access to the front and rear passenger compartments with a 1.5-metre wide opening. The dash is rather familiar – nicely styled but slightly fussy to use – and there’s a good amount of headroom.

ENGINES

There’s a wide range of engines on offer, but we’d recommend pushing customers into the 1.0-litre. It’s expensive but great to drive.

STYLING

The B-Max is attractive to look at and well-proportioned.

We think it’s one of the bestlooking cars in the segment.

Ford B-Max

the knowledge

Ford has ditched its forgettable Fusion and replaced it with a bold car sporting no B-pillars. James Batchelor has driven it What is it?

It’s the first car in a massive product offensive from the Blue Oval, designed to keep the car giant profitable in Europe. The B-Max replaces the forgettable – but muchloved among certain UK buyers – Fusion and goes up against rivals from Vauxhall, Honda, Nissan and Citroen in the B-segment MPV market. But to steal sales away from these firms, the B-Max has a party-piece – no B-pillars.

What’s under the bonnet?

Petrol buyers will be able to choose between the new 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine with 99bhp or 118bhp. There’s also a 1.4-litre Duratorq with 89bhp and a 1.6-litre Ti-VCT unit with 104bhp and an automatic gearbox. Diesels include a 1.5 with 74bhp and a 1.6 with 94bhp. Ford says the best-seller will be the 1.6-litre diesel, but, in time, the 1.0-litre could claim that title.

What’s the spec like?

What do the press think of it?

The range kicks off at £12,995 for the Studio 1.4-litre petrol which comes with electric mirrors and electric windows front and rear, while prices top out at £18,895 for the Titanium 1.6-litre diesel. That model comes as standard with 16-inch alloys, auto headlamps and Ford system – a clever voice control and device integration system. It’s a £250 option on all models bar the Titanium.

The Telegraph said: ‘After the execrable Fusion, Ford has worked hard to produce something different and worthwhile. This is a wellengineered car, safe and good looking.’

Honest John adds: ‘And anyone already contemplating a Citroen C3 Picasso, a Hyundai ix20, a Kia Venga, a Toyota Verso S or a Vauxhall Meriva should get down to their Ford dealers and take a look.’

What’s it like to drive?

What do we think of it?

At launch we drove the 1.0-litre Ecoboost 118bhp and the 1.6-litre diesel. The 1.0-litre is a blast yet still offers agreeable fuel economy figures – 55.4mpg combined is quoted – while the 1.6-litre diesel is sluggish. It has light steering and the ride is supple.

The B-Max retains the Fiesta’s fun handling – the car on which it’s based.

This could well be the new classleader as it makes other cars in this sector seem terribly conservative.

Without having the benefit of trying all the engines and specifications, we can only really recommend the 1.0litre Ecoboost 118bhp Titanium model which retails at £17,595. It’s not cheap but probably worth the money.

Model: Ford B-Max Price: £17,595 (as tested) Engine: 1.0-litre, petrol.

Power: 118bhp, 169Nm Max speed: 109mph 0-60mph: 13s MPG (comb’d): 55.4 Emissions: 119g/km Residual values (three years): 37 per cent

target buyers:

Families; 60 per cent of B-Max sales will be conquest.

the rivals: Vauxhall Meriva, Hyundai ix20, Honda Jazz

Key Selling Points: 1. Comes with punchy 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine.

2. Chuckable handling despite tall stature.

3. High levels of ride comfort.

Deal Clincher: Class-leading access thanks to no B-pillar.

Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: n/a CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37

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forecourt. the knowledge Model: Honda CR-V 2.2 i-DTEC EX 4WD Price: £30,995 (tested), range from £21,395 Engine: 2.2 i-DTEC DOHC Power: 148bhp, 350Nm Max speed: 118mph 0-60mph: 9.5s MPG (comb’d): 48.7 Emissions: 154g/km Residual values (three years): tbc

target buyers: Families, existing customers and new buyers attracted by a cheaper entry-level model.

the rivals: BMW X3, Audi Q5, Nissan Qashqai, Volvo XC60.

Key Selling Points: 1. Now a choice of two- or four-wheel drive.

2. Greater efficiency.

3. Much lower CO2 emissions.

Deal Clincher: Practicality, refinement and quality in spades.

in association with

Honda’s Swindon plant started making the company’s new CR-V last month. How popular will it be? Dave Brown reports What is it?

The fourth generation of Honda’s extremely popular soft-roader. Sold in 160 countries around the world, Honda have shifted a whopping five million since the first model was introduced way back in 1995. Around 170,000 of those are on the road in the UK and Honda hopes this new version will get that figure up to the quarterof-a-million mark.

What’s under the bonnet?

The big news here is the introduction of a front-wheel-drive petrol version of the car which means buyers will be able to get into a CR-V for around £21,500. Honda hopes that will widen the car’s appeal. In addition, it continues to be offered with the smooth, free-revving 2.0-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the relaxed and torquey 2.2-litre i-DTEC. A significant reduction in engine and road noise entering the cabin has been achieved.

What’s the spec like?

What do the press think of it?

Honda has introduced a new ‘grade logic’ to be more in line with other manufacturers, and therefore simplify things for customers. The kit offered is generous. Even on the ‘S’ models there’s a five-inch intelligent multiinfo display screen; dual-zone climate control; cruise control and 17-inch alloys. There is a wealth of safety features too, with more sets of initials than there is space for here.

What Car advised its readers: ‘Don’t go mistaking the CR-V for a rough-roading 4x4, it’s far more of a school-run special than a backwoods trailblazer.’ They added: ‘The emphasis is very much on refinement and comfort’ and ‘access is brilliant too’. Auto Trader commented: The Honda CR-V offers car-like handling and strong build quality and with its premium feel it stands out in the mass of 4x4s available.’

What’s it like to drive?

For an SUV, the car feels extremely light on its feet and navigating narrow country roads south of Munich was no problem at all. It’s significantly quieter than the outgoing model, which wasn’t actually that loud. One minor niggle was the dual-screen set-up on the dash which we found a tad confusing. But the positives far outweighed the negatives.

What do we think of it?

Perhaps not the most exciting drive we’ve ever had but in terms of comfort, handling, equipment levels and general all-round competency, we’d give it a well-deserved thumbs-up. It’s very family friendly. Dogs, golf clubs, camping gear... the CR-V will swallow the lot and get everyone home in comfort and safety.

Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 495,042

STYLING

Honda CR-V

Improved aerodynamics, a horizontal three-bar grille and deep-set headlights.

HANDLING

Height and length have been reduced to make the car more agile and manoeuvrable.

INTERIOR

Boot capacity up 147 litres to 1,648 litres and higher quality interior materials have been introduced.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 39

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Trusted Automotive Intelligence Fact and foresight from people in the know

forecourt. the knowledge Model: Audi A3 Price: £29,225 (tested), range from £19,205.

Engine: 2.0 TDI Power: 148bhp, 320Nm Max speed: 134mph 0-60mph: 8.4s MPG (comb’d): 68.9mpg Emissions: 106g/km Residual values (three years): tbc

target buyers: Young, style-conscious professionals, tech-savvy and on the way up in life.

the rivals: BMW 1 Series, Lexus CT200h, Volvo V40

Key Selling Points: 1. Five-star safety score from Euro NCAP. 2. State-of the-art technology.

3. Sheer quality of the car’s interior.

Deal Clincher: New A3 has taken a huge leap forward.

in association with

Redesigned from the ground up, Audi’s new A3 hit the roads in the UK last month. Dave Brown got behind the wheel What is it?

The third generation of Audi’s bestselling compact hatchback combining a pretty strong specification with a hatful of mechanical and technological advances. The new version of the car has been designed from the ground up following the principles of ‘Audi ultra’ lightweight construction. The car demonstrates Audi’s famed attention to detail.

What’s under the bonnet?

Three reworked engines delivering efficiency gains averaging 12 per cent: a 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre TFSI petrol, and a 2.0-litre TDI diesel. These hi-tech units boast stop-start and energy recuperation technology as well as highly efficient electromechanical power steering. They channel their drive through a new chassis featuring Audi’s Electronic Stability Control. The new A3 tips the scales around 80kg lighter than its predecessor.

What’s the spec like?

What do the press think of it?

There’s a choice of three specification options – SE, Sport and S Line.

The entry-level SE model – which costs £19,205 – features 16-inch alloy wheels and a multi-function steering wheel. Highlights of the top S line specification – costing from £22,580 – include 18-inch alloys, S line body styling, and part-leather seats embossed with the S line logo. All models are bristling with technology, which we found well-designed and easy to understand.

Auto Trader said: ‘If you could pick three words to sum up the A3’s interior, they would be ‘‘quality, simplicity and technology’’. Materials are soft to the touch, but solid in their construction. What Car? said: ‘The Audi A3 comes with strong, efficient engines, and it strikes a good balance between comfort and control on the standard suspension. The cabin is beautifully built and resale values will be high.’

What’s it like to drive?

Excellent. We’re not going to do the normal nit-picky thing of saying ‘it’s an Audi, therefore it’s Germanic, wellengineered but a bit dull’. Naturally the petrol-powered cars show more zip and pizzazz than the diesel – but the oil-burner was very willing and eager to please.

What do we think of it?

Audi have endured a few jibes because the new A3 looks rather similar to its predecessor. But go beyond the outward appearance and there is no shortage of progress under the surface. Confidence is high at Audi at the moment and this latest A3 will only serve to drive the marque forwards both in the UK and elsewhere.

Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 1,939,565

HANDLING

Completely new chassis combines ride refinement with agile handling.

STYLING

If it looks like an A3 it probably is an A3. Audi say the car’s look has been ‘subtly redefined’.

Audi A3

SUSPENSION

Grades across the three specification levels are more interchangeable in the latest A3.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

Feature.

contenders Meet the

BMW M5

GT-R Track Pack

Vantage S

Lotus Exige S

Porsche 911

They are the best of the best launched in your showrooms in the last 12 months, brought together on our favourite Welsh roads for the ultimate showdown. James Baggott, James Batchelor and Duncan Chappell give their verdict on the class of 2012 Bag: It’s that time of year again. And I’m excited.

Very excited. Our annual Road Test of the Year is our celebration of some of our favourite cars on sale in your showrooms in the last 12 months.

The formula is a simple one: Mix some brilliant cars with some incredible Welsh roads and revel in the smell of spent super unleaded. You know these cars are amazing, we know they’re amazing: RTOTY is simply our excuse to work out which one we like the most. So here goes.

Batch: We’ve got our hands on the new Aston 42 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Martin Vantage S, Porsche’s new 911– here with seven-speed PDK – and to satisfy techno geeks, we’ve brought along the Nissan GT-R Track Pack. Standing for the National Anthem are the bonkers Lotus Exige S and the Morgan ThreeWheeler, and representing real-world motoring is the new Focus ST. Oh, and the Renault Twizy.

We’re ecstatic about electricity don’t you know.

Dunc: Every year we decide to return to North Wales. This is because we love the roads, well, two roads in particular – the A543 and the B4501

– better known as the ‘Evo Triangle’. If you like driving, we urge you to take a day and explore them. So what to drive first? It has to be the Aston. I love them. The sound, the looks and the experience. But they really need to sort a better gearbox to take the fight to the company we have here. Buy the manual is all I will say. James?

Bag: I didn’t think the paddle shift box on the Vantage S was that bad. Yes, in Drive it is awful, but attack it in anger and use the paddles and it’s pretty good. Agreed, it’s no DSG, but it’s not completely useless. The 4.7-litre V8 sounds incredible and although the car feels heavy compared to others here it can still be hustled along sharply. I love the interior too, the love of the hand-crafting oozes out of the leather (sounds disgusting) and there’s no doubt the car looks

Pictures: Max Earey

Ford Focus ST Twizy (yes, really)

Morgan Three-Wheeler

stunning in black with the carbonfibre inserts.

But problem is Dunc, the S is only available as an auto! Bit of a shock that one.

Batch: No surprises here, but my lack of age meant the Aston was out of bounds. But that didn’t stop me hitching a passenger ride every other minute. At the risk of sounding like teacher’s pet, I also thought the gearbox wasn’t that bad. It’s no Porsche PDK, but it’s not that terrible when you’re really on it. Add in a sumptuous interior and devilishly good looks, and this is a real cad’s car. Which I like.

Dunc: I hear what you are saying about the paddle-shift being better at speed, but at £102,500 I would like to think it would work well all the time? The rest of the car is sublime, though. At

the other end of the scale (in every sense) is the Lotus Exige S – no Bang and Olufsen stereo here. Just bare metal floors, bucket seats, a supercharged V6 and lots of fun!

Bag: What. A. Car. The Lotus was the first of our line-up I drove and made me involuntarily shout expletives. A car that gives you Tourette’s is quite some achievement. It’s mind-bendingly fast, has astonishing grip, and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. But what’s with that prison-cell spec interior? And while we’re on the subject of moans I wasn’t keen on the loose gearbox and seriously heavy steering. Still a great car to drive on Welsh roads though.

Batch: This was another motor which I had to grace the passenger seat of, and this car was

the biggest surprise for me. Why? Because, when it turned up at the office, its exhaust note interrupted an interview I was doing three floors up, and I wasn’t that taken with the white paint scheme. I thought it was a bit vulgar and not a traditional Lotus. But like nasty bacterium, it grew on me quickly. The way it attacks corners with such vigour is typically Lotus, and it even has heated seats. To understand how remarkable this is, think of Janet Street Porter with small teeth – it’s that unlikely.

Dunc: I agree with James on every level here.

Every opportunity I had to drive the Lotus made me feel like a racing driver and very excited indeed. It reminds me of a Caterham, but less scary. I’m not a lover of Lotus, but if I had the £50,000 spare and a back garden CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

Feature.

the knowledge Model: Aston Martin Vantage S Price: £102,500 Engine: 4.7-litre, V8 Power: 430bhp, 490Nm Max speed: 189mph 0-60mph: 4.3s MPG (comb’d): 21.9

like North Wales, I could be converted. Even faster than the Lotus is the Nissan GT-R Track Pack. I’ve driven the standard car and was left breathless with the sheer pace of the thing, I wasn’t allowed to drive this one though (I wish I could say I was too young) but a passenger ride was easily enough to see that this is even more impressive than ever.

Bag: Fortunately I was allowed to drive it – and that I did. I drove the GT-R all the way to Wales and all the way back again. Why? Because it was the most comfortable, had the most gadgets and was the fastest. Driving this car is hypnotic, it’s so blisteringly fast it doesn’t even feel real. I can’t think of anything that would touch it point-topoint. It’s a bit wide for some Welsh roads, but despite that, nothing came close to staying with it. I love the way the transmission grumbles at you, the whoosh of the turbos and the cacophony of noise every time you put your foot down.

Batch: I was lucky enough to drive the 2012spec GT-R at Silverstone last November, so I can understand why everyone raves about this car so much. The Track Pack version is new for 2012 and is designed ‘for drivers who want an en extra edge on the race track’. So there’s lightweight alloys, extra brake ducts in the front bumper, revised suspension, no rear seats, sticky tyres and chairs trimmed in special grippy fabric. It’s mindboggling. But just because its 4WD doesn’t mean it’s a cuddly bear. Twitchy is the way to describe certain passenger rides...

Dunc: It is true, this car is faster than anything I have experienced and you 44 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

VIDEO

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the knowledge Model: Lotus Exige S Price: £53,850 Engine: 3.5-litre, V6 s’charged Power: 345bhp, 400Nm Max speed: 170mph 0-60mph: 3.8s MPG (comb’d): 28

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the knowledge Model: Nissan GTR Track Pack Price: £84,480 Engine: 3.8-litre, V6 twin-turbo Power: 543bhp, 632Nm Max speed: 196mph 0-60mph: 2.8s MPG (comb’d): 24

the knowledge Model: Morgan Three-Wheeler Price: £30,000 Engine: 2.0-litre, two cyl Power: 80bhp, 140Nm Max speed: 115mph 0-60mph: 4.5s MPG (comb’d): 36 (est)

will get to wherever you are going before anyone else. But that won’t matter, because you won’t have any friends to talk to once you get there. It’s too techno geek for me – all gadgets and no soul.

Who cares that it has special non-slip seats or lightweight alloys, I’d be falling asleep in my pint sat next to the owner of one of these in the pub.

Something that does have a soul, the Morgan Three-Wheeler was a great surprise for me. What a load of fun!

Bag: Ah, the Three-Wheeler. The biggest joke of a car I’ve seen this side of a Reliant Robin. At least, that’s what I thought until driving it. Batch insisted on bringing it along and I agreed, only because I knew it would rain and it has no roof.

However, after a stint behind the wheel I stopped laughing and started grimacing. This thing is hard to drive – it’s all wind, and noise, and more wind (bit like a baby). It’s quick, and seriously tail-happy – and it’s an assault on the senses like nothing I’ve ever tried before. But £30k? You need to be a pretty good car dealer to convince someone to buy that with no doors, or roof, or stereo, or heater, or...

Batch: ...or exhaust. That fell off 30 miles away from the factory when we were dropping it off.

But I’ll ignore that – this car is totally glorious.

If you’re reading this and thinking it’s an old car that’s unimportant to talk about, you’re very wrong. It may look like something from an ITV period drama – it is loosely designed on the Morgan Super Sports from 1936, after all – but it’s remarkably modern. The gearbox is straight from an MX-5 so its predictably snikkerty and precise, and the 2.0-litre V-twin S&S engine is torquey and smooth. And on Welsh twisty roads, it’s very ease to lean on and the heavy steering is direct, if lacking in feel. But if it rains, the precise handling 46 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

goes to pot – it understeers with aplomb – and you get very damp.

Dunc: The biggest laugh of the trip was seeing Batch climbing into the Morgan with his specially-purchased Spitfire-style leather hat and goggles. “What have you come as?” was used quite a lot. But, as soon as he was in, and driving it, it looked, well, right. It is an occasion driving this thing, but one best left to a dry warm day (I take my hat off to Batch for driving it in the rain at night). For the rich aristocrat, it is a great toy to have, but for £30k I would at least like another wheel. Jumping straight into the M5 was like fast forwarding 80 years. This is a properly good car.

Bag: Agreed. The M5 is positively spiffing, to coin a Morgan-ism. To be honest I was worried about the loss of two cylinders when they announced this car, but the turbo-charged V8 is beyond brilliant. In this company, the big Beemer felt portly, but still performed on the tight roads. The gearbox rifles through ratios with ferocity and the bark it makes as it changes up is Haribo-addictive.

The interior is Five Star hotel comfy, it looks stunning in this blue and (can you tell I loved it yet?) if it wasn’t for the £100 fill-ups I’d be tempted.

If I had the cash, of course... And Batch, a car you could actually drive – now there’s a shock.

Batch: I know, and what a car to be able to drive.

When we tested this very same one back in June at a rainy Rockingham, I was bitterly disappointed I could not drive it. But after some pleading with BMW, the Germans finally let me. And what a car it is. Stepping from the Morgan into this is like driving around in a shopping mall. It was a trifle too large for twisty roads strewn with sheep. But the V8 soundtrack, the comfy seats (as opposed to the church pew in the Morgan) and a variety

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Feature.

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the knowledge Model: BMW M5 Price: £73,065 Engine: 4.4-litre V8 twin-turbo Power: 560bhp, 680Nm Max speed: 155mph 0-60mph: 4.1s MPG (comb’d): 28.5

of adaptive things like steering and suspension, made this a very special treat.

Dunc: I am glad that you got to drive this Batch – everyone should experience an M5 at least once in their lives, and you got to drive the best yet.

Yes, it is a bit aircraft carrier, but get to grips with it and it goes like the planes that fly off it. It is silly-quick. The head-up display is a Godsend for keeping your licence. At least you can see when it hits three figures without moving your eyes too much (not that I did that, of course!). This will keep anyone and their passengers entertained for hours (interrupted by those all-too-frequent fuel stops) and take their luggage. For drivers who can’t stretch to the £73k for this saloon, there is the real-

world alternative of the fantastic Focus ST. Bag: Ah yes, the ST. In our recent hot hatch test the ST lost out to some older cars but of the new models we tested it was the highest placed, hence its inclusion here. This is the first time I’ve driven it in right-hand drive guise and it’s all the better for it – for a start I wasn’t trying to change gears with a water bottle in the door bin. It makes a cracking noise and the 2.0-litre engine is powerful enough to entertain. It feels like it sits a bit high though and the interior is nasty – there’s too much colour, the dash is fussy and it’s cramped compared to the old model.

Batch: You’ll probably remember I gave the ST

a bit of a panning last month. What with its German plates, grey alloys and the steering wheel on the wrong side, it really annoyed me. Not that I could drive it. For RTOTY, Ford’s insurance company still refused my pleas, but the ST really grew on me. With a set of Brit plates and some silver alloys, the ST just looked so much better.

And the ST really put its stamp on Wales. Driving to our location, I was in the M5 and couldn’t for the life of me shake off the Focus. It’s cramped, a bit too over-the-top and garish. But it’s a cracker.

Dunc: I think the ST is such good fun for the money, and is practical too. With the seats down, it took care of all of our luggage and still kept up with the convoy. It is a playful

the knowledge Model: Ford Focus ST-2 Price: £23,495 Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cyl turbo Power: 247bhp, 340Nm Max speed: 154mph 0-60mph: 6.3s MPG (comb’d): 39.2 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

Feature. the knowledge Model: Porsche 911 Carrera S PDK Price: £81,242 Engine: 3.8-litre, six-cylinder Power: 400bhp, 440Nm Max speed: 187mph 0-60mph: 4.1s MPG (comb’d): 32.5

50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

the knowledge Model: Renault Twizy Technic Price: £7,400 Engine: Electric Power: 17bhp, 57Nm Max speed: 50mph 0-60mph: N/A Range: 50 miles

Poles apart: The Morgan is a blast from the past and the wacky electric Twizy looks like it’s landed from Mars little thing on the twisty stuff, perhaps not as planted as other hot hatches, but the way it delivers fun in big-gulp servings is brilliant. A bit garish in Tangerine Scream with matching interior but no less fun than some £100k supercars. Speaking of which, what about that new 911 then Bag? Bag: Oh my, the 911. It’s hard to talk about the Porsche without sounding gushing, but it is really, really good. I think the design is one of the best executions of the 911 ever, the interior is another level compared to its predecessor and my word is it good to drive. I wasn’t looking forward to driving the PDK version, but it’s brilliant and the launch control is savage. It is the benchmark supercar yet again. My only complaint is the price – £98k for a 911 is A LOT of money.

Batch: Again my paltry years meant I couldn’t drive this one, but I have pushed it to its limits at Porsche’s Experience Centre at Silverstone. I

drove the seven-speed manual Carerra S and can report I prefer the PDK – it’s really that good.

I’ve never really been a 911 fan but this version has converted me. It’s just so unutterably good in virtually every area, it’s made me think why would you need another car? It’s beautiful, comfortable, luxurious and is even good at pottering around. A masterclass.

Dunc: I am left speechless at how good this 991 model is. It looks beautiful, sounds amazing, goes like stink and has the best gearbox I have ever used. The latest PDK ‘box is what a flappypaddle set-up should feel like. Milisecond-quick to change, yet smooth as silk. Maybe a little overkill with the settings – normal, sport, sport plus etc – but it is just a perfect blend of class, sporting pedigree and technology. This is, without doubt, the best car I have ever driven.

Bag: Cars don’t get any more different than the 911 and the Renault Twizy. The all-electric car is

here because we like the fact it’s quirky, weird and a laugh to drive. Ok, so it had to be delivered to Wales on a truck because its 60-mile range would have meant it would have taken seven weeks to get there and it’s not exactly thrilling. But I like the fact it’s a bit different. Renault, and its Alliance partner Nissan, are trying to change things. And the Twizy certainly changes things. It attracts loads of attention, even among these cars, but some people don’t get it. One of our video team asked if it was ‘some kind of elaborate joke’...

Batch: The Twizy is hugely flawed. That range of 60 miles is unreasonable, it’s expensive and you have to pay extra for doors, for heaven’s sake. But you can’t hate this car. To use that cliched saying it really is like a puppy and you can’t kick puppies (I think that’s the saying?). The Twizy makes me smile because it’s one of the reasons why we all love cars – it’s genuinely interesting, and while it doesn’t really take the game on any further, it’s a reminder of how dull every other car is.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51

Feature.

Dunc: Now I know the world needs to be more thoughtful, and I am a firm supporter of that, but this isn’t the way forward. The Twizy is as good as giving Greece a quid – it’s doesn’t go far enough. I can see it being used in built-up cities for pizza deliveries, but as a serious solution to the state of our planet? Not so much.

Batch: I could only drive two cars so my verdict is a little skewed. In last place it has to be Renault. Next it’s the Focus – the fact that it’s here is something to be proud of – and shows that the hot hatch is still very much alive and kicking. Strangely, the Aston sits in sixth. The Vantage S just isn’t quite as good as I thought it was going to be. Next it’s the GT-R and it only resides in fifth because it’s just a bit too much, and then, the biggest surprise of RTOTY for me was the Exige. It’s both stunning to look at and to be a passenger in, and for £55k seems rather cheap. If I could have driven it on public roads, the 911 would have won, but I couldn’t, so it’s third. Second belongs to the Morgan – it’s terrific and makes a Caterham seem boring. But the M5 wins for me. Yes it was too large for those Welsh roads but nothing combines power and rationality in such an accomplished manner.

Dunc: This is the easiest decision I have ever made.

The new 911 is in a class of its own. Even at £98k, this is great value for money. Second is the brilliant Lotus Exige S. A little pricey but if I had the money to spend on something to take to a track once a month, this is where my £50k would go. The M5 is close to the Lotus for fun value, plus you can take your mates to the track in complete comfort and nearly as quick too. Next up is the bonkers Nissan GT-R Track Pack. For the real world, the Focus ST makes a great fight and beats the (not-so-real-world) Aston Martin to fifth. I’m sorry, but the Morgan just doesn’t cut it for me. I understand the heritage but think cars should be about progression, not reminiscing. The Twizy? Sorry, but it’s last.

Bag: For once, Dunc and I agree on something!

The new 911 takes my number one spot too. It is intoxicating to drive, sounds superb and looks brilliant.

In second place is the Exige. I loved every drive in that car, it’s just the interior is a bit Borstal. Third goes to the GT-R. It’s mind-warpingly fast and clever too. Fourth is the Aston. I love the looks, the sound, the interior and that gearbox is good if you’re pressing on. Fifth goes to the M5 – a storming car, that I can’t really fault, it’s just I like the others more. The Morgan’s next. It’s great fun to drive but about as practical as a soluble rain coat. The ST slots into sixth and the Twizy is last. But let’s not forget, simply getting picked to be included in RTOTY is an achievement in itself. There were some great cars launched in the last 12 months – but these are the greatest. And the 911 is the top of the pile. Business as usual then. [CD]

AND THE WINNER IS...

BAG

BATCH DUNC

Total

1. Porsche 911

16

12

16

44

2. Lotus Exige S

14

10

14

38

3. BMW M5

8

16

12

36

8

10

30 24

4. GT-R TRack Pack 12 5. Three Wheeler

6

14

4

6. Vantage S

10

6

6

22

7. Ford Focus ST

4

4

8

16

8. RENAULT TWIZY

2

2

2

6

52 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

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focus on.

NEW REG, NEW PARTNERS WARRANTYWISE

Impressive claim warrants some serious attention W: Warrantywise.co.uk T: 0800 001 4453

I

mpressed? You can’t fail to be when the managing director announces his aim is to be the best used car warranty provider.

Heard that before? Well, having spoken to Lawrence Whittaker of Warrantywise and listened to him reel off the list of high-end dealers on board, he might just get there.

For instance, he is keen to tell us that he has just signed up Bowker BMW, one of the biggest dealer groups in the North West.

This is on top of other high-end dealers such as Tom Hartley and Graypaul.

‘Our aim is to offer the best-quality products to cater for a wide range of dealers that look after their customers and build on that,’ explains Whittaker.

‘We’re confident that we pay out more per car, and we’ve started publishing paid claims for the last three months on our website.

‘Warranties shouldn’t cause you stress and dealers can contact me or Quentin Willson at any time and there is a dedicated email address for queries with a 10-minute response.’

So what makes Warrantywise different from other suppliers? It started 12 years ago in the North West and more recently, its products have been associated with former Fifth Gear and Top Gear presenter and respected motoring journalist Quentin Willson.

In fact, he’s been working with them for the last four years and still has a huge involvement in the products they offer.

‘He is quite hands-on, coming into the office virtually every week and his email address is on

‘‘

Our aim is to offer

the best-quality products to cater for a wide range of dealers that look after their customers and build on that. We’re confident that we pay out more per car.

Customer service is paramount for Quentin Willson every policy so customers can get in touch directly with him if there’s a problem with their claim.

In fact, he has been on holiday recently and even responded to emails then!’

Whittaker adds: ‘Customer service is paramount for Quentin. He is keen to maintain his consumerchampion reputation built up over the last couple of years.’

It was at one of their quarterly meetings, that they came up three new key policy changes that have just been added to their offerings. This was quite a marathon as it is a 20,000-word booklet.

The first is a deal with the AA, called Recoverywise. As part of all of Warrantywise products, should a customer have a mechanical fault or failure with a covered car, they have access to a dedicated line and an engineer will be dispatched within the hour to provide roadside assistance and/ or recover the car to a dealer of the customer’s choice.

All plans pay up to their Single Repair Limit and a further £250 towards recovery.

‘This service is designed to ease the stress of a claim,’ said Whittaker.

The next policy change follows on from the first, a deal with Enterprise rent-a-car.

Policyholders are eligible for a replacement car after just 24 hours, whether their car is being repaired or not.

All plans pay up to £50 per day, including VAT for up to 10 days, to a maximum of £500, which also includes VAT. ‘This is much smoother than a customer sorting their own rental,’ explained Whittaker.

The final change, that again sits hand-inhand with the others, is a change to the amount offered for overnight hotel expenses or onward travel.

If a customer is left stranded 50 miles from home, all warranty plans will now pay up to £250 including VAT towards either a hotel room and/or onward travel. ‘This is market leading and can either be by bus, taxi or train for one person,’ Whittaker finishes.

So, everything looks rosy for Warrantywise and Quentin’s association obviously helps sells cars.

More cars sold has got to be a good thing in these difficult trading conditions.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

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47% of Ferrari dealers subscribe to Run by dealers for dealers Est 1999

SHOULDN’T YOU?

focus on.

NEW REG, NEW PARTNERS AutoTRADE-MAIL

An online used car dealer trading platform

Kevin Watson is Autotrade-mail’s operations director

W: autotrade-mail.com T: 01243 523000

I

t’s the age-old problem: you’ve worked hard to sell a car, but you can’t clinch the deal because you need that little bit extra for a saleable part exchange.

It might be that your regular traders can’t meet the figure that you need which, in turn, increases the chances of your prospective customer looking elsewhere. So what can you do?

There are numerous online sites and auction houses which rely heavily on making money on either buying or selling fees. But what about the alternative: a company which offers an upfront and firm underwriting proposal? That’s where Autotrademail comes in, part of the Trader Media Group and an online used car trading platform which lets dealers buy and sell used vehicles directly between themselves.

It’s a fast and cost-effective method which has acquired many dealer fans since it began: Plymouth Audi’s James Lynch says using Autotrade-mail has ‘increased sales, added bottom line profit and helped

‘‘

As a dealer it takes less than two minutes to load a vehicle’s details and interested buyers will be in touch instantly and directly

EXTRA SUPPORT

Additional sales channel AUTOTRADE-MAIL has partnered with auction giant BCA to provide further support for its 5,000 franchised and independent dealer members, which means an additional sales channel and 48hour vehicle delivery is now possible.

Vehicles that aren’t instantly sold through the Autotrade-mail platform can be entered into BCA’s online auctions providing extra opportunities for offering vehicles to an extended buyer audience.

The firm said the partnership with BCA has been introduced to improve stock availability and bring the relationship between buyer and seller closer together’. He adds: ‘I would highly recommend the system to another main agent who may be exploring other opportunities to add incremental profit to a used sales department.’

And Michael Low from Whitmore’s Group agrees: ‘I am still amazed how quick and simple it is to get proper bids for proper cars. Put the right car on and the phone explodes! Undoubtedly it has added thousands to our bottom line over the years.’

As a dealer, it takes less than two minutes to load a vehicle’s details and interested buyers will be in touch with you instantly and directly via phone or e-mail with their firm bids.

At the other end of the spectrum, you could find that another Autotrade-mail member is looking for a vehicle that you’ve had in stock for a while and one of which you’re keen to dispose. And there is

exposure, especially with the shortage of three to four-year-old vehicles having an impact on dealers’ used car stocks.

Meanwhile, Autotrade-mail’s new transport service is set to speed up the sales process, guaranteeing to get cars onto a dealer’s forecourt within 48 hours. Operated through BCA, the competitively-priced service provides subscribers with acces to 300 drivers nationwide enabling dealers to buy and sell cars from UK regions previously avoided. even a chance that the interested dealer already has a customer for your car and would be happy to pay over the odds to locate it.

Autotrade-mail is offering a free two-week trial for dealers to enjoy the benefits of the system, after answering a handful of questions. All Autotrade-mail members go through a vetting process to make sure that Autotrade-mails members continue to remain experienced, professional dealers.

‘If a dealer wants to go on and subscribe after their free trial, we are obviously delighted,’ says Autotrademail’s operations director Kevin Watson.

And with Watson convinced that the 14-day try-out will demonstrate its value, he adds: ‘For full membership we charge £67 per month plus, unlike our competition, there are no buyer’s or seller’s fees and not even a minimum contract.

‘What could be simpler?’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

‘‘

Automotive specific and screened Talent Pool Simple web-based access Dedicated resourcing Account Manager Multi media job advertising

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focus on.

NEW REG, NEW PARTNERS JOBCo-op AUTOMOTIVE

Offering a solution to issue of high staff turnover W: jobco-op.com T: 0845 568 0111

T

here are numerous dealer recruitment agencies selling their services, but recently launched jobco-op believes it has the answer to the often quoted problems of high staff turnover and poor quality of employees.

Three out of four dealers have no idea what they spend on recruiting, according to a survey by the new firm, which spoke to more than 200 dealerships and highlighted that the vast majority have no monitoring in place.

As a result, jobco-op was started with the intention of reducing dealer recruitment costs by two-thirds, reducing staff turnover for its customers and improving the quality of employees.

Director Derek Webb explains that industry estimates suggest that a medium-sized dealer with a staff turnover of 20 per cent – slightly less than the industry average – would spend over £9,000 per annum on recruitment compared to £3,000 through the jobco-op method.

‘‘

What we have done is look at the issue afresh and delivered a model that is designed to give dealers better candidates at a lower cost.

He said: ‘Massively reduced cost is a key part of our proposition. Dealers do not want, and often cannot afford to pay, recruitment fees of 15-20 per cent. We are offering an alternative to these very high fees and we have no hidden fees – our charges are completely transparent.

‘However, much improved quality of candidates is also our aim.

‘Ultimately, we want to help dealers to reduce the high level of staff turnover that blights the industry and we believe that our model will allow access to a much higher number of suitable candidates.’

The company believes its model is unique: when customers need to fill a role, jobco-op sifts directly through its automotive talent system to identify suitable candidates within minutes.

All customers are supported by a dedicated account manager who will not only help to find suitable candidates but will also undertake initial interviews to ensure that candidates are suitable for the role.

Once a selection is made, the account manager contacts the dealer’s preferred applicants, and carries out an initial telephone interview based on

their criteria. If no suitable candidate can be found, jobco-op will also pay the costs for advertising the job in order to maximise the chances of finding someone who can meet the dealer’s needs.

Adverts are created in a highly automated way and submitted online to the account manager who checks the advert for compliance before advertising the post on multiple job boards.

Potential candidates upload their details onto the jobco-op candidate website for free and employee information is anonymous so that the current employers of potential candidates are highly unlikely to identify any of their own people who are looking to leave their current position.

The jobco-op website also enables jobseekers to set up alerts so that they receive automatic notification of vacancies that fit their profile and in the relevant geographic area where they want to work.

Webb adds: ‘Our recruitment process often identifies more than one ideal candidate for a vacancy and by making unsuccessful candidates’ details available to other customers who have similar vacancies we are able to satisfy both job seeker and employer in a speedy and efficient way.

‘What we have done is look at the issue afresh and delivered a model that is designed to give dealers better candidates at a lower cost,’ he concluded.

Jobco-op automotive is lead by a team of four of the best-known names in the motor industry: Ken Trinder, Shaun Price, Derek Webb and Brenda Webb.

Its offices are located in Castle Donington, Leicestershire. [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 61

‘‘

Feature.

£50 Where there’s Merc, car CONTEST

there’s brass (I hope)

Brewer’s on the comeback trail after his near Ka-tastrophe. After neatly sidestepping a couple of dodgy Dagenham lovelies he’s looking for a tidy profit with an old mate’s E-Class estate...

Mike’s story

B

usted Ka or not, with £500 burning a hole in my pocket, I was keen to get shopping for a replacement motor as quickly as possible. I so want to kick Baggott’s butt and with one of my trade mates turning up a 51-plate five-door Focus Zetec, I thought this could be the car to get me closer. So despite almost being burned last time, I was going to buy a Ford again.

Okay, with 115,000 miles on the clock she was no minter, but I was assured she wore her years better than Anne Robinson. So after seeing some pictures, I said yes and rubbed my hands with glee – the Focus would be mine! What I wasn’t expecting was a call a couple of days later from my trade mate telling me he’d had his spanner man look at the Ford and it needed a bit more work than he’d expected. It had a long ticket, but alarm bells sounded when he told me the the EML light was on. I asked him to run a diagnostic and it turned out the catalytic converter was knackered.

I backed out of the deal and my mate thankfully felt bad enough to offer me another trade he’d just taken in. It was another Dagenham lovely (yes again!), but this time a 2003 79,000-mile Mondeo 1.8 LX. The ticket was short, so he offered to put 12 months on it, but on the ramps, the underside looked more like a Picasso painting. Key things like brake lines were highlighted yellow by an MoT tester’s crayon. In short, like the Focus, this Mondeo was a bit of a mongrel and I was back on the hunt for a motor.

Luckily my Merc-loving mate Ross had let slip he was thinking of getting rid of his 95 W124 E200 estate. Now, I’ve known this car for the last two years and thought it was a good-un. So in

‘‘

desperation I went and had a look, as in reality I thought it would be way out of my price range.

On first look I almost felt like walking away, despite Ross’s best efforts with a bucket and sponge. There was green mould growing round the roof bars, frilly front wings (aren’t they all?) and a dent in the off-side rear door.

Inside, again it was dirty but complete, with the cloth wearing its years well apart from the driver’s bolster which was threadbare.

So why did I buy it for a monkey?

Well, like a good bottle of plonk, the W124 estate’s styling has aged well and it’s from a time when Stuttgart didn’t penny-pinch on the build. As such, despite 143,000 miles on the clock (which is barely run in for an E estate), it still feels almost as solid as it did when it rolled out of the factory.

Ok, so the air-con doesn’t work, but there were no other nasty surprises or warning lights when I went out for a drive. It’s no boy racer but that’s not really the point as it drove well. Then there’s 11

On first look I almost felt like walking away, despite Ross’s best efforts with a bucket and sponge.

James’ story Ok, so it’s a little panel from me this month, because I haven’t got a car. I spotted one at the roadside – a Merc 430 SE – for 700 notes, but even my poor mechanical knowledge knew the black, wet stuff all over the sump wasn’t a good sign. I made my excuses and foxtrot oscared.

However, a few tweets with Vertu Motors CEO Robert Forrester may have found a solution to my car-less woe. He’s instructed his team to pluck a cherry out of the 62-plate trade-ins for me to sell on and all being well I should be able to reveal all next month. All I’ll say is it’ll be good enough to kick Brewer’s butt. I guarantee it. months ticket, tax till Feb, a folder full of recent bills and full MB history to 133,000 miles.

It’s the sort of car I’d give to Edd as a project to turn into easy profit, but the kitty is empty, so I’ve given it a good clean. Since then I’ve just been enjoying it, but it’s time to sell and there’s got to be a profit in it or my name’s not Mike Brewer.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 63

focus on.

Vehicle REMARKETING CENTRAL CAR AUCTIONS

Twin arena to speed sales W: centralcarauctions.com T: 0141 773 6000

S

cotland-based Central Car Auctions is launching a twin auction arena this month which is set to offer the same amount of vehicles in half the normal time, allowing even more buyers the time to attend its three weekly sale events. As a result, selling customers are expected an even better return in the firm’s conversion rate performance.

The firm, which is the largest heated indoor car auction north of the border, says its objective for the remainder of 2012 and 2013 is to maintain its position through enhanced one-to-one customer engagement, utilising its new business generating skills and well-targeted marketing initiatives.

Offering trade customer free indemnity fees (subject to conditions), Central Car Auctions also provides a free-to-download app with full vehicle lists at a client’s fingertips as well as online bidding via LIVEBID which allows customers to bid for hand selected and fully appraised vehicles on the days they can’t visit, as well as free instant vehicle valuations which let trade and the public accurately establish the value of their vehicle(s) at the touch of a button.

With an excellent reputation with franchised dealer groups, independent traders and targeted private customers across the Greater Glasgow region and beyond, regular feedback is that when

SCOTLAND’S No1 IS Central Car Auctions is delighted to be the recipient of The Institute of Transport Management’s 2012 UK Vehicle Remarketing Company Award.

clients visit Central, ‘they are already in profit the moment they arrive and every time they buy or sell’.

Located just off the M8 near Glasgow, the family-owned business is now in its third generation of the Miller family, having been open since 1965. With over 50 staff members, and a nine-acre site, more than 1,400 vehicles (and more than 70,000-plus annually) go under the Central Car Auctions hammer.

Franchised dealers, independent car traders and the general public visit the auction firm, with many auctioned vehicles coming from Scotland’s largest dealer groups.

NOW THE UK’S No1 This award is traditionally won by the UK and European wide vehicle groups. Central Car Auctions is the first independent and single venue auction organisation to receive this accolade in over a decade which is testimony to our hard work, our innovation and the support of all our customers throughout the country.

Smartphone scan this QR code and be amazed where it takes you

Junction 8 & 9 off the M8, Baillieston, Glasgow G69 6BL Tel: 0141 773 6000

64 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

www.centralcarauctions.com

Voted the best for Consumer Lead Generation

The Nation’s favourite contract hire and leasing website wins the Consumer Lead Generation award at the Car Dealer Power 2012 awards.

An award voted for by franchised dealerships and testament to the great results that advertising on the website brings.

ContractHireAndLeasing.com has been helping the industry sell more cars and light commercial vehicles for over eleven years, advertise in the confidence that it works for hundreds of companies. Including many of the UK’s biggest dealership groups.

9 Consumer Lead Generation winner – Car Dealer Power Awards 2012 9 60% increase in visitors compared to 2011 figures!

9 Ranked #1 for thousands of relevant search terms on Google UK. 9 Owned and operated by Really Good Domains Ltd, a 100% independent company.

9 Value for money monthly subscription; no cost per click, no cost per car, and no cost per lead.

9 The website is not a price comparison website, deals cannot be searched for by price. Deals displayed in chronological order, most recent first.

9 Launched October 2000, which means over eleven years experience of getting excellent results for advertisers.

9 Full account management support given by experienced automotive industry marketing professionals.

9 24/7 access to add, update, or delete your own deals.

9 Visitors to the website are all ‘in the market now for contract hire’.

Get your phones ringing with genuine enquiries.

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Feature.

App-solutely A decade or so ago, it was all about launching your own website.

Now people want technology on the go. JAMES BATCHELOR reports.

T

en years ago the message to dealers was to get into the internet. But now it’s all about mobile – and more importantly – mobile Apps.

Regardless of handset or operating system, Apps are the thing that every customer is using. Why? Because they’re easy and convenient.

So how can dealers get into mobile Apps? Surely it must be expensive and time-consuming?

Wrong – and this is how App Creatives can help. They help businesses become mobile App savvy and are experts – they, after all, created the Car Dealer iPhone and iPad magazine Apps.

‘We are just over two years old and we developed our own App for Desperate Sellers,’ explains App Creatives’ Russell Berry. ‘From that we have done a load of bespoke work for clients such as Car Dealer, Car Giant, Marshall, Bristol Street Motors and Glass’s and that led us to think of an idea which would help dealers out with the minimum amount of effort from them.’

Their new venture is AutoApp – and it allows every dealer to have their own individual App. Think of it as an off-the-shelf product App and you won’t be too far wrong.

FUNCTIONALITY ‘It’s an application that’s online and dealers can customise,’ explains Berry. ‘For instance, a dealer can personalise it with backgrounds, colours and upload demos for the intro screen. They can also put news feeds into it and put their social media links into it. While there’s a large amount of personalisation, the Apps all share similarities in terms of design and layout.’

What’s the benefit of this? It’s price, says Rod Joseph, Berry’s colleague. ‘We can put AutoApp at a cheaper pricing point because we are not developing bespoke. Prices are from £55 per month, including VAT.’ But it’s not just the iPhone App. Dealers will get the Android version as well and a web App so it is a full mobile package. ‘We could quote anywhere from £7,000 to £10,000 for a bespoke dealer App,’ says Joseph. ‘A dealer in a portable building can now create his own App for just £55 per month and it offers similar levels of functionality and usability as a bespoke App that’s more suitable for a franchised dealer.’

Joseph is keen to point out it’s not just dealer in portable buildings that the firm is attracting.

‘Grange Aston Martin has recently gone down the 66 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Rod Joseph of App Creatives AutoApp route and are loving it. They are looking to do a lot more with it. There is no class of dealer this is aimed at,’ he said.

‘It’s quite standard so every dealer’s main menu will look the same in terms of design – the buttons will be the same, for instance, but the content is the area dealers can really make their own. It’s not individual to a dealer’s website but it is a great way of getting a fully-functioning App.’ Joseph showed us the Grange Aston Martin App and it was apparent that despite App Creatives labeling it as an off-the-shelf product, there’s every opportunity to make it the dealer’s own.

Grange, for instance, uses a black background, and features their stock with quality images, a finance calculator, and options for the customer to email or call. Joseph also showed us MKG 3000’s App which employed different news feeds and colours.

One important area is online management.

It is here dealers can control the design of the App and when dealers log in, any changes immediately appear on the App; dealers just go to a webpage, log on and start creating. And there’s even an ‘express’ option where if a dealer doesn’t have the time to design their App, they can create one that has the bare essentials. Express takes just five minutes and gets the App ‘out there’.

‘It doesn’t need to be sent to Apple or somewhere else – it is instant,’ says Berry. ‘For

example, if I’m a dealer and I’ve just created a Facebook account for my dealership I can go into the App software, pop the account in and there will be a button on the App instantly.’

There’s live help and chat options in the admin area, and if dealers need assistance in really pushing their business through media channels, the team are there for advice.

‘Dealers should have an App because of the consumer,’ explains Berry. ‘Consumers want this type of information on their phone, and they want it instantly. A lot of dealers are doing a mobile version of their website – that also comes with our AutoApp – but what customers are doing now is going to the App Store and searching for a dealer’s name, assuming they have an App. Whereas 10 years ago every customer expected a dealer to have a website, their expectations have risen to them now presuming dealers will have an App. If you are not in the App Store, you don’t exist to customers. With our product there’s iPhone and Android functionality; you’ve already got a website, now get an App. Cover all areas of the market in one fell swoop.’

One major benefit of having an App is that once the customer has downloaded it, the dealer has effectively captured the customer. All the dealer has to do is the traditional part of selling a car – in other words, making sure the pictures are good quality, picking up the phone and replying to the

fabulous!

‘‘

‘‘

What customers are doing now is going to the App Store and searching for a dealer’s name, assuming they have an app

Car Dealer Club members get free legal advice worth £195. Sign up at CarDealerClub.com| 67

Feature.

‘It’s slightly different but it’s a whole new area to go into’ email the customer sends from the App. ‘This is where web apps and Apps are very different,’ says Berry. ‘With Apps the customer is physically downloading it and it’s on their screen.

It’s brand recognition and they are reminded of that dealer every time they flick throughout their Apps. With a web app, a customer can save it – but they don’t really know how to do it. If a customer has downloaded an App, they will keep it and use it.’

An App also has great marketing potential, says Joseph. ‘There’s that traditional escape tactic by the customer – ‘‘I’ll think about it and come back’’. Why not tell the customer of their App and continue that relationship with the customer once they’ve left the showroom?’

Enforce this with putting ‘Download our iPhone or Android App’ on local advertising or stick a sign on the windscreens of your cars when you’re closed on a Sunday evening. ‘You’ll be tapping into a market that is growing at a frightening level, and better than that, you are matching up your business with customer habits,’ remarks Joseph.

One other interesting feature AutoApp can do for a dealer is to have a parts and servicing functionality.

Once a customer has downloaded the App, they can get it serviced through the App. The App will then become a companion and an aid.

A feature the team are developing is ‘value my car’. ‘The whole Webuyanycar has really upped

68 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

PERFECT PARTNER

Bespoke service available if you need it READING this on your iPad? The team at App Creatives made it and we’ve received a large amount of positive feedback. The iPad App wasn’t the first App created for Car Dealer – two years ago, the team created our iPhone App which can now count more than 3,000 dealers as its readers. The Car Dealer iPhone App was one of the first commissions for App Creatives, who worked with us to create the best possible App for our readers.

Since then the company has worked with a number of leading franchised dealers and companies to create their own Apps.

AutoApp is perfect for some, but not for others. That’s why they can offer a bespoke the valuations game,’ says Berry. ‘A lot of dealer websites have a ‘‘sell us your car’’ feature. We’re doing this to enforce the App being a customer aid feature. We want a dealer’s App to be a companion rather than just a stock list.’

App Creatives has got around nine dealers who are trialing AutoApp currently, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

They’re now encouraging more dealers to make the jump into mobile.

‘Our message to dealers is don’t make the

service and can create an App as good as Car Dealer’s.

‘For our bespoke clients, we’ll sit down with them and work with them in creating the App that they require,’ explains App Creatives’ Rod Joseph. ‘More time goes into making it just right. We’ll draw up proper visuals, plans and designs to create the perfect App. There’s also a comprehensive support and maintenance service on hand to solve any issues or answer any queries.’

App Creatives really do have a service for every type of dealer, and they’re the perfect partner to help dealers in the world of mobile car retailing. mistakes some dealers made 10 years ago with websites,’ says Joseph. ‘Some said we won’t do it, and they then realised they had to and were then charged thousands of pounds for a simple website. The way we see the mobile market is like when the internet first came around – it’s slightly different but it’s a whole new area to go into.

‘Don’t think you don’t need it because your competition will realise this.’ So the message is clear: Don’t let your competition win, get your business mobile with AutoApp. [CD]

DATA FILE.

Thestatistics n

SMMT Sales Data

August predictably quiet as the 62-plate change looms Optimism that September will see consumers returning to the new car showrooms

T

he new car market remained stable in August, ahead of the important 62-plate change, according to the latest figures from the SMMT. The organisation’s monthly numbers showed that new car registrations grew by one per cent to 59,433 units. And the market has increased by 3.3 per cent to 1,260,997 units from January to August, up more than 40,000 units on 2011.

Accounting for around three per cent of the total market, August represents a small-volume month ahead of the September plate change that typically accounts for around a hefty 17 per cent or 330,000 registrations of the year’s total, second only to March’s plate change. The SMMT is forecasting 1.97 million units sold for the full year.

Demand for small and dual-purpose cars continues to grow strongly, says the SMMT. Paul Everitt, chief executive of the organisation, said: ‘The economic outlook

‘‘

Evidence suggests September’s figures will show a strong bounce

KIA ON THE UP ONE carmaker bucking the trend is Kia which has had the best August ever, up almost 25 per cent on 2011, delivering 2,220 vehicles to customers.

The record figure took the carmaker’s total sales for the year to 41,291 – up more than 23 per cent over 2011.

Chief Executive Paul Philpott said: ‘In what is generally regarded as a quiet month before the big September market this performance shows how British motorists are continuing to turn to Kia.’ 70 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

remains challenging, but vehicle manufacturers and dealers are working hard to sustain demand and deliver great-value products and services to customers.’

Richard Lowe, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays, said: ‘After months of steadily rising figures, it was only a matter of time before consumer appetite for new cars eased.

This brings to an end a positive summer of sales, despite the odds. Anecdotal evidence suggests that September’s figures will show a strong bounce as the draw of the new plate change and attractive finance packages encourage more buyers into dealerships.’

Sue Robinson, Director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association, described the

Paul Everitt says the economic outlook is still challenging

news as ‘encouraging… in what is traditionally a low volume months for car sales.’

She continued: ‘August is traditionally a small market as buyers wait for the plate change on September 1 before purchasing a new vehicle. We anticipate consumers returning to the showrooms in the autumn with consumers showing interest in value-for-money, easy-to-maintain and fuelefficient vehicles.’

Deloitte UK manufacturing leader David Raistrick agreed: ‘Traditionally a quiet month for new registrations in the lead-up to the September new plate registrations, the 0.1 per cent increase in August does not come as a great surprise, but is not cause for concern either.’

Fiesta stays in place as UK’s most popular car THE Ford Fiesta has strengthened its position in August as the UK’s most popular car, with the Blue Oval shifting nearly 3,000 units of the much-loved hatchback.

Year-to-date figures for the Fiesta stand at just over 70,000 cars.

Hot on its heels was its fiercest rival the Vauxhall Corsa which found 2,430 homes. The Ford Focus came home in third with 2,089 units.

Moving down the top-10 list, the Volkswagen Golf was in fourth with 1,933 models sold; fifth was the Vauxhall Astra (1,567); sixth the VW Polo (1,484); followed by the Audi A3 with 1,243; the Nissan

Qashqai in eighth (1,238); Vauxhall’s Zafira ninth (1,164) and the BMW 1 Series (1,136) in 10th.

Year-to-date sales in the top-10 closely resemble August’s sales units with the top five matching each other. However, overall sales so far in 2012 place the Qashqai in sixth position, followed by the Polo, while three cars not present in August’s top-10 fill the final three positions; the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Vauxhall Insignia.

With Ford still dominating, managing director Mark Ovenden attributed ‘a stream of exciting new Ford technology and products including the award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine in Focus’ as key to its success.’

SMMT sales data Aug/year to date August Marque

Abarth Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Daihatsu Fiat Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Land Rover Lexus Lotus Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz MG MINI Mitsubishi Nissan Perodua Peugeot Porsche Proton Renault Saab SEAT Skoda smart Ssangyong Subaru Suzuki Toyota Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo Other British Other Imports Total

2012

15 234 26 4,008 28 3,449 353 109 2,873 0 1,555 8,094 1,412 2,245 13 178 51 2,220 591 197 4 13 902 2,378 6 1,189 118 2,830 11 3,421 194 11 1,086 7 1,130 1,728 139 20 32 948 1,983 6,878 6,056 612 63 23 59,433

% market share

0.03 0.39 0.04 6.74 0.05 5.80 0.59 0.18 4.83 0.00 2.62 13.62 2.38 3.78 0.02 0.30 0.09 3.74 0.99 0.33 0.01 0.02 1.52 4.00 0.01 2.00 0.20 4.76 0.02 5.76 0.33 0.02 1.83 0.01 1.90 2.91 0.23 0.03 0.05 1.60 3.34 11.57 10.19 1.03 0.11 0.04

MITSUBISHI -41.29

SUZUKI +50.48% Year to date (YTD) 2011

% market share

2012 % Change

38 334 45 3,774 36 3,873 489 78 2,904 0 1,402 8,552 985 2,016 13 188 40 1,777 381 133 9 13 930 2,147 21 1,399 191 2,651 31 3,149 197 22 1,657 92 1,022 1,742 150 1 34 630 2,201 6,980 6,238 650 104 27 59,346

0.06 0.56 0.08 6.36 0.06 6.53 0.82 0.13 4.89 0.00 2.36 14.41 1.66 3.40 0.02 0.32 0.07 2.99 0.64 0.22 0.02 0.02 1.57 3.62 0.04 2.36 0.32 4.47 0.05 5.31 0.33 0.04 2.79 0.16 1.72 2.94 0.25 0.00 0.06 1.06 3.71 11.76 10.51 1.10 0.18 0.05

-60.53 -29.94 -42.22 6.20 -22.22 -10.95 -27.81 39.74 -1.07 0.00 10.91 -5.36 43.35 11.36 0.00 -5.32 27.50 24.93 55.12 48.12 -55.56 0.00 -3.01 10.76 -71.43 -15.01 -38.22 6.75 -64.52 8.64 -1.52 -50.00 -34.46 -92.39 10.57 -0.80 -7.33 1,900.00 -5.88 50.48 -9.90 -1.46 -2.92 -5.85 -39.42 -14.81 0.15

691 4,888 575 79,107 809 75,265 10,010 2,137 45,547 0 30,752 176,999 32,542 42,639 342 8,177 1,359 41,291 30,102 5,526 103 199 17,761 56,783 559 28,717 3,986 65,120 283 63,045 4,835 185 23,208 207 22,704 34,042 3,154 524 1,396 15,114 53,022 140,809 115,296 19,925 662 600 1,260,997

%market share

0.05 0.39 0.05 6.27 0.06 5.97 0.79 0.17 3.61 0.00 2.44 14.04 2.58 3.38 0.03 0.65 0.11 3.27 2.39 0.44 0.01 0.02 1.41 4.50 0.04 2.28 0.32 5.16 0.02 5.00 0.38 0.01 1.84 0.02 1.80 2.70 0.25 0.04 0.11 1.20 4.20 11.17 9.14 1.58 0.05 0.05

2011

Figures supplied by SMMT

%market share % Change

818 7,516 710 73,736 716 72,543 8,429 444 43,429 3 27,167 171,278 29,874 37,529 202 8,042 1,227 33,524 22,454 4,561 272 270 19,962 49,789 184 28,457 6,789 58,611 378 60,998 3,653 333 42,096 3,774 22,250 29,347 3,263 11 1,601 12,401 45,099 150,641 114,209 20,672 766 590 1,220,618

0.07 0.62 0.06 6.04 0.06 5.94 0.69 0.04 3.56 0.00 2.23 14.03 2.45 3.07 0.02 0.66 0.10 2.75 1.84 0.37 0.02 0.02 1.64 4.08 0.02 2.33 0.56 4.80 0.03 5.00 0.30 0.03 3.45 0.31 1.82 2.40 0.27 0.00 0.13 1.02 3.69 12.34 9.36 1.69 0.06 0.05

-15.53 -34.97 -19.01 7.28 12.99 3.75 18.76 381.31 4.88 -100.00 13.20 3.34 8.93 13.62 69.31 1.68 10.76 23.17 34.06 21.16 -62.13 -26.30 -11.03 14.05 203.80 0.91 -41.29 11.11 -25.13 3.36 32.36 -44.44 -44.87 -94.52 2.04 16.00 -3.34 4,663.64 -12.80 21.88 17.57 -6.53 0.95 -3.61 -13.58 1.69 3.31

Smmt Has Removed The Following Brands As They Registered No Vehicles In The Uk In 2011: Cadillac, Corvette, Daimler, Dodge, HuMMER CarDealerMag.co.uk | 71

auctions.

MG launches new approved used car scheme bit.ly/MGusedscheme

Henstock

auction stations

Don’t forget about all your existing customers

G

etting new customers through the door is expensive and timeconsuming, so it makes sense for dealers to farm their existing retail buyer base for opportunities. However, new research conducted by BCA for the 2012 Used Car Market Report suggests that many dealers are not joining the dots between existing customers and their potential for business in the future.

Industry guru Professor Peter Cooke authors the annual BCA Used Car Market Report and believes this is a long-standing problem that has been exacerbated by the explosion of digital social media.

Although technology has transformed our working environment lately, Cooke suggests ‘doing the basics well’ is the critical message for all dealers, arguing that there is no substitute for personalised service, product knowledge and stock awareness.

According to this year’s BCA consumer survey, nearly half of used car owners had not heard anything from the dealer they bought their car from.

Quite simply, contact with the existing customers has declined in an increasingly difficult and competitive market – when long-term experience suggests it’s around nine times easier to retain an existing customer than find a completely new one.

While new technology offers a cost-effective way to reach a wide audience, it is important to ensure the message is both relevant and meaningful. The core marketing skills of targeting a message to the right people through the most appropriate channel are as relevant today as they ever were.

Competitive bidding amid supply issues Latest Pulse report shows used car prices higher than last year

U

sed cars averaged £6,158 in August, down £22 compared to July, according to BCA’s latest Pulse Report.

The small reverse was largely as a result of a change in model mix, as lower-value partexchange cars represented a slightly bigger percentage in August than the previous month. The year-on-year figure suggests continued value evolution, however, with August 2012 being £270 or 4.5 per cent ahead of the same month last year, despite cars being on average older and having a higher mileage.

Within the individual product sectors, ongoing supply issues meant values continued to rise. Average fleet and lease car values improved by £101 compared to July to reach a new record monthly value of £8,154.

Year-on-year, the fleet and lease sector is significantly ahead and has posted doubledigit improvements for three months running.

Average part-exchange values increased by just £2 compared to July, but this also

Who is Simon Henstock?

Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Visit british-car-auctions.co.uk or Car dealer cowboy ads 4/9/12 14:41 call 0845 600 6644.

Page 5

No cowboys.

Just Just trade trade professionals. professionals.

established a new high point of £2,951 and year-on-year figures are well ahead.

Nearly-new values also posted a small improvement.

BCA communications director Tony Gannon said: ‘August provided another welcome result for vendors, but the shortterm prospects suggest that volumes will rise from mid-September onwards. This traditionally exerts some pressure on average values and conversion rates and that could be even more pronounced this year thanks to the continuing uncertainty surrounding the economy and the pressure on consumer disposable income.

‘Demand is patchy and even though prices have remained relatively strong throughout the summer months, this is largely as a result of the constrained supply leading to very competitive bidding.’

New website adapts to match your device DEALERS can now take advantage of an all-new BCA website that recognises what device a visitor to the site is using.

The website, which holds comprehensive details of up to 15,000 vehicles for sale at any one time, can now recognise if a dealer is viewing it on a laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet PC. It then reconfigures the layout and automatically presents all the pages in the most suitable format.

For visitors using laptops or desktop PCs, there is little change to how pages look when they are searching for vehicles or viewing catalogues – the biggest changes to simpler usability can be found with tablet and Smartphone browsers.

BCA’s chief information officer Duncan Gray said: ‘We will continue to develop this functionality so that it best meets our customers’ needs.’

Strictly Trade only (VAT No. and verified bank details reqd).

Purpose built 12 acre auction complex .

Enclosed and heated auction halls.

Fleet Car Sales every Monday & Thursday.

Excellent variety of weekly stock from premium sources.

Collection of vehicles 24 hours a day.

Fixed cost buyer’s premium.

Excellent on-site restaurant.

Call now for account applications.

Brindley Road, Stephenson Industrial Estate, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 3HG T: 01530 833535 email: info@fleetauctiongroup.com www.fleetauctiongroup.com

72 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

RIGHT CLICK.

..in association with GForces

Putting your ads right on target Retargeting allows dealers to advertise to people who’ve shown an interest

T

he race to engage with consumers via the internet is accelerating at a phenomenal rate.

Online advertising enjoys a 28 per cent share of the UK’s ad-spend, with the sector showing an absolute increase of 16.8 per cent in 2011 (IAB). However, modern consumers are timepoor and used to filtering out the white noise of internet advertising.

Regaining their attention requires more than a billboard approach; the advertising they see should be tailored to them, and visible in many locations. Retarget marketing, or Retargeting, enables dealers to advertise directly to people who have previously shown an interest in a product or service.

It works by ‘following’ these potential customers and displaying advertisements to them as they visit a large network of third-party websites. According to research by Hubspot, 84 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds have left a website because of intrusive or irrelevant advertising.

Retargeted marketing negates this issue by displaying branded advertisements relating to products they’ve shown an interest in.

It gives dealers the opportunity to entice consumers back to their website, allowing a second chance of engaging with them.

Retargeting works by tracking the products a website visitor has shown an interest in.

If the website visitor then leaves, it finds the lost prospect and retargets them with personalised banner advertisements featuring product-level recommendations based on their time on your website.

In order to optimise the effect, each banner is created specifically for a user visiting a thirdparty site. This promotes high click-through rates, making retargeting a top performer when compared to alternative forms of online advertising. As the advertisements work on a cost per click (CPC) basis, you only pay when someone clicks on your advert, the by-product being free brand awareness when no click-throughs are encountered. Over a three-month period, a leading UK dealer group saw 165 leads delivered directly back into the business because of GForces targeting.

Generating nearly two million impressions and a staggering 0.88 per cent click-through rate, the average CPC came to just 38p.

One customer even claimed that it was ‘fate’ that the vehicle ‘followed’ him around the internet.

Another leading dealer group utilising GForces targeting saw similarly impressive results which generated a significant impact on sales.

In just one month, 572 stock vehicles were clicked on through targeted advertising and of these, 165 were subsequently ordered.

With out of month sales totalling 431 vehicles the ‘targeting-to-sale’ conversion rate was a staggering 38.28 per cent.

Retargeted advertising is a highly effective way of reconnecting with ‘lost’ web browsers.

Consumers are more likely to notice a targeted advert as it’s their browsing habits which have created it.

A useful by-product of re-targeting is increased brand awareness, which costs nothing until someone clicks on your advert.

Even then, retargeting’s ability to show the right product to the right individual makes it excellent value for money.

Who is Tim Smith?

He is commercial director for serial award-winners GForces. Learn more about how he can help you at gforces.co.uk or call 0845 658 9290.

‘One customer claimed it was fate the vehicle followed him round the internet.’

NETDIRECTOR TELEPHONY Making Calls Count

Saves you money

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

NET GAINS.

..in association with Codeweavers

When it’s good to lose control Delegation isn’t difficult to do if you follow some simple guidelines

W

hen I first started in the motor trade as a newly-trained business manager, the managing director of the group required us to complete an F&I commission form that detailed all the commissions, volume bonus, etc., that we would get from each of the finance companies we supported.

For every finance proposal, the business manager would have to work out the commission due from each of the finance companies, calculating the figures longhand or, in the case of residual value products, by using the finance company’s system.

Back in those days it was often a handheld device such as a Squarezone or Casio calculator.

If you were competent with these devices you could produce a quote faster than most of today’s systems. However, many were less than intuitive and if you made a mistake you often had to start the whole process from scratch.

I remember a significant amount of my time every Monday morning was spent filling out these sheets. Bear in mind that we had a pile of proposals sat on our desks waiting to be sent to the finance company of choice.

Our next challenge was to try to get hold of the MD to show him the information so he could lay down his decree, which was often easier said than done.

74 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘Delegation can improve quality by moving work to people who have time.’

When eventually we caught up with him he would determine where each proposal should be placed and we could then go off and submit the proposal to the lender.

Writing this I am cringing at how pathetic the process seems today, but we did it for years.

So why would a successful motor group have such a ridiculous process in their business? It’s clear to me now that management at the time could not delegate.

There are many reasons that people in positions of responsibility fail to delegate effectively. They may be afraid of losing control, losing the credit, or they may not want to relinquish a task they enjoy.

They may think they can do it better or may feel they lack the time to delegate.

On the other hand a manager who has learnt to delegate effectively gets more time to spend on

activities that add value (or visit the golf course).

Delegation can improve quality by moving the work to people who have the time to give the task the attention it deserves.

Motivation is enhanced by passing responsibility, giving your employees a real feeling of worth.

Finally, delegation gives you the opportunity to assess which of your staff are most effective at taking on extra responsibility.

Delegation is not difficult. Start with simple tasks where the risk of failure is low. Make sure that it is possible to define success. Coach your subordinates at first so they can learn from you and understand clearly what your requirements are. Then build on their enthusiasm and energy.

As I found out in my later career it’s really not that hard to work out where to place finance business!

Who is Roland Schaack?

Roland is managing director at Codeweavers. Learn more about how he can help you at Codeweavers.net or call 0800 021 0888.

TRADER TALK

..in association with AutoTrader

Signs the market is on the move Research suggests that genuine retail sales activity has increased

T

here has been much comment recently about the increase in preregistration activity and the impact it has on inflating the monthly new car registration numbers, prompting the SMMT to defend its figures.

Our research indicates that while there is evidence of pre-registration activity this year, overall volumes are potentially not as high as last year. With over 300,000 cars offered by dealers on Auto Trader at any one time, the number of cars with delivery mileage (less than 100 miles) accounts for just two per cent of the total. This time last year cars less than one year old accounted for 10.5 per cent of stock offered on Auto Trader, while this year that figure is at 9.4 per cent, the lowest level for three years, caused largely by declining new car registrations in the last few years and a shortage of quality young used stock.

There was a ‘spike’ in the proportion of cars less than one year old in September and December last year, while in March this year the proportion of cars less than one year old remained the same as 2011. This suggests less pre-registration and more genuine retail sales activity.

Pre-registration can be detrimental if it impacts on prices. Given poor new car sales in recent years there is a shortage of stock, pushing

‘Reducing the cost of motoring was the main financial concern.’ up prices of used cars less than three years old.

The latest Auto Trader Retail Price Index for Q2 2102 shows that, while there was an overall reduction of five per cent, prices of cars less than three years old were up by three per cent.

So, given the shortage of supply, it potentially doesn’t matter as much this year as it has in previous years. It may even help improve overall supply into the used market.

With new cars sales on the increase during a time of economic uncertainty, it is understandable that there might be some who question the credibility of the total monthly new car registrations. At the start of the year, Auto Trader predicted that new car sales would be up by 3.3 per cent this year versus 2011 taking account of the effect of increased property transactions which the Council of Mortgage Lenders had predicted in late 2010. Furthermore, we also suggested that pent-up demand created

by the last three years of recession, as consumers kept their cars for longer, would start to play through to higher year-on-year demand.

In a recent Auto Trader survey nearly 30 per cent of people wanting to buy a new vehicle cited that it was because it was ‘time for a change’. The same survey outlined that consumers are also looking to reduce the cost of motoring. This was cited as the main financial concern for all consumers.

It seems plausible that there is a relationship between reducing the cost of motoring, the improvement in retail prices of younger vehicles and the demand for younger vehicles being greater this year versus last (searches for cars less than one year old on Auto Trader are up by 20 per cent year-on-year). So, while there is no doubt that pre-registrations are occurring, there are signs that the market is moving in the right direction.

Who is Tim Peake?

Tim is group strategy director at Trader Media Group,‚ publishers of Auto Trader, the UK s largest car marketplace. Visit autotrader.co.uk

YOU. ARE. NOT. A. RO. BOT

Manage your pricing quickly and easily It’s not always easy to know what to pay or charge for stock. And with so many sources to consult, it can be difficult to stay on top of prices. Our Intelligence Packages are run by clever robots that quickly provide you all the answers you need to know.

Including Profit Indicator and Market Tracker, you can check what’s profitable before you buy and stay competitively priced before you sell. So, why not give the Ro. Bots. A. Try. To find out more about our Intelligence Packages, just call us on 08433 088 875 or visit www.dealerportal.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

DRIVING VALUES

..in association with Trusted Dealers

Brilliant at getting the basics right . . .

Your sales team has a vital part to play in securing appointments

I

’ve had the pleasure of working for several leading dealer groups as well as meeting those in charge of many more. One core message that comes across consistently is the ever present need to reinforce the basics in our businesses. Whilst the dynamics of digital have changed where much of our marketing is played out, the marketing game hasn’t really changed that much at all.

Over the coming months I’ll share some stats on the effect that basics like the number of photos, pricing, call handling and timing have on response and, ultimately, sales. But I thought we’d start with an old hobby-horse best described by Tom Booth as ‘the shared responsibility for the generation of footfall’.

Let’s face it, some customers turn up because of the location and badge over the door. Others because of the marketing, increasingly digital marketing, pushing your stock out to the rest of the world on sites like Trusted Dealers.co.uk. The rest come from existing customers and here your sales team has a vital part to play.

At present stock, particularly good own franchise retail stock, is hard to get hold of. We’re all used to the idea of conquest prices. Down the years manufacturers have used this tool to try and boost sales against other brands who perhaps attract a premium audience or have a model they believe, once up head-to-head, they can beat.

‘The marketing game hasn’t really changed that much at all.’

These do seem to work better than test drive incentives where the dealer stamp is usually readily available to those who are more interested in the incentive than the test drive.

Perhaps today, in used cars as well as new, we should be thinking about genuine loyalty incentives and getting our teams on the phone to create opportunities.

These should start with F&I friendly customers.

Even if the balance to change is a bit harder to swallow than five or ten years ago, rates are pretty low and using targeted rate and payment-led campaigns should pay off. These can be direct mail or email marketing, followed up of course with a phone call to generate an appointment.

The mailing could include a Brand Bonus voucher offering a spec upgrade or discount if they trade in for a new or used car of the brand.

Surely it has to be worth a few quid to attract

together we are stronger

www.trusteddealers.co.uk/advertise 76 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Who is Neil Addley?

Neil Addley is MD of Trusted Dealers, the used car website owned by dealers. To find out about becoming a member call 01423 225166.

Call now: 01423 225 166

Our job is to generate used car leads Owned by and run for franchised dealers Fully accountable reporting Low cost per enquiry

part exchanges to previous customers – it’s probably prime retail stock, well maintained and more or less forecourt ready. As they say, you can’t sell empty spaces!

If you’ve enough existing customers on your database (or can acquire more for your brand) why not make it into a bit of an event –VIP, Brand Bonus, Man from the Factory – whatever floats your boat. Run an outbound call event with an incentive for whoever gets the most appointments – quality and quantity!

You can take this further, extending the event to Motability and new retail customers. If you’ve a few pounds stashed away to create a campaign and an exclusive area on your website – but make sure you stick to the objective and get your team to help generate appointments to sell cars and create own brand stock.

Let me know how you get on.

CSI FILES.

..in association with JudgeService

Making a positive out of a negative Even poor reviews can work for your business in this digital age

C

ustomers have always been important but in today’s environment they are scarcer, better informed and likely to be more demanding. This is true in sales with customers visiting only 1.3 dealers now as opposed to eight only a few years ago according to Cap Gemini.

In aftersales increased reliability, more stringent warranty administration and longer service intervals have compounded the issue.

It’s perhaps here that the greater threat to the industry lies as the slow reduction in aftersales absorption isn’t as dramatic in the short term as a collapse in new or used car volumes associated with the economy or even Royal weddings!

It’s pretty clear that much of this change has been driven by the internet. It started with used car stock and prices, then quality photography and increasing quality of content.

Now customers are also likely to share their experiences in both sales and aftersales online.

This digital word of mouth is more powerful than the natter over the fence or down the local as many more people are able to observe and, if they wish, join in the conversation.

So are these reviews all negative? Of course not! The vast majority (over 95 per cent) would recommend their dealer to a friend and by making completing the survey easy by post, online or text you can maximise response.

‘Paying lip service to customer satisfaction is unacceptable today.’

Customers are increasingly likely to respond to surveys as technology facilitates response using tablets or smartphones, and there is no sign of survey fatigue in our market with responses over 40 per cent on used car customer satisfaction surveys.

Should you publish negative reviews?

Definitely – it gives credibility to your reviews and allows people to make intelligent decisions. In turn we also have many stories of people actively seeking out salespeople who have got good reviews! People who give good reviews are also much more disposed to giving referrals.

When it comes to aftersales some dealers are nervous but without need. Servicing, particularly on vehicles that fall out of the manufacturer’s programmes, also generates a vast majority of positive reviews. By asking everyone you get a much clearer picture (and more positive reviews) as the happy majority require a little nudge as

opposed to the motivated disgruntled customer.

If the customer does have an issue it’s important to fix it. Paying lip service to customer satisfaction may have been enough in the past but it’s unacceptable today. You can identify trends but the devil is in the individual detail.

There are a number of great free tools to help you monitor your business on twitter, Facebook and other social media, as well as services such as JudgeService which helps you get under the skin of customer satisfaction to genuinely improve your business rather than just firefight or generate relatively superficial reviews.

I’ll leave you with two things to ponder.

Firstly, just like used car pictures and prices, the information genie is well and truly out of the bottle. Secondly, tomorrow’s great businesses won’t be those with customers – tomorrow’s great businesses will be those with raving fans!

Who is Rachel Sargent?

Rachel is Account Manager for JudgeService Research Ltd. Learn how she can help you at judgeservice. com or call 01423 225166.

It pays to know what your customers are saying about you, here’s how...

Take a positive step towards promoting positive CSI and call 01423 506272

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 77

data file.

Batchelor

BACKFIRED

Back to basics? OK, but breakages are not good

U

tter the phrase ‘British sports car’ in my presence, and I’ll go off into a monologue that can last for days. This is what happened during a Car Dealer team meeting last May when we were discussing what cars we were going to take with us for Road Test of the Year.

Naturally discussions began with the new 911 and the M5. And then someone mentioned the Morgan ThreeWheeler. This was a bad mistake. Out splurged a stream of consciousness from me which loosely translated to a potted history of every British sports car since 1932.

The deal was simple: If I wanted the Moggie, I’d have to drive it to and from Wales.

The Three Wheeler has no roof, no windscreen and even though there’s a tonneau cover, the driver is exposed to the elements. But that’s what a British sports car is all about.

Cold? Wear a hat.

To get the best from it, you have to have your right arm hanging over the side, and adopt a steely expression on your face.

It’s a road-going Spitfire and it’s a true man’s car (not sexist in anyway). Piloting it you have to shut off your modern car brain. You have to ignore the squeaks, rattles, whines and jolts.

Just soak up the back-to-basics driving experience and allow yourself to be mesmerised by the spoked wheels hopping up and down.

You know there’s a but coming, don’t you? I was the most sympathetic when things broke on the car. First it was the indicator which decided to pop out 10 miles after we left the factory in Malvern. (Just check the cover for proof of that.) From then on it adopted a dangling position.

Then it was the gearknob which, for no reason, disintegrated, and then 30 miles away from factory the exhaust completely snapped in half.

Now being the owner of two British sports cars, I can understand why the gearknob would decide the palm of my hand was a nice place to be.

But will owners?

Don’t forget Morgan is charging at least £30k for one these cars with three wheels – and will owners be as sympathetic as me?

I can understand a British Leyland sports car falling apart, but not one that’s brand new. My question is: Can Morgan really expect its

‘You have to ignore the squeaks, rattles, whines and jolts’

Who is James Batchelor?

Award-winning Car Dealer writer James is one of the fastest-rising new talents in motoring journalism. Read him here every month.

78 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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data file.

Jon Reay

ON THE ROAD

So, is there a single ‘bad’ car on sale any more?

I

have a confession. I drove a Ssangyong, and I liked it. Sure, the interior plastics are a tad on the cheap side, and the Kenwood sat nav isn’t the best I’ve ever come across but, with genuine off-road ability for just over £17k, I came away from the launch feeling nothing but love for the little Korando.

Ten years ago that would’ve been a bit of a motoring journalist no-no – something punishable by, at the very least, copious mocking and several raised eyebrows. Now though? Straight faces and – in some cases – nods of agreement.

Driving Car Dealer’s long-term Kia Rio the other day led me to the same conclusion – it’s not just well put together, but full of bits that have clearly been thought out properly. Setting up Bluetooth on the stereo is effortless – pay attention Vauxhall – and the design of interior switches is really rather lovely.

The Rio is now a car I really would consider buying over a Fiesta – and that’s not something I could have said 10 years ago.

This brings me on to a very good point: are there really any below-par cars on sale any more?

South Korea used to be the go-to nation for dull, drab cars, but so rapidly have its companies shot up in perceived quality that some people still haven’t realised.

Hyunda’s i40 is now as good as the Mondeo, for example, and the Veloster is trying very hard to be noticed indeed. As for Kia’s Sportage, well, that looks like something from the next century.

This, of course, makes the lives of us journalist types rather difficult.

Return from a group test with a verdict of ‘they’re all quite good’ and the editor is likely to want a word – something that’s led to car reviews becoming more and more critical.

As a result, it’s very easy to get swept up in star ratings and lists of pros and cons.

‘One out of five’ is likely to put off the average What Car-fearing buyer, but so ruthless have reviews become that a model is likely to be slated for crimes as serious as ‘gruff engine note’ and ‘suspension rather firm’ – not the sort of thing to keep you up at night, in other words.

Either way – and regardless of how difficult it may make my life – dealers have never had such an excellent range of cars to offer, and I reckon that’s something worth celebrating. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to test drive a Korando.

‘I would now consider buying a Rio over a Fiesta.’

Traderdir Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo

Sturgess Alfa Romeo

Benfield Alfa Romeo

Dax Pearce dax.pearce@Benfield motorgroup.com Alfa stock wanted up to 40,000 miles. n Call for immediate bid. 07501 257220 or 0191 211 2200

Mangoletsi (Holdings) Ltd. London Road (A50), Allostock, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9NS Tel: 01565 722899 Fax: 01565 722229

Aston Martin

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Who is Jon Reay?

Jon is an up-and-coming young motoring journalist keen to share his thought-provoking views on the automotive industry.

80 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

To have your details included here log on to CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/trader-directory.htm

ectory

Finding the right cars at the right prices isn’t always that easy. On top of that, selling cars that you don’t necessarily want to put on the forecourt can be tough too. Our Trader Directory aims to alleviate these problems.

Instead of thumbing through endless pages in

price guides looking for the right trader, you can consult the Trader Directory, either in the magazine or online, and find them right away.

If you’d like to be included you can submit your details in the Directory find out how at the bottom of this page.

Ford

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Dax Pearce dax.pearce@Benfield motorgroup.com Alfa stock wanted up to 40,000 miles. n Call for immediate bid. 07501 257220 or 0191 211 2200

Jon O’Donoghue 0208 420 5100 07976 177 959

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mini test: SKODA OCTAVIA VRS ESTATE

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Car dealer says HHHHH

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Available with a pair of excellent VW group engines, the Octavia vRS remains a firm favourite.

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Price: £22,195, Issue 49.

Maserati

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General

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Dave Cooper / Steve Gurr 07831 704134 07921 408983

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There’s also a more comprehensive list of traders on the website, updated throughout the month

Dominic McConnon Buying used MINIs up to 5 years old 07776 246905 dominic.mcconnon @vinesguildford.bmw-net.co.uk

01753 543105 07836 338694 barry.freedman@virgin.net n Trade buyer of PX vehicles anything up to £8k

Kevin Adams 07900 986095 kevin@brayleys.co.uk

Perry Beaver perrybeaver@sturgess cars.co.uk 0116 2541717

Sturgess Nissan Perry Beaver 0116 254 1717 perrybeaver@sturgesscars.co.uk

Kevin Adams 07900 986095 kevin@brayleys.co.uk

Prices for six month listings: £29.99 On Website Or £39.99 for Magazine & Website.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 81

the fleet.

Skoda Yeti: End-of-term Martyn Collins bids a fond farewell to a great family car that was easy to live with despite the bleeps

A

s I write, the Yeti has been gone a week and we already miss its boxy shape. It shows how attached we were to the Skoda SUV that, after four months, we were happy to be away on Road Test of the Year when OY12 AVU was collected. Otherwise there would have been harsh words with the driver and a probable fight for the keys.

So why did the Yeti worm its way so deeply into our affections? It wasn’t the performance.

Although adequate, green tweaks meant its 103bhp 1.6-litre TDi diesel was no fire breather.

It wasn’t down to its looks either. Though we liked the distinctive styling there were far too many unfair associations with Postman Pat’s van.

Perhaps the Corrida Red paint didn’t help either.

What we loved about the Yeti was how easy it was to live with.

The optional Columbus sat-nav system was expensive, but it got us out of a few scrapes including finding our hotel on a European trip. If we were spending our own money we’d raid every piggybank we owned to try and afford the £1,500 price – it has to be one of the best on sale.

We managed plenty of family trips and two holidays during the time we had the car and the Yeti proved to be the perfect family wagon.

The 510-litre boot was practically shaped and big enough to swallow anything we threw in it. The rear seats in a Yeti are removable, but we never 82 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

needed the full 1,760-litre load space. Legroom was adequate for rear passengers and the tall seating position and large rear windows appealed to my 21-month-old son. Leather trim, standard on our Elegance version, also proved to be very child-friendly as it was easy to wipe clean. Shame it didn’t look very luxurious.

Move to the front and most passengers appreciated the raised seating position, plus the comfortable seat. We liked the driving position too and had no problem spending a long time behind the wheel. The longest was a mammoth six-hour Friday afternoon family trip to the Wirral and we still got out at the end feeling reasonably fresh.

This Yeti was part of Skoda’s fuel-sipping Greenline range and we were keen to see how realistic the 61.4mpg combined fuel figure was in real life. Sadly, we never got close to this figure; the best we got was 47.5mpg towards the end of our time with the car. This was on a family holiday, in very changeable conditions. The 523-mile range was appreciated though.

So what didn’t we like about the Yeti? Some of the plastics, especially the glovebox, weren’t up to the £22,000 price tag. The standard, optimised rolling resistance tyres seemed to lack grip in corners and the central locking’s CB-like roger bleep when locking and unlocking was annoying and sounded like a cheap ‘80s alarm.

Then there was its appetite for offside roof bar end caps. The first exited on the M25 and the second somewhere between home and Milton Keynes. So to make sure the third stayed on I taped it in place. However, I have to admit that I could be at fault.

This didn’t stop the Yeti from being a great family car and one that will be sorely missed.

second opinion

So long, farewell I didn’t actually get that much of a chance to drive the Postman Pat van, but when I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. I remember a long while back I panned the Yeti’s sister car, the Roomster, as ugly. In fact – and I’m sure the press office will remind me, as they rang up to complain at the time – I called it an ‘automotive abomination’. Harsh, but I think fair.

However, the Yeti, although closely linked to the Roomster, doesn’t anger me in the same way. I like its looks, I like the ride height and above all else, it’s actually a really good car to drive. It just goes to show how far Skoda has come as a brand. So far in fact they’re now insisting on making us say it as ‘Sch-koda’. A brand that used to be a joke, now dictating? How times have changed...

JAMES BAGGOTT

the knowledge Model: Skoda Yeti Elegance GreenLine II Price: £22,670 Engine: 1.6-litre, 4cyl Power: 103bhp, 250Nm Max speed: 109mph 0-60mph: 12.1s MPG (comb’d): 61.4 Emissions: 119g/km Mileage at end of test: 3,759 Costs this month: £0

This month’s highlight: Looking back on memories of life with the perfect family wagon.

longtermers

iMiEV: End of term B

y the time you read this we will have said farewell to the iMiEV – and I am genuinely sorry that I won’t be driving it again.

I have loved being behind the wheel of the ingenious little car over the last few weeks and it has helped me get to know my neighbours! They have been intrigued to see me go through my regular Sunday night ritual of plugging it in to charge it up – and it has become something of a talking point.

In actual fact, that Sunday night charge is normally enough to see me through a whole week of commuting as I live about seven miles away from Car Dealer Towers.

There’s never a dull moment family-wise in the Brown household and one ‘highlight’ of August was taking my wife and her parents out for a meal in it. In actual fact, I was pleasantly surprised by its performance and it didn’t feel at all overloaded with four adults on board. The two in the back were perfectly happy with the amount of legroom and were very impressed with the quality of the interior.

I’ll get a couple of minor gripes out of the way in this end-of-term report. The leather trim that adorns the dash seems to be coming away rather

second opinion IN contrast to Dave, my commute involves a round-trip of about 40 miles and I’m afraid I just don’t feel relaxed driving the iMiEV to and from the office. Even though it has a range of 90-odd miles, my hilly, congested route seems to drain it rather more quickly than I’d like. Sorry Mitsubishi, but it’s a C+ from me.

JAMES BATCHELOR badly, making that part of the interior look a bit tatty. I know James Baggott has mentioned this before, but the controls at the bottom of the in-car entertainment and information screen are rather fiddly. My only other moan is that I’m not over-keen on the design of the windscreen wiper, which dispenses the washer fluid as it moves from side to side. Just seems to be a bit messy. You’d know what I meant if you saw it.

But the plus points are many and varied. Fun to drive; kind to the environment; capable of doing a U-turn on a sixpence; able to carry four adults in comfort and safety... I could go on but you get the idea. So with my gown and mortar board on I’ll give the iMiEV a grade A. Not quite an A* but very close.

DAVE BROWN

the knowledge Model: Mitsubishi iMiEV Price: £23,990 (with £5k govt grant) Engine: Electric Power: 66bhp, 180Nm Max speed: 81mph 0-60mph: 15.9s Range: 93 miles Emissions: 0g/km Total mileage: 2,557 Costs this month: £0

This month’s highlight: A final month of virtually free commuting thanks to Mitsubishi.

Kia Rio: Sixth report D

on’t tell anyone, but I was secretly rather pleased to be thrown the keys to Car Dealer’s Rio this week. I’d heard promising things about the wee Kia, so I wasn’t about to say no to the offer of putting it through its paces.

Now I know Kia have come on in leaps and bounds recently, but hopping in I found myself a bit surprised by just how pleasant a place the interior is. Apart from the slight man-in-aletterbox feeling that comes from the lack of rear visibility in the three-door model (a body style I really can’t understand the point of, by the way), there’s actually very little to fault.

Ok, so I might have hopped straight into it from the rattly depths of a seven-year-old Ford Ka, but even next to the current Fiesta it’s an impressive cabin to plonk yourself in – in fact it’s one I prefer, and not just because of the Ford’s ridiculous ‘mobile phone’ inspired dashboard.

The 1.4-litre diesel impressed me too. Not so much around town, where first gear felt very short indeed, but motorway cruising is its forte – with even the overdrive-like sixth gear still offering plenty of overtaking power. Like Batch though, I barely managed more than 50mpg – but since I had the air con on full blast and wasn’t exactly taking it easy, I don’t think that’s too bad.

second opinion

It seems well put together as well, even ignoring the start-stop system warning alert I’d received while on the A3, doing 70mph. Quite why it chose to bring it up at that point I’ll never know.

Just one small thing, mind. You know what I’m going to say, don’t you – it’s not as good to drive as the Fiesta. Although the six-speed gearbox was impressive – and the first I’ve come across that isn’t a nightmare to use – there’s something odd about the steering.

I’m not a huge fan of the gigantic alloys either, which look eerily similar to the juicer attachment that came with my Magimix, though I must admit that they fill out the arches nicely. Overall though, I became very fond of the Rio, despite my relative lack of time spent behind the wheel.

JON REAY

BUSY Putney High Street in South-West London is never much fun to navigate and I had a mishap in the Rio there this month.

A fast-approaching ambulance forced me to the side of the road as I was sitting in a queue of stationary traffic – and sadly the front nearside alloy came into contact with the kerb. Minor damage but MAJOR annoyance – and a fair bit of bad language.

DAVE BROWN

the knowledge Model: Kia Rio 1.4 CRDI ‘3’ Eco Price: £14,295 Engine: 1.4-litre, 3cyl Power: 89bhp, 90Nm Max speed: 107mph 0-60mph: 13.7s MPG (comb’d): 70.6 Emissions: 105g/km Total mileage: 10,434 Costs this month: £0

This month’s LOWlight: A minor prang in the car (see above). The damage will be made good soon though!

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 83

workshops.

‘Watch out for dodgy MOTs’ alert Trading standards officers and police ‘seriously concerned’

W

orkshop staff are being warned to be on the lookout for forged MOTs. An alert has been issued by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) after a 38-year-old man in Cleveland was arrested on suspicion of forging MOT certificates with intent to deceive. TSI is concerned motorists still do not know paper certificates are no longer proof of existence of a valid MOT. This is despite the new-style certificates being in operation for nearly 12 months.

Motor trade lead officer at TSI, Gerald Taylor, said the new certificates were easy to reproduce, causing trading standards and the police great concern.

‘When the new certificates were first implemented in October 2011 they were only intended to be a

receipt for the MOT,’ said Taylor.

‘The downloaded certificate in its present form can be altered and abused at will using the simplest of computer software.

‘Purchasers – whether private or trade – should not rely on printed MOT certificates when buying cars.

‘There is also the possibility that unscrupulous traders, and service and repair outlets could agree to MOT a vehicle and charge accordingly but not carry out the test at all – the prospective purchaser would be none the wiser unless they go online.’

Chris Mason, managing director of Motor Codes, the industry standards body, said car buyers should be checking whether a car has a valid MOT online.

‘The new-style MOT system hasn’t quite been in place a year and we’re all still used to having our bit of paper that shows a car as having a valid MOT,’ said Mason. ‘It’s a case of getting used to this different but very secure and easily checkable online process.

‘VOSA’s free, online verification facility makes it simple to get a clear-cut answer on whether or not a car has a valid MOT certificate.’

ÜÜÜ° °V 84 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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New Bosch car service franchise Garage is hoping that facility will draw in business that would have gone elsewhere

C

ambridge Garage – a Hampshire-based Volvo dealer – has added a Bosch car service franchise to its branch in Havant, citing ‘a drop in Volvo’s market share’ as part of the reasoning behind the addition.

The purpose-built centre – which caters for owners of German marques more than their usual Swedish-made parc – has been open just a few months, managing to command around £1,600 turnover in labour alone last month and generating ‘a couple of calls per day’, according to service manager Mark Toms.

Additionally, he stated that many motorists are likely to be ‘put off by the fact that we’re a franchised dealer’, choosing to add a BCS centre to extend their range of potential business.

With the new centre placed on the same site as

their dealer in Havant, we asked if Volvo had made any objections to the plans. No, says Toms – as the facility hasn’t been set up to service cars of other makes, the Swedish brand hasn’t so much as raised an eyebrow at the move.

While the new branch isn’t benefiting from the on-site Volvo franchise directly, though, it’s hoped that the dealer’s customers will use the centre to service their spouses’ cars of other brands – bringing in business that would otherwise go outside of the company.

Bosch car service manager Howard Price was pleased with the addition, saying that Cambridge’s

investment in the facilities ‘shows that all types of garage can tap into the network’s benefits’.

This isn’t the first within the network, though – it follows on from Cambridge’s other stand-alone BCS centre in Petersfield opened one year earlier which, according to Toms, is fairing ‘slightly less well than hoped, but OK’.

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 85

SHARES.

..in association with ASE-global.com

Summer feel-good factor has reached the motor market HR Owen gets the gold medal but almost everyone is putting in strong performances

VERTU EXPANDS ITS NETWORK WITH CO-OP ACQUISITIONS

I

t has been an exceptional summer of almost daily sporting achievement in the UK. It appears that this positive spirit has extended to the performance of the listed motor retail stocks who have, by and large, performed very well.

The gold medal would go to HR Owen, with the share price up nearly 30 per cent in the last month. The share has regained all of the losses made earlier in the summer with a very strong recent performance. The increase is on the back of a positive set of interim results for the first six months of 2012, with strong revenue and profit growth being reported as the group continues its turnaround strategy.

There has also been growth in the share price of both Lookers and Vertu, who have both gained just under 10 per cent in the last month. Lookers has continued the strong 2012 performance to date, with a share price increase of nearly 50 per cent during the year.

This has been a reflection of the business achieving a ‘record performance for the group’

‘Results will determine if this is a blip or the start of a sustained improvement.’ during the first half of the year.

The Vertu share price has accelerated over the last month after a relatively quiet start to 2012. The acquisition strategy has continued with six outlets purchased from the Co-op Motor Group (with no goodwill payable) at the start of September.

Whilst the company is yet to announce results for the first six months of its financial year, the pre-trading announcement was positive and there appears to be some momentum behind the share as Vertu delivers profits from the businesses acquired over recent years.

It has been a steady month for Inchcape as a mid-month price wobble was regained and the gains made during the early summer months were consolidated.

Robert Forrester FAST-GROWING Vertu Motors has bought three East Midlands and Yorkshire dealerships from Co-op Motors for £5.5m.

The acquired sites add a further six franchised sales outlets to the group’s portfolio, with Nissan and Fiat in Derby, Nissan and Peugeot in Ilkeston and Nissan and Renault in Bradford.

The Derby location has two additional showrooms which will be refranchised in the coming months, adding a further two sales outlets to the group’s portfolio.

A total of £3.9m of the purchase price is to be deferred over three years with the balance being settled in cash from the group’s existing resources. No goodwill is payable.

In the year ended December 31, 2011, the management accounts of the acquired businesses showed a turnover of £113m and a break-even operating result before interest and tax. The dealerships are expected to be earningsneutral in the current financial year and move into profit in the year to February 2014.

Vertu has a network of 88 sales and aftersales outlets across the UK including nine Peugeot, seven Nissan, three Renault and three Fiat sales outlets.

Pendragon and Caffyns also had relatively quiet months with limited share price movement.

The only share moving in a negative direction was Cambria which has dropped nearly 50 per cent in a month as the decision by the company’s original backer, Promethean, to exit the stock continues to reverberate.

Promethean has now distributed its shareholding in Cambria to its own shareholders.

Who is Mike Jones?

He‘s executive chairman of ASE Global. If you want to talk to him about his column call 0161 493 1930 86 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The company trades under the Bristol Street Motors, Macklin Motors, Vertu Honda and Bristol Street Motor Nation brands and was formed in late 2006 to acquire and consolidate UK motor retail businesses.

CEO Robert Forrester said: ‘We are pleased to have acquired a further six sales outlets from Co-op Motors. We will integrate these new sites into our portfolio under the Bristol Street Motors brand, which is already well established in these regions.

‘We are delighted to be growing our representation with our existing manufacturer partners, with the potential to add a new franchise to the group in due course at one of these sites. The mix of both freehold and leasehold property in this transaction reflects our approach of both developing our freehold property portfolio, while also using our cash conservatively.

‘With this transaction we are welcoming 200 new colleagues to the group. We are confident that their skills and expertise in providing an outstanding customer motoring experience will help us to grow our sales and profits in the years to come.’

Given that this is likely to produce a significant volume for sale, the directors of Cambria have applied for the company to purchase up to 15 per cent of its share capital to support the share price.

The price is likely to remain depressed until the shares have washed through the market.

The results for the second half of the year will determine whether this is a blip or the start of a sustained improvement.

Consistently hunting success for the Automotive Industry

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With our strong customer centric and people focus it is not surprising that we have received some enviable accolades including "Dealer Group of the Year" and being shortlisted for "Employer of the Year" and we are committed to building on our achievements to date.

We are looking for talented automotive professionals to join our team. If this is you and you share our passion for being the best then you can look forward to a great benefits package, the chance to build on your skills and experience with ongoing training, plus all the encouragement and support you need to develop a rewarding, long-term career with us.

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A winning performance

data fiLe.

Look out for the signs and you’ll get the message across

W

hen considering the purchase of a new television, for example, I know the qualities I will be looking for in the salesperson I’ll be dealing with.

And if you put your mind to it, I would imagine you would find it fairly easy to think of similar list.

Ideally, the relevant salesperson should make their presence known to me but, at the same time, not ‘hold my hand’ as I look at the various televisions on display.

When, within my own mind, I have narrowed my choice down to the final two, ideally the salesperson will be there ready to answer any relevant questions or queries I may have.

Lastly I’ll want to know that the product has a bit of exclusivity and that I am getting a good deal.

There are, as I am sure you have noticed, some key points which need to be addressed in order for me to say yes and proceed with the sale.

Needless to say, if these are missing or indeed overlooked, the chances of the sale taking place are diminished.

The key consideration and most powerful point to contemplate here is: how does a salesperson actually become aware of how somebody likes to be sold to?

Following on from this; and only once this has been established, how does a salesperson then cater to the requirements of the customer so that the business deal is a win/win for both parties?

The first and most crucial step is actually wanting to understand the customer as an individual, as opposed

Jonathan

Such TIME IS MONEY

to seeing them as a number, or even worse, just another notch towards your personal monthly sales target.

Once we have taken this movement forward, the next thing to look at is your adaptability and competence in dealing with different buying types. The lower the level of flexibility you possess, the higher the chance that there will be tension and discomfort for the customer when completing a purchase.

Determining what kind of customer you are dealing with can be achieved if the salesperson uses their best judgment (and you won’t get it right all the time!) to analyse the signs a customer shows following a brief diagnosis period.

‘Look at your adaptability and competence in dealing with different buying types.’

Specific things to really pay attention to (and there are many) could include: the pace that the customer seems to want to travel through the transaction; the kind of questions they ask about the product; why they are considering a purchase and if they have come armed with an accomplice into your business premises.

Only when you know that a customer places a high value on the results the product can achieve or what another person achieved from having the same product, can you develop your sales message, and one that works.

Who is Jonathan Such?

Such is regional sales manager for First Response Finance. You can contact him on 07917 781608 or email jons@frfl.co.uk

Coming in next month’s issue

If there’s something you think we should be covering get in touch. Our details are on page three 90 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

FINANCE

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DRIVEN

Behind the wheel of the new Audi RS4

EVENT

Counting down to the Wheeler Dealer awards

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