Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 57

Driven: New Golf, Clio and A-Class

Issue 57 | December 2012 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

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st d riously | Fir e s o s t u o g UK roll firm is takin

EWARDS2012 The winning websites revealed, plus our judges’ top tips

rover’s return

JLR chief chats new Range Rover

THE Big ben rally 2,000 miles in Partridge’s motor

02 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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IGNITION.

Editorial Director James Baggott james@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerEd STAFF WRITER James Batchelor james.batchelor@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jrrbatchelor STAFF WRITER Jon Reay jon@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @JonReay Sub Editor Dave Brown dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave head of design Graeme Windell graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerGraeme 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 Advertising EXECUTIVE Pippa Marsden pippa@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerpip

Contributors

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

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Sept. iPhone App downloads: 78 Total downloads: 3,535 Sept. iPad App downloads: 174 Total downloads: 3,637 Search for ‘Car Dealer Magazine’ in iTunes Company No. 6473855 VAT No. 933 8428 05 ISSN No: 1759-5444 Car Dealer is published by Blackball Media Ltd (Company No 6473855) and printed by Warners. All rights reserved. Conditions of sale and supply include the fact Car Dealer shall not, without our consent, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated way or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to or as any part of a publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

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see from the Welcome. Ascoveryou’ll of this month’s

magazine I’ve had a unique opportunity to drive a rather special car. Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel wanted a company car from sponsors Infiniti, but insisted it had a few tweaks worthy of a twotime F1 world champion.

Obviously Infiniti felt obliged to facilitate the champ’s request. And so the FX Vettel Edition was born. Caked in carbon fibre – both inside and out – the Infiniti gets a loud exhaust with the addition of an even-louder button, F1 styling cues like the rear fog light to make it look like the brake light from an F1 racer, and a £4,800 optional extra spoiler.

You’re probably wondering why we’ve put a niche 150limited run car – of which only 50 will come to Europe – on the cover of the magazine. Well, the reason is this: Infiniti is determined to make a go of it in the UK. It launched at a very difficult time for a luxury brand in 2008 and hasn’t really had the product to set the world alight.

However, halo cars like this are just what the brand needs. Right now Infinti needs publicity; it needs to get right into the peripheral vision of luxury car buyers. Very few people in the UK know of the brand so cars like this special edition – as niche as it may be – are ideal at raising profiles.

Infiniti said they’ve sold about 17 of the Vettel Editions so far, but this car isn’t really about that. It’s about setting the brand on a path towards the mainstream and without it, Infiniti could be languishing in the shadows for years to come. Read my verdict, our exclusive interview with Seb, and what the brand’s global marketing man has to say on p32.

The Big BEN Rally Aha! It’s that time of year again when we buy a rather shoddy set of wheels and drive it an inappropriately long distance away from home – all in the name of charity. This year we complicated matters on the Big BEN Rally and we know that put some of you off. However, there were a

number of teams who still made the effort and you can read about their adventure to Spain on p45. Next year we’ll be going back to basics with the event and are planning a lap of the Nurburgring too – if you want to hear about it first, email me and I’ll add you to the list.

Ewards Our Ewards are now in their fifth year so we decided to give them a revamp. Our winners were not only shortlisted by a panel of judges but they only got their gongs thanks to the public vote. Our winners and highly commended firms can be very proud of their achievements. We also report on the cracking advice from the judges delivered at our Ewards & Online Conference. Read the full story from p61.

As is the case with all Car Dealer Magazine conferences, the delegates were entered into a prize draw when they arrived.

The prizes this time were an iPad3 and a stunning Alfa Romeo mountain bike.

Paul Gordon, of headline sponsors Autotorq.com, drew the winners. They were Richard Parkes, who took home the iPad 3, and Umesh Samani of Specialist Cars, who won the bike. We were rather impressed with Samani’s ability to squeeze the bike into his Lexus…

Congratulations to them both.

Enjoy the issue.

James Baggott, Editor

Winner: Best Business ‘This magazine brings its readers an insightful, engaging overview of their industry which Publication of the Year entertains as well as informs’ - award judges CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

E EXCLUSIVE R! F F TRADE O 04 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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45 Big BEN

INSIDE. ISSUE 57 I December 2012

Dashboard

Rally

Read all about our banger trip to Barcelona... and back

Wheeler Dealer Awards Letters Warranty Direct profile Glass’s Guide G2 success That Was The Month Finance

06

Around The World

Big Mike

Car Dealer Club

Our sponsors say why they are supporting The Wheeler Dealer Awards

Forecourt

37

‘‘

I don’t think enough people are aware of Seat in the UK. Interview: Ashley Andrew

06 09 13 20 22 24 26 29 30

32 34 37 39

Infiniti Vettel FX Range Rover

New Golf MKVII driven

Volkswagen Golf Renault Clio

Features Big BEN Rally

19

New Range Rover tested in Morocco

34

£50 Car Challenge Sunday Times Driving Ewards

45 53 55 61

Data File The Statistics Auctions Right Click

32

Trader Talk Driving Values Super exclusive SUV tested PLUS we interview Sebastian Vettel

a month in A picture...

It’s the weirdest sight we’ve ever had in the Car Dealer office – cushions with the faces of Batch and Jon Reay on them. It was all part of their efforts to get into the Alan Partridge spirit as they prepared for this year’s Big BEN Rally, which you can read about from page 45. A-ha!

CSI Files Suppliers Guide with Batch Trader Directory with Litton Long Termer Report Workshops Shares Time is Money

94 97 98 99 100 101 102 104 107 108 110 114

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

dashboard.

Our awards show is the place to be With just days to go until our Wheeler Dealer Awards – sponsored by Gard X – we take a moment to find out why the used car industry is so vital

T

‘‘

here are still a few tickets available to the coolest Christmas party around – the Wheeler Dealer Awards, hosted by Mike Brewer. Entries for our awards – sponsored by Gard X – are now closed, but if you want to enjoy the unlimited free alcohol, a cracking three-course meal, live entertainment and those aforementioned awards, then get in touch.

Tables cost £1,995 and seat 10, or you can opt for a half table at £995, which seats six (you get one place free, as we’re kind like that), or a pair of tickets for £395.

They can be booked anytime up to the event on December 3 by calling us on 023 9252 2434.

The Wheeler Dealer Awards will be celebrating the very best in the used car industry. Held at The Brewery in central London, the swanky black-tie awards bash will be one to remember. These unique gongs will mark the very best in the used car industry – from the best car manufacturer used car schemes to the best car dealers of all sizes.

Brewer – the man behind the Wheeler Dealer Awards – said: ‘The used car industry, in my opinion, is more important than the new car industry. More cars change hands at more dealers of this size than new so celebrating the best of the best is vital.’

But why do our award sponsors think the used car industry is so vital? Well, we’ll let them tell you themselves.

The used car industry, in my opinion, is more important than the new car industry.

Wheeler dealer AWARDS

sponsored by

Here’s what they had to say.

Dylan Haskell

Sales director, Gard X. Headline sponsors.

Around three used cars are sold for every new car in the UK and used sales will probably top 6.5m sales this year.

Dealers need to generate profit – and it’s very important to maximise every square foot of a dealership. It’s difficult to have a successful new car market without a buoyant used car market, and as such, our relationship with the used car sector is just as important as the new car sector. We chose to support these awards for that very reason.

Shamus Hodgson

Director of sales and marketing, Moneybarn.

Used Car Supplier of the Year sponsor.

Despite economic gloom, dealers still managed to sell nearly four million used cars last year at a total value of well over £30 billion – equivalent to 2.5 per cent of GDP – so the contribution to the UK economy remains significant. Moreover, the shortage of new cars on the market in the last four years means that the used car segment is more important than ever. Supporting these awards is a sign of our long-term commitment to the industry, a way of thanking the dealers who work with us and an opportunity to highlight our unique offering to those dealers who are looking to turn declines into profitable sales.

Find out who’s won in 06 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Wheeler dealer AWARDS

sponsored by

We’ll be handing out Wheeler Dealer Awards in 16 categories. Mike Brewer has been judging the awards himself from the hundreds we’ve received. The categories include: Used Car Dealership Of The Year – Under 50 Stock Sponsored by GardX

Used Car Dealership Of The Year – 50-100 Stock Sponsored by GardX

Don Brough

Chief executive, First Response Finance.

Best Used Car Customer Care sponsor.

The dealers who we see do well over many years are those who treat their customers really well. It is an essential ingredient of long-term success for a dealership. Customers are not in endless supply, particularly if you are a dealer limited by geography. Despite the internet, the majority still buy as close to their doorstep as they can. So you have a choice: You can treat customers well and turn them into ‘fans’ of your firm, or you can treat customers like one-off transactions, which is exactly what they become. It gives First Response Finance great pleasure to support what we feel is the most important award of the evening.

Andrew Jackson

Marketing manager, Car Care Plan.

Best Upsales and F&I Performance of the Year sponsor.

Manufacturer Used Car Scheme of the Year sponsor.

The used car market is critically important to our industry because it acts as a key ingredient in generating margin and supports a whole community of dealers.

Independent dealers, dealer groups and manufacturers all rely heavily on used car sales to boost profitability. We’re getting involved with these awards because we want to recognise the hard work and effort that these businesses put in to a dynamic, competitive and innovative market place.

Perran Moon

B2B marketing director, Trader Media Group.

Used Cars of the Year sponsor.

The used car industry is important because it is leading the transition to online retailing

and provides a constant revenue stream and profit opportunity for dealers of all sizes and in all parts of the country. It may not be considered as the sexy end of a dealership’s operations but in times of continuing economic uncertainty is very often the lifeblood of the business. Auto Trader is delighted to be associated with the Wheeler Dealer Awards. The used car industry and the people who operate within it are often overlooked yet their enthusiasm, efforts and imaginative solutions to the everyday challenges of a dynamic and unpredictable market deserve recognition.

Simon Henstock

Operations director, BCA. Best Used Car Website sponsor The UK used car industry is one of the most dynamic anywhere in the world and generates more than £35bn of revenue from sales of nearly seven million vehicles every year. Thousands of people are employed in this vital industry and the vast majority of UK families will have a used car as their principal method of transport. These awards uniquely celebrate the very best across the used car sector and as the UK’s leading vehicle remarketing company, BCA is delighted to support this event.

Used Car Dealership Of The Year – Over 100 Stock Sponsored by GardX

Used Car Dealer Group Of The Year Sponsored by GardX

Outstanding Achievement Of The Year Open for sponsorship

Best Upsales and F&I Performance Of The Year Sponsored by Car Care Plan

Best Used Car Customer Care

Sponsored by First Response

Used Cars Of The Year

The all−encompassing web platform

Sponsored by Auto Trader powering leading motor retailers

Best Used Car Marketing Scheme

0845 658 9290 | info@gforces.co.uk | www.gforces.co.uk

11-01-12_NetDirector_Strip Ad_CD.indd 1

Alan Henson

Sales and marketing director, Aston Barclay.

Lifetime Achievement Award sponsor.

The used car market is seen by many as the poor relation to new cars. In fact, dealers sell more than 3.5m used cars per annum, making the remarketing sector critically important to the UK automotive industry.

Aston Barclay are delighted to support the Wheeler Dealer Awards as they give us the opportunity to celebrate the vital role that used car sales play and encourage best practice within the sector.

next month’s issue of CarDealer

Sponsored by GForces

Lifetime Achievement Award

01/11/2012 17:24

Sponsored by Aston Barclay

Manufacturer Used Car Scheme Of The Year Sponsored by Car Care Plan

Best Used Car Website Sponsored by BCA

Used Car Sales Manager Of The Year Sponsored by NCC

Used Car Supplier Of The Year Sponsored by Moneybarn

Used Car Sales Team of the year Open for sponsorship

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

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Find out how easy it is to switch to us.

Call 0844 573 7591 or visit carcareplan.co.uk

08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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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

Lots of Ewards ideas

A short note to thank James Baggott and Jade Simmonds for the organisation of the Ewards conference. I came away with a few ideas and thoughts for our website.

As the man who wrote the original operating standards for Network Q and, as operations and marketing manager for the brand in those early days of the 1990s, I made the programme work at dealer level and got the web traffic buzzing. It was good to see them getting mentions again in the presentations.

I enjoyed the day but can we have a little more on the value of aftersales to a business and its place in internet marketing? It is tactical, has immediacy and the profit margin percentages are much better than the sales departments!

Cheers and thanks again.

Tim Foster AllAstonMartin.com

Shortlist delight

Thank you for having us James!

I’ve passed on the details of the commendation to Claire Price of Stratstone Marketing who was delighted to be shortlisted. Glad the day went so well for you. Keep us in mind for any up and coming fun stuff you guys might have on.

Victoria Finn Pendragon plc

Big BEN Praise

Congratulations to the team on another successful Big BEN Rally. I’ve enjoyed the blogs online and it’s great that you managed to have a good time and help out a worthy cause too. The Alan Partridge idea was inspired. Well done again.

John Jervis via email

Fiesta for me, says Morgan This month we give top billing to young reader Morgan Keat and his father David. The pair dropped into Car Dealer HQ with some shoeboxes filled with supplies for the Big BEN Rally, which you can read about from pages 45-50. And Morgan had something else for us too – a review of Vauxhall’s new Adam, which we publish below. Thanks Morgan!

LETTER OF THE

MONTH

Morgan’s car review Dive into a world of personality and cruise the streets with the new Adam. This is how Vauxhall describe their new supermini.

It comes in three trim levels: Jam, Glam and Slam. Its looks are quite quirky from the outside.

Whatever body colour you have chosen, the same colour appears in the interior as well. You can choose from twisted green, brown and red, all make it look like a hot hatch, with colour matching interior, exterior and wheels.

Personally I don’t like the exterior as it’s a bit too colourful for me. Although twisted green is my favourite. I’m also not sure on the interior and exterior colour matches.

It’s not a cheap car starting from £11,225£13,150. The Ford Fiesta is a cheaper option that I would go for.

Morgan Keat and dad David dropped off some shoeboxes for the Big BEN Rally

TWITTER Comments

Recession’s over, so are we feeling positive?

than October. #westerntoyota.

Nice, proper cars in short supply. High-mileage, average cars – plenty around.

Umesh Samani @specialistcars1

Very quiet here in Fife, need a few #booms.

John Biggar @johnbiggar Toyota has had a great start to November – better

Richard Stewart @richardstewarts

After a quiet couple of months, it’s got really busy.

Philip Raby Porsche @RabyPorsche

Christmas tree prank left my boss pining for his bed...

IN THE big dealership I’m in, we have a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the showroom covered in fancy decorations and little pretend presents that the reception girls make. One Christmas Eve, I thought I’d wrap up some items off my colleagues’ desks and put them on the tree too. A bit of Christmas fun.

I sneaked around their desks taking staplers, pens, mouse mats and even a mouse.

I went into the boss’s office to see what I could take, and got a little carried away. I took his mobile phone.

I wrapped it and chucked it high on the tree. For a couple of hours, the boss walked around looking a little confused, but not admitting he’d lost his new iPhone. Listening to the tree get a message every now and then – and a few calls – was pretty funny though. ‘I must have left my phone at home today,’ he said. I was going to tell him just before we left, then I could get away without too much of a telling-off.

Anyway, we all left for the Christmas break. I was half way down the road and I suddenly remembered

My

CONFESSION

my boss’s phone! By the time I got back to the showroom, everyone had gone, including my boss.

I drove home, feeling very guilty and worried about what was going to happen when I got back to work a few days later.

We returned after the break and my boss told us about how he’d lost his phone, missed the ‘can you pick up the special turkey we ordered?’ text from the wife and spent Christmas on the sofa. It was the first time her parents had come for the seasonal feast.

They had roast potatoes, veg and little sausages wrapped in bacon. Sorry boss.

FW, Kent CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

PROTECTION

Gardx Protection unveils new Dealer profit opportunity Leading profit solution provider – GardX Protection, announces new ‘SMART’ repair insurance which can be sold either individually, or combined with their vehicle paint and fabric protection product, providing the Dealer with a unique ‘Total Protection’ offer.

‘C.A.R.S’ Cosmetic Accident Repair Solutions GardX Protection, renowned for its vehicle paint and fabric protection system, has recently launched a new Dealer profit opportunity, which they have inventively named ‘C.A.R.S’!

C.A.R.S is a minor accident “SMART’ repair insurance underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, which covers against the unavoidable bodywork chips, minor dents, light scratches and scuffs caused by everyday motoring.

C.A.R.S customers benefit by keeping their car in showroom condition whilst protecting their ‘no claims’ discount and future resale value for the next 12, 24 or 36 months.

C.A.R.S supporting Dealers benefit from incremental profit, increased customer satisfaction and reduced refurbishment costs for returning customers - making the buying experience a pleasant experience.

C.A.R.S. efficient no-fuss claims handling team have a nationwide network of over 150 qualified repair technicians utilising the latest mobile technology and offer a professional quality repair at the customer’s home or workplace with the minimum of inconvenience and a lifetime ownership guarantee.

Chips, minor dents, light scratches and scuffs FDXVHG E\ HYHU\GD\ PRWRULQJ DUH FRYHUHG E\ œ& $ 5 6¡

‘TOTAL PROTECTION’

ABOUT GARDX PROTECTION Two seasoned Motor Industry Professionals, both of whom had previously owned their own Dealer groups, created GardX Protection Ltd. in 2003. Since launching, GardX Protection has enjoyed meteoric growth and now operates in nine countries delivering a range of motor industry profit solutions.

When asked: “what makes GardX Protection different from other suppliers?� Managing Director, Victor Coutin responded: “Any supplier can deliver product, however the difficult part is maintaining sustained sales of that product over the long-term.

The GardX sales system changes those fundamentals by instilling the discipline of a repeatable process led sales methodology that seamlessly integrates into a Dealer’s existing sales process and makes a massive difference to Dealer profitability.

GardX Protection integrates its professional Account Management team with a Dealer’s Sales team with the specific objective to maximise profit on all GardX products without affecting income or penetration on any other F&I products�. www.gardx.co.uk

Total Protection is an innovative product offering that combines all the benefits of the C.A.R.S. product, with the Industry leading GardX vehicle paint and fabric protection system and is designed to maximise a Dealer’s incremental profit. As with all GardX Protection products, Total Protection is supported by an all encompassing, free of charge comprehensive Dealer development programme that includes: sales development, powerful Point of Sale material, a promotional sales video and professional monthly account management carried out by dedicated account managers.

Victor Coutin, Managing Director of GardX Protection said: “we are very excited about the launch of the C.A.R.S. and Total Protection products and believe they will deliver a considerable increase to a Dealer’s incremental profit and provide a high level of customer satisfaction�.

Global Profit Provider

Everyone is talking about GardX Protection... what do Dealers say?

Knights BMW

Customers for Life

“As a business we were looking to gain more QHW SURĂ€W IURP RXU 3DLQW 3URWHFWLRQ 3URGXFW Since switching to GardX RXU 3DLQW 3URWHFWLRQ sales penetration has increased to nearly Âľ

“Since we launched GardX the training and account management has been of the highest calibre and has contributed greatly to our incremental ) , SURĂ€W Âľ

“As a company that had focused on paint protection products in the past, I have been impressed with not only the product but the range of support, ideas and commitment to our EXVLQHVV Âľ

Anthony Masterson Sales Director, Knights BMW

Paul Bentley - F&I Director - Lookers plc

David Johnson, F&I Director, Perrys Group

“When we awarded GardX our group contract following an extensive pilot period, WKH NH\ GHFLVLRQ IDFWRU ZDV SURĂ€WDELOLW\ The difference in return from GardX was VLJQLĂ€FDQW ZLWK JURZWK LQ ERWK SHQHWUDWLRQ DQG SURĂ€W SHU UHWDLO XQLW ,Q DOO ZH ZHUH JHQHUDWLQJ over double the income from the Dealerships where GardX was being sold, so you will appreciate that the decision to appoint GardX ZDV D YHU\ HDV\ RQHÂľ ,QQRYDWLYH VROXWLRQV SURYLGLQJ DGGLWLRQDO SURĂ€W John Tordoff - Managing Director - JCT600

“Unlike other suppliers GardX GRQ¡W MXVW OHDYH WKH SURGXFW DQG ZDON DZD\ 7KH\ WDNH D very process driven approach which enables a Dealer to fully understand the products DQG WKH EHQHĂ€WV WKH\ EULQJ And their on-site and remote account management support LV H[WUHPHO\ HIIHFWLYHÂľ Michael Holahan - Finance Director, Car Giant

For more information and contact details see GardX Protection’s advertisement on page 28 ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

DASHBOARD.

Heavisides warranty wonders

Let’s all look forward to new chapters beginning

Blow for Ford staff as manufacturing ends at two UK sites

T

he news that Ford is to close the Transit factory at Southampton ends more than 45 years of production and a legacy of more than six million vehicles being built. It obviously comes as a bitter blow to the area and to the 500 people who work at the M27 plant. Here is evidence in sharp focus that the motor industry continues to see the ongoing effects of globalisation and transfers of production.

The Transit has been an integral part of British motoring since 1965 when it was introduced to the UK market. With space for wide loads and mechanicals adapted from Ford’s car range of the time, it was a breath of fresh air in the commercial sector and it’s never looked back. It spawned White Van Man and helped keep the UK’s tradesmen mobile for decades.

But while the iconic van looks set to be produced elsewhere, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that other parts of the British motor industry are booming. Nissan’s Sunderland plant will be the home of the Qashqai’s replacement, MINI’s continued expansion into new sectors and niches is driving production further and Jaguar Land Rover’s investment in UK manufacturing has helped secure the future of the production of the brands in this country.

Ford’s announcement ends their vehicle production in the UK but the Blue Oval remains one of the industry’s biggest employers; engine production facilities in Dagenham and Bridgend manufacture more than two million units a year.

The UK continues to lead the world in research and development too and in sports and luxury car production, UK brands are second to none. In motorsport, there are some 4,000 companies linked to manufacturing and production.

So despite Ford shifting Transit production elsewhere, the prospects for UK motor production look strong. Plants like Southampton helped shape vehicle production in Britain over the past four decades and provided the template for the next generation of facilities. As one chapter of vehicle manufacture draws to a close, let’s look forward to others opening.

‘The Transit has been an integral part of British motoring since 1965.’

Who is Tim Heavisides?

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

Political row erupts after devastating news delivered to workers

S

urprising many, the Blue Oval has announced it’s not only shutting down its Ford Transit van facility in Southampton, but also a site in Dagenham, Essex.

The grim news was given to union officials at a meeting with the company and was described as ‘devastating’ by one official. Next summer is the date for the closure of the Transit van plant in Southampton with the loss of 500 jobs.

A further 1,000 jobs will be lost at a metal-stamping site in Dagenham, Essex.

There is a glimmer of hope, though – some new posts will be created at the Dagenham engine plant which will build Ford’s new Panther engine.

It is understood that Ford will offer a generous redundancy package and redeployment to workers who want to stay with the company. Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB union, said: ‘This is devastating news for the workers in Southampton and Dagenham.

‘Ford’s track record in Britain is one of broken promises and factory closures. There will be a feeling of shock and anger.’

Ford employs around

‘‘

11,400 workers in the UK at plants including Dagenham, Southampton and Bridgend in South Wales. Ford also announced it is to close its factory in Genk, Belgium, with the loss of 4,300 jobs.

Stephen Odell, chairman and chief executive of Ford of Europe, said: ‘The proposed restructuring of our European manufacturing operations is a fundamental part of our plan to strengthen Ford’s business in Europe and to return to profitable growth.’ Mr Odell met union officials to give them the news.

It’s not just Ford under fire, though – Chancellor George Osborne ended up in hot water just a week later as more information about the restructuring emerged. Rubber-stamping an EU loan to the Turkish Ford factory that took over from Southampton, Osborne received massive criticism from the Labour Party.

‘The closure of Ford’s Southampton plant is a devastating blow with 1,100 jobs going as a result and the end of Ford producing vehicles in Britain,’ Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna told the Daily Mirror.

‘The Turkish plant which won the contract over Southampton did so with the help of a loan from the European Investment Bank of which George Osborne is governor. Why did he allow this to happen?’

Ford’s track record in Britain is one of broken promises and factory closures.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 11

Know exactly what your customers want before they ask

As the UK’s leading automotive data analytics company, Deltapoint has access to 85% of all used car transaction volumes through an exclusive partnership with Auto Trader, as well as working with BCA and fleet and lease companies. So, not only do we know exactly what people want in your region, our advanced i-Control software recommends what stock to buy, where to find it, how much to pay for it and how much to sell it for.

The internet has given your customers power. i-Control shifts the balance back to you.

To see how i-Control from Deltapoint can improve your stock turn and gross profit potential, book a demonstration now by calling 08433 089 008 or visiting Deltapoint.co.uk/i-control ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

DASHBOARD.

Warranty Direct’s clever new white-label service Firm creates nifty service: Manufacturer-branded warranties. Jon Reay reports

Customers get a warranty they can trust

L

eading warranty provider Warranty Direct has big new plans – and they’re aiming squarely at owners of used cars.

While buying a brand new car – or a nearly-new model from a dealer – often brings customers the option of a manufacturer-backed warranty, owners of older models bought elsewhere can’t enjoy the same benefits.

That leaves them with only one option: Buy from a third-party warranty company. While cover may be comprehensive and well-priced, though, consumers simply have difficulty trusting a firm they’ve never dealt with before.

Warranty Direct knows this. They might be a hugely popular, 50,000-policy strong company, but they understand where consumer loyalties lie.

Quizzing car buyers, it discovered that they are 60 per cent more likely to buy an extended warranty when sold by the original manufacturer.

Similarly, 69 per cent of the motorists surveyed believed a manufacturer-branded warranty was more likely to pay out for repairs.

Working from this, Warranty Direct has come up with a clever new solution: Providing warranties for manufacturers to apply their branding to.

Brands get a comprehensive product to sell to their customers, and customers get a warranty they can trust – simple.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anyone else out there who’s really playing the game - they’re not on TV, they’re not really doing the activity we’re doing. So what we’re going to do is create some competition for ourselves,’ says Warranty Direct’s managing director Duncan McClure Fisher.

‘We are saying we know how to sell insured warranties in a compliant way and we are focussed on keeping customers happy, so unlike other warranty companies our customer is the consumer.’

There is another upside to this, too – eventually, cars slip off a manufacturer’s radar.

While a first or even second owners are likely to take their cars back to the brand retailer with which they’re associated, by the time a third, fourth or even fifth person has taken up ownership, the car disappears.

It’s a problem for dealers, but really that need not be the case – just because an individual buys used does not mean they have any lack of brand loyalty.

‘There are a lot of people out there who are very loyal Ford, Audi or Alfa Romeo owners, but buy second hand cars.

‘Manufacturers don’t tend to know who they are,’ explains McClure Fisher.

This is where things get clever – and good news starts to roll in for dealers. Unlike official manufacturer warranties, Warranty Direct’s products are free from block exemptions.

‘We can control where the car is serviced, so we will say that to have this warranty you have to

WHO ARE THEY? Warranty Direct is one of the UK’s leading third-party warranty providers. Offering insured warranty products under a range of different pricing options, they’re already a well-established, well-trusted brand among consumers.

With a customer base in excess of 50,000

policies, Warranty Direct have already proven their worth with customers. With 15 years of experience behind them, the company is as popular as ever – even extending their offerings outside of the automotive sector. Van, motorbike and even appliance warranties are now available.

take it back to the main agent for servicing and repairs,’ says McClure Fisher.

The benefits of this, of course, are obvious.

Dealers get more custom in their service areas and – as a result – more showroom traffic.

‘The product will help bring them back into the network and take the fight directly to the independents and fast fits. We’re also saying to manufacturers, we’re going to send people who like your cars, who trust your cars, back into the showroom to buy new ones,’ McClure Fisher explains. ‘And it’s giving them the opportunity to talk to people who do like their cars, but that they don’t normally speak to.’

Within the service, Warranty Direct will handle almost everything. Customers will liaise with Warranty Direct to make claims, and the firm will help sell the warranties through its existing marketing channels.

‘We will do the promotion,’ McClure Fisher tells us. ‘So we’ll start by agreeing how the products are going to look – so the manufacturers can decide – but we will use our relationships to promote it.

‘We have relationships in the media world - the Telegraph, What Car?, the Daily Mail, people like that, and we will use our relationships with them to promote the manufacturer-branded warranty.’

In other words then, it’s win-win. Buyers receive a warranty they can trust, manufacturers receive a new product to sell, and dealers get more feet through the door. Who says you can’t please everybody? [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 13

0845 658 9290 | info@gforces.co.uk | www.gforces.co.uk ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

The all−encompassing web platform powering leading motor retailers

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 15

“Accuracy is everything ” Wyatt Earp

Black Book Live provides around 50,000 values that are accurate and reliable 365 days of the year. Compare that with your once a month guide.

If you’re making decisions based on inaccurate or out-of-date values, how much money are you losing every month? We give you the ammunition to ensure you don’t make a mistake on values.

Unique access to 19,000 mid-month value changes in between book releases A team of Editors with 150 years of direct motor trade experience Access to around 50,000 makes, models and derivatives at any one time VRM lookups through Valuation Anywhere ensure you’re valuing the right car Values consistently at 3 condition points over the last 30 years

Try it for free! go to www.cap.co.uk/bblive or call us on 0113 350 0602

Trusted Automotive Intelligence ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Fact and foresight from people in the know

DASHBOARD. OPENING

Hull gets new Infiniti Centre LUXURY brand Infiniti has branched out – opening a new ‘centre’ in Hull. Joining its six other centres across the UK – and located not far from the famous Humber Bridge – the Hull branch brings East Yorkshire residents that bit closer to owning a G, M or FX. The new dealer… er, Centre is said to be ‘more in the style of a top boutique hotel than a car showroom’, and is run by Humberside Motor Group.

Forecourt, page 32

NEW JOBS

Family firm expands HARRATTS Kia and Mitsubishi have expanded to new premises – creating 10 new jobs.

The family-operated dealer group, based in the north of England, have had to expand to keep up with a boost in sales. Moving their Kia and Mitsubishi dealers to ‘state-of-the-art’ headquarters in Wakefield and Barnsley, respectively, the new premises should help the dealer keep on top of demand as the firm’s models become ‘increasingly popular’.

EXPANSION

Great Wall go to N. Ireland AKIN BROS of Londonderry are set to become Great Wall’s first Northern Ireland dealer.

Based in a village just south of Londonderry, Eakin Bros marks the first Northern Ireland dealer to sell the cars – joining a network of 48 outlets across the UK. ‘The appointment of Eakin Bros offers Great Wall a fantastic opportunity to expand our network into an important new market for the brand,’ said Great Wall’s managing director Paul Hegarty.

Under-25s make car’s colour top priority. bit.ly/car-colours

SMMT victory as Halfords is forced to amend ad boasting of huge servicing discounts Chief executive delighted after ruling is made in favour of car dealerships

T

he SMMT has stood up for franchised dealers in the face of a new Halfords Autocentres advert – deeming it to be misleading to motorists.

The advert about deals the firm was running on car servicing received criticism from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), who questioned its claims.

Now the retailer has been forced to amend the advert by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The advert touting great deals for motorists said: ‘Car service – save up to 50 per cent on main dealer pricing!

We are offering great discounts on our car servicing – you can save up to 50 per cent on main dealer service prices, even though our services are the same, and in many cases even more thorough than that [sic] of a dealership.’

But the SMMT challenged whether the claim ‘Save up to 50 per cent on main dealer pricing’ was misleading and could be substantiated, because it did not make clear the basis of the comparison or take into account the class of vehicle or regional pricing variations.

The organisation was also concerned whether the advertiser was comparing like-for-like services.

The issue was upheld, with the ASA concluding: ‘The comparison Halfords had made between their own time-limited, online prices and the non-promotional prices quoted by the car dealerships surveyed was not made on a like-for-like basis. We therefore concluded that the claim was misleading.’

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘I am pleased the ASA has upheld the SMMT’s complaint about Halfords’ servicing offer which was found to have broken six parts of the Committee of Advertising Practice guidelines.

Manufacturer main dealers offer a high value and expert service to their customers.’

Halfords has expressed its dismay at the situation. In a statement, Halfords Autocentres chief executive Bill Duffy said: ‘Under European law, independent aftermarket providers like us – who maintain and repair vehicles in line with manufacturers’ standards – can save motorists hundreds of pounds in some cases whilst preserving their existing warranty.

Paul Everitt ‘We are disappointed that the SMMT resorted to using the ASA as a referee in a battle between the interests of franchised dealers and the quality independent aftermarket, a dispute that will result in only one real loser – the motorist.’

Duffy added: ‘We also have evidence that shows a worrying trend towards drivers delaying essential car maintenance in order to save money – so clearly any opportunity to cut costs without cutting corners should be encouraged.

‘Our independent research identifies just how much motorists are having to pay more to use manufacturer-approved dealer franchises whose charges are higher in a large proportion of cases.’

Delight as Manheim snaps up Dealer Auction ELECTRONIC remarketing channel Dealer Auction has been bought by Manheim.

The trade-to-trade network – which won ‘Specialist Online Advertising Site’ at our Car Dealer Power Awards earlier this year – caters mostly in vehicles arising from franchised dealers.

Uniquely, it lets buyers and sellers ‘deal directly with each other’ rather than communicating through a middle man, and operates exclusively online.

Buying Dealer Auction for ‘an undisclosed multi-million-pound sum’, Manheim’s move comes just

six months after their acquisition of Motors.co.uk from the Daily Mail.

Dealer Auction’s founders – Clive Colyer and Gavin Smith – will stay on to lead the business under its new ownership, remaining as joint managing directors, while Manheim’s chief executive John Bailey will take up the position of chairman of the board.

‘The industry is in a period of sustained change and our remarketing business is simply moving with the times,’ said Bailey.

‘Inter-dealer wholesaling is an age-old practice and still thrives completely outside the traditional

remarketing arena. ‘[Dealer Auction] sits very naturally alongside our main remarketing business which continues to remain as strong as ever, but we now provide our dealer buyers and sellers with even greater choice.’

Dealer Auction’s Clive Colyer was similarly pleased at the move.

‘Since we founded the business three years ago it has grown dramatically,’ he said. ‘However, we needed major scale and investment to fully exploit our true potential and, to now be part of Manheim, we will receive just that.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

C A L L I N G

A L L

C A R

M A N U F A C T U R E R S

Increase after sales revenue without lifting a finger.

At Warranty Direct we like making things simple, so here it is: More customers, returning to you, spending more money in your dealerships...

How do we do it? • You can now beneďŹ t from Warranty Direct’s 15 year’s experience in selling extended car warranties directly to consumers • We can sell a manufacturer branded warranty and drive customers back to your dealerships for service and repairs • We can do this with our insured guarantee, when you can’t with a conventional warranty • We will cover sales and marketing costs • This won’t compete with your existing warranty arrangements

Email: davidg@warrantydirect.co.uk or call David Gerrans or Mike Clarke on 0800 731 7001 And let us help you keep the drivers that love your cars – for longer.

D

EST

LIS

HE

AB

1997

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

INTERVIEW.

I want to get Seat onto car buyers’ shopping lists New head of operations chats to James Batchelor about his ambitions for the Spanish firm in the UK, and how new product will spearhead growth What’s your background in the industry?

Before joining Seat, I was at Rolls-Royce and I was doing a European role with Russia and South Africa. I did that for about 16 months. Prior to that I was at BMW. For me it is about an industry mix of knowledge. I started in the industry with Ford and I did the apprenticeship, went through Ford of Britain and that is where you really learn the craft of volume, mix, dealer relations and marketing. I took all of that with me to BMW and that is where I learnt the premium aspect of the business. With Rolls-Royce I got a view of international markets and the superluxury segment. By that stage I thought I’ve got knowledge of the UK, the whole industry and of international markets.

So why did you move to Seat?

With Seat I thought I would have a great opportunity with a brand that is emerging and growing. Seat has its origins in the volume segment, but has almost promised models straddling volume and premium. If you look at the level of investment that’s going into the new product range, it is definitely a brand that is in its ascendancy.

I thought to myself, knowing that I’ve got a broad base across the industry, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get into a brand that is really going to start to see growth and establish itself.

‘‘

it makes a customer’s life fun or it makes things in a customer’s life relevant to how they live their lives. You see that when you start looking at the new product; Leon comes with LED lights – so there’s premium technology in a volume hatchback; that is relevant technology.

Do you think the new products will pull in customers to Seat dealerships?

My view is, in terms of any automotive manufacturer, the thing that really sets them apart is their design. You look at the fact we are in an industry at the moment where up to 70 per cent of the proprietary technology is owned by the tier one suppliers, then the actual brands themselves have to set themselves about in terms of design. If you look on the road – and which was one of the real attractions to me to join Seat – our cars do look fantastic. An Ibiza demands a second look due to its design, its proportions and it just looks right. New Leon is absolutely fantastic with its ‘sharp technology’ look.

I don’t think enough people are aware of Seat in the UK.

What does Seat really mean to UK customers?

I don’t think enough people are aware of the brand in the UK at the moment. I don’t think Seat has a clear message. I think historically that was the issue. But the new positioning in terms of the ‘Enjoyneering’ strapline gives a much clearer statement about the fact the brand’s about leading-edge technology but relevant in that

Sales are still strong for Seat at the moment...

Sales are great – this year we will set a new record. We can’t get into the detail of numbers, but we will be over the 40,000 mark this year – so that will be a new

Ashley Andrew

record in volume and in terms of market share.

The underlying performance has been growth; and this puts us into a great position and creates a foundation for further growth when all of the new products come in.

What targets have you set yourself?

For me it is about getting an understanding of what the operational criteria are. My key objectives are – and we have reflected this in our balance scorecard which we use with the next work – delivering the volume but that’s almost a hygiene factor. The keys things for me are moving the needle in terms of customer satisfaction and network profitability.

What message would you like to get out to the network?

The key message I’d like to give is continue the obsessive focus on customer satisfaction and with the new products coming in, prepare for continued growth.

We like a simple message...

We can make this business extremely difficult – but it’s simple. We need to delight customers and grow the business. [CD]

Seat Mii CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

DASHBOARD.

Westdrive Kia set for ‘Red Cube’ facelift. bit.ly/westdrive

G2 is a change of values Glass’s has fundamentally altered the way it operates - and the radical move has already brought benefits to its many customers and dealers

K

nowledge is power. It’s an adage as old as the hills but is as true today as it’s ever been. And nowhere is knowledge more useful than in the hectic world of buying and selling cars.

One of the oldest and best respected names in the car valuation business is Glass’s – and although the company has been in existence for around 80 years providing a wealth of valuable information, it has never been a business to let the grass grow under its feet.

In fact, 2012 has seen a fundamental shift in the way it operates: nothing less than a root-andbranch reform of its structure and systems. And the company’s customers – although they might still be getting to grips with some of the finer points of the new approach – are benefiting in a major way.

The next-generation Glass’s product, launched in August, is called G2 and is designed to provide more accurate and timely valuations for its customers.

Vik Barodia, product and marketing director at Glass’s, told Car Dealer: ‘It’s a shift in the way Glass’s values. Pre-G2, we valued cars going through the trade in what we assumed was a ready-to-retail condition.

‘The common criticism we had was that in doing so, dealers were saying, ‘‘I’m at the auction, I’m looking at a car go through the hall, it’s gone for four or five per cent less than Glass’s Trade and it’s not in a ready-to-retail condition”.

‘In other words, the cars that dealers were seeing were not the cars that we were reflecting in the book. The idea behind G2 is that we want to reflect what’s going on in the market more accurately. So we changed our methodology.

Instead of being ready to retail, Glass’s Trade now represents a typical car with typical mileage and in a typical condition for its age.

‘So if you’re seeing a car go through the auction at £10,000, we would say it’s going through at £10,000 rather than say it’s going at £10,400 or £10,500. We haven’t devalued people’s stock because the definition of trade is different now from what it used to be.’

Barodia is under no illusion that this has meant Glass’s customers have had to think differently.

He told us: ‘We understand that as well as a change for Glass’s and our methodology, it’s a change for our customers. We have done a lot of marketing and provided a lot of advice and support to try to help our customers understand the philosophy behind what we’ve done.’

As part of that innovation, Glass’s has introduced three condition values for vehicles: grade ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

INNOVATION ANOTHER great new innovation from Glass’s, and which sits under the G2 umbrella, is Radar, an invaluable spot-pricing mechanism. It has proved an instant success.

Vik Barodia said: ‘Radar helps customers identify what’s being sold in their local area, identify who their customers are, and what the competitive vehicles are. It gives them indications of how long a certain vehicle would take to sell based on all the observational data we have.

‘What you can see through Radar is that a car priced maybe more expensively than yours has had 15 price changes and that it has been

high, grade average and grade low – a measure designed to match the way auction houses work these days. And there is more accuracy for customers because Glass’s has decoupled its trade and retail valuation systems. This is particularly significant for cars for which demand varies at different times of the year.

‘What you’ll see, although we haven’t been a year in G2 yet, is that we will be tracking the values and you will be able to see the expansion and contraction of margins on vehicles like SUVs and convertibles.’

As has always been the case with Glass’s, a vast amount of data is processed to make the company’s valuations as accurate as possible.

Barodia explained: ‘G2 is driven by lots and lots of trade observations and lots and lots of retail observations from the industry. We collect pretty

up for sale for, say, 80 days. What dealers can start to do is see very quickly what the ‘‘carrot price’’ is going to be – the price that gets the phone ringing.’

Barodia said Glass’s was trying to encourage dealers to become more like retailers: to price a car more closely to what it will actually sell for, get rid of it quickly and move on.

He added: ‘We’ve been amazed at how quickly Radar has been adopted. We’ve sold in excess of 1,000 sites in nine months.

‘That ranges from some of the biggest dealers in the country right down to the small independents.’

much all of the auction data there is to get – and that’s a huge amount of information. We’re talking up to about 1.3 million observations a year on trade. And in retail, through our portal partners, we’re collecting up to four million observations a year. We’re using the observation data to drive the values in a much more auditable way.

‘It will take a little bit of time for it to bed in but our customers have generally been very pleased with what we’ve done over the last couple of months.

‘The amount of goodwill towards the Glass’s brand is unbelievable. Our customers have said, ‘‘we really support what you’re doing and we really want to make this work for us’’.

‘We’re making massive strides each month by getting our values better. And that’s really what the essence of G2 is about.’ [CD]

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 October 15-19 Police forces across the UK have been raking in cash by arranging vehicle recovery after motorists have broken down on the roadside, it emerged.

Drivers who call police in their hour of need pay a commission for their motor being picked up.

A traffic warden was caught red-handed when he was photographed hiding his traffic enforcement camera behind a newspaper in a van – while being illegally parked on double yellow lines.

Carmakers’ efforts to make new cars more fuel-efficient by slashing the weight of vehicles is being impeded because of motorists’ increasing waistlines, it was reported.

One lucky owner took delivery of Nissan’s GT-R-powered Juke R – which cost an eye-watering £400,000.

Jeremy Clarkson became the latest celebrity to become embroiled in a Twitter controversy, claiming it to be a ‘libel-free’ outlet for him to name and shame motorists who annoy him.

Good news – Dacia announced its new supermini will cost from £5,995 when it arrives in January 2013. It’ll not only be the cheapest fivedoor hatchback on sale, but also the UK’s most affordable car.

Clockwise, from top left, Transit, Duster, Juke R, Zoe

October 22-26 Rip-off prices for food at motorway service stations may be putting lives at risk, it was claimed. The AA believes the prices of simple lunches are so high it’s putting drivers off stopping at all, which could potentially lead to more fatalities through tiredness.

Volkswagen previewed what a small SUV based on its Up city car could look like in the future.

Car insurance premiums are on their way down, said AA Insurance.

Owners of performance and prestige cars fork out twice as much to repair their cars as drivers of more regular runabouts, it was reported.

It seems the Mini range cannot stop growing.

The iconic British name built another vehicle... a Mini boat!

Toyota launched a nationwide search to find the oldest British-built Carina still in daily use.

October 29 - November 2 Drivers may have to pay extra to use A-roads and motorways under proposals being considered by the Government.

Renault’s budget brand announced it’s received 1,000 orders for its Duster SUV – three months before it officially arrives in Dacia’s 135 dealer showrooms across the UK. The makers of the iconic London black cab ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

FORD AXES 1,500 JOBS

Story of the month Ford is dramatically scaling down its UK operation by axing 1,500 jobs. The Blue Oval announced it’s not only shutting down its Ford Transit van facility in Southampton, but also a site in Dagenham, Essex.

Full report, p11 called in the administrators.

Renault continued its roll-out of electric vehicles by announcing prices for its all-electric Zoe supermini. It starts from under £14k.

It’s official: Women admit they cannot park.

A new survey by AA/Populus found a quarter of women admit they lack confidence when it comes to the tricky parallel parking manoeuvre.

Car park carelessness costs drivers £175 million each year in vehicle damage, according to new research.

A vintage Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sir Paul McCartney during the heyday of the Beatles was sold at auction for £300k.

Workers at the troubled maker of London’s

black cabs reportedly locked themselves inside their factory after being told that almost 100 of them are to lose their jobs.

Up to a million motorists could be driving around illegally – because they are unaware their photocard driving licence is out of date.

Parents were warned not to buy counterfeit child seats. Safety experts warning unsuspecting parents of the proliferation of fake child seats appearing on the UK market.

NOVEMBER 5-9 Porsche owners in The Netherlands woke up to find their cars headlamp-less, after criminals began to steal the HID bulbs to illuminate cannabis factories A McLaren F1 sold for an astonishing £3.5 million – making it the most expensive modern supercar ever sold.

Under-25s selected ‘colour’ as the most important feature of a new car, a survey revealed.

New ultra-luxury manufacturer Eterniti motors opened its first dealership. Situated in Park Royal, north-west London, the company is hoping to bring in a selection of discerning buyers with its Artemis ‘super-SUV’. The 600bhp off-roader is priced at around £210,000.

The Eye is Motors.co.uk’s complete response tracking system

It monitors vehicle views and gives you live ‘response reports’. And The Eye has ears too. With detailed call information and full call recording, you can listen, download, monitor and track your calls instantly and accurately.

Best of all, you get this world-class tracking and monitoring service for FREE as part of your advertising package with Motors.co.uk To find out more, email eye@motors.co.uk or call 0843 634 1410.

Your response tracking dashboard from

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 23

FINANCE. SALES UP

Car finance funds UK car sales recovery and growth Dealer finance is claimed to be significantly aiding the recovery of the UK car market, with current market trends showing an average five per cent growth over 2011.

Registrations for new cars in October rose by over 12 per cent with private sales up by 23.9 per cent, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The Finance and Leasing Association has found a 34 per cent increase in the value of advances for new cars and a one per cent increase in advances for used cars.

Over 69 per cent of all new car purchases by consumers are funded by finance sold in showrooms, and the FLA expects the trend to continue.

Paul Harrison, head of motor finance at the FLA, commented: ‘Car dealerships are offering affordable, flexible and widely-accessible finance arrangements across the UK. This has played a key role in sustaining significant lending growth.’

Over £1.5m in finance was provided by UK dealers in September alone, marking a 34 per cent increase on the previous year. This allowed 106,808 cars to be purchased on advance payments.

Car sales in 2012 have increased every month, with only typically slow February the exception.

ING withdrawal leaves luxury dealers with £1bn headache High-end car funder pulls out of UK leaving a financial black hole behind

P

restige finance firm ING has pulled all funding out of the UK leaving luxury car dealers with a £1bn

hole to fill.

The funder – which has bankrolled thousands of high-end car deals in the UK – has decided to quit all business here.

The decision is causing a host of dealers and finance brokers huge issues as many luxury car deals are being left without a source of funding.

Brokers like Bridford and Oracle, both of whom used ING, have been left with a banking black hole to fill.

Tim Marlow, director of Bridford, said: ‘It’s going to have a massive impact on prestige dealers. ING leaves a £1bn hole in the market. They were known for doing a lot of prestige cars for directors and companies. The market is not sure who will pick up this as nobody is stepping forward.’

ING is making a number of redundancies in the UK in-line with the move, despite rumours it was making a £50m profit on its luxury loan book.

A message sent to lenders from the firm’s chief executive, Chris Stamper, said the decision had not been taken lightly.

In the email, he said: ‘I am writing to inform you that today, ING has taken the decision to discontinue asset finance activities in the UK and run off its portfolio.

‘In the current economic climate,

ING Group has placed its strategic objective on focusing on its core markets and franchises, and concentrating available resources at those markets where they can demonstrate the strongest competitive advantage and growth potential.

‘Although ING Lease UK has built a strong reputation in the UK, leasing no longer fits as part of ING’s strategy.’

New software highlights optimum moment for refinance move Dealers can now take advantage of new software that will generate unique car sales and finance leads.

Car Finance Renewals Ltd has launched the new system which is powered by data from CAP, and promises to deliver customer leads at the optimum moment for dealers to contact clients with offers for renewing their car finance without affecting

monthly repayment rates.

Car Finance Renewals’ MD Tim Wellman said that millions of pounds in repeat business had been missed by dealers because of the outdated and unscientific approach used to retain customers on finance deals.

He said: ‘Timing is often too early, in which case the customer is still in negative equity, or too late, where

no contact has been made with the customer for a number of years. These scenarios provide little encouragement to dealer sales staff when it comes to contacting their existing customers.’

Data from CAP has been integrated into the system and provides information on future residual values, current used values, vehicle data as well as images.

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

..in association with

DEALFINDER. Latest finance deals on HATCHBACKS

W

along with rear privacy glass. An advance payment of £4,179 is required for the personal hire contract followed by 35 monthly instalments.

Drivers are allowed up to 9,000 miles per annum with excess mileage charged at 6.98p per mile.

The offer is available until December 31 from Ford main dealers.

Seat Leon Over £3,000 can be had off the price of a new Seat Leon, with the manufacturer removing the VAT from S and SE Copa model variants until the end of the year.

Included in the offer is the 1.6 TDI SE Copa Ecomotive, which comes with DAB radio, touchscreen sat-nav, parking sensors, auto wipers, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth, front fog lights, cruise control and auto stop/start. Usually priced at £18,965, Seat have reduced the price by £3,152 to just £15,813.

Also included in the offer is the 1.2

TSI S Copa Solutions, with £2,731 off the list price. Buyers can take advantage of financing offered by Seat and even with a typical 8.9 per cent APR rate, still pay back less than the standard on-the-road price.

RENAULT Megane Dynamique TomTom Renault dealers are offering to give a £2,000 deposit contribution towards a Megane Dynamique TomTom until February 4, 2013. Included in the price is built in TomTom sat nav, LED daytime running lights and keyless entry.

The offer also includes Renault’s 4Plus scheme, under which drivers can take advantage of four years worth of warranty, roadside cover, servicing and finance.

Customers are required to put down a £1,999 deposit followed by 48 monthly payments of £239, at a typical 7.24% APR. A final monthly instalment of £3,931

time is money

Filling lending vacuum

FORD FOCUS The ever-popular Ford Focus can be combined with the frugal 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine – as well as Zetec trim – for just £199 per month.

The turbo-charged three cylinder unit is claimed to deliver 56.5mpg with 114g/km CO2 emissions, making it one of the cleanest family saloons available.

Included with the Zetec trim as standard is DAB radio with USB interface and Bluetooth, air conditioning, Quickclear heated windscreen and auto start/stop.

Also included in the offer is metallic paint and Appearance Pack upgrades, which include 17-inch alloy wheels

Meldrum

brings the total payable to £17,650, just £350 more than the recommended OTR price. Drivers are allowed 6,000 miles a year. Additional mileage is just 6p a mile.

ould you like to know TWO big reasons why we do a lot of business with car dealers all across the UK? 1. First Response fills the vacuum left by the other lenders.

Many dealers now recognise that the prime finance market has been eroded far more than they first feared which means their customers cannot access the extra funds they need to buy the cars they want.

One recent example of when we were able to help (whilst others preferred to walk away) is the middleaged customer, a homeowner for over 20 years, who became redundant after 12 years’ loyal service to his employer. But, because his credit profile got a little bruised during the few months that he was unemployed he was rejected by not one but two prime lenders despite having a 20 per cent deposit.

This example, in my opinion, shows that the void appears to be getting bigger and the risk-averse strategy of the prime lenders is causing problems that could be losing car dealers sales.

2. First Response understands the need to protect dealers against brand image dilution.

We know that there are some dealers who are fearful of being associated with non-prime and sub-prime car buyers because this association may somehow taint their core business. With this in mind, we support our brand-conscious dealers by providing a common-sense solution to the problem. Our simple approach provides them with access to the non-prime market and helps them to attract the growing number of customers who need a finance approval before they even start looking for a car. Contact us if you’d like to know more.

PS: The training material used to improve captive customer sales is only available until the end of December email jim.meldrum@frfl.co.uk to request your free copy.

‘First Response understands the need to protect dealers.’

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 Tel: 0844 8730819 Web: www.frfl.co.ukWeb: www.frfl.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

dashboard.

Around the world Dealer news from somewhere other than here

New rules on tyre sales introduced bit.ly/tyre-regs

RUSSIA

Despite GM Europe expected to report loses of more than $1.5 billion, there is some hope to be had from the GM-AvtoVaz joint venture in Russia. A constant three-month backlog of orders for the Chevrolet Niva have given GM the confidence to confirm a $200m plant expansion, where is budget car is produced.

USA

Suzuki’s subsidiary, American Suzuki Motor Corp, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US, after a strong yen and the focus on small cars have damaged sales in the country. The company will restructure its operations in the US to focus of the sales of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and marine equipment, but will honour all warranties and provide service facilities to current owners.

BRAZIL

JAPAN

Dealers are naturally very happy when cars disappear from their forecourts, but only in Japan would researchers look towards turning invisibility technology into a reality. If successful, the technology wouldn’t be used for going undercover in James Bond-style death-defying missions, but for something far more mundane – the view from behind the car would be projected on the back seats, making them ‘seethrough’ in a bid to make parking easier.

UAE

The type-2 ‘Baywindow’ VW Campervan remains in production in Brazil to this very day but fans will be sad to hear that this is set to end in December 2013, when new Brazilian legislation will make ABS and airbags mandatory. This would cost VW too much to fit to the Camper, last seen on VW’s UK pricing lists in 1979, and will mark an end to 63 years of continuous production.

Car buyers in the UAE can have their deposits for purchases returned within three months if a dealer fails to meet his commitment about delivery. Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, director of the Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of the Economy, said customers can also recover their deposits if the dealer breaches the agreement about the vehicle’s specifications.

PARKING

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��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

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big mike.

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

It’s a shame I can’t run my forecourt like a hire car counter W

hen you spend half your life setting up finance contracts, filling in registration documents or just trying to keep your company accounts in order, it’s very easy to become dispassionate about the job you do.

I was reminded of this just a couple of weeks ago. Mrs Big and I were on our annual trip to the Costa del Sol, taking advantage of the autumn and the combination of no school holidays and still reasonably warm temperatures to give ourselves a more natural top-up than a sunbed could possibly provide.

While the venerable ‘Er Indoors was hovering by the luggage carousel, I went to take care of my favourite part of any holiday – that tingling wait by the hire car counter, wondering what transport of delight you might suddenly find yourself behind the wheel of.

Would it be a Peugeot 107? A Seat Ibiza perhaps? Or maybe I’d draw the short straw and end up with a threecylinder Corsa as per our last sojourn into the world of retired Brummie gangland bosses, also known as Marbella.

This time, however, I got the lucky ticket. Despite having ticked the ‘budget’ box, needing nothing more than a motorised luggage trolley with room for me, the missus and her hair plus a couple of bags, it appeared that the rental company were fresh out of econoboxes, and instead had given us a free upgrade, our transport of delight taking the form of a new Volvo V40 – and what a marvellous car it was, too.

Given that I spend most of my own time driving round in other people’s cast-offs, more often than not the tradeins that require too much work to make them anything like worth selling, or the crusher-dodging old bangers that still have a few weeks’ tax and MoT left on them before the inevitable weigh-in (I’d driven to the airport in a knackered Rover 600 and got the breakers to collect it from there, as it was as convenient as taking a cab, yet I came away with enough cash to buy some Spanish fags), any new car is always a delight.

In my line of work you can get childishly excited about all makes and models, before settling down to an impatient wait of anything between seven and 15 years before you can take a well-used example with a noisy wheel bearing out for a spin. It was reassuring to learn that the sense of anticipation was still there.

And you know what? It actually made me re-evaluate the way in which I run my business. Not in a massive

Big

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

way – I still do a good line in unvaleted semi-dead Toyotas to my local curry house contacts, for example – but it did make me realise that the hire car tingle is very often there in people who walk on my lot.

Okay, so they may only be spending the equivalent of a fortnight’s rental fees on a car they hope will get them and their family through a relatively trouble-free year or so of motoring, but even so they’re still making a pretty big purchase. Move to the higher end of my forecourt (I don’t do much over £5k, as I leave that to the fancy outlets with their glass showrooms) and I’m actually selling someone an even bigger purchase. Or even relate it to my own experiences of getting the bus to the auction as a young whippersnapper, not quite knowing what I’d be driving home in that evening. It’s all tremendous fun, and so many of us have forgotten that over the years because in our line

‘The hire car tingle is very often there in people who walk on my lot.’ of work it’s just another day in the office.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen it in the eyes of my customers. From the young lad who walked onto the lot on his way home from college and was delighted that I came down from my asking price to the contents of that week’s pay packet on a tired Fiesta to the 30-something family man who wasn’t aware that his available line of credit would stretch as far as the Toyota RAV4 his wife had set her heart on until I’d run the numbers through the right finance house, to the buxom nail technician who practically screwed me (in more ways than one) to drive away in a 12-year old MR2. Every time, when I handed over the keys, that little twinkle was there.

It’s just a shame there are laws that stop me from running my forecourt like a hire car counter. First of all, I’d take the customer’s credit card and disappear. Then I’d fill out quite a few forms, ticking all sorts of boxes that added a few more tabs to my profit margin, confuse the poor buggers into signing them and then present them with the keys to something that’s not quite what they asked for in the first place, and is occasionally three times the price.

If I could do it that way, I’d be down on the Costa a lot more than I can afford at present…

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 | 29

helpdesk.

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

Ask Lawgistics

Q& A

Employee contracts

Q

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

I recently sold an old diesel car to a customer and within two weeks he returned it, complaining of a damaged fuel injection pump.

I found this very surprising because although old, the car had not travelled a particularly high mileage, and had been very well maintained.

The customer wanted a full refund but I wasn’t prepared to do that until I had had a chance to find out why the pump had failed. The customer was totally unreasonable and said he would take the case to the county court.

He wouldn’t let me have the pump checked out.

How does the law stand on this? I did manage to get a diesel specialist to make a quick check. In a short space of time he smelled the fuel and said it was likely the car was being run on old chip frying oil.

MJ, Cambridgeshire The fact of the matter is that anyone can sue anyone in the county court but, as they say, the devil is in the detail. In your particular case because the car has broken down so soon after sale you have the job of proving the car was of satisfactory quality when sold rather than the customer having the task of proving it was not so.

The best advice in cases such as this is to get a letter off to the customer straightaway reserving the right to have an examination of the car/pump should the customer decide to issue proceedings.

In this way the District Judge at court will see that you are making a reasonable request with a view to settling the matter before it goes to court.

A

ADVICE

Can a contract of employment still be binding even if an employee never signs it?

DM, Kent A contract of employment must be issued to an employee within eight weeks of beginning their employment with you. Should an employee receive a contract and choose not to, or forget to sign it, however continue to work for you and accept the benefits contained in the contract (hours of pay, wages, holidays etc) then the employee’s conduct will infer agreement to the terms of the contract. As such, a contract will be binding without a signature.

Note that this is different to not issuing an employee with a contract at all and arguing that they have continued to work for you and therefore accept you terms of employment. An employment contract is a fundamental legal document that must be issued to every employee, regardless of their status.

You cannot ask someone to be bound by something that does not exist. It is therefore best practice to issue a contract even before the employee begins work with you.

Failure to provide one in the eight weeks can result in the employee claiming damages of up to four weeks’ pay.

A

All is far from lost if the customer still won’t allow an examination or a report because it is highly likely the court will make an order for a ‘jointly instructed’ expert to examine the car and impartially report back to the court.

‘Jointly instructed’ means each side, the customer and you, can ask the expert to specifically check certain things to give their professional opinion.

In your particular case there is a suspicion that the customer was using old chip frying oil to fuel the car.

If this is the case it can cause serious problems to the operation of the injector pumps and may well have caused the breakdown.

The fact that the vehicle drove so well prior to sale but yet the pump failed so soon afterwards certainly points to the poor fuel being the culprit.

In such a situation, of course the customer is not entitled to reject the car and the court will award in your favour.

Car may have been run on chip oil

Customers can be devious regarding a car’s history Q When I sell a car and the customer has a part-exchange, I like to get the partexchange on my website as soon as possible.

Sometimes I have asked the customer about the service history for a part-exchange and they have assured me it has full service history, but then when they deliver the vehicle to me they suddenly announce they cannot find the service book. What can I do?

LM, Derbyshire Some customers can be far more devious than the worst car dealer. If you advertise the car with, say, ‘full service history’ and this

A

Let Lawgistics help you... ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

can’t be provided, you run the risk of being prosecuted by trading standards and, if you sell the car to a customer on the promise that the service history is ‘to follow’, the customer can sue you either by rejecting the car or by claiming compensation.

It pays to always be suspicious when customers start giving excuses about why they are unable to provide something like a service history. Most people keep service histories in the car, so alarm bells should start ringing when the excuses begin to roll out.

If it is not available, get them to sign on the part-ex section of the sales invoice, the fact that the part-ex is subject to the customer providing the service history booklet/ invoices within a short period. Make a surcharge which you will refund when the documentation is supplied.

And if you can delay advertising the car, do so, because you are running a risk by advertising it with ‘FSH’ if it doesn’t exist.

Don’t rely on the customer’s promise that it will be passed on to the car’s next owner. You will have to carry the can if things go wrong.

Q& A

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

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 31

forecourt.

Infiniti Vettel FX Infiniti’s global chief marketability engineer Jerry Hardcastle talks trials, tribulations and brand goals with James Baggott As job titles go, your new one is a bit of a mouthful. What on earth does it mean?

The role is global chief marketability engineer – it’s a new one and I am it. The role is a bridge between marketing and R&D. The idea is that we have a huge amount of technology in our cars that adds value to customers but it is not always communicated to them. I now sit down with Andy Palmer (the firm’s top man) to write the ads of the future before the cars are even made.

If we were going to sell it today we ask what the advert would look like and if the customer would understand it. That’s a pretty sure way to find out whether the technology you’ve just come up with has got value or not.

of the premium range. We don’t have frugal diesel engines which is why we’re partnered with Daimler. And against Alfa Gulietta and BMW 1 Series we don’t have a product to compete, so we need to close that gap with an entry level Infiniti.

right then sales become right too. Infiniti is strong in the US, China and Russia because the products suit that market. But we do face a challenge in the UK, however with our partnership with Daimler we will have an opportunity.

So you want a volume-selling car then?

Yes, something is needed where we can build volume for the brand. That will allow us to have more dealers and we can build the brand from there. The Qashqai for Nissan was an example of when you get the product right and the marketing

Infiniti has had a tough birth in the UK, is there a long-term future for the brand here?

Of course it’s got a long-term future otherwise we wouldn’t be here. Product will make it a success and the network. We have some good product but I think statistically we only cover 30 per cent

the knowledge Model: Infiniti FX Vettel Edition Price: £100,800 (as tested) Engine: 5.0-litre, V8 petrol Power: 414bhp, 520Nm Max speed: 170mph 0-60mph: 5.6s MPG (comb’d): 21.6 Emissions: 307g/km Residual values (three years): N/A

target buyers:

Those who can’t arrive in the same car as someone else.

the rivals: Overfinch Range Rover, Eterniti, Maserati Levante

Key Selling Points: 1. No-one else will have one.

Probably.

2. It’s caked in carbon fibre.

3. Closest you’ll get to driving same car as Vettel.

Deal Clincher: It’s likely to become a collectors’ item. Possibly.

Searches supplied by Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 13,722 ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Styling

That’s not plastic looky-likey carbon it’s the real deal.

It’s all been designed with Red Bull to make it more aerodynamic.

on test

What is it?

It’s limited to just 50 units in Europe, but for a What’s under

It’s limited to just 50 units in Europe, the bonnet? but as a halo car for a brand that needs A 5.0-litre V8 petrol lump that uses to raise its profile, the Vettel Edition more fuel than Qatar. Probably. Buyers FX is perfect. won’t be too worried about that though – the throaty lump produces 414bhp and 520Nm of torque. There What is it? haven’t been any tweaks under the It’s an exclusive SUV produced to bonnet, but a special exhaust system the specific specification of double Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian has helped improve performance.

Vettel. Limited to just 200 units across There’s even a special button, hidden away by the ash tray, that makes it the world – 50 of which will come to Western Europe – the Infiniti FX Vettel louder. It sounds sublime – like a Edition promises exclusivity to buyers burbling power boat – and it can crack 60mph in 5.6 seconds. loaded enough to part with £100,000.

Infiniti says the £46,000 premium over a standard FX can be justified by its What’s the spec like? exclusivity and the special hospitality Plentiful. This is a top-of-the-range FX buyers will receive. and comes with all the toys luxury

SUV buyers expect. There’s sat nav, Bluetooth, a cracking sound system and leather. The only extra is the carbon fibre spoiler – apparently it’s a £4,800 option because ‘some buyers didn’t like it’. Other Vettel extras include carbon liberally applied to the front and rear splitters, inside and on the door mirrors. The 21-inch BBS alloys are also unique and there’s tasteful purple stitching in the cabin.

All that carbon was designed with the help of Vettel’s Red Bull Racing employers so it’s there to do a job.

What’s it like to drive?

At first we weren’t convinced, but during our time driving this massive

in association with

Sounds good. So what’s the ultimate goal for Infiniti in the UK then?

Well, we won’t declare numbers, but we have the opportunity to beat Lexus if we do it right. The goal at the moment is to strengthen the brand and get recognition.

The numbers will come after that, but we want to be seen and recognised as a premium brand. We want people to aspire to buy one of our cars. It’s a 10-15 year plan, though, it’s not about how many cars we sell now, but what we’ve done to build the brand today. It’s a long journey and it won’t happen overnight.

How are dealers coping?

Dealers are breaking even. But it’s a long road and they have to accept that. We launched at a difficult time and we came to market with a 3.7-litre petrol engine, which didn’t help. Awareness is low, but with Infiniti’s Red Bull partnership in F1 – which has spawned the Vettel FX – it is improving.

People know of Infiniti now and the next stage is making people aware of what the brand is about. We knew it wouldn’t happen overnight. It’s exciting – we’ve just started this and we are not restricted by heritage, we can build this brand from now.

SPOILER

It’s the only optional extra, but an expensive one at £4,800.

Apparently some buyers didn’t like it...

INTERIOR

Red Bull Racing made the carbon fibre for Infiniti and it’s all over the interior. Everyone needs a bit of fibre in their diet...

brand that needs to raise its profile it’s perfect car on the streets of Monaco it slowly won us over. It’s certainly quick and offers up a decent ride quality – it’s not as harsh over bumps as we thought it would be. The steering lacks feel though and we found the paddle-shift seven-speed gearbox slow to respond in some situations.

But that soundtrack is addictive – we didn’t turn the stereo on once in the two days we had with the car.

What do the press think of it?

Well, not many of them had driven it at the time we wrote this. In fact, we were only the second UK publication after Evo to get behind the wheel.

Harry Metcalfe of Evo fame wasn’t

that impressed. He said he struggled to see where the extra money had gone, but loved the noise it made.

What do we think of it?

Infiniti likes to think its FX Vettel Edition will become a collectors’ car.

We’re not so sure about that – it all depends on just how successful the young German driver goes on to be. This is a machine aimed at rich buyers who need a practical car that they’re unlikely to see coming towards them on the King’s Road. That £100k price tag does buy you exclusivity though, and if that’s what you’re looking for then maybe, just maybe, it’s worth the cash. We did say maybe.

EXCLUSIVE Seb Vettel talks to Car Dealer!

Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel exclusively answers our questions on the car (sort of). We’re pretty sure he bashed out the answers on his Blackberry.

We’ve tried to decipher what he really meant to say for you...

Why did you opt for a higher top speed rather than a faster 0-60mph time on this car?

Vettel: As the FX Vettel Edition is inspired by my Formula One car, I wanted the top speed to be as close as possible to the speeds we reach in F1, but for sure we still have to be safe to drive on public roads. I’m pleased that we’ve achieved that.

What he really meant: I need to please my sponsors and mention my Formula 1 car in at least one answer, sorry about that. I tweaked the top speed because I wanted to go really bleeding fast on the Autobahn.

This is the first road car you’ve helped develop would you do it again for another Infiniti model?

Vettel: It was a fun and interesting project to work on and I learnt a lot about the processes that go into road car design. For sure I hope there are more opportunities in the future.

What he really meant: It was a fun and interesting project to work on until I was told we couldn’t get 200mph out of it, add KERS, or get a sub-three-second 0-60mph time.

It was at this point I lost interest and made up for it by changing the price list of the £480 spoiler to £4,800. I did a funny joke!

If you could put your name to any car – past or present – what would it be? And it can’t be an Infiniti…

Vettel: Usually I only give my F1 cars names. We do that as it is a nice reason for sitting together with my mechanics and socialising with them before the season starts.

What he really meant: I was too busy choosing my next brolly dolly (I hold regular, weekly auditions for these) to read your question properly. Soz! Sum up your thoughts on the 2012 F1 season so far and your hopes for the future in the sport?

Vettel: We have seen a very unpredictable season where nobody has really been certain how well they will perform at different race tracks, especially at the beginning of the year. Of course I would like to have won more races in the first half of the year, but we have developed the car well and are now fighting for both titles.

What he really meant: I haven’t won yet – leave me alone.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

forecourt.

Rover’s return What exactly makes a Range Rover different from a Land Rover?

More luxurious appointment, simply. The Range Rover is absolutely rooted in having all the core DNA, but more luxuriously appointed.

Land Rovers are more about being versatile and doing what they say on the tin. With that said, we shouldn’t have a superior level of customer service for the Range Rovers rather than say for a Freelander – people are buying into the brand, and in terms of service everything should be exactly the same.

Jaguar Land Rover MD Jeremy Hicks talks us through the latest generation of an off-road legend want us to exhibit, and how we start to do that.

We’re also thinking ‘can we do more’ in terms of giving people a driving experience. A lot of our customers don’t really go near the terrain response system, and one challenge for us is communicating to them just what their vehicle can do.

customers come in and out of brands, but it is still fairly solid. History is really, really key, but you have to be careful that you don’t get caught up in it too much. We actually had to be really careful in our recent Range Rover ad that it wasn’t a chest-puffing retrospective, and to actually keep looking forwards.

So what sort of customer service goals are you aiming for?

At the moment we’re putting every dealer through a customer immersion programme – where we’re sitting down and looking at what it is our customers want, the behaviours that they

Would you say your customer base has changed since the original Range Rover?

Two things changed really: Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover Evoque. Range Rover customers are pretty solid, Defender equally, and Discovery the same. The Freelander is in a sector where

Any further models on the way? Could the hybrid powertrain spread as far as the Defender?

Depends – anything is possible. If we can have a hybrid Range Rover then you can do a hybrid Defender. And of course we won’t be drawn on

On The Road

The Range Rover is as refined and capable as ever – and more nimble thanks to a sizeable reduction in weight.

t s e t on

e Rang n o i t enera g d r i th geing a t u b llent e c x e its What’s it like to drive? laced p e r A superb cruiser, in short. Thanks to the air s a er h v suspension and even more soundproofing than o R Land before, the Range Rover makes for a fine vehicle

What is it?

The brand new, fourth generation Range Rover.

Designed to be more luxurious and even more capable off-road, Land Rover have shaved a considerable 420kg off the car’s weight – thanks to an all-aluminium body – and redesigned the ‘terrain response’ four-wheel-drive system.

What’s under the bonnet?

Along with the Rangie’s perennial 4.4-litre V8 diesel and 5.0-litre supercharged petrol, Land ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Rover have slotted in the 3.0-litre V6 diesel from the Jaguar XF. Thanks to the car’s weight-loss and aerodynamic improvements, the smaller diesel is perfectly capable of pulling the car along with ease – providing the same performance figures with considerably better fuel economy.

What’s the spec like?

Sumptuous. All the usual Range Rover accoutrements are there – sat nav, electric seats, cameras at each corner of the car – along with a brand new 29-speaker, 1700w Meridian stereo system that’s really rather good. Also new is a Maybach-like rear seating option called ‘Executive Class’ – bringing fully reclining rear seats.

to travel in. We drove it across Morocco, where it handled challenging road surfaces without complaint. What’s more, the weight savings mean it feels surprisingly nimble for a car so large – changing direction surprisingly quickly.

What do the press think?

Auto Express called it ‘an automotive icon improved,’ adding that it ‘does the luxury thing better than many more expensive luxury cars, with off-road ability that’s the best bar none.’ The Sun called the new car ‘a world-class heavyweight contender that delivers things rivals can’t,’ while The Telegraph said it ‘sets a new benchmark for a big SUV.’

in association with whether any further models are on the way, but if the market opportunity is there, then we’d certainly consider filling it.

What’s the average price you’re expecting the new car to sell for specification wise?

Well so far – this is anecdotal really – but so far, most of the cars dealers are speccing out are around £95,000, which we’d expect really. Most of them are going to be existing Range Rover owners, saying, ‘I don’t need to test-drive it, I’m having one’. The V6 mix isn’t that high, but that’s something we’re expecting will pick up over time.

I might be wrong, but I suspect the existing Range Rover buyers will head straight for the V8s.

Are we right in thinking the new 3.0-litre diesel is made by Ford in Dagenham?

That’s right. We’re in the process of planning to build our own engines now, and that’s something that’ll start to happen as of 2014. In fact the factory’s already started construction up in Wolverhampton. But I like the idea that we’re employing more people in Britain – when I

started it was 20,000, and now it’s 25,000.

How are JLR doing in general?

Well. Jaguar actually has the capability to grow – last month with XF we got over 30 per cent, XK equally if you take out diesel rivals, and with XJ we’re neck-and-neck at 25 per cent. So in actual fact we need to have more cars. The Range Rover was down slightly as it’s a run-out model now, but Land Rover in general is up.

How have TATA been as owners?

Fantastic, fantastic. They’ve given us almost complete autonomy. They have a great interest in the company, attending design reviews with Ian (Callum) and Gerry (McGovern), they will come and have a real interest in what’s going on. We have a thing called TATA business excellence, where they come and review us financially, but basically we’re left to our own devices. I’ve only met Rattan (Tata) once, but he has a number two – Ravi – and he’s over quite a lot, which is good.

Engines

Three are on offer – two diesels and a V8 petrol. We particularly like the economicalyet-powerful 3.0-litre V6 diesel.

w nd ne a r b a r with e v o R

t. iven i r d s a eay h R n o Styling l. J The attractive exterior mode

What do we think?

The old Range Rover was fantastic and its replacement manages to be even better. The interior is beautiful, its road manners are superb, and with a 900mm wading depth it’s now even more capable off-road too. A worthy continuation of the legendary badge.

Cabin

It’s as luxurious and solid as you’d expect for a Range Rover – but now more beautifully designed and far less cluttered.

echoes the old model, but with a lower roofline and softer windscreen angle for a sportier look.

the knowledge Model: Land Rover Range Rover 3.0TDV6 Autobiography Price: £93,145 (as tested) Engine: 3.0-litre, V6 diesel Power: 254bhp, 600Nm Max speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 7.3s MPG (comb’d): 37.7 Emissions: 196g/km Residual values (three years): tbc

target buyers:

Existing customers, luxury saloon owners, new buyers after a luxurious 4x4.

the rivals: Mercedes-Benz GL, MercedesBenz S Class, Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, Lexus LS.

Key Selling Points: 1. More nimble than before.

2. More luxurious inside.

3. Better off-road than ever.

Deal Clincher:

No other car matches its offroad ability with such luxury.

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forecourt.

in association with

INTERIOR

All five seating positions have been redesigned to provide increased levels of comfort and support.

CONSTRUCTION

New Golf uses the ‘MQB platform’ which helps VW gain economies of scale within its component companies.

TECHNOLOGY

High-tech goodies galore are available including adaptive cruise control and city emergency braking.

VW Golf

Cleaner, greener and lighter, the new Volkswagen Golf arrives in the UK early next year. Dave Brown gets a sneak preview What is it?

The new, seventh-generation version of VW’s celebrated small family car and it’s VERY impressive. It’s longer, wider, lower and more spacious, yet lighter and more efficient than ever.

It’s all new – but VW says the car is all about evolution not revolution.

So while instantly recognisable as a Golf (although the design of the body around the C pillar has been sharpened up), there are plenty of innovations beneath the surface. New production techniques contribute to Golf Mk7 being up to 100kg lighter than its predecessor, and a whopping 23 per cent more fuel-efficient.

What’s under the bonnet?

At launch, a choice of four petrol engines and two diesel. Two of the petrol engines are 1.2-litre TSI units (producing 83bhp and 103bhp) while the other two are 1.4 TSI units producing either 120bhp or 138bhp. The latter has ‘active cylinder technology’ which deactivates part of the engine under certain loads, improving fuel economy and reducing

emissions. The oil-burners are 1.6 and 2.0-litre units. Our pick was the 2.0litre diesel, refined and nimble with plenty of mid-range torque.

What’s the spec like?

Pretty good and there are plenty of add-ons. The S trim level (which starts at £16,330) includes body-coloured door handles, bumpers and mirrors, driver’s knee airbag and electronic tyre pressure monitoring system. SE starts at £18,935 and adds brushed stainless steel inserts in dash and door panels and a leather-trimmed multi-function steering wheel. GT starts at £21,451 and includes gloss black decorative inserts in the dash and sports suspension, lowered by about 10mm.

impressive and represents a big step forward for VW’s best-seller. As a couple of hacks on the press launch in Sardinia were heard to comment: “I’d spend my own money on that.” Praise doesn’t come any higher.

What do the press think of it?

What Car? said: ‘The steering offers plenty of reassurance and the car manages to blend a comfortable ride with good body control.’ The Sun commented: ‘The Golf has an aura about it. There’s nothing special in the way it looks but, somehow, everyone’s impressed by it. There’s something about the solid, simple lines that seems to reassure people.’

What’s it like to drive?

What do we think of it?

Very impressive. Minor niggles?

Perhaps a couple of (dare we say it?) cheap-feeling plasticky bits in the interior of the 1.4-litre petrol car we drove, and it was foot-to-the-floor time to get the acceleration needed for one particular overtaking manoeuvre, but overall the new Golf is hugely

After nearly 40 years of producing the Golf, you might have expected Volkswagen to have got it right by now. Well, that’s indeed the case. The magnificent seventh generation Golf delivers on all fronts. It’s high-tech, super-safe and greener than any Golf has been before. We like.

the knowledge Model: Volkswagen Golf Price: £21,960 (as tested) Engine: 2.0-litre, diesel.

Power: 148bhp Max speed: 134mph 0-60mph: 6.2 secs MPG (comb’d): 68mpg Emissions: 106g/km Residual values (three years): tbc

target buyers: Golf fans, fleet buyers, families keen on VW’s quality and reliability.

the rivals: Ford Focus, Volvo V40, Vauxhall Astra, Audi A3.

Key Selling Points: 1. Retains its value exceptionally well.

2. More than 29 million buyers worldwide can’t be wrong!

3. New generation of easy-to-use touch-screen infotainment systems.

Deal Clincher:

The whole Golf package is sure to appeal.

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forecourt.

in association with

INSIDE

ON THE ROAD

Many interior plastics feel cheap, but touch-screen media centre is good – and should interest younger buyers.

Clio now handles very capably indeed – almost as well as the Fiesta, in fact.

Refinement excellent as ever.

ENGINES

0.9-litre petrol quiet and capable, if not as punchy as Fiat’s TwinAir. 1.5-litre diesel great too, and gets 88.3mpg.

Renault Clio

The Clio is a hugely significant car for Renault – and now an allnew version is about to hit showrooms. Jon Reay has driven it What is it?

Facelift or not, Renault’s outgoing Clio has never been a market leader. The current generation model appeared back in 2006 and six years on it’s feeling just a little outclassed. This is the brand new model – designed to give the Papas and Nicoles a reason to put down a deposit once again.

What’s under the bonnet?

A 0.9-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol outputting 90bhp and 135Nm of torque, and managing 62.8mpg on the combined cycle. It’s not an engine that feels overly fast but it rarely feels out of breath and even makes quite a nice noise. A new 1.2-litre petrol is also available, along with a 1.5-litre diesel that hits an impressive 88.3mpg combined.

What’s the spec like?

Not bad at all. From ‘Dynamique’ upwards, all come with ‘MediaNav’ – a touchscreen in the middle of the dash that handles navigation, music and more. Bluetooth integration is standard across the range, as is a USB port and keyless

go. Options include a reversing camera and ‘R-Link’ – an upgrade for MediaNav that can download and install apps, and even send emails or Twitter updates from voice commands.

though, and refinement is up as well – the 0.9-litre engine is eerily quiet during motorway cruising.

What DO THE PRESS THINK?

The Telegraph says ‘really lovely outside, not so lovely inside, but comfortable, spacious and practical’, A big step up over the outgoing while Autocar reckon ‘it’ll certainly model. The new Clio doesn’t quite make you think twice about buying handle with the poise of the that Fiesta.’ Auto Express meanwhile Fiesta but it’s not far off. Ride think ‘the thoughtful design quality isn’t bad either, while combines practicality and flair, inside refinement is excellent – keeping and out, while the huge range of road and engine noise minimal all the personalisation should be a useful way up to Italian motorway speeds. money-spinner’, and What Car is Both the 0.9-litre petrol and 1.5-litre happy to praise the new model’s diesel engines get our thumbs-up too, ‘meatier’ steering feel at all speeds. remaining quiet yet perky.

What’s it like to drive?

Is it any good?

While the new Clio looks smart, the interior quality is a bit of a let-down.

The ‘Piano Black’ plastic feels tacky and attracts fingerprints, while the vents seem flimsy. Lack of visibility over the shoulder is really annoying, too – not helped by the integrated rear door handles. Ride and handling are much improved over the old car,

What do we think?

The Clio has changed rather a lot in its 22-year life and this, the fourth generation, is the most grown-up of them all. It handles better than previous Clios, yet remains refined.

We’re not fans of the interior, though – in too many places it looks and feels cheaper than the last generation, even with fancy new equipment. Is it enough to put off buyers? No.

the knowledge Model: Renault Clio TCe 90 Dynamique MediaNav Price: £13,995 Engine: 0.9-litre, petrol Power: 89bhp, 135Nm Max speed: 113mph 0-60mph: 12s MPG (comb’d): 62.8 Emissions: 104g/km Residual values (three years): tbc

target buyers: Existing Clio owners, tech-savvy men/women in their 20s.

the rivals: Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Peugeot 208, Toyota Yaris.

Key Selling Points: 1. More kit than most rivals.

2. Handles second only to Fiesta.

3. Renault 4+ warranty package.

Deal ClincherS: Striking French design now coupled with great ride & handling.

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forecourt.

in association with INSIDE

The interior is well-built showing Mercedes is back on form. There’s plenty of clever tech, too.

LOOKS

Gone is the old A-Class’s mini-MPV styling and in comes a more conventional premium hatchback look.

ENGINES

Mercedes A Class

All engines are turbocharged and Mercedes thinks the A 180 and A 200 CDI models will be the best-sellers.

The new A-Class has ditched its old mini-MPV packaging and is now a sporty hatchback. James Batchelor has driven it What is it?

What’s the spec like?

Mercedes-Benz calls this the most important car they’ve offered for a generation – and that’s quite some statement. But it’s easy to understand their enthusiasm. The new A is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor. Gone is the old A-Class’s mini-MPV styling and safety-first packaging, and in comes a more conventional premium hatchback look. It’s only available as a five-door version but there’s a coupe and miniSUV on the cards.

There’s a vast range of models.

The line-up starts with the A 180 for £18,945, which comes with air conditioning, a multifunction steering wheel and stop/start. For now, the range peaks with the Engineered

by AMG at £28,775. The pick of the line-up is the mid-spec Sport – which ranges from £21,240 to £24,720, and has niceties such as 17-inch bi-colour alloys, cruise control, carbon-fibre-like interior trim and twin exhausts.

What’s under the bonnet?

Kicking off the line-up is the A 180 BlueEFFICIENCY – a 1.6-litre, 120bhp petrol which emits 129g/km of CO2 and can achieve 51.4mpg combined.

There’s also a 154bhp 1.6 and a 209bhp 2.0-litre. For diesel the line-up ranges from a 98g/km, 1.4-litre unit with 107bhp, right up to a 2.1-litre, 168bhp unit.

The most popular engines are expected to be the 1.4-litre diesel and the 1.8-litre diesel. Coming next year is the hot A 45 AMG.

What’s it like to drive?

It may share the same name with the old A-Class, but there’s no wobbly body control with this new one; this is a very competent machine. Mercedes has worked hard to give the A-Class a neutral driving experience – no understeer or oversteer – and it has worked. Cornering is flat, the steering weighty, the driving position is close to spot-on and the new seven-speed dual clutch gearbox is a peach. The ride, however, seems unnecessarily hard for UK roads, spoiling the driving experience a little.

What do the press think of it?

Autocar said: ‘The new A-Class is a divisive car. It appeals with its new looks and sporty demeanour, but its hard ride may limit its chances of success in the UK.’ Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph said: ‘With the right suspension, the new A-class has a fine ride combined with some of the best engines in the game.’ Auto Express liked the car but felt the ‘ride is just too firm’. Honest John concluded: ‘The A-Class struggles to compete with the BMW 1 Series for handling. Will have to shake off dull image of previous Mercedes A-Class.’

What do we think of it?

Mercedes has built a class act here.

The firm has sold 2.1 million units of the A-Class since its introduction in 1997 – but, interesting looks aside, both the Mk1 and Mk2 never got your pulse racing. This new one does; it’s not as fun to drive as a BMW 1 Series, but it’s far more stimulating than the new Audi A3. It’s one of the best Mercedes in recent years.

the knowledge Model: Mercedes A 200 CDI Price: £33,240 (as tested) Engine: 1.8-litre, diesel.

Power: 134bhp Max speed: 130mph 0-60mph: 9.0 secs MPG (comb’d): 65.7mpg Emissions: 114g/km Residual values (three years): tbc

target buyers: Conquest buyers, mostly – and that’s Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series buyers.

the rivals: Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Volvo V40

Key Selling Points: 1. Sporty new styling that ditches dumpy MPV look.

2. Really good to drive – even if the ride is firm.

3. Clever safety systems to avoid accidents come as standard across the range.

Deal Clincher:

Now a proper premium and sporty hatchback.

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forecourt. the knowledge Model: Hyundai Veloster Turbo SE Price: £21,995 Engine: 1.6-litre, turbocharged petrol Power: 184bhp, 265Nm Max speed: 133mph 0-60mph: 8.4s MPG (comb’d): 40.9 Emissions: 157g/km Residual values (three years): 37 per cent

target buyers:

‘Warm’ hatch buyers looking for something a little different.

the rivals:

VW Scirocco, Vauxhall Astra GTC, Renault Megane 3dr, Citroen DS4.

Key Selling Points:

1. Funky Veloster now has more power.

2. CO2 and fuel economy figures low.

3. Plenty of kit for the money.

Deal Clincher:

More equipment and edgier styling than rivals.

Searches supplied by Monthly AutoTrader.co.uk searches: 19,442

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Hyundai Veloster Turbo SE

The Veloster has always been down on power – it is hoped the new Turbo model addresses this. Jon Reay has driven it.

What is it?

by the everyday soundtrack that accompanies that acceleration – it just doesn’t sound as fast as it goes or looks.

The Veloster has always been a bit of an oddball choice in the small coupe segment, but its biggest issue was a slight lack of power. This, the new Turbo model, is designed to fix that – providing a little extra oomph over the standard car, along with some extra kit and various styling tweaks as well.

What’s under the bonnet?

The standard Veloster’s 1.6-litre GDI petrol engine, now fitted with a turbocharger. This brings the mundane 138bhp power output up to a more racy 184bhp, and drops the 0-60mph figure from 9.7 to 8.4 seconds. CO2 emissions of 157g/km mean a low tax bracket, too, while 40.9 mpg combined makes it a relatively easy purchase to justify.

What do the press think?

seats on the inside. The stereo gets an upgrade, too – now eight speakers instead of four, with an additional amp and subwoofer. A well-executed sat nav is also bundled in along with a reversing camera – both displayed on the standard seven-inch touch screen.

What’s it like to drive?

The Turbo is good fun to throw around the corners, and the boosts in power and torque certainly make themselves What’s the spec like? known. It works well as a relaxed cruiser, too – settling down quietly in Not bad at all. The Turbo gets a unique bodykit and 18-inch alloy wheels on the sixth gear at motorway speeds, even outside, and Turbo-emblazoned heated, if the ride is a little on the firm side.

However, we were left disappointed electrically operated leather sports

Hyundai Santa Fe What is it?

Hyundai’s new Santa Fe – updating the SUV to the firm’s new corporate look, bringing more niceties for passengers.

What’s under the bonnet?

We warmed to the Veloster Turbo.

We like its performance and its wellthought-out interior and we even like its bizarre looks. With reasonable CO2 emissions and 40.9 mpg combined, it’s easy to justify it long-term – providing performance without headacheinducing running costs. It’s a shame its bark isn’t as exciting as its bite.

Model: Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRDI Premium 5 Seat Auto Price: £30,695 Engine: 2.2-litre, turbocharged diesel Power: 194bhp, 436Nm Max speed: 118mph 0-60mph: 10.1s MPG (comb’d): 41.5 Emissions: 178g/km Residual values (three years): 35 per cent

target buyers:

A 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine only – though that’s by no means a bad thing. It outputs 194bhp and manages 47.9 mpg on the combined cycle in 2WD manual form. The 4WD automatic we tested is rated at just 41.5 mpg, though.

Existing owners, imageconscious MPV buyers.

the rivals:

Kia Sorento, Mitsubishi Outlander, Chevrolet Captiva, Nissan Qashqai+2.

tuned the damping for the UK market What’s the spec like? to decrease body roll but the Santa Fe Comprehensive. Heated front seats still flops around a little too much for come as standard, as does electric our liking. For most buyers that’s fine adjustment on the driver’s side. From but our long-term Mitsubishi Outlander premium upwards, cars get a 10-speaker is more enjoyable to drive. stereo system, too, along with built-in sat nav.

What do the press

It’s no sports car – Hyundai say they’ve

What do we think?

the knowledge

Hyundai has revised its popular Santa Fe full-size SUV. Can it steal a few potential MPV buyers? Jon Reay reports.

What’s it like to drive?

The Telegraph said: ‘Impressively sporting, but with some rough edges including the fierce ride and inconsistent steering’, while Autocar said: ‘It’s much improved over the standard car but still no performance coupé benchmark.’ What Car? said: ‘The Veloster Turbo might be quicker and a little more composed than its stablemates but it’s every bit as odd.’

think?

What Car? says it ‘makes a fine alternative to an MPV’, while Autocar says it ‘mixes a little bit of quality,

desirability and dynamism with the versatility and practicality for which we loved the old one’.

What do we think?

We really like the way the Santa Fe looks – the sharp styling hides its dimensions well, even if the rear visibility is compromised as a result.

We’re not such fans of the way it drives but overall the Santa Fe makes a fine MPV rival.

Key Selling Points: 1. Better quality interior than rivals.

2.More attractive than the average MPV. 3. Some off-road ability to boot.

Deal Clincher:

MPV practicality without the boxy looks.

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Feature.

The Big BEN Rally 2012

gain Spain The

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Little do these passengers know they’ve been joined by Norfolk’s finest radio DJ

Jon Reay reports on this year’s adventure to somewhere far away in a rubbish car in aid of BEN

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espite being somewhat of a Car Dealer newbie – and having only ever bought one car before in my short little life – I was surprisingly unperturbed by s banger. the task of having to locate this year’ usual the on long too After all, I spend far inary imag with nd arou ng playi classified sites too be to g goin r neve was it so ets, budg difficult, right? ders Sort of. Trouble is, all these £500 won past ling scrol ally casu e you’r as y may look lovel ground, back the in le erda Emm with them self little but as soon as you start asking your us to Spain get to this questions like ‘Do I trust ier. trick bit a get s and back?’, thing himself Even more helpfully, CarDealerEd from. work to ts had given me some constrain an,’ Germ lly idea and e, ‘It needs to be an estat e onlin t wen tely edia imm I So, he told me. n. and purchased a 1995 Rover saloo to In fairness, there was some method nerd e bridg Long any as my madness. Firstly, of full so are rs Rove s 1990 t mos will tell you, Japanese be well as may they that bits da Hon – hello reliability.

Rover Secondly, we’re not talking any old less: no , gold in ing Sterl 827 an – barge here personal the as en chos el mod same very the . That’s transportation of a Mr Alan Partridge . then bag, the in e our fancy dress them ed, popp I and Batch ands Midl the So off to a heap in car a of heap a find to cting expe off and of an area – numberplates dangling risingly Surp g. arkin s-a-b neighbours’ Rottweiler r. rosie far were gs though, thin Batch The neighbourhood wasn’t great – as e hom later described the owners’ ing Up being ‘like Onslow’s house in Keep – but the e’ wors s time 20 only Appearances, d. soun ly rkab rema was r Rove

Kiss my face... but not while I’m driving. You should know that Lynn

The electric seats, windows and sunroof all worked beautifully, and the old girl started without complaint. Only a broken CD changer and dodgy fuel flap showed the car’s age – backed up by the distinct aroma of stale tobacco from every orifice.

I’m sure you can see where this is going: We bought it there and then, not least because of Batch’s keenness to leave before having to accept a cup of tea from a severely chipped mug.

A ‘quick’ trip back to Gosport at a steady 61mph followed, the Sterling getting a solid thumbs up for its smooth ride and armchairlike seats. It would’ve been wonderfully relaxing, Batch told me, if only he wasn’t scared a wheel might fall off.

Having not personally experienced three French motorway breakdowns followed by brief incarceration in a lift, I wasn’t the least bit worried about such things – and so on the morning of our departure, I gave the old girl a good thrash.

Clearly it worked – despite leaving rather late, and our borrowed sat nav trying to

Thunderbirds are go... or in a queue for a skinny latte

field of persuade me that Batch lived in a time. From in just r Dove in ed arriv wheat, we iver co-dr tive posi evermy as out, on here lem. prob AA’s the reminded me, the car was than right more be t migh Suspecting Batch the for ne beeli a e mak to ed decid wrong, I – perhaps AA chaps upon boarding the ferry be keener ’d they ds hoping that if I made frien e. rescu r’s to come to our Rove Evidently, my plan wasn’t entirely and Andy necessary. Two of the four – Brian

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 45

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Feature. helpfully equivalent of the Highways Agency s. lane the closing two of from the On the upside though, the views ing show visitor’s centre were spectacular, full its to e bridg the sheer scale of the to take in extent. I personally found it hard of a sight the end preh com to ult diffic – it’s

The Rover made it to Millau .

Cue a nice sit-down on Thunderbirds garden ben ch

The Marshall team won the tch. best-dressed award from Ba t ha lby Tri Purely for the super

Batch says...

HOW do you dress like Partridge? By hitting the internet that’s how. A vintage 1970s double-breasted green blaze r was found on that website called eBay (for a sum of £30) and a couple of roll-n ecks were purchased from a sports retai ler for a mere £4 each, Naturally, the beige trousers and brown suede brogues were mine... but you knew that anyw ay.

It was all going so well, until none of the other Big BEN teams knew what we were dressed as. Embarrassing.

This sign reads Calais, Centre. We passed it at 400mph on the way home.

– had already rescued Car Dealer from HMS Ark Volvo last year, while father and son team John and Todd gave our Honda-engined 827 their pre-emptive thumbs up.

More familiar faces soon appeared – this time in the form of Wags and Rob from the West country, CD’s saviours in a Hyundai XG from last year’s event.

The pair certainly couldn’t be accused of not putting in the effort this year – arriving in a Thunderbird 2-inspired Nissan Maxima QX, complete with operational fins and a B&Qstyle rear afterburner.

As it turns out, they weren’t the only ones.

Contact Advantage’s suitably Scottish Honda Civic was looking mighty fine too, dressed in – guess what – tartan with a fluorescent ginger roof. Even Cooper Solutions’ graffiti-covered Astra estate was getting looks.

Next to these, our distinctly unmodified Rover was starting to appear a bit dull. A quick survey of ferry passengers revealed that nobody really understood our costumes either.

Still, at least we tried.

Off the ferry and out into northern France we went – enjoying an admittedly brief stint in a convoy with BEN’s Kelly Neal and the AA chaps; Batch attempting to get his money’s worth from the Partridge mask we’d brought along for the ride too.

As the others peeled off into the services, we weren’t to see another British numberplate for a few hundred miles: tackling the dreadfully dull French autoroutes alone, all the way to our overnight stop in Limoges. Still, at least the mighty Rover made it without complaint. I think that’s all that Batch could have hoped for and more.

Day two

ng the same Finally... somethi the Rover. shade of beige as And age.

Thankfully, day two brought with it some far more interesting sights. Discussed over dinner, the idea was to head to Barcelona via the famous Millau viaduct – perhaps even sneaking in a few photos while we drove over it.

As is the case with all good plans, this immediately failed on execution – the French

structure so vast.

The perhaps accidental bonus of this used visit was, surprisingly, the roads we s that road toll the ng doni Aban . there to get we us, rupt were quickly starting to bank manner were treated to drives on a whole towns nt quai ugh thro – s route of different ches of stret ing twist g alon and ges, villa and her anot ly tarmac that saw us pass bare road user. r It was on such a stretch that our Rove g at 60mph alon ing Driv us. fy terri to ed decid ng from with Je Suis FM or something blari enly sudd were we kers, the parcel shelf spea e. nois ing met by an alarm Edith It wasn’t a warbling Brigitte Bardot, el, whe de offsi Piaf or similar – but the front ate rson impe to ed decid which had seemingly . lathe l stria indu an the sound of ce of So, out we jumped to survey the sour sed reali we that t the noise. It was at this poin so for; ing look were we t we had no idea wha and in back ed hopp kick, quick a gave the tyre . fine’ ably ‘prob be to it red decla hit It was. Many, many hours later we ing mak – et suns for Barcelona just in time even feel city n lonia Cata warm ly the pleasant g. omin welc more rest A few very expensive beers with the us famo the to visit a and of the competitors ’t-at-isn l-tha edra cath d Gaudi-designe two haircathedral followed, sandwiched by it , lona raising taxi journeys. In Barce fact a would seem, the ultimate car is in XL. Seat Altea

Day three on with It was the next morning that we got ng off Setti gh. thou ng, visiti the real reason for ss bypa to bid a in ck o’clo at sWh at GodKnow sights for our set we , hour rush ish Span the Sabadell, just north of Barcelona. tually There, in a maze of streets, we even Crist de sia Esglé The n: natio desti found our our over ing hand be we’d re whe ch, chur what shoeboxes. I must admit, it’s not quite . we were expecting and Turning up with our convoy of cars were in t wha of s boxe ng ibuti distr ily hast s’, I’ve essence basic, low priced ‘essential life. my in h touc never felt so out of g were To us the six cars we’d brought alon plastic and l meta of bits – scrap y tivel effec toss away if we were quite prepared to simply they broke. here Inside the church’s lobby, though, gs thin ugh thro g riflin le peop were

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 47

Feature. of want, but other people didn’t want – not out necessity. trying It didn’t help that, while Batch was elder one his best to communicate with the nd arou g derin wan who spoke English, I was £600 ing carry y Baile d Davi be inside trying to ne on the of camera with a ridiculous micropho looked I have t top. Quite how insensitive I mus don’t dare think about. ved, Luckily our donations were well recei for e rienc expe bling hum a still was but it by our time Batch and I – made even more so -anddrop a r rathe restraints, turning it into dash affair. g Still, job done so off we set – optin ges. for a more direct route back to Limo into While other teams decided to go high so quite ng feeli n’t were we the Pyrenees, the adventurous, perhaps fearful that halfway Rover’s brakes would throw a strop

Batch doesn’t speak Spanis h.

These Spanish people don’t speak English... awkward.. .

down a hill. sat nav for We did at least prove to be a useful followed who , Astra their and team ow the CvW and lona us (sort of) successfully out of Barce toll a at , until did they into France. Or rather gold our er, bord ch Fren the of h booth just nort stop. to ded man com was r Rove n– A particularly surly French policema d dere wan ly simp complete with gun – uttered straight out in front of our car, and you have ‘Oi, of lines the g alon g ethin som

come from Spain?’ amenably, ‘Je suis Anglais,’ Batch said to him . cked if slightly pani back at us Roughly translated, what got spat ce.

Fran in e was ‘Yes, and I’m French. You’r e com you re befo uage Try learning my lang back again’.

Dealer Needless to say, he’s not on the Car ers offic r Christmas card list. The two othe more far were car who looked over the seem to accommodating – even if they did rwear a little unde ’s Batch ugh thro g riflin y enjo too much. to our Despite all this, we did make it back us a ing allow : time d recor in stop mid-France l’s pitiful hote the at away e whil to s hour few excuse for a bar.

Batch) It was here that Batch and I (mostly who lady, tal orien dly frien a to got chatting doing were we earth on t wha to as ired enqu in Limoges.

‘It’s mostly a place of business,’ she es here explained to us. ‘Nobody really com for here le peop see to so , work for pt exce

tourism is prett y unusual!’ oy had Effectively, our bonkers six-car conv Stokeof t valen equi ch Fren the rocked up in rent. on-T ed As Batch flirted with her and I sipp and John by d joine my mojito, we were ssing Naomi from Cooper Solutions. Bypa route, they rent diffe a take to s ntain mou the into a informed us they’d even dropped on wine. up stock to ge southern French villa they until – us jealo quite rally I was natu e, cost three bottl one the just was it d aine expl

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

euros and came from Spar. Don’t think any of us had quite got the hang of this booze cruise business.

That’s nothing compared to the journey the rest of the teams took, though – their Pyrenees adventure had brought with it tiny roads, immovable cattle and even snow.

The views en route more than made up for it – or so I’m told, anyway – facts that went no way to dispelling my envy. And just to add insult to injury, the mint in my man-drink wasn’t even that fresh. Tsk.

Day four The next morning brought with it a fresh feeling in the air – if not an entirely fresh Batch.

While I’d been a social recluse and headed to bed the night before, he’d popped out with the CvWow chaps to enjoy the one bar Limoges had to offer... and things had become a bit lively.

As such, I volunteered to do the majority of the day’s driving while he got some shut-eye in the passenger seat – half because I’m just a nice person, but mostly because I could drive a bit faster if he wasn’t looking.

After a quick photo-shoot in the car park, helpfully accompanied by a BMW 3 Series driver who insisted on parking his car right in shot, we were on our way, desperately trying to make up the time spent snapping.

Judging by the sat nav’s estimates, it wasn’t going to be enough. We’d arrive at 5:45, it said, 30 minutes after our ferry departed, and nearly an hour after the final check-in.

Not if I could help it. Breezing along the French A-roads and flashing many-a-lorry to ‘get out of the sodding way’, I knocked that down by over an hour. Until, that is, we hit Paris.

As we discovered on the first leg of the trip, you’ve got two options

No this isn’t a one of Jon’s hats. It’s the Sagrada Familia ... obviously.

We raided Clarks to bring Barcelona brogues. Possibly.

Batch says...

BEHIND all the fun and games, dropping off our shoe boxes at the Església de Crist church was the real reason for the journey. And I can honestly say it was the most hum bling and emotional experience I’ve ever had.

When we arrived, there was a group of resp ectable looking people queuing up outside the church, and once the doors opened, they dashed in to get the pick of the cloth es and some food. This was the most potent example of how Spain – a European power house – is struggling financially.

t their People queue to ge clothes hands on the best

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Feature.

The auction

when travelling to southern France. One is to drive around the Paris equivalent of the North Circular; the other is to get out and walk.

This time though, the abominable sat nav decided to create a third choice – sending us right through the city centre. It was, surprisingly, a rather nice little detour.

Sunroof open, we watched Parisian life as it happened – even if that did include some slightly evasive driving.

I enjoyed it very much. Batch, I suspect, did not... or at least that’s the impression I got from the copious groans as I threaded our sedate Longbridge barge through the hyperactive traffic.

Lovely as it was, though, the lead I’d worked so hard to build up was now completely gone. What’s worse, with smaller, busier roads now making up the majority of the route, there was less opportunity to regain some time – we really were up against it.

Driving at some slightly ridiculous speeds (your honour) and getting flashed by what I thought was a wheelie bin at one point, the journey to Calais wasn’t a pleasant one, but we eventually made it with quite literally

Partridge wasn’t there to buy it back. Sad face.

seconds to spare.

Other teams weren’t quite so lucky. We met the Contact Advantage Scotsmen and a lessstartlingly dressed Wags and Rob aboard the Pride of Kent, but there was no sign of any other teams... or the AA vans.

As we now know, they’d quite sensibly decided to get a later crossing. It really is true what they say: You drive for the ferry like it’s the last journey you’ll ever take.

Still, arriving in Dover I couldn’t help but think what an astonishing task we – and the car – had achieved.

Just a week before we were terrified this £500 lump of Rover wouldn’t make it as far as Gosport, and yet here it was – Barcelona and back in four days, still in one piece.

What’s more, it wasn’t alone. Not a single breakdown occurred over the entire four days: An amazing feat in itself.

With next year’s event already being planned though, and a trip to the Nurburgring on the cards, choosing a car isn’t about to get any easier. After all, much as Batch and I loved having the Sterling as company, I’m not sure either of us fancied piloting it around Germany’s most fearsome race circuit… Well, would you?

Just two weeks later and we were reunited with our mighty Patridgemobile once again, waiting proudly at BCA’s Blackbushe auction house, prised and ready to go under the hammer.

Joined by BCA’s PR man Tim Naylor, BEN’s Kelly Neal and I waited in anticipation as the cars began to flood through.

First was Wags and Rob’s eye-catching Thunderbird 2 Nissan Maxima – creating a bit of a stir as it followed a trio of chalkboard-grey Audi A5s into the room.

Selling for £375 – complete with vinyl graphics that would impress even Gerry Anderson – someone got rather a bargain in the fully dealer-serviced barge.

Second was the Scottish-inspired Civic from Contact Advantage, its ginger roof sadly finding few friends, selling for £150.

Next was Marshall group’s Citroen C5, on an

05 plate, the newest car of the group. Going for an impressive £750, the Cambridge chaps can certainly be proud.

Fourth came our mighty Rover – its gold paint shining beautifully under the bright lights of the auction floor. Sadly, nobody loved it quite as much as Batch and I – its highest bid just £400. Still, considering it reeked of smoke, was the oldest car there and got mistakenly listed as a 214 Si, I don’t think that’s too bad.

Fifth was Cooper Solutions’ Astra estate covered in graffiti and apparently a Cat C writeoff, it managed £140 – while CvWow’s newer Vauxhall went for £650.

That’s a total of £2,465 for BEN before BCA’s donated buyers’ fees are thrown in.

Not bad, but we reckon we can do better next year. Perhaps we shouldn’t have banked on Partridge fans being in the auction room…

The results Team Car B ought for Marshall Group Citroe n C5 2.2 Exclusive £500 CvWow/Evans Halshaw Vauxhal l Astra 1.6 Active £1 Car Dealer Magazine Rover 827 Sterling £500 Coombe Down Garage Nissa n Maxima QX 2.0 £500 Contact Advantage Hond a Civic Aerodeck £0 Cooper Solutions Vauxhall Astra 1.4 Estate £375 TOTAL RAISED FROM CAR SAL ES: £2,465 TOTAL RAISED FROM SPONSORS HIP: £2,262.69

Sold for £750 £650 £400 £375 £150 £140

Profit £250 £649 -£100 -£125 £150 -£235

Grand total £4,727.69

Special thanks aaaaan!

Dan! Dan! Daaa ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Roof-mounted ornaments don’t come any weirder than this Reay-of-light

The Big BEN Rally couldn’t have taken place without the help and support of the following people. So big thanks go to the AA, P&O, BCA, and of course all those who took part. And a special mention too to Esglesia de Crist church, Barcelona for their warm welcome and hospitality. Here’s to next year’s Big BEN Rally!

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Feature.

£50 I’ve got my eye on that car CONTEST

Wheeler Dealer crown!

After my confidence got a small hammering, I took a bit of a Punto that seemed to pay off – despite a dodgy stereo and some iffy electrics

James’ story

current tally

£1,625

A

fter a disastrous few weeks devoid of any car action on the £50 Car Challenge front and a setback in the shape of a Korean crap box clocking up my first loss, my confidence had taken a bit of a kicking. It didn’t help knowing Brewer had found his German tank and was readying it for a sharpish sale either.

So it was time to pull myself together and do what journalists do best – blag something to get me back into the lead. With a little over a grand in my sky rocket I knew there were some tidy bargains to be had and when I started looking, the September 62-plate change had just dumped a load of part-exchanges ripe for the picking into dealers.

So I tapped into that opportunity.

A few cheeky tweets to the CEO of Vertu Motors, Robert Forrester, and my pleas for help were answered. Despite his busy schedule, the big bossman took a break from poring over stock market announcements and sales forecasts to find me a motor to haul Brewer over the coals with.

When I say take a break, obviously I mean took a break from the important stuff to find the time to delegate my request to his Bristol Street Motors used-car disposal chief. A few phone calls between me and Arnie Hunter and we found a motor ripe for the plucking.

Hunter had spoken to his contacts at BCA, which handles the group’s disposals, and they’d helped find me a car with tax, MOT and some decent history.

The 53-reg Fiat Punto had just 38,000 miles on the clock, two owners and a service book stamped up all the way to its last checkup in July this year. Bonus. Vertu wanted £1,000 for it and after checking our Auto Trader App we knew this was a pretty good deal.

Deal done, BCA delivered it to our offices and it sat in the car park taking up a much-needed space for a week before I found the time to snap it and write a description fit for eBay. On closer inspection I discovered it wasn’t quite as perfect as we’d been expecting – there was a slight oil leak (slight for a Fiat anyway)

and scratches and dents on most panels. None was major but all were worth noting for eBay. I always find accurate and honest descriptions do the business on the world’s biggest online bazaar – people prefer being told the truth. Shocking that isn’t it? Anyway, by the time the penultimate day of the auction came around the Fiat had 63 ‘watchers’ and two punters who wanted to come and see it.

The first chap turned up in the morning and checked it over – but the main problem was the damn thing wouldn’t start. Italian electrics and a dodgy aftermarket stereo mix like oil and water, and even with some help from the Big Ben Rally Rover we couldn’t defibrillate it back into existence.

Needless to say, said potential purchaser made his excuses and left – so we called the RAC. They were

with us within the hour and explained the Punto needed a new battery. Bum. Some £90 later (yes, we know we could’ve got it cheaper but he had one and could fit it there and then), we were good to go. Again.

Fortunately, I had another buyer lined up who wanted to come that afternoon. This guy was keen and we agreed on £1,350 over email. A few hours later there he was with a pocketful of purple pieces of paper and we did the deal. OK, so technically it’s only a £260 profit – but that’s a damn sight more than I made on the Matiz. And, if I’m not mistaken, puts me a healthy margin ahead of Mr Wheeler Dealer himself. Not one to rub it in, Brewster, but I’m getting better at this – you’d better start pulling in some ‘TV favours’ before it’s too late… or is it too late already?

MIKE’S story As I look out of the window at Brewer Towers, but how did we get here? The Stuttgart barge I have to admit I’m quite sad, as there’s was great for cruising round in, but it had an E-Class-sized space where my to go. After trade mates let me down, current Mercedes once was. In exchange, I’ve I reluctantly put it on a well-known tally an envelope full of crisp twenties and auction site starting at a monkey. a guy called Freddie is enjoying my Despite over 30 watchers and 800 W124 estate. views, it sold for just £580 and Freddie So the Merc is sold and I’m on the got a bargain. Still, a profit’s a profit, but lookout again for some decent bargain wheels, Baggott’s getting away...

£580

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Feature.

Exciting Times: The premium car website that’s proving a hit One month in and things are looking good. With positive feedback from drivers and dealers, News International’s new motoring website is off to a flyer. James Batchelor reports

P

remium. It’s a word being used more and more not only by car manufacturers but also by customers as well. To serve the needs of these buyers desperate to have a premium car sitting on their driveways, dealers need to act differently to make sure they capitalise on this profitable and burgeoning sector.

This is where the website Driving.co.uk can help. Launched on October 1, it’s part of The Sunday Times and it aims to be the destination for buyers looking for a premium car.

‘Ultimately we’re a full service website aimed solely at the premium market,’ says the website’s sales director, Ian Webber. ‘We believe there is no product in the market that specifically serves the needs of premium car buyers.’

But why premium? ‘Well, it is about tying into The Sunday Times audience more than anything, and about the types of cars they are interested in buying,’ explains Webber.

‘We also think there is a gap in the marketplace to supply the needs of the premium car buyer.’

And so far the reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.

‘The feedback from customers when the website went live was really good,’ says Webber.

‘Customers have been saying the website is excellent, and is elegantly presented.’

But while positive feedback from customers is a good thing to hear, it’s the dealers’ views that count. And the website hasn’t fallen short in this area either.

‘We’ve had positive feedback from dealers because we have fairly high prominence when people are searching for a car,’ explains Webber.

‘We’ve made sure that the search box is at the top of every page. Whether it’s a review, a search results page or the home page, we want to make sure that the search bar stands across the top of each page to make *readership data is from NRS Jun 2011-Jul 2012

it easy for people to search for cars whenever they’re ready to.’

Month one has been ‘positive’, says Webber.

But October was very much about getting The Sunday Times Driving brand known using the firm’s own assets. Part of News International, those assets are highly regarded: The Sunday Times, The Sun and The Times, no less. And they’ve been used to promote the Sunday Times Driving brand. ‘It’s a powerful stable of publications to have behind you,’ says Webber, ‘and we have had a really good take-up of promotion within those three titles.’

But let’s delve a little bit deeper into the operation, and how the mechanics help drive customers to Driving.co.uk. ‘In October, the press campaign we had just in our own titles

reached about 11 million ABC1 consumers alone,’ says Webber. And if you take into account the readership of News International, you’re talking some big numbers.

‘We’re advertising in – but not exclusively in – papers like The Times, which has 3.2 million readers each week, The Sun which reaches 12.7 million readers a week and The Sunday Times which actually has a readership of 2.5 million,’ explains Webber The Sunday Times has a million paying customers each week – so that’s a million copies sold. That includes people who pay for the content online as well.

‘We’d be crazy not to use the power of our own media to promote Sunday Times Driving,’ remarks Webber. ‘It has helped

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

Feature.

‘It’s key to keep dealer us get off the ground quickly and get our brand seen by a huge amount of the population from day one.

‘That was always something we were going to focus on but obviously not exclusively.’

All of this is good news for dealers who work with Sunday Times Driving to advertise their cars on the site, as the firm can drive customers to Driving.co.uk in a way that few other online car portals can.

But the firm is all too well aware it cannot rely just upon its sister titles under the News International umbrella

to drive custom – it has to stand on its own too.

‘We’ve paid a vast amount of our attention on search engine optimisation and our paid search strategy,’ explains Webber. ‘We’re hitting from all angles really – our own press, online and B2B. We feel that – obviously it’s ongoing to make sure that we maximise not just the reach that we can get our brand out to, but also making sure that we turn that reach into searches and leads for car dealers.

‘That’s the ultimate aim, so it’s great having access to the titles that we do and the kind of marketing budgets that we have, but the proof

will be in providing a sufficient level of response to dealers which is my main focus really – to drive leads to dealers.’

Although it’s far too early to say how effective this activity has been, the response has been positive. Webber says dealers are responding enthusiastically to the operation with independents and large-scale dealer groups trying out the platform thanks to a free trial.

‘We’ve got 230 signed agreements for the free trial,’ he says. ‘Even though it’s a trial that costs nothing, we’re asking dealer groups to sign up, and we’ve got just under 2,000 individual dealers

PLENTY of experience I have worked in automotive media for about 14 years. I was at Motors.co.uk previously. I was at Yahoo for five years before that and Fish4Cars back in the late 90s and early 2000s. I’ve got a lot of experience in the dealer world, particularly within the sphere of automotive media.

I fully understand the challenges of dealers and dealer groups and also fully understand what it is they require from a car website.

Ian Webber

The new site has been promoted heavily

Jeremy Clarkson

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

conversations going’ who are currently advertising on the site.

‘We’ve got to the numbers that we wanted to. We’ve achieved the goals that we targeted towards.’ Webber reveals their target was to get 40,000 cars live for launch – they managed 42,000; and that’s despite a number of dealers who signed up never making their stock live. The trial period – which ends in January – has a target of 50,000.

It’s clear Webber and the team at Sunday Times Driving know exactly what they are doing just by talking to him.

‘It’s important to keep our trade presence, our B2B presence, strong,’ he says.

‘We’ve got access to consumers – ie. car buyers – through our own media but we also need to keep talking to dealers and understanding their challenges.

‘We can do that by holding regular review meetings, we attend events where we get access to senior industry leaders. It’s important that we understand the challenges they face.

‘It’s key for us to keep those dealer conversations going so we have a really good understanding of the industry.’

The News International connection is not just about the ability to drive consumers to Driving.co.uk from a variety of different publications. Sunday Times Driving is also an entertaining way for customers to search and find their perfect premium car because it is built and run by people who like cars too.

‘News International as a company, and in particular The Sunday Times as a publication, has many years of motoring heritage, commercially and editorially,’ says Webber. ‘The Sunday Times is the biggest selling Sunday broadsheet. The Sun is the biggest selling daily paper by a long way. We’ve got access to lots of really interesting motoring editorial content.’

Apart from searching for their dream premium motor, users are treated to a website that is packed full of other features to enhance the experience. There’s first-rate editorial content, the latest car reviews from The Sunday Times’ team of motoring journalists, exclusive video content along with the latest car news and features.

Some of the best bits are the columns. ‘On Driving.co.uk, we’ve got Jeremy Clarkson, Jay Leno and Dom Joly,’ explains Webber. ‘All of these

Jay Leno

‘‘

News International as a company, and in particular The Sunday Times as a publication, has many years of motoring heritage.

people write for The Sunday Times already, and we try to carry on with that quite accessible, chatty, motoring approach that we use in The Sunday Times Driving supplement. We try to mirror that online.’

It’s not just the content you’ll find in

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

Feature.

Giving our site a premium feel newspapers, either. ‘We have our own editorial team and we write our own reviews,’ says Webber. ‘We’ve got about 130 used car reviews on site right now, which have been specifically written for Driving.co.uk. We’ve got about 100 new car reviews, again which have been written for Driving.co.uk by our own editorial team.’

When Car Dealer browsed the site, there were also around 20 first-drive features with a leading article on the new Range Rover.

‘We’re trying to make the site engaging, interesting and informative so that when people are in the market to buy right now or in the future, they feel that it’s a place that they can come to either to have a look at the content or purchase a car.

‘News International and, in particular, The Sunday Times are renowned for quality editorial content. We very much focus on what we’re doing rather than what other people are doing.

‘We want to focus on that theme of carrying good editorial into our site regardless of what everyone else is doing.’

The road tests, features and columns all help to drive readers who initially may not have been in the market to buy a car, to investigate and consider buying. And if your cars and stock are on there, they could be picking up the phone to talk to you.

There’s a wealth of other features on the website, too. Called the ‘concierge service’, Driving.co.uk will help customers find that perfect car. Customers sign up for daily email alerts of a particular car so they can be kept abreast of what may be suitable for them. So, if a customer is considering buying a Mini Cooper S, they sign up for the email alerts and are notified every time a Mini Cooper S is listed on the site, a car’s price has fallen or the car has been removed from the site all together.

Customers can also save their favourite listings and search criteria in a feature called ‘My Garage’ – so they can keep the pick of the cars for easy reference.

‘My Garage is very much focused on users who are in the mode to buy where they can save the searches for the car they’re looking for,’ explains Webber. ‘It is a great section for people to come back to every day and who are willing to spend their money.’

Another handy feature is the ‘Advice’ section which gives the best hints and tips on everything from insuring to financing a premium car.

Worried the website you’ll be advertising on doesn’t have that premium feel? Well, don’t, the team ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

has worked hard on making the website look and feel like a quality experience. Even the advertising has been thought about too, says Webber: ‘There’s relevant advertising on there too, so customers will not be distracted by adverts that have no relevance to their interests.

‘Recently we’ve had Porsche, Honda, Volkswagen, Bentley and Mercedes-Benz,’ says Webber. ‘The adverts are designed to enhance the premium feel of the website.’

With premium being the watchword of the decade, it’s advisable dealers who specialise in selling quality cars use a service that best fits their needs.

It’s fair to say the marketplace is a crowded one, but Sunday Times Driving looks to have found a niche.

With a free trial currently in operation, perhaps you should give it a go today. [CD]

The ads for Sunday Times Driving are naturally helping to attract traffic to the site

GlassNet RADAR

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Quite a claim, but not when you consider we’ve been doing it for a while now.

GlassNet Radar was launched a while back and was the first product to use the now much heralded G2 technology.

Technology that is used by nearly 2,000 dealers across the country, on a daily basis, to more accurately understand their local market for asking prices of similar vehicles.

It’s the only product to provide a Spot Price correct for your market today, for both yours and your competitors’ vehicles.

It then helps you set those prices to remain competitive both locally and nationally.

And its not just these dealers that value the new valuations.

Recently GlassNet Radar won the prestigious title of ‘Innovation of the Year’ at Motor Trader Industry Awards 2012.

For more information on anything GlassNet Radar, go to

www.glassguide.co.uk/radar

2012 AWARD WINNER

2

We value better

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

AUTOTORQ IS PROUD TO SPONSOR THE CAR DEALER EWARDS DIGITAL SOLUTIONS THAT HELP YOU SELL MORE CARS As the leader in the automotive digital solutions and services, autotorq delivers marketing efficiencies and competitive advantage to manufacturers and dealer groups. We do this by revolutionising the way they interact with their customers on the web.

If you want to know more contact Rebecca Crook, Head of Business Development on rebecca.crook@autotorq.com / 0844 243 5310

PROVIDING GLOBAL SOLUTIONS IN 30 LANGUAGES ACROSS 60 COUNTRIES ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

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And the winners are...

T

he importance of the worldwide web to car dealers has never been more apparent.

Websites are no longer simply a nice-to-have, they’re a necessity.

Buyers are far more likely to walk into showrooms these days knowing more about the cars the dealers are selling than the salesmen themselves – and it’s all thanks to the internet.

Now in their fifth year, the Car Dealer Ewards – held in association with Autotorq.com – were designed to celebrate the very best automotive retail websites on the net.

This year the concept was the same, however the execution was a little different.

Not ones to stand still we decided to take our Ewards to the next level and reinvigorated the judging process while incorporating a special conference with the prize giving.

Nominations for our Ewards were sent in by candidates in the run-up to the Ewards while our judging panel nominated their favourites too. These were then shortlisted by our judging panel and the top three sent out to the public vote on consumer website MotorTorque.com.

After weeks of voting we had our winners and they were invited to our Ewards & Online Conference, along with a host of other dealers, held at the Heritage Motor Museum in Gaydon at the end of October. There the winners

were revealed and our judging panel gave our delegates hints and tips on how to make the most of the web during a series of speeches – you can read our reports on those on the following pages.

This year’s winners and highly commended websites can take comfort in the fact that their websites won a gong because, not only did our judges like what they saw, but the

general public were pleased with what they experienced too. So here they are – the winners of the Car Dealer Ewards, sponsored by Autotorq.com, for 2012.

James Baggott Editor

THE JUDGES

Paul Gordon from Autotorq Page 66

Bob Feltham from Contact Advantage Page 68

Pictures by Stephen Hall

Andy Shields from Autos On Show Page 70

James Tew from iVendi Page 72

Paul Shoesmith from Auto Trader Page 74

Maria Whittington from Razsor Page 76

Paul Hughes from Dianomi Page 78

Alex Rose from Google Page 80

Richard Wood The Auto Network Page 82

Scott Ralston from Tradeouts Page 84

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Multi-Franchised Dealer Website of the Year Winner: Days Highly commended: Stratstone / Allams This category represents an arena that’s hard to excel in. A dealer group with more than one franchise has to create a website showcasing those brands to a mixture of customers. There has to be equal measures of manufacturer representation and special offers – and that’s not to mention a dealer’s need to get their own brand across too.

If a dealer gets it right, they’ll be getting a pat on the back from their manufacturer partners and customers shaking their hand. While getting it wrong doesn’t bear thinking about…

With a clear equality between its high-profile brands backed up by a clean and simple design, this year’s winner deserves this recognition.

Voters particularly liked the social media, Motability areas and online service booking – and that’s not to mention clear direction to the firm’s iPhone App. The winner of this year’s multi-franchised Eward is Day’s.

The competition is always fierce in this category – and this year was no exception. So worthy highly commended 2012 gongs go to Stratstone and Allams.

Judges said: ‘Voters liked the social media and Motability areas’

Single Franchised Dealer Website of the Year Winner: Alan Day Volkswagen Highly commended: Leicester Bentley Motors / Cross Roads Renault In the five years Ewards have been running, this category is the one that’s always been the most hotly contested. Why? Because the pressure really is on when dealers are representing just one manufacturer. The stakes are high in keeping customers’ attention here: Fail to capture it and the customer will be looking at another dealer down the road before you can say ‘double click’.

To win this category, the firm needs to show an eye for good design, an understanding of the benefits of simple navigation, and the website needs to include social media integration along with other tools to make the customers’ lives just that little bit easier.

Last year’s winner stole the show thanks to a clean and crisp design – and this year’s star has won for very similar reasons. With a bold colour scheme and clear navigation across the site, the winner really impressed our judges and the voters. Alan Day Volkswagen takes the number one spot in the single franchised category.

Leicester Bentley Motors and Cross Roads Renault can be extremely proud of their Highly Commended achievements too.

Judges said: ‘A bold colour scheme and clear navigation’ ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

The Alan Day team receive their award from James Baggott

..held in association with autotorq.com

Independent Dealer Website of the Year Winner: Beck Evans Highly commended: HWM Aston Martin / Clive Sutton Just because they’re independents – often without the large budgets of franchised dealers – doesn’t mean they can’t do battle with the bigger boys. In many ways, an independent dealer’s website is the toughest to get right.

While they may be free of manufacturer involvement and meddling, they are essentially a small fish in a big pond.

These dealers are often competing in a crowded marketplace and the task of attracting the customer and keeping them on their website can be a tough one.

This year’s winner really caught the eye of our public voters. A sophisticated colour palette reflects the prestige cars the firm sells, while an online quoting facility and monthly payment search tool appeals to all types of customers. It’s a class act and was much admired by our voters. Beck Evans takes the Eward title in our independent category for 2012.

Much deserved Highly Commended places went to HWM Aston Martin and prestige London car dealer Clive Sutton.

Judges said: ‘Sophisticated colour palette reflects the prestige cars on sale’

Car Supermarket of the Year Winner: Car Shop Highly commended: Car Giant / Imperial Car Supermarkets It’s a bit of a tired statement, but the Car Supermarket of the Year category is a difficult one to crack. Why? Because there are a number of supermarkets out there ready to take consumers’ cash and they’re all very good at making the most of the web.

Problem is, not everyone can get it right – just look at Tesco Cars. The retailing giant won this category last year winning praise from our judges for its fast and clean site, plentiful information and the ability to order cars online. But, just six months later, the site closed down. It’s a good example of just how tough the car supermarket industry can be…

The winner sealed victory by the slimmest of margins in this year’s Ewards. Voters liked the easy stock search facility, attractive design and the ability to purchase finance and find out more about its servicing offer all in one place. No strangers to the Car Dealer Ewards, having picked up one up in our first year, the winner of the car supermarket category is Car Shop.

Highly commended places went to Car Giant and Imperial Car Supermarkets, both of which can be proud of their achievements.

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Car Manufacturer of the Year Winner: Aston Martin Highly commended: Mini / Vauxhall Manufacturer websites are often the first port-of-call for customers looking for a new car. With huge budgets and the ability to use the biggest names in the web design world, car makers are truly able to capitalise on their enviable position... but that doesn’t mean they all get it right.

To be a winner in this category, brand message is key.

The car manufacturer’s website had to clearly show what customers will be buying into if they purchase a car from one of the car maker’s dealers. Product information, high quality pictures and videos, and social media integration all play an important part.

This year’s winner has comprehensively overhauled their website to give customers a high-quality experience in line with their brand. Customers clearly know what they are buying into and the website really is a class act – showcasing its powerful performance cars in a luxurious way its buyers will be accustomed to. Aston Martin takes home our coveted car manufacturer Eward for 2012.

Highly commended places go to volume car makers Vauxhall and Mini, both of which pleased our public voters and judges alike.

Pete Norwood from winners Aston Martin

Judges said: ‘Customers clearly know what they are buying into’

Web Innovation of the Year Winner: iVendi (payment search on Hutchings.co.uk) Highly commended: SMA Group (QR codes and innovative App) /

JCT600 (mobile website platforms) The Web Innovation of the Year category sets out to find a website or product which really made our judges, and the members of the public who voted for our winners, stop and take notice.

Every year it seems innovations cannot get any better or more impressive than they did the year before – but we’re always proved wrong. Last year’s winner was all about interacting with customers and this year it’s kind of the same deal. Pioneered on the Hutchings.co.uk website and integrated by Progress Automotive, the iVendi payment search facility is the winner of our innovation category for 2012.

Voters were very impressed that our winner had found an easy way for car buyers to work out which vehicle they could afford. This company works hard with a website producer and their dealer – as was the case here – to produce an impressive product which enables customers to carry out real-time payment searches.

Highly commended places were awarded to the SMA Group for their innovative use of QR codes in their special App and JCT600 for their innovative websites that are designed for all mobile users.

Judges said: ‘Customers can carry out real-time payment searches’ ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Richard Tavernor from iVendi

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Maybe your salesmen should be W: Autotorq.com

T

T: 0844 243 5310

he Autotorq team certainly believe in the value of our Ewards. The company has been the headline sponsor for a number of years now and managing director Paul Gordon was present at our Gaydon conference to pass on a few words of wisdom.

There’s no doubt Gordon knows what he’s talking about. Autotorq understand the automotive sector inside out and deliver an impressive range of digital marketing service solutions to the industry.

But, interestingly, Gordon focused to a large extent on the plight of the traditional British high street to get his point across.

He explained: ‘I’m a great believer in analogies. Most things are like other things.

There are huge parallels with what’s going on in retail and what’s going on in automotive.’

Gordon looked back to the years 2000-2005 and said that in those days, store chains such as Marks and Spencer, John Lewis and Tesco created an online representation of what their shops were like. He added: ‘At the same time we saw the advent of e-tailers such as Amazon and ebay. For a while those two groups occupied

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

different ends of the spectrum. But retail has changed.

‘We’re in a situation now where lots of retailers look the same, sell the same and treat customers the same. And in many cases, the retail high street is a desolate place compared to where it was, despite efforts to reinvigorate it.’

Gordon drew our attention to the fact that a number of retailers have encountered financial problems in recent years, such as Woolworths, Clinton Cards and Thorntons. And shortly after our conference of course, problems at electrical retailer Comet hit the headlines.

A lot of shoppers now use the internet, he said, adding: ‘In terms of UK online retail sales, we are up to £50bn for the year 2011. That represents 12 per cent of spending and will continue to grow without any shadow of doubt.

‘In terms of a broader point of where consumers are at, we have seen the decline of traditional media. Forty per cent of the UK population are now using mobile handsets for the internet.

‘At the same time, national newspaper readership has fallen by 40 per cent since 2000 which is extraordinary. Newspapers will cease to exist in 10 years’ time.

‘Newsweek decided recently to cease publishing its print edition and that will have implications for the regional and local press.’

Turning to the automotive sector, he said: ‘What is interesting is that the average UK dealer spends 60 per cent of their budget in a traditional way – offline – and only 40 per cent on measurable digital activity.’

Looking to the future, Gordon emphasised the fact that 4G was on the way. This would have many implications, he asserted, including the fact that it would help the strongest brands continue to dominate. Saying he’d probably lost his battle with his children over mobile phone use, he said our ‘cocaine-like habit’ with mobiles would continue to grow.

‘And where it might be going, in my view anyway, is that, as evidenced by John Lewis and others, brands win. The companies that have gone pop over the last couple of years were in the main pretty poor brands, with not much differentiation in terms of the product mix, and with pretty poor customer service. John Lewis is the opposite of all of that.

‘And the likes of TripAdvisor and others, providing consumer reviews, means there’s no hiding place. Be warned: if you provide poor

..held in association with autotorq.com

‘consultants’ instead service, people are going to tell the world about it.’

So what do all these developments mean for the automotive sector? ‘There are some really interesting things happening on a brand advertising level,’ Gordon said.

‘What Mercedes are doing, in allowing the consumer to determine how their commercials end, is very interesting. And where one goes, others will follow.

‘Without any question, all this means that consumers are more empowered and their access to research is such that – and the dealers I speak to certainly endorse this – people come into dealerships knowing more about the cars they’re potentially interested in than the guys who are sat there selling them because they carry out research online.

‘The other thing we’re seeing permeating automotive is 24/7 accessibility. We’ve seen it in banking. And some estate agents now open from 7am until 9pm. We are going to see that approach increasingly arrive in automotive because people want to look at cars before they go to work and after they’ve been to work in the same way as they want to look at houses.

‘Consumer demand, in terms of service, in terms of accessibility and in terms of

‘‘

expertise will continue to grow… and will continue to be led by Apple.

‘The process of buying a new Mac is no more or less exciting than the process involved in buying a new car. But actually, the experience that people have when they buy a new Mac is different.

‘They do set the gold standard and there’s quite a lot that people can take from that and that we can aspire to. I’m not suggesting that you start calling your service guys geniuses although it is an option!

‘What’s interesting about Apple and automotive is that for those of you who read Steve Jobs’s book, a lot of his thinking with regard to Apple was actually led by automotive – particularly Ferrari.

‘That’s interesting. We don’t just need to tip our hat to Apple and say they’re the masters – Steve Jobs took some of his learnings from the automotive sector as well! And finally, Apple call their salesmen sales consultants.

‘Even changing the language and calling them sales consultants and making them think as consultants rather than hardnosed, commission-based salesmen, that’s quite an interesting point.’

DAVE BROWN

PAUL GORDON is clearly a strong believer in the value of high-quality customer service… with Apple and John Lewis coming across during his speech as two companies that particularly impressed him.

He told us: ‘Many of us will go into John Lewis and look to buy a new, expensive £1,000 television, even if we’ve done all the research online, because we know that the guy or the girl in there is going to be knowledgeable about the product, the service is going to be great, and even if I’m paying a little bit more than if I was buying from Amazon or another retailer, I am getting good service for that.

‘There is an opportunity for dealers and the salesmen within those dealerships to be more like a sales consultancy in their approach.’

There are huge parallels with what’s going on in retail and what’s going on in automotive.

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The help’s there but dealers won’t W: contact-advantage.com

T: 08452 262650

W

e hope Bob Feltham won’t mind us pointing this out, but he’s a bit of a regular at Car Dealer events.

Having spoken at both our Profit Clinic and Lead Generation conferences (and attended this year’s Car Dealer Power Awards), the man from Contact Advantage was back for our Ewards.

His message was pretty clear: There is a huge amount of help and support available for car dealers. The big problem is persuading them to part with their cash to actually use it!

Contact Advantage believes that as the gap in quality offered by the main motor manufacturers continues to narrow, it’s never been more important to give customers first-class support and service.

The company supplies a range of products and services in order to make the most of all leads and provide exceptional communications to potential purchasers.

In doing so, it helps dealer groups and manufacturers organise, synchronise and automate their data capture systems to increase customer retention and drive sales.

Feltham told his audience at Gaydon: ‘We know that the life of a dealer is bound up in managing all of the components that they’ve got in front of them every single day. The problem is, dealers don’t like spending money. And the reason for that is they think much of what’s on offer is a bit gimmicky.

‘To a certain extent that was true three or four years ago – but life has changed.

‘If most dealers were to take some of the tools available, and use them, they would make an awful lot more money. The problem we have is convincing them.’

Contact Advantage runs hubs for a number of manufacturers, including Nissan and Vauxhall, and, said Feltham, ‘what the hubs do is pull all the different feeds from various dealer management systems and integrate that information into solid content which is understandable.

‘It’s content that everyone can fully understand. This data is delivered in packages to manufacturers so they can look at what a dealer does on a day-to-day basis. And frankly, it’s not always good news.’

Feltham emphasised the importance of automation in delivering effective and timely customer service… with automated processes filling a gap where a return phone call might not have been made or a crucial email hasn’t been sent.

‘At Contact Advantage we automate everything,’ he said. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Bob Feltham is a regular – and entertaining – speaker at Car Dealer events ‘Even going down to disposal and working with customers such as Tradeouts and others, we make everything automated. Not because we don’t like salesmen, but we want them to be more engaging and we want them to do the things they ought to be doing.

‘We automate everything because it just makes life easy.

‘Manufacturers have got processes which aren’t automated. They rely on a salesman going through a process which comes from a manual that was written 10 years ago.

‘Car sales today are different. The meet and greet is traditionally physical, the qualification is physical, the test drive is physical, the negotiation is physical, the close is physical.

‘Our argument is, we can put pretty much all of that online and we can do a much better job.

And it’s much more professional, compared to the promise of an email or phone call that 50 per cent of the time doesn’t happen.

‘We say more automation is a better route forward than no automation.

‘Give yourself a Contact Advantage safety net and not only will you have a better-trained sales team, if your sales team does get it wrong, or if that key person leaves, you won’t lose the business.’

In common with a couple of other Ewards speakers, Feltham was keen to draw parallels between the automotive sector and the high street.

He said: ‘We do a lot of work with retailers and we know that customers are moving online and what that means for traditional high street

chains is that you either change your model or you die. Equally, car dealers who aren’t changing their model are going to struggle.

‘And it doesn’t matter where they are in the country, the way people live their lives has changed. How many of us watch TV and use our mobile or iPad at the same time? Most of us.

‘The next stage is to have a look at the figures for online spending, and it’s pretty clear to see that absolutely everybody is moving towards the internet.

‘You need a strategy as a dealer and I think if the dealers were to listen a little harder to what we’ve got to say they would do a whole lot better.’

Feltham was keen to emphasise that Contact Advantage is into the car business ‘in a big way’. Explaining a bit more about his company’s activities, he said: ‘We also run a CRM system ourselves which is an award-winning one that’s very popular with our users; we run a marketing system and we run a showroom system.

‘We run a stock module system and we work with people like Tradeouts and others to make their businesses work.

‘We run pretty much everything that you’d expect from a modern business.

‘We supply CAP daily with Twitter feeds and we can pretty much tell you what the SMMT figures will be at any stage of the month.

Towards the end of the month we can even give a prediction of what the registrations will be.

‘All of these things are interesting. Some dealers use the information for training and for other purposes but others do nothing with it. They get it, look at it, and say to themselves, we’re miles off the pace, but guess what? We’re not going to change anything, we’re just going to sit with the same old storyboard. We’ve been around for a long, long time and we know that the pace of change is greater than ever.’

It seems that if dealers are to survive and thrive in the future, they might need to embrace that change rather than resist it.

DAVE BROWN THE COMBINATION of improved retention, increased sales and improved profitability together creates what Bob Feltham and his colleagues refer to as the Contact Advantage effect.

Established in 2001 by a team of people boasting decades of experience in software and sales, the company has developed and fine-tuned a truly unique suite of customer relationship management and data integration software.

..held in association with autotorq.com

part with their cash!

‘‘

How many of us watch TV and use our mobile or iPad at the same time?

Most of us.

It’s software that’s been specifically developed for the automotive sector helping manage customer data to greater effect and improve operational efficiency.

Each and every product in the range has been designed with both the wants of the customer and the needs of the dealership in mind and developed in-house at the firm’s Glasgow headquarters. Products can be configured to customers’ individual requirements to produce truly tailored solutions.

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Search engines love video – your W: autosonshow.tv T: 0800 644 6894

V

ideo may have killed the radio star back in the 1970s – but fastforward to 2012 and it can play a massive part in bringing your website to life.

The benefits of including it in your dealership’s online presence are many and varied. Needless to say, it will help you attract more customers, get you higher up the results pages on Google and ultimately boost your business, helping you make more money.

If there’s one company who are experts in this field, it’s AutosOnShow – and the company’s commercial director, Andy Shields, was at Car Dealer’s Ewards event to explain how his firm can help you in this crucial area.

A memorable phrase from his presentation was: ‘If a picture paints a thousand words, a video paints a million.’

And that certainly seems to be true. With a series of interesting demonstrations and case studies, he proved that the use of video really can be a powerful tool and can take your internet presence to the next level.

Emphasising a point made by many speakers at the event, Shields said: ‘Customer behaviour has changed for ever.

‘When I started training salesmen 20 years ago, we looked at converting one in 10 people who walked into the showroom. Today, you talk to a dealer and they’ll tell you that it’s one in four, one in three or even one in two who walk in and are converted into a sale.

‘It’s not because the salesmen are getting any better at converting customers.

‘Customers now tyre-kick online. They spend, on average, 18 or 19 hours researching before they purchase.

Fifty per cent of customers have totally and utterly pre-selected the car they want to buy, down to the registration number in the dealership, before they enter the showroom.

‘The whole environment has changed.

Dealerships are now becoming off-limits as buyers do all their research at home.

The big question for car dealers today is how do you get your customers out of the research cloud and engage with them sooner in the buying process, bringing them into your dealership. This is what we call the web marketing challenge.’

Shields said the trick of a successful website was to keep the customers on that site for a long time – making it ‘sticky’ – and from there, getting car buyers into your showroom and not your those of your rivals.

He added: ‘It’s important to maximise the content that buyers can see. And the key to this ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

AutosOnShow’s commercial director Andy Shields is the video we offer: 360-degree video from your website, coupled with multiple, detailed images of the vehicle. Integral is the ability to share that through social media.

‘From the video we can obtain high-definition photography.

‘What you’re doing is giving the customer far more information about the vehicle than simply a collection of photographs.’

Shields made a couple of key points here, saying that a turntable was not necessary in the video-making process (‘a dealer can make a video simply by walking round the car’) and that mobile capability was important.

And he had some more useful advice for our Ewards delegates.

‘Just having the video and the photographs isn’t enough,’ he said.

‘The next phase is to enhance their experience. Let the customer take control.

‘If you’re using a turntable, let them move the vehicle around on the turntable. Or if you’re using our freedom function, let them walk backwards and forwards through that video so they can see each part of the car they want to look at.

‘Give them the capability to zoom in.

‘Many franchised dealers are spending up to £500 on refurbishment but don’t generally communicate that. By allowing customers to zoom in and view high-definition photography, you’re able to do that. That’s how you make

them stay on your website. Give them more content and give them something to play with.’

A key question for dealers to consider, said Shields, is: ‘Does video help attract customers to your website?’

And the answer? A resounding yes. Not only because of the attractive nature of the video content itself, but because: ‘Properly submitted online videos are 53 times more likely to get a first-page Google ranking than conventionallyoptimised web pages.

‘Google loves video way more than it loves text and photography.

‘By embedding that video with information such as make, model and colour, you can massively increase the chances of high visibility of your website on Google.’

So – it’s all very well having happy punters playing around with your videos on their laptops in their lounges – but how do you actually turn these people into purchasers?

Again, Shields had clear advice for his audience. ‘Talk personally to them using video as a medium,’ he said. ‘You can talk to them and live-stream video to the customer simultaneously.

‘A salesman can pick up an iPhone and stream to the customer sat at home the video and images of the car and talk to him, qualifying his needs, overcoming objections and closing that customer down into an appointment.

‘You can create personal videos for your customers too. They fill in a form on the website and then the dealership can create a personal video for the customer. You can then take them round the car and answer specific questions raised in their email.’

Shields concluded by emphasising the central points from his speech. ‘Video gives your customers more content and keeps them looking at your site and not elsewhere. It means you can engage with your customers earlier by getting them to talk to you from home.’

In short, Shields summed up, video can help dealerships ‘get more customers, inform more customers, convert more customers’.

DAVE BROWN

AUTOSONSHOW are award-winning video streaming specialists for the automotive industry. The well-regarded company is constantly evolving its offering to match the internet’s never-ending advancement. The solutions offered include automated video streaming, photography, hosting, delivery, live streaming and social media integration to name

..held in association with autotorq.com

customers will too

‘‘

It’s important to maximise the content that buyers can see.

just a few. The company provides the only video streaming software specifically designed for the automotive industry and offers an end-toend solution, with professional results assured without the involvement of photographers or videographers. Its products are fast and easy to use, affordable and you’re guaranteed to retain full control over your videos at all times.

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Everyone’s a winner with our Car W: ivendi.com

W

T: 0845 226 0503

e’ve all had bosses who have said to us: ‘Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.’

Well, James Tew, CEO of iVendi, was probably unique among the speakers at our Ewards event in that he identified a pretty big problem in the sales process – and put forward an ingenious solution as well.

In fact Tew was at Gaydon to launch a new product from his company: Car Finance Checker.

He explained that it would be invaluable in tackling the problem of dealership staff spending a lot of time and effort working on finance applications for customers who don’t stand much of a chance of getting approval.

And it would stop many dealership websites being ‘busy fools’ – very good at getting customers through the showroom doors, but not necessarily the right sort of customers.

Tew told his audience: ‘A lot of people research their next car purchase online. I think we can all take that as read. Where we need to move on a little bit is that for every £92 spent on generating traffic into your site, only £1 is spent on converting.

‘If you were bringing a lot of people into your physical showroom, and your sales guys just sat there and did nothing before those potential customers walked out, you would be somewhat annoyed as the owner of the business. To some extent, that is what’s happening with your website.

‘I’m not knocking SEO at all. SEO is massively important and you’ve got to get people through the door in the first place but your websites need to do more. If we can increase the conversion rate from your website by just one per cent, the results will be outstanding.’

Having identified the problem, Tew moved on to explain more about Car Finance Checker, while emphasising that customers who would have been classed as ‘prime’ before the credit crunch were more likely to ‘near-prime’ now.

‘Out of four people who come into a showroom, how many people are likely to be credit-worthy for motor finance?’ he asked.

‘Typically, two customers are going to be prime, one is going to be a questionable deal that will hopefully get through, and one will be declined. We have been doing some work with Vauxhall dealers. One Vauxhall group was having a 25 per cent decline rate on finance but the highest decline rate we encountered was 40 per cent.’

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

And getting to the point where 40 per cent of finance applications are declined takes a huge amount of time and effort, he added.

‘How we can help with that is to use your websites to introduce finance much earlier in the process. A lot of you will have seen different types of calculators in the market place and payment search has become a very popular way of searching for a vehicle.

‘Analysis on websites has shown that 53 per cent of dealership visitors have actually used this mechanism as their primary search on a website. So it’s no longer ‘‘make, model, minimum price and maximum price,’’ the first port of call is ‘‘minimum payment and maximum payment’’. That’s very interesting.’

With a lot of these payment searches, the customer can then apply online, explained Tew. But applying online is a huge step for the customer – and one they would prefer to go through face-to-face with someone in a dealership.

Car Finance Checker is effectively Match. com for finance in the motor trade, he said.

‘It’s all about finding the right finance partner based on a customer’s profile.

‘The user goes onto the website, sees the finance deal and they then get an eligibility match and their own credit score.

‘It’s a Car Finance Checker credit score which is based on an industry scorecard from which you will learn a lot. There is an eligibility match involving all your lenders giving the likelihood of a deal being approved by the various lenders.

‘We have put 110,000 applications through this engine so I like to think we know what we’re on about in terms of getting useful, real analysis on the back of that.

‘It goes across all the independent lenders in the market. Potential customers can then see the impact of putting more deposit down and changing the term, the impact on their own credit score and the impact on their eligibility.

‘With Car Finance Checker, there is an attractive and engaging web experience for your prospect, at this stage unidentified, but then they’re going to pass their data through which will make them an identified and highly qualified prospect.

‘They can choose, they can self-filter and see whether they are going to get credit or not. That will draw people in who might be thinking they won’t get credit.

‘In this way, the prospects are totally qualified by the time they come into your showroom and their expectations of vehicles

‘‘

A lot of people research their next car purchase online.

are realigned. Maybe they will have realised that they can’t have a £20,000 car, maybe they will have worked out that a £10,000 car is going to be better for them.

‘So for you, there’s no more chasing down demoralising, hopeless leads. We’ve covered the whole of the market, prime and non-prime lenders and the whole thing is more efficient for everybody: the customer, the dealer and the lender. Everyone’s a winner.’

DAVE BROWN

..held in association with autotorq.com

Finance Checker UNTIL recently, iVendi was known as Webzation and CEO James Tew was happy to explain a little bit about the company.

He said: ‘We operate solely in automotive and financial services. We have 600 clients, predominantly motor dealers but we also work with most of the media houses and finance houses as well.

‘What we do is make it easier for consumers to buy and for dealers to sell online. This is what iVendi is about: Internet retailing.’

And, with Car Finance Checker, Tew said: ‘We’re getting into what we believe is a new space… the space between your website and your showroom.’

James Tew, CEO of iVendi CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

CarDealer.

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2012

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

autotorq.com

Magnificent seven tips to make the W: autotrader.co.uk T: 0845 071 2655

W

hile some of the speakers at our Ewards event were promoting their own products or services (and there was certainly nothing wrong with that!), other chose to offer some more

general advice.

Chief among these was Paul Shoesmith, trade product director at AutoTrader, who had seven top tips for the dealers in the audience at Gaydon. And he stressed that if those present adopted just two of them, they would see noticeable increases in the level of business at their sites.

His first point was simply the need for staff in car dealerships to answer all calls and monitor leads. ‘Calls are missed all day long,’ he said, while extolling the virtues of call tracking products. And he referred to a mystery shopping exercise in which just 50 per cent of emails from potential customers were responded to within 24 hours.

‘We’ve done a lot of research as you would expect,’ he said. ‘If you put yourself in a consumer’s shoes, and if you send an email, you expect to be responded to.

‘The data that we have gathered tells us that there is a four-hour window. If you reply within four hours, people are pleased. And, unsurprisingly, if you respond within four hours, they are more likely to spend more money with you.

‘Reply to your emails, it makes a massive difference! And when you do reply, make the most of that opportunity to communicate with a potential customer.’

Using a couple of examples, Shoesmith said that rather than a brief email saying ‘sorry, that car has been sold,’ it was better to add ‘… but we have others we think you might be interested in.’

‘Make the most of it, engage people and you will get a better response,’ he advised.

Shoesmith’s second tip involved the pricing of cars on websites.

‘Always round up,’ he said. The reason being that a car priced at, say, £7,999, will appear in a search category £7,000-£8,000 whereas a car priced at £8,000 will appear in the categories £7,000-£8,000 and £8,000-£9,000.

‘There’s only £1 difference but it will have a dramatic effect on that car’s appearance in search. That’s the principle with most websites.

Most websites will round the prices in the search boxes.’

Shoesmith’s third and fourth pieces of advice focused on website imagery: firstly ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

‘‘

Advertise more stock on your website and you’ll sell more cars.

Paul Shoesmith advised those present at Gaydon to simply reply to their emails!

..held in association with autotorq.com

most of the internet quantity, and secondly quality.

Shoesmith said: ‘If you go to Amazon, say, you are more likely to buy a product which is accompanied by pictures. More than threequarters of people tell us they are more likely to buy from you if they can see some decent imagery.

‘And when you take pictures, try to take good ones. A good picture will get you more responses.

It’s not just a question of volume, it’s quality too.’

Shoesmith had a couple of ‘how not to do it’ examples for his audience here: firstly a supercar photographed next to some tatty farm buildings, and secondly, a car on a website in the summer ... but surrounded by patches of snow.

Marketing all your cars was the fifth piece of advice from Shoesmith. ‘Advertise more stock on your website and you’ll sell more cars,’ he said.

‘And when you do show your cars to people, extol the virtues. There are certain key things that are really important to bring out.

‘For instance, if you’re advertising a Ford Focus don’t use ‘‘five-door hatchback’’ as the first phrase. Everyone knows the Ford Focus is a fivedoor hatchback. That’s nothing new. Bring to the front the phraseology that’s more important and more likely to capture customers’ imagination.

So use VXR, GTI and so on. But be careful not to over-complicate things.’

Shoesmith joked that his mum might think that a car advertised with ESP might think it had extra-sensory perception!

Other key things to mention included MPG if appropriate, details about previous owners and a vehicle’s service history.

Item six on Shoesmith’s list was simple: Take care of your website, and in doing so, drive trust.

‘In the past you would get everyone coming to a dealership, so you needed to keep it clean, tidy and immaculate. You need to apply the same principle to your website.

‘You won’t be visited by a lot of people if your site is poor quality. Most sites have got little bits and bobs that can be tweaked.

‘Between a quarter and a third of our traffic nowadays comes from mobile platforms.

‘So is your site optimised for mobile devices?

Check it out for yourself. You might go online, look at your site and find that it’s quite painful to use. Just change it, there are products to help you.’

As well as technological aspects, Shoesmith said it was important to pay attention to things such as spelling and grammar.

Lastly, Shoesmith said anyone administering a dealership website should monitor the responses generated. ‘It’s very easy to get wrapped up in day-to-day work at your dealership,’ he acknowledged. ‘But we and all sites of our kind out there offer you tools to help you understand your response. Log on, download the reports and look at them – you will gain plenty of useful information.’

DAVE BROWN

AUTOTRADER.CO.UK is the UK’s leading motoring website with monthly unique users of up to 10 million. Meanwhile, the Auto Trader magazines have an average weekly circulation of around 52,000 copies across the UK and Ireland. This strong position means TMG operates the number one UK marketplace for motorists and offers unrivalled response to customers’ advertisements.

The group monetises its consumer usage – web, mobile and print – principally through

the sale of classified advertising to its dealer customers. It operates primarily in the UK, with a branch located in the Republic of Ireland and subsidiary companies in Ireland and South Africa.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

CarDealer.

Ewards

2012

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

autotorq.com

The four top tips to help your web W: razsor.com

T: 08433 096 679

R

azsor – if you’ll pardon the pun – concerned themselves with keeping dealers’ online campaigns sharp at our 2012 Ewards event.

Giving the talk, head of products Maria Whittington certainly provided plenty of food for thought – handing out so many valuable tips that even the Car Dealer Magazine team felt like experts by the end.

One such thing to take note of is the way car buyers themselves are changing – not simply the things they’re buying, but how they choose to do so and when.

‘Traditionally we’d have seen that sitting at the desk – perhaps at work – was the way buyers searched for cars,’ Whittington told dealers at our event. ‘Because of the evolution of tablets and mobiles, we’re now seeing that interaction happening in the evening while people are sitting in their own homes.’

What does that mean for dealers? Well, Razsor sees it as a four-pronged attack.

Firstly, said Whittington, is the requirement for an effective website. ‘What we mean by a well-constructed website is one that actually enables the consumer to find the information and actually interact with you’, she explained – boiling the process down to three bullet points.

‘One: Putting key search elements in the right places. Two: easy navigation. Three: calls to action buttons in clear places – all backed up by consumer experience testing.’ In short then, it’s about designing the site around where the customer expects to see things.

‘Secondly, dealers must have a mobile version of their website. After all, with so many customers using devices like phones and tablets to view the internet, it makes sense to put the effort in to creating a mobile site.

‘Most importantly then, is that the mobile site you have is optimised to enable the consumer to find that information again easily,’ said Whittington. ‘We can’t now just rely on that desktop solution for providing that easy journey – we now need a mobile solution that does exactly the same.’

Thirdly – and perhaps most importantly – is search engine optimisation. SEO is rather a dark art in the web industry, so there should be no surprise that it made up the largest part of Razsor’s presentation.

Explaining the dos and don’ts of the SEO world, Whittington started with what not to do.

‘You shouldn’t be hearing things like “we need to only focus on keywords” – creating content that isn’t useful to the reader, just to rank better.

‘You’ll improve initial rankings, but latterly ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Maria Whittington says dealers need to move beyond desktop web solutions it will actually cause you to fall off quite dramatically.’

Creating content less than 400 words in length is a don’t, too, as are images that don’t have ‘alt’ tags. Have navigation that hides the target page links? You’ll want to remove that too – it could all be damaging what Google thinks of your site.

It’s the world’s largest search engine that you’ll want to keep happy, too – ‘90 per cent of consumers are searching on Google,’ said Whittington.

So what can dealers do to improve their SEO? Step one is all about planning, says Razsor.

‘So firstly you start with the planning and strategy – understanding what it is you want to target. Is it service? Is it used cars? Is it new cars?

And how are you going to go about doing that?

What geographic spread do you need? All of these are things you need to really understand up front, so you can build a campaign that really works for you.’

Next is the nitty-gritty – making sure your pages are as efficient at helping users navigate as they possibly can be.

‘You then need to build your index coverage, your on-page optimisation, and then off-page optimisation as well – building links that will pull consumers through to your web pages with relevant information, so that you continue to rank well.’

It’s not simply about doing it once and calling it a day, though – SEO needs almost constant testing and refinement to stay on top. Blink, says Razsor, and you’ll miss one of Google’s updates.

‘It’s really important that you measure and refine the whole process. This is about learning as you go, and tweaking those campaigns so that you really are optimising the way that the search

engines are working for you.

‘There are very clear examples of what happens when you’re not monitoring that, and adapting to it, in terms of the way it can impact your ranking.’

If you’re getting a bit lost, don’t worry – Razsor provides a handy acronym to remember the key points: V.I.S.U.A.L. ‘Make sure your site is visible to the user, using keywords and texts. Next, it has to be indexable to the search engines so that they can find the information and rank it properly.’

‘Structure of pages’ and ‘unique content’ are also both key – helping make the site navigable and interesting to visitors.

Next, ‘actionable – there’s got to be something that clicks through to the relevant information on your website.’ Finally, ‘longevity’.

Whittington then demonstrated just how effective heeding the advice can be – providing examples of existing campaigns.

‘With NetworkQ, we’ve seen a 595 per cent increase on non-branded traffic year-on-year’, she said proudly.

Similarly, Razsor’s SEO expertise was responsible for the 267 per cent rise for CountryCar.co.uk – and more position one multiple rankings for Polar Ford.

With SEO out of the way, Razsor suggest it’s worth a look at the way you’re engaging with social media.

Don’t dive straight in though, said Whittington – get thinking. ‘Much like the SEO, it requires some planning and some strategy and some thinking about what it is you want to achieve with your social media campaigns.’

Don’t assume it should be about sales from the start, either. ‘That initial phase should be about discovery, and ultimately this is not about selling your vehicles, this is about engaging with your customers: taking them on a journey with you, and keeping them as valued customers.’

Overall though, the thing Razsor are keen to stress the most is engagement with their reporting tools: dealers mustn’t simply put up a website and forget about it.

JON REAY

RAZSOR pride themselves in producing cutting edge websites for the automotive industry. As part of Trader Media Group, they have access to resources from companies like AutoTrader – the UK’s predominant car sales website – and Autotrade-Mail – a leading dealer-to-dealer remarketing site.

Experts in the industry, Razsor already provide website management and more to

..held in association with autotorq.com

campaigns stay sharp

‘‘

Make sure your site is visible to the user, using keywords and text.

a whole manner of automotive industries – including Vauxhall’s approved used service NetworkQ – and can provide anything from SEO to professional photography.

Razsor will even manage pay-per-click campaigns as part of the Google’s prestigious Premier SMB Partner scheme. And the firm was named the best independent web design company at this year’s Car Dealer Power Awards.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 77

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2012

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

autotorq.com

Some great web marketing ideas W: automotive.dianomi.com

T: 0207 802 5530

B

est practice was a key phrase from Paul Hughes’s presentation.

Hughes, representing Dianomi, had plenty of good ideas for those people in the Ewards audience who were responsible for managing a dealer’s online presence.

Reportedly generating £400 million of car sales in the UK, Dianomi are experts in their field, with a whole host of high-profile publishing partners on board.

‘Best practice number one: When you place your ad, make sure you’re doing it in a contextual environment,’ Hughes explained. ‘So firstly you have to identify your target market, and deliver the right message.’

Take heed of that and, said Hughes, you’ll reap the benefits – making your marketing spend go a lot further.

‘Also identify that – sometimes – your audience might evolve, so make sure that you analyse periodically, and adjust your message to target those users.’

The second point, said Hughes, is all about valuing all of your prospects – no matter when they might want to make a purchase.

‘All too often, we find that dealers only want to speak to people who have a purchase intention date of under three months. That’s very good, but you also need to have a strategy for all those customers who have a purchase intention of over six months or two years.’

That way, Dianomi suggests, you’ll be ready to contact them nearer that time – ensuring they don’t forget about your dealership and move on.

Third? Give your prospects the right tools – otherwise you risk them leaving the site, and that may well hand the sale over to a competitor.

‘From our experiences, 65 per cent of users online initially are only at the stage of requesting a brochure on a product. Of those 65 per cent of customers, 46 per cent also want to watch a video,’ Hughes told attendees.

‘So it’s very important that on your website you provide plenty of tools, photos, videos, technical specs and brochures, so that the users don’t leave your website and end up on a competitor’s website – just because they are providing the tools that you’re not.’

Fourth, don’t scare off prospects by asking the wrong questions. It may not even be about what you’re requesting, but how you go about doing it, explained Hughes.

Using the examples of two different forms – the first requesting a specific date that the user wanted to buy their new car, and another which asked for a more generalised timeframe – the disparity in submit rates was startling. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Paul Hughes said it was important for dealers to pay attention to data they see Effectively, the less demanding form attracted 86 per cent more submits – demonstrating the difference some clever techniques can make.

Five, make sure replies happen in a timely manner – a call echoed by other speakers.

‘When you follow up, speed is king. If you’ve not responded in a timely manner, you will lose customers’, Hughes emphasised.

‘Make sure you at least send them an email or an SMS, or just a quick call saying that you will follow them up the next day.’

Dianomi’s suggestion when it comes to chasing up phone calls? Persevere.

‘We understand that calling is a very tricky business – most of the time you don’t reach those users, but you need a strategy behind it, and you need to understand why that’s happening.

‘You will only reach 39 per cent of your leads on the first call, 72 per cent on the second call, and up to 93 per cent by the sixth call. It’s important that you keep trying.’

Even if you can’t keep up with making repeated phone calls, don’t give in – at least show the customer you’ve tried.

‘If you don’t have the resources to keep trying, send an email or SMS or leave a message so that the user at least knows that you’re trying to get in touch,’ Hughes suggested.

Six: keep up communication with existing customers. ‘Forty-six per cent of users want to receive regular offers,’ said Hughes. ‘You need to set up an effective email marketing strategy.’

‘Manage those subscribers: Make sure the users who don’t want to be in your list can get

out of it as soon as possible, because that will impact very negatively on your scoring.’

Seven – and finally – pay attention to the data you’re receiving. Hughes pointed to a survey for a popular manufacturer which clearly singled out what buyers liked – appreciating both low running costs and comparative performance levels of the vehicles in question.

‘So, in your further correspondence, you must highlight that it’s cheap to run, or that it has no compromise in performance.

‘We’ve talked about gathering a lot of data, but the main point of that is turning it into something that everybody can understand.

So make sure you build reports that are easy to understand, and at every part of your sales process turn it into an actual strategy.’

Paying attention to data that’s easily accessible could, said Hughes, make all the difference.

‘If you were to know that a particular user is wealthy before you even speak to them,’ said Hughes, ‘at the point of call you can offer them something special.

‘Like keeping the car for a whole weekend so that they can show it to their friends and family.

That will clearly bring that user – if they’re the right demographic – closer to purchasing that vehicle.’

Dianomi were also understandably keen to emphasise the advantages of bringing in online users in the first place.

‘Customers that walk in through the door, you don’t know much about them. But each one that comes online, you know their email, phone number, address, and you can get demographic profiling and wealth scoring.

‘It allows you to target a more expansive reach, at a very cost-effective rate, and it provides you an easy and straightforward way to calculate your return on investment – if you spend X online then you know how many leads you’ve got, and also how many cars you’ve sold.’

In essence then, Dianomi are keen to get dealers harnessing the sheer power of the web – and it’s easy to see the benefits of doing so.

JON REAY

ESTABLISHED in 2003, Dianomi offers transparent real-time leads to dealers – and prides itself on being able to source more affluent buyers. More than 55 per cent of leads from the company are for new cars, and more than half come from ‘top earners’ – making them a perfect choice for dealers offering newer or prestige vehicle sales.

The firm provides a number of different

..held in association with autotorq.com

you can put into practice

‘‘

It’s very important that on your website you provide plenty of tools, photos, videos and technical specs.

services to the automotive industry – including lead generation, customer profiling, lead nurturing and data cleansing and analysis – backed up by a reported £400 million of car sales experience in the UK. Dianomi is also partnered with a wide range of renowned publications and websites – including Auto Express, The Guardian, Financial Times, Yahoo and more – ensuring leads are readily accessible and in good supply.

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2012

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

autotorq.com

How you can make the most of the W: google.co.uk/ads T: 0800 169 0703

A

s Christmas draws ever closer, Alex Rose, associate industry manager (automotive) for Google, provided valuable advice towards maximising your online performance over the festive period. He revealed that neglecting your online presence during this time will have a direct impact on your sales performance in the early part of 2013.

Using the example of winter tyres, Rose outlined how consumer attitudes have changed since 2008 and the effect this has on search queries throughout the year. And it’s not just consumers who can take advantage of some early preparation for winter – all dealers were advised to prepare for Boxing Day to maximise sales performance heading into the New Year.

‘What you can see is that back in 2008 searches for ‘‘snow tyres’’ kind of flatlined throughout the year – no-one was really searching as no-one knew what they were.

Since then, we’ve had three hard winters in a row and what’s happened, year on year, is that people’s interest and awareness in winter tyres has started to increase. And people are starting their research into these things earlier.

‘But the key thing to understand when it comes to consumers making their decision is that they’re really going to do it in quarter four, in October, November and December. If you get to somewhere like February, and you’ve not bought a set of winter tyres, you’re probably not going to bother.

‘November is when you get about a third of all annual searches for winter tyres. In terms of cold, hard numbers, that means there will be about 11 million more searches for these before the year is out. Do a typical search for Ford Focus winter tyres and you’ll typically see no or very few dealers visible on that search page.

‘What you will see is eBay and tyre men – and they’re offering buy online with delivery and local fitting. If you offer winter checks – as I’m sure many of you guys will do – this is a great chance to bring people in with a winter tyre and free winter check offer. And some of you might also be offering storage as well.’

Rose detailed two traps to avoid falling into when it comes to your marketing in December.

‘The first trap is to plan for what happens around Boxing Day. Demand dies away a week or two before Christmas as people are focusing on that. The trough is Christmas Day, ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

..held in association with autotorq.com

Boxing Day bounce

‘‘

Mobile searches are growing all the time, but particularly around December and Christmas Day.

Since it was founded in 1998, Google has grown into a world brand, a universally recognised and respected search engine, email provider, mapping service and smartphone operating system supplier.

The company aims to ‘organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful’. As a result, your Google ranking has become as important as having a website itself, allowing customers to find you from

‘‘

and the peak day is usually around January pack? Three strategies; first, stay on radar as 1, so from Christmas Day onwards we see buyers refine their choices. Generally buyers this big spike in demand – as people who start with about three or four vehicles and were looking to make their purchases put gradually whittle that down, so those who their expenditure on hold and revisit it after are doing that whittling down phase in Christmas Day. December will be buying in 2013.

‘The second trap is dealers will assume ‘Secondly, you’ve got to plan for what that there’s no demand for sales or services will happen on Boxing Day. Demand for around Christmas. This approach is finance doubles, as it does for used cars and really dangerous, because if you compare servicing. For those of you who run paid December as a month of search to that search campaigns, it’s about going into those of September, what you’ll find is the two campaigns on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, months are not that different. and making sure you’ve got enough daily ‘If you compare December to a plate budget to capture that demand. And for change month, you’re looking at about those priority models that you have, making 12 per cent fewer sure those CPCs are high searches – so it is enough to be visible. a quieter month.

‘The second part of But on mobile, this, and it’s connected typically you’ll find to the Boxing Day that searches are search, is making sure about 22 per cent you’re visible on mobile higher than they devices. There are a few were in the previous really important things September. And the to remember about paid reason for that is search for mobile. One: that mobile searches You’ve got to make sure are growing all the you’re in position one or time, but particularly two for a mobile device. around December ‘There are five and Christmas Day – positions, but one and where users unwrap Alex Rose advised his audience to two are the only ones their new handsets you’ll really see on a plan carefully in order to maximise and tablets, and mobile device. Two: opportunities at Christmas get back on with You can use something searching in a big way. called click to call – it’s an ad extension, ‘If you look at the two together, what that and users can click on that to call your means is that December as a month is dealership directly – it costs you the price of only about nine per cent lower than a normal click. Three: While you can, tailor September is. your search ads to make it clear you’ve got a ‘But the most important part of all is mobile site. Say something like ‘‘browse on that the vehicle purchase process is long – our mobile site’’ and people are more likely about 3.5 months. If you’re cutting back in to click on your ad and visit your page.

December, those are people that are going ‘So in summary, prepare for January to be looking to make their purchases in now and ensure that you have a sufficient January, February and March. So those budget; ensure that your mobile campaigns looking for a fast start to Q1 are going to and search ads are ready; and make sure you hamper that by being invisible in December. do something on Boxing Day to capture that ‘So, how can you guys get ahead of the spike in demand.’

JON REAY

Xxx xx

anywhere in the world. Larry Page, cofounder and CEO of Google, described the ‘perfect search engine’ as something that ‘understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want’.

You’ll need to do your bit to ensure you’re in a prime position on Google’s results, but it’s worth the effort. Every day, 7.2 billion people use Google and last quarter, they posted revenues of a whopping $14 billion.

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CarDealer.

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2012

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

autotorq.com

Want to get more from the web?

W: theautonetwork.co.uk

T: 0151 221 9890

A

s dealers become more and more reliant on utilising the web, it’s a real relief that companies like The Auto Network are here to help.

Providing anything from lead generation to editorial content, The Auto Network is pretty much a one-stop shop for anything digital and media related.

It was apt then that the firm’s digital marketing head – Richard Wood – took to the stage to wow our attendees.

Starting with a brief history of the company, Wood went on to give a little insight into the way that The Auto Network operates.

‘Founded in 2002, we’re an automotive digital marketing agency with 10 years’ industry experience. We’re lead generation experts – working with partners such as Perrys and GM, we also offer lead handling consultancy and solutions.

‘The Auto Network is made up of three main sub-departments within the company.

Auto sales leads, who do the qualification of leads that are brought into the company; Auto Content, who do the content marketing, automotive video, social media, and design; and Auto Coders who create the proprietary software that the network is based upon.’

With that clearly explained, Wood went on to talk about the process of leveraging digital assets from lead generation. It may sound confusing, but it’s as simple as walking down the high street, he added.

‘What is a digital asset? To us at The Auto Network, it’s a shop window – us showing off what we can offer to the prospective lead. It’s a means to connect with the lead, and it’s a way of engaging with them and converting the potential leads.’

Assets, Wood explained, can be anything from websites to mobile applications – even video or written content.

‘Why do we use digital assets? A big factor is

‘‘

What is a digital asset? To us at The Auto Network, it’s a shop window. ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

Richard Wood explained how dealers can use The Auto Network to do business the cost, the adaptability and the optimisation, so we can adapt to get better conversion rates.

We can engage with the audience, we can personalise, and lastly we can connect with buyers at different stages of the buying cycle.’

Wood then went on to explain these stages: What they are, and what they mean in terms of marketing.

‘The buying cycle for us starts with the need or want, then the potential lead gathers information, they evaluate their options, they make a decision, complete the purchase, and then move into post-purchase.’

At the need/want phase – where buyers have a registered interest in one or more new vehicles – The Auto Network jumps in: Connecting with

The AUTO NETWORK provides a whole manner of different services for automotive companies – whether it’s bringing in sales or offering marketing through digital mediums. Based in Liverpool, they work with companies like General Motors, Perrys and more – bringing in sales leads and managing the day-to-day running of

them through web or email. Through this, the buyer can identify models, and the firm can highlight pricing and deal opportunities.

‘The next stage is where they’re gathering information,’ explains Wood. ‘So we make relevant information available, allowing a channel for others to give advice through things like social media, and making content exciting and shareable.’

Buyers can then evaluate their options through comparison tools – plotting makes and models against each other and, in Wood’s words, ‘hopefully moving towards a transaction’.

Unusually though, the team does this from a ‘manufacturer-agnostic’ point of view. In other words – not from one specific manufacturer, but allowing buyers a completely open choice.

‘The next stage is the buying decision,’ Wood said, ‘and we’re approached here by the customer through web phone and email conversations, so once a lead has made initial contact – either through the price comparison tools or via any of the other stages – we engage with them through things like email, social media or via our call centre.’

Finally comes purchasing the car. The Auto Network gets technical here: Using a piece of technology they developed in house to liaise with manufacturers and clients, allowing them insight into things like optimised call-backs.

‘After the purchase stage, we re-engage with them through things like social media, email and the website, and approach them for after-sales services – things like GAP insurance, servicing, tyres, roadside assistance. We keep engaged with them until they start the buying cycle again.’

What does this achieve for everyone concerned? ‘We remain relevant with a perception of impartiality throughout the process, and this allows us to optimise conversion rates, and ultimately generate leads,’ explained Wood.

JON REAY

their web presences.

Established 10 years ago, they’ve been a leading force in automotive marketing ever since – even branching out into a popular consumer website: Motortorque.com. The firm specialises in sales leads in particular – bringing retailers new buyers via a whole manner of different techniques.

..held in association with autotorq.com

Turn to The Auto Network

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Ewards

2012

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

autotorq.com

They’re new kids on the block, but W: tradeouts.com

T

T: 01327 589589

radeouts have never been involved in our Ewards before – simply because they have been in existence for less than a year!

Despite being such a new company though, we were already keeping an eye on their progress – naming them as a company to watch earlier this year.

Sales manager Scott Ralston had the task of speaking to the 100+ dealer representatives at our event, and chose to focus on the fresh-eyed firm’s innovative features.

Starting with how car sales used to operate, Ralston pointed out the two main previous sources for dealers’ used stock: Auction, or ‘trader friends’.

‘Firstly, “Dave the trader” – lots of dealerships will have a trader that will visit them.

‘It’s easy, it’s convenient, but it’s costing you money,’ Ralston observed – getting a few laughs

‘‘

from the Alexei Sayle-like picture brought up on screen.

‘Buying at auction you could be out of the office all day, you’re away from your business, and you might come home empty-handed.’

Ralston then went on to talk about Tradeouts as a business – first discussing its history.

‘We were launched on December 15, 2011.

A total of 2,500 dealers signed up, we do thousands of trades each month, and we’ve had phenomenal growth,’ he said.

So, what does Tradeouts do? ‘We don’t do cooked breakfasts,’ stated Ralston.

‘Trading websites already exist, but not like Tradeouts.com. It was created by people who know how to build websites, so the experience that backs the site is pretty good. We embraced mobile technology, it’s people buying from people, it’s cost-effective and has many features and a lot of intelligence’.

The whole business, said Ralston, is built

Based on buying 24 cars and selling 24 cars per year in an auction, the total cost is nearly £10,000. Using Tradeouts, it’s less than £1,000.

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

around hundreds of hours of consultation with the people who are actually going to use it: Dealers.

‘We visited hundreds of dealers across the UK to get their feedback on products that were already out there and how we could make them better – and we’ve done just that.’

With their team of creative people, the design of the site was made to work for both form and function, Ralston explained to the room.

‘There’s no point having a site that looks good but doesn’t suit the needs of our dealers, and there’s no point having a site that suits the needs of our dealers but is hard to use.’

Just to make sure of that, Ralston said the firm tested the website with a number of dealers after launch – making changes and improvements as they went.

‘There have been many features added since the launch of the product. We’ve also embraced mobile technology – we have iPhone and

..held in association with autotorq.com

Tradeouts are already a hit Android versions of the site, and 10 per cent of Tradeouts traffic is from mobile devices.’

Ralston then got down to business: talking in cold, hard cash. ‘Based on buying 24 cars and selling 24 cars per year in an auction, the total cost is nearly £10,000.

Using Tradeouts, it’s less than £1,000.’

Selling trade-to-trade may be a feature that’s in use on some other websites, but Tradeouts, Ralston explained, does things a little differently.

‘Trades that occur on the site, we’ll actually concierge for them: Contacting both the seller and the buyer, putting them together and helping them with invoicing.

That’s helped with a lot of new car dealers that have just set up.

‘We run a feedback system, so our dealers can leave feedback on their experiences on the site. Since we’ve done this, we’ve had a lot of recommendations, and people

phoning in on a regular basis wanting an account – because the recommendations have gone through the roof.’

Ralston discussed a few other Tradeouts features of note, too – including their market analysis.

‘We keep an eye on what’s hot and what’s not in the market place, what models are really good to sell, what you shouldn’t keep hold of, what you should trade out etc.’

‘As an example, I had a customer recently who was in a bit of a pickle.

‘Three of his vehicles were over-age and he was struggling to sell them, while those vehicles were quite popular in another area.

‘So I got in contact with a couple of dealers in another area, shifted those vehicles for him, and he was able then to buy other vehicles and has since had quite a bit more business.’

So, all in all a successful talk from the firm. They might be new, but they’re JON REAY certainly impressive! [CD]

TRADEOUTS prides its self as being a tradeonly site that ‘suits the needs of a modern dealer’. Established less than 12 months ago, they’ve already grown incredibly – with around 2,500 dealers in the UK on board.

Constantly listening to dealer feedback, the firm is keen to be the most user-friendly trade-to-trade remarketing system – with a team of experienced designers behind its development.

Costs are another area where Tradeouts concentrates on helping dealers – allowing the redistribution of vehicles that aren’t selling well, and reducing costs compared to auctions and middlemen.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 85

UNLOCK THE SECRET

TO PRIME TRADE STOCK In October we advertised 23,288 fresh trade vehicles for sale

“I talk to dealers across the UK every day and appreciate how difficult it is to source good stock at the moment. Perhaps we can help in a small way?”

Gee Pugsley

Run by dealers for dealers Est 1999

Call 01243 523000 for a FREE TWO WEEK TRIAL

to experience the full range of benefits

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

With over 5000 subscribers advertising more than 1000 cars a day, Autotrade-mail subscribers enjoy first choice of the prime stock offered by other members across the UK. It should be an essential part of every successful sales team Run by dealers for dealers – it works so well because we understand your business.

Only professionals welcome – every month we turn away 30% of applicants who wish to join.

The UK’s leading online real time used-car trading network

focus on.

ONLINE EXPERTS autotrade-mail

‘I advertised three cars and sold all three in 15 minutes’ W: Autotrade-mail.com T: 01243 523000

O

ne advantage of using the internet is the ability to keep track and source stock more quickly.

But a dealer is only as good as the tools available – and one of the best tools around is from Autotrade-mail.

Established in 1999, Autotrade-mail is an important cog in the Trader Media Group operation. The firm is well regarded by dealers and is seen as an authority in online used-car trading, having been the UK’s number one for the last 10 years.

It’s an online system which allows subscribing dealers to have the pick of the best prime stock available.

Autotrade-mail has more than 5,000 dealer subscribers and it’s used by 35 per cent of the franchised dealer network. Bearing witness to its worth, 77 per cent of the Lexus network uses it, as does 60 per cent of Jaguar’s.

One impressive piece of functionality recently added to the site is its award-winning toolbar.

This simple piece of kit cuts the time it takes to trade and purchase vehicles.

Using conventional email, it used to take up to 15 minutes to notify subscribers that a vehicle is for sale or being requested.

The unveiling of the real-time toolbar enables the seller of the vehicle to receive a price almost instantly, so a sale can be completed within minutes.

The significant reach provided by Autotrademail also gives the seller the best possible chance of a good price. Now a dealer does not have to wait for the day a car can go through the block or have to telephone and barter with a local trader.

The ‘pop-up’ tool broadcasts after polling every 120 seconds. So, if a dealer places an advert 45 seconds before the computer polls, the dealer will receive the details within 50 seconds of placing it.

It’s impressing dealers; Jamie Robertson, Swancraft Ltd director, says: ‘The toolbar ‘‘pop-ups’’ are fantastic, I advertised three cars this morning and within 60 seconds had sold the first and all three within 15 minutes – nothing else comes close.’

Kevin Watson, Autotrade-mail’s operations director, explains: ‘We first had the idea many

years ago, initially as I think we were fearful that one day there could be a charge from the browsing companies for emails.

‘Being responsible for about 20 million emails per quarter, it was right for this issue to be on our radar but as MSN and the general acceptance and speed of technology has increased, with things such as this, it has been very easy for us to develop and launch.

‘Our dealers just love it, and not because it’s

free to download but because it works so very well with everything else we offer, especially for the busy group buyers.’

Autotrade-mail offers a 14-day free trial of their system.

There is a simple vetting process just to ensure you are a motor industry professional.

After that, full membership costs £67 per month and there are no buyer’s or seller’s fees or minimum contract.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 87

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The most powerful way to promote your business is through referrals.

It’s not selling it’s positive reinforcement from customers that have done business with you... and it works. Car Buying Advisor enables you to capture these comments and use them to show just how good you are. *DLQ LPPHGLDWH EHQH¿WV WR \RXU GHDOHUVKLS E\ XVLQJ \RXU UHSXWDWLRQ DQG \RXU FRPPLWPHQW WR FXVWRPHU VHUYLFH WR DWWUDFW PRUH FXVWRPHUV DQG WR VHOO PRUH FDUV Car Buying Advisor KHOSV \RX FROOHFW DQG SURPRWH \RXU WHVWLPRQLDOV ,W ZLOO JLYH \RX NH\ LQIRUPDWLRQ RQ FRQVXPHU H[SHULHQFHV DW \RXU GHDOHUVKLS DQG ZLWK \RXU LQGLYLGXDO

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focus on.

ONLINE EXPERTS CARBUYINGadvisor.co.uk

Feedback can work for you W: carbuyingadvisor.co.uk T: 08456 399 441

T

‘‘

The site hosts reviews for dealers nationwide, and offers consumers a place to write an honest review about your dealership.

dealerships, populated by dealers who have signed up for the service and by consumers who provide details of unlisted dealerships with new reviews.

All the comments posted are moderated to ensure fake reviews are not published and those who are signed up for the service are notified of every new review.

Dealers then have the opportunity to resolve issues raised and original posts can be edited to show resolutions for others to read.

Added to this, dealers can list an unlimited number of cars on the site, with other advertising portals linking back to the carbuyingadvisor site. This allows consumers outside the dealer’s catchment area to research your reputation as written by others, giving customers added confidence in your business and increasing the chance of someone buying from outside your local area.

The site also offers sales staff the opportunity to build their own profiles and reputations via

‘‘

he internet has made it all-too-easy for dissatisfied customers to express their views via countless websites that offer no control to the business in question.

Worse, you’ll rarely see most of the comments made but potential customers researching your dealership could see the comments of other unhappy customers and this can make the difference of whether new consumers visit you, or not.

Introducing a centralised feedback system may, at first glance, seem like the ideal place for customers to vent their frustrations, resulting in the demise of your reputation. But it is the perfect opportunity for you to improve your customer experience, balance this against your own testimonials, increase your rankings and website traffic and build a reputation that new customers can easily find.

A new platform has just been launched by carbuyingadvisor.co.uk that provides a reliable feedback system that is both cost-effective and time-efficient, removing the need to build in feedback systems to existing websites to gather information on sales experiences.

The site hosts reviews for dealers nationwide, and offers consumers a place to write an honest review about your dealership.

But where other ‘open’ sites only allow consumers to voice their opinions, carbuyingadvisor.co.uk allows dealers the chance to respond to any issues, notifying them of every review published, for a small monthly fee.

John Scott, operations manager of carbuyingadvisor.co.uk, said: ‘Research shows consumers trust reviews but only when they are truthful. It also shows people are more likely to say something if they are unhappy, so if you’ve edited your reviews to show only positive feedback, there’s no balance and people don’t trust them.’

He added: ‘Having a negative review isn’t a bad thing; it’s an opportunity for improvement. But where other sites in the public domain provide little or no chance for dealers to respond, the carbuyingadvisor site is different.

‘All comments on the site have to be authorised and dealers are notified of each comment. This gives dealers a golden opportunity to respond, rectify and enhance their reputation, broadcasting it nationwide.’

The site already lists more than 15,000

the site. Scott said: ‘Every dealer knows which of his sales staff he/she would trust to look after their family; there is no reason why the consumer shouldn’t have a view of which individual salespeople at a dealership provide the best service.’

For a limited time, the service is free to use for 30 days and costs a flat £50 per month subscription after the trial period. This is unaffected by site traffic, number of notifications and uploads. Confident in his service, Scott said: ‘Consumers have a myriad of sites already available and there is no reason why a dealer with a good reputation should not want to broadcast it on carbuyingadvisor.co.uk.

‘We all strive to develop referral sales and the site will help highlight the best dealers and we hope consumers will look to our site before making purchases.

‘It’s a great opportunity for dealers to share and improve the sales experience, improving site traffic and sales on the way.’

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 89

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ONLINE EXPERTS BUYACAR

Try online selling with a difference W: buyacar.co.uk/dealers T: 0845 2260101

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verybody would like to increase sales.

However, the old maxim that you have to spend money to make money has generally proved true, and in these chastened times keeping costs down is a big priority. An increase in your advertising spend may not be something you want to entertain at present.

However, buyacar.co.uk may have the answer.

Choosing not to operate like traditional classified ads sites, buyacar.co.uk doesn’t work as an advertising platform but a selling platform, or a market place – think Amazon for cars.

‘We don’t just advertise the vehicles,’ operations director Oliver Collins tells us, ‘we actually sell the vehicle on behalf of the dealer. So when the dealer lists their vehicle on the site, we provide a physical sale to the dealership.’

This means none of the profits are frittered on endless weeks of advertising fees – dealers only pay when their vehicle finds a new owner. Put simply, money goes on sales rather than leads – and the dealer saves as they do not have to pay their own salespeople commission.

‘It doesn’t cost dealers anything to list their entire stock,’ says Collins. ‘We advertise your cars for free on buyacar.co.uk and autoexpress.co.uk. We only charge once a sale is made – it’s on a no-win-no-fee basis.’

The buyacar.co.uk team isn’t new to the art of long-

WIDEN YOUR REACH Buyacar.co.uk has won multiple accolades from Experian Hitwise. It was named one of the top-10 dealer websites for traffic last year. It is currently ranked fifth in the automotive dealerships category, according to the listings, meaning that it receives more internet traffic than enormous dealer groups such as Bristol Street Motors and Lookers – and this share has grown every quarter in 2012.

What’s more, a tie-in with consumer magazine AutoExpress.co.uk means cars are listed there, too – driving even further traffic to the listings. In essence then, buyacar.co.uk offers a significant audience reach nationwide – further than it would be possible for dealers to achieve on their own.

distance selling – for 10 years they’ve been one of the most successful online new car sales sites in the UK. Now they’re expanding their used car operation – bringing their decade of expertise and new thinking to the table.

Selling vehicles directly online, buyacar. co.uk can arrange delivery of the car door-todoor – meaning buyers can be anywhere from Dunstable to Dundee, without forcing them to travel to collect the vehicle.

‘That’s something dealers aren’t necessarily experienced in – they’re used to customers in their local catchment area walking into their showroom, and doing a deal face-to-face,’ Collins explains.

‘We have a team of sales people who are experienced in the art of long-distance selling – that’s what we specialise in. When a dealer lists their vehicle on our website, it is advertised to a nationwide audience of over 20,000 unique visitors per day. That’s the important thing – it’s sales dealers wouldn’t normally get.’

What’s more, as the listing system is effectively automated, dealers needn’t spend time taking pictures, filling in standard specifications or even linking customers to reviews of their vehicles – it’s all done for them. Even finance applications and part-exchanges are handled by the firm – saving time for the dealership, and keeping buyers closer to the finance approval process. Buyacar.co.uk is well-versed in handling this process at distance; partexchanges, for example, are underwritten in-house, meaning that the dealership is under no obligation to take these vehicles. Similarly, the team are used to handling online finance applications.

‘We deal with all the big lenders,’ says Collins, ‘and all the popular finance products like PCP, HP and so on. Buyers can also apply for that finance online, and send it directly through to a lender for approval and – once an answer is received – can

simply continue with the order.’

It’s not just sellers who will benefit, though – buyers should see the upside, too, not least because they needn’t leave their sofa. ‘Buyers can have the vehicle delivered directly to their door,’ says Collins, understanding some customers’ desire to avoid what they see as ‘pushy’ salespeople.

As buyers increasingly expect to be able to buy products and services outside the traditional nine-tofive window, non-office-based processes are key.

Not only can buyers put a deposit down for a car at any time – day or night – but buyacar.co.uk’s wheels are often in motion at unsociable hours to satisfy such demands.

‘It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week,’ Collins explains. ‘Quite often we will come in, in the morning, or at the weekend and deal with the sales we’ve received outside working hours.’

And what of dealers who want to get more involved in the selling process? Not a problem.

‘We can work with dealers’ finance houses,’ Collins tells us. ‘The dealers can also have the option of purchasing the part-exchanges if they’re happy with the bid that we’ve received for it.’

In essence then, if you have used stock up to five years old and want to take the hassle out of selling, give buyacar.co.uk a try – you might find it saves you a few headaches.

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��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

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ONLINE EXPERTS GFORCES

Retain switched-on buyers W: gforces.co.uk T: 0844 247 4523

T

he internet is driving huge changes across multiple industries – that’s clear.

For car dealers, adapting isn’t an option any more – it’s essential.

That, of course, is easier said than done. Not everyone understands how best to approach the web – let alone reap its benefits. The best option is to contact someone who does – but who?

GForces, established in 1999, has been at the forefront of providing automotive technology – providing a range of highly-focused integrated dealer solutions for even the most demanding clients.

One set of products – the Netdirector suite – is established as a leading content management platform. ‘It’s responsible for powering almost 50 per cent of the top 200 motor retailers in the UK,’ GForces’ commercial director Tim Smith tells us.

‘It’s by far and away the most widespread and powerful platform in the market – already on its ninth iteration.’

GForces hasn’t sprung up overnight – it has a history of producing innovative products in the automotive sector, pioneering many of the features we take for granted today.

Call tracking, for example, is an almost essential marketing tool these days, but GForces’ LeadBeast was the first software solution worldwide to integrate it with online campaigns.

‘We found that all of the marketing tracking solutions only looked at either web analytics or phone calls, they never took both so the stats never added up,’ says Smith. ‘So we came up with the first solution that did both.’

GForces wanted to show that marketing through digital media was the next big thing, and the only way to demonstrate that was with proof.

‘Everything that GForces does is based on being able to justify a return on investment,’ Smith tells us. Efficiency is something the firm is very big on, helping dealers get the most out of both their time and money through solutions like their datafeed management system.

‘This had been a major bone of contention for the industry for a long time,’ Smith explains.

‘Dealers and OEMs pay a huge amount of money to get vehicles sent from one system to another, and then published out to various portals and advertising platforms.

‘What GForces does is manage the feeds for you, and we’ll cleanse the data so that they are in a clean and standardised format, using data

embellishment sources like CAP code, Kee, Glass’s and so on.

‘When they are punched out from our system, they are cleaned and augmented so that you’re getting the highest quality of data.’

Live-chat solutions are another thing we can thank the firm for – ‘GForces was the first to put those on to retail websites a long, long time ago,’ Smith says, emphasising the firm’s record in innovation.

‘We were about 13 staff seven years ago when we focused on automotive, so the growth has been rapid. We probably punch back 30, maybe 35 per cent of what we earn back into product development and research.’

What really sets the firm apart, though, is the focus they have on keeping car buyers happy.

After all, customers should be at the centre of a dealer’s business.

‘It’s only experience that really matters to consumers. We build all of our services – and we always have done – from a consumer experience point of view: what does it feel like for the car buyer to visit and click on our customers’ websites?’

It hasn’t been easy, though – consumers might be evolving but dealers aren’t always keeping up.

‘The industry is fantastically sales-dominated.

It has been, culturally, around selling cars and rugby-tackling the consumers who walk into the showroom,’ Smith jokes.

‘Digital has challenged that – it’s eroded enormous amounts of showroom traffic – that

has dropped from five or six visits per purchase under a decade ago to just 1.3 or 1.4 visits for each vehicle bought.’ GForces suggests that consumers are no longer entering showrooms to be instructed on what to buy.

‘They’re walking into the showroom saying “I want that car, I want that colour, at that spec, at that price, and if I can’t get it, I’m going to go and get it from this other dealership”,’ comments Smith. As consumers become more switched-on, it is a challenge to keep them on your website rather than having them leave to visit a rival operation. It’s here that GForces can help give your website an edge. Partnering with big names like Haymarket, the firm can integrate reviews from Reevoo and even WhatCar – additional content that’s sure to keep the attention of potential buyers.

As buyers expect more of this type of integration, it’s more important than ever to keep up, and to pick a company that’s as switched-on as GForces.

‘Businesses that evolve most effectively and adapt to change most willingly are the ones that survive. And the internet is one of those drivers for change,’ Smith says. ‘It’s a technological and cultural shift of seismic proportions, and it’s the ones that adapt to it best that are going to get the biggest wins.’ [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 93

DATA FILE.

Thestatistics n

SMMT Sales Data

UK leads way as strong sales boost contrasts with Europe Fiesta best in October as superminis top EU-trouncing figures

N

ew car registrations were 12.1 per cent up in October, the latest figures from the SMMT reveal.

A total of 151,252 new cars were registered, five per cent up year to date.

Highest performing car last month was the Ford Fiesta – achieving 8,056 units, followed by the Vauxhall Corsa with 6,285. Next was the Focus with 5,834, and the Astra at 5,754.

While promising, the figures are still not back to pre-recession levels – but do at least appear strong in the face of weak European demand.

‘The UK continues to lead the way in European new car sales, with the main continent’s decline triggering unease among global automotive manufacturers,’ commented Deloitte’s David Raistrick. ‘On the one hand, a number of major UK dealer groups have reported strong sales growth in 2012, but their counterparts in Europe are witnessing a decline. This is particularly uncharacteristic in Germany, where a doubledigit contraction in September 2012 for new cars and a two per cent reduction overall for the year will instigate some very serious dialogue in the boardroom.’

Small cars are becoming increasingly common, too. The ‘mini’ segment –

Kia on a roll SMMT figures show Kia’s 2012 sales figures have already beaten 2010’s, with two months to go.

Sales from January to October 2012 were 57,736 while 2010’s overall figure was 56,114, itself a record year. The sales were up 21 per cent over the same yearto-date figures from October 2011, too, bringing the firm’s market share up to 3.2 per cent. Year-on-year October sales were up 12.4 per cent, too – delivering 4,837 cars. Kia’s managing director, Michael Cole, said: ’It’s great to have passed our record 2010 total with two months of the year to go.’ ��| CarDealerMag.co.uk

housing cars like the Ford Ka and Fiat 500 – has grown 52 per cent year-to-date. Collectively, it and the ‘supermini’ segment represented 40 per cent of the market.

‘UK consumers continue to drive the market, with sales consistently growing,’ said Richard Lowe, head of retail and wholesale at Barclays.

‘The latest GDP figures may boost this confidence further, but with the economic recovery likely to be a long and winding road, we may see private buyer appetite slowing as we head into 2013.’

Fleet sales haven’t experienced quite the same boost. ‘Retail car sales continued to drive the

market in October whilst fleet sales remained flat,’ said Sue Robinson, director of the RMI National Franchised Dealers Association.

‘Retail customers are now committing to buying cars often helped by the competitive offers made available by the manufacturer. In particular, Personal Contract Purchase plans are helping to boost sales as they offer a low-cost finance option to many consumers.

‘Smaller cars and alternative fuel vehicles continue to sell well indicating consumers are now looking for a more economically and environmentally friendly vehicle that offers better fuel economy and cheaper maintenance.’

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt commented: ‘Despite uncertainty in the European economy, the UK new car market continues to grow.

‘It is encouraging to see the alternativelyfuelled vehicle market performing strongly, up 13 per cent so far this year.

‘Although the alternatively-fuelled vehicle sector represents only a small share of the overall market, it is vital that the government sustains its consumer incentive programme and maximises the benefits available through the vehicle taxation system.’

Even makers like Mercedes-Benz break records The surge in October registrations saw even premium manufacturers doing well. Mercedes-Benz enjoyed a boost with 6,463 cars registered, giving the firm a 4.6 per cent market share, up 11.9 per cent on October last year. The German brand has experienced a 12.2 per cent growth in new registrations – 79,194 cars have hit Britain’s roads since January this year.

Fleet registrations are also up. Mercedes’ grew 10.7 per cent in the area, defying what the SMMT described as a ‘flat’ market. Growth in private registrations is higher still at 27.2 per cent.

It’s too early for the firm’s new A-Class to have an effect, but the revised B-Class is doing well with 630 sold in October. The C-Class was also a winner with 872 registrations for the coupe, and 523 for the estate. AMG models have more than doubled to 1,750

registrations, year-to-date. This marks a 144.8 per cent increase compared with 2011. It’s the C 63 AMG saloon and coupe models that have been the most popular – racking up 121 registrations in October. CLS 63 AMG registrations increased and there were 51 registrations of the ML 63 AMG, both of which haven’t long been on sale. Marcus Breitschwerdt, president and CEO, said: ‘Our October performance has been really encouraging.

B-Class and C-Class continue to break records and we are heading for one of our best years ever for AMG. We are continuing to maintain record market share levels and our products are being well received.

‘Commercial vehicles have also put in a strong performance throughout October and with Citan, our new city van, the CLS Shooting Brake and the new A-Class joining us we have a lot to look forward to.’

SMMT sales data Oct/year to date October 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

118 527 80 9,232 98 9,959 568 159 5,888 0 3,960 20,740 3,352 6,861 59 845 339 4,837 3,465 504 2 33 1,208 6,522 37 4,265 473 7,197 22 6,888 636 5 3,271 16 2,851 4,759 510 67 103 934 5,179 18,023 13,480 3,050 62 68 151,252

% market share

0.08 0.35 0.05 6.10 0.06 6.58 0.38 0.11 3.89 0.00 2.62 13.71 2.22 4.54 0.04 0.56 0.22 3.20 2.29 0.33 0.00 0.02 0.80 4.31 0.02 2.82 0.31 4.76 0.01 4.55 0.42 0.00 2.16 0.01 1.88 3.15 0.34 0.04 0.07 0.62 3.42 11.92 8.91 2.02 0.04 0.04

RENAULT -48.55%

AUdI +21.84%

2011

Year to date (YTD) % market share

2012 % Change

71 786 57 7,577 70 8,985 794 41 4,654 0 2,849 18,476 4,889 4,877 56 713 122 4,272 3,044 551 4 36 1,153 5,916 15 3,302 500 6,385 42 6,253 545 20 6,358 60 2,204 2,944 362 39 176 786 4,655 16,008 12,106 2,051 59 81 134,944

0.05 0.58 0.04 5.61 0.05 6.66 0.59 0.03 3.45 0.00 2.11 13.69 3.62 3.61 0.04 0.53 0.09 3.17 2.26 0.41 0.00 0.03 0.85 4.38 0.01 2.45 0.37 4.73 0.03 4.63 0.40 0.01 4.71 0.04 1.63 2.18 0.27 0.03 0.13 0.58 3.45 11.86 8.97 1.52 0.04 0.06

66.20 -32.95 40.35 21.84 40.00 10.84 -28.46 287.80 26.51 0.00 39.00 12.25 -31.44 40.68 5.36 18.51 177.87 13.23 13.83 -8.53 -50.00 -8.33 4.77 10.24 146.67 29.16 -5.40 12.72 -47.62 10.16 16.70 -75.00 -48.55 -73.33 29.36 61.65 40.88 71.79 -41.48 18.83 11.26 12.59 11.35 48.71 5.08 -16.05 12.09

1,057 6,642 818 110,622 1,075 107,651 12,260 3,091 64,286 0 43,740 245,109 47,496 62,980 433 11,984 2,011 57,736 42,312 7,571 122 273 23,921 79,923 668 42,401 5,430 91,716 365 88,033 6,594 202 33,640 231 33,294 46,281 4,549 755 1,848 21,898 74,068 197,721 160,200 27,300 819 735 1,771,861

%market share

0.06 0.37 0.05 6.24 0.06 6.08 0.69 0.17 3.63 0.00 2.47 13.83 2.68 3.55 0.02 0.68 0.11 3.26 2.39 0.43 0.01 0.02 1.35 4.51 0.04 2.39 0.31 5.18 0.02 4.97 0.37 0.01 1.90 0.01 1.88 2.61 0.26 0.04 0.10 1.24 4.18 11.16 9.04 1.54 0.05 0.04

2011

Figures supplied by SMMT

%market share % Change

1,156 10,266 909 99,901 921 99,712 10,867 839 59,621 3 37,041 233,104 44,453 53,968 280 12,050 1,791 47,525 31,728 6,713 281 347 28,223 70,987 242 41,449 8,883 83,569 491 84,153 5,141 395 59,699 4,106 31,066 39,241 4,391 71 2,350 17,737 62,773 204,121 155,565 28,166 988 755 1,688,038

0.07 0.61 0.05 5.92 0.05 5.91 0.64 0.05 3.53 0.00 2.19 13.81 2.63 3.20 0.02 0.71 0.11 2.82 1.88 0.40 0.02 0.02 1.67 4.21 0.01 2.46 0.53 4.95 0.03 4.99 0.30 0.02 3.54 0.24 1.84 2.32 0.26 0.00 0.14 1.05 3.72 12.09 9.22 1.67 0.06 0.04

-8.56 -35.30 -10.01 10.73 16.72 7.96 12.82 268.41 7.82 -100.00 18.09 5.15 6.85 16.70 54.64 -0.55 12.28 21.49 33.36 12.78 -56.58 -21.33 -15.24 12.59 176.03 2.30 -38.87 9.75 -25.66 4.61 28.26 -48.86 -43.65 -94.37 7.17 17.94 3.60 963.38 -21.36 23.46 17.99 -3.14 2.98 -3.07 -17.11 -2.65 4.97

Smmt Has Removed The Following Brands As They Registered No Vehicles In The Uk In 2011: Cadillac, Corvette, Daimler, Dodge, HuMMER CarDealerMag.co.uk | 95

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auctions.

Manheim buys Dealer Auction bit.ly/manheim-grows

Henstock auction stations

Just how important are Twitter and Facebook?

T

he power of online social networking to enhance reputations, build entertainment careers and create likeminded groups is well-established.

Businesses are told that if they are not engaging with social networks, they are missing out.

There’s no doubt that the internet is increasingly used as a research tool by used car buyers, but so far there is little to suggest that Facebook or Twitter are deal-makers when it comes to choosing a used car.

And anyway, does it make sense for car dealers to inhabit the same social space as their customers?

The vast majority of traffic across social networks is just that – social. But by and large, business talk and social chatter do not mix well. So how might used car dealers interest this vast online population? What conversations might they strike up? What tactics might work in a social setting?

A dealership might use a Facebook page to focus on the latest activity in the community – sponsorship or open days, for example. A Twitter account can be used as a portal to bring new visitors to an existing site and can advertise brand values to a new audience. But remember – any business establishing a presence on a social site should be prepared to deal with any brickbats that may be thrown by any disgruntled customers. Good news is great, but bad news travels quickly and gets traction much faster.

Put another way, businesses should accept the need to be thick-skinned if they enter an environment where everybody is a critic, an expert and an author!

BCA delight at new contract with Toyota Firm wins through despite some tough competition

B

CA, in partnership with Ambrosetti UK, has been awarded the contract to deliver vehicle de-fleet and remarketing services to Toyota from January 1, 2013.

It is the first time BCA has worked directly with Toyota in the UK and follows a competitive tender process.

BCA will deliver a complete end-to-end service to Toyota, including inspection and collection, de-fleet, storage, refurbishment, inventory management, a range of sales systems and outsourced remarketing services. BCA’s market-leading inventory management system (IMS) will deliver visibility and control of inventory throughout the supply chain for Toyota and will integrate services from all thirdparty suppliers.

BCA will operate a bespoke inspect and collect programme, geared to Toyota’s new grading standards and will ensure a high quality of service for Toyota and

Who is Simon Henstock?

Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Visit british-car-auctions.co.uk or call 0845 600 cowboy 6644.

Car dealer ads 1/11/12 13:21

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No cowboys.

Just Just trade trade professionals. professionals.

Lexus customers. Logistics costs will be optimised through a centralised vehicle storage and refurbishment facility at Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire.

BCA will utilise a range of highperformance remarketing channels to sell used Toyota and Lexus vehicles direct to the franchised retail network and approved non-franchised buyers integrating online (Live Online, Bid Now, Buy Now and e-Auction), telesales and physical auction channels, supported with a multi-point marketing programme.

BCA spokesman Jonathan Higham commented: ‘We are delighted to have won this tender to deliver across-the-board vehicle de-fleet and remarketing services to Toyota and Lexus in the face of some very stiff competition.’

£7.2m raised at Manheim’s Colchester mega-sale A TOTAL of £7.2 million has been raised at Manheim’s Colchester auction house – in a single sale.

Lex Autolease’s mega-sale – now in its second year – was responsible for the headline figure, bringing 550 ex-fleet and 250 finance-sourced cars, along with 200 commercial vehicles.

Manheim boasted a conversion rate of 90 per cent across the 1,000 vehicles, and an average 95.5 per cent of CAP clean – backed up by a number of highachieving lots. A 2009 Audi A4 S line

sold at 233 per cent of CAP clean, for example, while an 2012 Range Rover Evoque sold for £38,000.

More than 500 buyers were bidding on the auction floor – coming from as far away as New Zealand – while 700 bidders were attracted online.

Dave Parry, corporate sales director for Manheim, said: ‘The number of buyers and CAP values achieved supports Manheim’s view that the used vehicle market is robust enough to weather the current economic storm.’

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 97

RIGHT CLICK.

..in association with GForces

Give great service from the very start Retaining customers is one of the biggest challenges facing dealers next year

M

ore than 80 per cent of dealers cite customer retention and maximising aftersales as the biggest challenge facing them in 2013.

To overcome this, dealers should ensure that when a car leaves the forecourt, it is not the last time they see it. From day one of the sales process, dealers can be building a relationship with the customer, creating crucial links and fostering a long-term relationship.

There is a genuine opportunity for dealers to capitalise on existing trends, though. Finance and Leasing Association figures show dealer finance represents 69 per cent of sales.

This helps maintain a link between dealer and customer, but dealers should not take repeat business for granted. Customers can still go elsewhere, so exploiting the tools available to dealers is required to stop the customer relationship being a brief fling. Building a relationship should start as soon as a potential customer begins their research.

This is increasingly occurring online, so managing their experience from a website visit onwards must now be a high priority.

In short, it is no longer only about managing post-sale retention; a higher level of service is expected from the very beginning, so the challenge

for dealers is managing their entire experience – ‘customer experience management’ (CXM).

A website which can be used as a one-stop research centre can enhance CXM. Furthermore, people are embracing social media sites for new car research, with 73 per cent of 18-24 year olds using Facebook or Twitter (Motors.co.uk).

Dealers can use these channels to engage with their audience directly, garnering trust from the very beginning.

Where dealers also fall behind is in maintaining an effective long-term relationship. Even a topperforming dealership may only retain 70 per cent of new cars for scheduled servicing in year one. For approved used sales, a return figure of 55 per cent for year-one service retention alone is not unusual. Customer loyalty schemes can be ineffective. Dealership visits are irregular, so customers simply forget that they have signed up to such a scheme. Consumers need to see the benefit in returning to a franchised dealer for their servicing and maintenance else they will naturally look elsewhere for a better deal.

Car dealers can learn a lot from other areas of commerce. Amazon and iTunes are great examples of how consumers utilise online portals which help to build a strong relationship.

If car dealers implemented a similar strategy, they could maintain customer retention by offering an experience in line with what consumers know and trust.

Opening up DMS to customers, offering them the ability to edit personal information such as contact details, and presenting customers with an online record of their car’s service history, gives consumers a reason to return year after year.

Furthermore, it is in their interests to keep details up-to-date. When this is combined with other aftersales tools, such as service plans and online bookings, it is possible for dealers to interact with customers on their terms.

Dealers stand to get more out of DMS with this two-sided approach. Dealership staff will be under less time pressure, and inaccurate information is less likely to be logged, making targeted marketing far more effective. Ultimately, by giving consumers the online experience they expect, they are far more likely to return to a dealer year after year.

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.

‘It is possible for dealers to interact with customers on their terms.’

The all−encompassing web platform powering leading motor retailers

0845 658 9290 | info@gforces.co.uk | www.gforces.co.uk

��| CarDealerMag.co.uk 11-01-12_NetDirector_Strip Ad_CD.indd 1

01/11/2012 17:24

TRADER TALK

..in association with AutoTrader

Consumer behaviour changing . . and fast If you don’t respond to inquiries promptly, your rivals certainly will!

T

he biggest challenge facing used car dealers in today’s consumer-driven market is the changing behaviour of customers. Potential car buyers know how to use online tools to search for cars and Auto Trader research shows that consumers are browsing and researching online much more than ever before. They are now searching for cars using not just PCs but increasingly also mobile devices, including tablets.

Research also shows that 50 per cent of usage takes place out of the home, enabling car buyers to access the web in external environments where they couldn’t before. The busiest time of day on Auto Trader and most used car sites is in the evening between 7pm and 11pm.

In addition, 30 per cent of consumers are now willing to transact online, while 85 per cent would be willing to pay a 10 per cent deposit online. Five years ago, this figure would have been zero. Trust in the internet as a mainstream retail channel, and transacting on the internet has improved greatly.

The almost universal use of online search tools today means the buying process has changed as well. In 2000, a car buyer would average seven visits to a dealer’s forecourt during the research phase, whereas in 2011 it was down to two visits.

‘Today, 25 million people use their mobile devices to go online every month.’

The point of purchase has also changed. We used to simply rely on the classic ‘stimulus and then first and second moment of truth’ to sell anything from fridges to TVs to cars. The internet has created an interloper between the stimulus and first moment of truth – the ‘zero moment of truth’.

We all now have the capacity to research and price the potential product before we venture into the dealership. Dealers acknowledge that car buyers now turn up at the dealerships with far greater price and product knowledge than ever before.

It’s a sobering thought that today 25 million people use their mobile devices to go online every month. Auto Trader Mobile sees 27 million searches per month. That’s 58,000 cars viewed per hour and over 7,000 calls made every day. On average, 16 per cent actually search on their way to a dealer’s premises.

With all this online activity, it is essential a dealer’s online presence stands out, is mobileoptimised, can be seen and that the dealer responds quickly.

However, even if a dealer has a strong online presence, and a frequently-updated and easyto-navigate website, if the basics are ignored then all that investment will have been wasted.

Phone calls and emails are usually the final point of a car buyer’s research process – ignore these requests at your peril! Unfortunately and amazingly many still do.

A recent mystery shop of 1,300 dealers found that 50 per cent had ignored requests for information and had failed to respond within 24 hours. Today, the internet, emails and texts make communication much more immediate and consumers now expect a response within hours, not days. If a dealer doesn’t respond in a timely manner, their competitor surely will.

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

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DRIVING VALUES

..in association with Trusted Dealers

How to capture customers Develop a clear call handling strategy and you’ll reap the rewards

G

enerating inquiries, by telephone, email, chat or walk-in is the key deliverable for motor trade marketeers and classifieds, but establishing a clear strategy as to how to handle calls confidently and successfully can really make a difference to your sales.

Probably the most obvious difference between marketing today and 10 years ago has been the move to advertising online and the almost complete withdrawal from press advertising for used cars.

The biggest difference in our showrooms has been that the surge of inquiries from Thursday night’s paper and the subsequent busy weekend has been replaced by a steady ‘trickle’ of phone and email enquiries throughout the week and throughout the day into the early evening.

At Trusted Dealers, with their agreement, we invest time in listening to calls from our members’ customers so we can analyse the quality of calls and how they’re handled. One of the key themes that’s emerged recently is the clear difference between customers who, while they have found the car on the web, go on to behave like traditional buyers versus those who are internet ‘distance’ sales.

This has massive implications in both the pricing strategy and the way dealers handle calls.

A ‘local’ customer is probably less price sensitive and is also more likely to be upsold on finance, other products and perhaps service plans.

They also have less need to call prior to their visit

‘This has massive implications in both the pricing strategy and the way dealers handle calls.’ as they have local knowledge of your location and the ‘risk of a wasted journey’ is reduced.

It’s a legitimate strategy to price for ‘local customers’ and when they do generate an inquiry it’s essential to get the appointment to show off the warm welcome and facilities on offer.

The clear advantage for you as a dealer in arranging an appointment is that you may be able to negotiate a part-exchange and or sell them a finance or service plan, not to mention the opportunity to secure future recommendations.

That said, to increase volume it’s also worth considering an internet pricing strategy. That could work by carrying enough similar stock to enable you to create a price lead ‘hero’ car with a clear opportunity for customers to upgrade to other perhaps better specced cars with a modest increase in payments. Alternatively many dealers use the internet aggressively when cars get to a

together we are stronger

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

Who is Neil Addley?

Neil 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

certain number of days in stock in line with their age policy.

With this mixture of distance and local sales the most important qualification question is probably ‘where are you calling from?’ It’s a simple question which will go a long way towards the eventual success of a sale.

For those buying from further afield they may not need to see the car before buying it.

The proliferation of new photography and video services make this more and more likely.

Pricing aside, high-quality photos, great specification, a selection of finance options and a good warranty will also serve to attract wouldbe buyers. For a customer to be calling from a distance they must like the car and the price so you can afford to be bullish in securing a deposit and payment for the vehicle.

Finally clear standards, such as Trusted Dealers ‘Ten Points of Difference’ and What Car? Approval will help reassure consumers and bring them to both your real and virtual forecourts.

CSI FILES.

..in association with JudgeService

Online reviews packing a punch They can act as a useful comfort blanket for your customers

W

hen it comes to how we consume, things have changed radically over the last 20 years. If you went to purchase a car in 1990, you’d probably visit a dozen dealerships to look at all the options, narrow them down to a top five, and they would most likely be showrooms in fairly close proximity, or ones that friends and family use.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, there’s suddenly more information and reviews than ever being shared via the internet for all products and experiences imaginable. If managed correctly this is great news for dealerships. If numbers are to be believed it seems that user reviews are the method of choice when it comes to consumers making decisions.

Recent reports from Deloitte show that 82 per cent of consumers say their purchase decision was influenced by user reviews, either confirming the original purchase intention or prompting them to switch to another company – a competitor! According to Cap Gemini studies, 51 per cent would change their mind about purchasing if they saw negative reviews about a business.

If you look at how reviews are influencing the purchasing decision for car buyers and subsequently how to maximise sales, it appears that a trinity has emerged, brought on by digital word of mouth; people want the right car at the

‘Taking the time to actively monitor and manage reviews is crucial.’ right price from the right person.

Online reviews are where these techsavvy customers will seek to find the answer.

Dealerships can make this effortless by gathering reviews on their websites. Not only will it provide potential customers with the information they require but it will drive traffic, increase conversions and improve SEO. The truth is we tend to be much quicker in trusting other users – even if they are strangers – over purchase decisions. Letting customers prove your authenticity for you by enabling them to upload their own reviews, comments and photos is an inspired way to build trust and convey transparency. A human tendency is to look to others when deciding what to do, particularly in times of uncertainty. Everyone wants to fit in – we will all have tried a certain restaurant because so-and-so raved about it. Regard online reviews as a comfort blanket for your customers.

So with the research speaking for itself, it bodes well to suggest that taking the time to actively monitor and manage reviews is crucial for dealerships, as well as focusing on the day-to-day operations, naturally.

Simple ways to do this? Subscribe to an online service to monitor all mentions of your company across the web. Make sure they notify you each time a new review is posted to allow an immediate response. Make it easy for satisfied customers to write a review by signing up to a service that automatically contacts your customers requesting a review.

It’s a straightforward technique that has proven to dramatically increase the number of glowing testimonials generated. Finally, make sure that reviews are prominent on your website.

And remember, if the vast majority give your business a good review you must be good! They can’t all be wrong!

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 | 101

data file.

Batchelor BACKFIRED

Fiat’s adding fun – but how will dealers fare?

F

or the past couple of days I’ve been driving around in the latest version of the Fiat 500.

It’s the one with the adverts that end with ‘You dig’ – or, as I thought the first time I saw it, ‘You dog’. That’s right, Fiat has moved the 500 on from its retro 1960s bent and pushed it into the far-out, flared-trouser era of the 70s.

Called Colour Therapy, such cars get groovy white detailing, a pool ball for a gear knob and a body-colour palette that nods towards Carry on Camping.

It’s all a bit tongue in cheek and our Countrypolitan Yellow example somehow managed to clash with my entire wardrobe.

But behind the fun and games, I’m worried for Fiat dealers.

There’s no doubting how much of a success the 500 has been for Fiat. People still want to buy them and residuals seem amazingly strong for a Fiat – but how long will this continue?

There are a fair few people who don’t like the retro car.

I know plenty of people who dislike it and one glimpse at the forthcoming product range – a five-seater MPV called 500L, an SUV called 500X and a seven-seat MPV called the 500XL are all on the way – reveals these people are going to flash their cash elsewhere.

They could always spend their dosh on other Fiats, couldn’t they?

I’m afraid not.

Fiat Group is really struggling in Europe. It can’t make money from the Punto (some European mass-market superminis only make £80 each for their makers in some instances) and Fiat has all but given up continuing to reinvent its C-segment offering.

The new Panda has lost its way a bit and why the hell would anyone buy a Doblo? And there are fears Lancia will shrink down to just its baby Ypsilon – because that’s the only one that’s selling.

The case is not much better for Alfa Romeo or Chrysler dealers in the UK either. Alfa only has two models and Chrysler… well, we all know the problem there.

So where do people spend their money if they want an Italian car? With the Romanians, that’s where.

I firmly believe Renault is onto something here with Dacia. With simple positioning and a clear strategy, they could wipe out the old mass-market makers who cannot move upmarket.

A large and profitable void has been left by the Koreans, and the people who’ll fill it are not the traditional Europeans, but those Frenchmen with Romanian produce. You dig?

‘The Panda has lost its way a bit and why would anyone buy a Fiat Doblo?’

Who is James Batchelor?

Award-winning Car Dealer writer Batch is one of the fastest-rising new talents in motoring journalism. ���| CarDealerMag.co.uk

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W: carrecruitment.com T: 0333 700 3030 E: admin@carrecruitment.com Info: Automotive recruitment specialists with flexible and cost effective recruitment solutions you can rely on and trust.

Digital Marketing

Web Design

Online Marketing

Autotorq.com

GForces

Webzation

W: autotorq.com T: 020 7384 8501 E: enquiries@autotorq.com Info: Automotive digital marketing.

Services include web platform programmes, social media campaigns, SEO, PPC & mobile marketing.

W: gforces.co.uk T: 0845 658 9290 E: info@gforces.co.uk Info: Multi award winning car dealer website design and digital marketing. Find out why we keep winning awards.

W: webzation.com T: 0845 2260503 E: info@webzation.com Info: Web enable your showroom sales process. Lead generation, online finance and product videos.

See why dealers are choosing us.

FEATURED LISTING: Car dealer club FREE LEGAL ADVICE with every car dealer subscription CAR DEALER CLUB gives dealers of all sizes access to free legal advice from our motor trade lawyers worth £195.

Members get a copy of Car Dealer Magazine every month as well as access to a host of discounts from motor trade suppliers – all for a paltry £39.99 annual subscription!

This offer is only available to new subscribers, so if you haven’t renewed your subscription then you need to do so to gain access to this very special offer. Signing up is simple. Type CarDealerClub.com into a web browser

CarDealer.Club to be taken straight to the section on our website where you can find out more and join up!

Alternatively you can send us a cheque for £39.99 made payable to Blackball Media Ltd to Car Dealer Club, Blackball Media, Endeavour Quay, Mumby Road, Gosport, Hants, PO12 1AH and we’ll send you details of your Car Dealer Club membership by return post.

To have your details included here call (023) 9252 2434 and ask for Suppliers Guide listings

guide

If you’re looking for a motor trade supplier you can find the details of selected companies here

mini test: volkswagen beetle

Auctions

Cleaning Products

Car dealer says HHHHH

Central Car Auctions

Drymotive

This car hardly needs an introduction as it probably has the world’s most famous name and shape. What does need to be mentioned, however, is that this is an all-new car. Like its predecessor – the New Beetle of 1998, of which 68,000 were sold in the UK – it may share its underpinnings with the Golf, but it uses the more aggressive, less cutesy styling first shown on the 2005 Detroit Motor Show Ragster concept. If they spec it right, customers will have a very convincing car that has the right amount of retro

charm in a well-built, Golf-like package.

There’s a good range of accessories – our favourites are the Denim Blue paintwork and retro alloys.

Price: £19,475, tested in Issue 50.

W: centralcarauctions.com T: 0141 773 6000 E: info@centralcarauctions.co.uk Info: Scotland’s largest indoor auction. More range, more choice with 1,400 vehicles weekly, Mon, Wed & Fri or online via LiveBid.

W: drymotive.com T: 0845 8540057 E: sales@drymotive.co.uk Info: Suppliers of waterless car cleaning products that are quick and easy to use and produce an amazing quality finish.

Additional Income

Sales training

AutoProtect (MBI) Limited

Martec

W: autoprotect.net T: 0871 384 1167 E: sales@autoprotect.net Info: Providers of warranty, GAP and other sources of additional dealer income. Backed by dedicated support teams and IT systems.

W: martec.co.uk T: 0844 854 9669 E: training@martec.co.uk Info: Helping you deliver improved and more rewarding customer experiences, through the provision of Business Improvement Solutions.

Insurance

Auctions

Keytracker Ltd

Vehicle Remarketing

Automotive CRM

Think Insurance

HBC

Keytracker Ltd

mfldirect.co.uk

Contact Advantage Limited

W: think-ins.co.uk T: 0844 573 2850 E: enquiries@think-ins.co.uk Info: Trade insurance experts. Road risks and/or combined. Instalments.

10% new client discount. Liabilities.

Up to 75% bonus discount.

W: hbc.co.uk T: 01268 696444 E: info@hbc.co.uk Info: The safest hands in salvage, HBC are prompt & efficient and operate in accordance with current industry guidelines.

W: keytracker.com T: 0121 559 9000 E: sales@keytracker.com Info: No more lost keys. Best prices complete systems from just 10p per key! Seals, pegs & hangers from stock.

W: mfldirect.co.uk T: 0870 6000 288 E: sales@mfldirect.co.uk Info: For the largest selection of low mileage, single owner, dealer maintained vehicles available to the UK trade see mfldirect.co.uk

W: contact-advantage.com T: 08452 26 26 50 E: info@contact-advantage.com Info: Use Contact Advantage to drive efficiencies, enhance service, increase profitability and improve customer retention.

Finance

Valeting services

Warranties

mini test: Audi a1 Sportback

First Response

National Car Cleaning Company

WMS

Car dealer says HHHHH

W: frfl.co.uk T: 0115 946 6370 E: Visit bit.ly/firstresponse Info: We always encourage our returning customers to visit the same dealer for their next car leading to Many Happy Returns!

W: nationalcarclean.co.uk T: 01268 565050 E: sales@nationalcarclean.co.uk Info: With 30 years of excellence in vehicle valeting, we have an unparalleled reputation for quality on-site vehicle preparation.

W: wmsgroupuk.com T: 0844 477 4909 E: sales@wmsgroupuk.com Info: Experience, expertise, leadership and innovation. The nation’s favourite. The dealer’s preferred partner.

W: supagard.co.uk T: 0141 633 5933 E: info@supagard.co.uk Info: Still the UK’s number one after 24 years and the preferred choice of the AM Top 100 and major vehicle manufacturers.

W: carfleetwholesale.co.uk T: 0151 356 1200 E: sales@carfleetwholesale.co.uk Info: We are the number one supplier to the trade, providing the cheapest nearly new vehicles in the country.

W: netcars.com T: 0800 138 9135 E: info@netcars.com Info: Only pay for enquiries with the UK’s fastest growing car sales website.

The Audi A1 Sportback is a combination of quality, efficiency and technology all wrapped up in the most compact five-door ever. Adding to the huge 42-model line-up, this little bit of Vorsprung durch Technik will make Audi even more accessible and broaden their customer base further.

In a nutshell, we think it is a good looking, well-built supermini. It lacks true character like you get from a Mini, but the British badge cannot offer a proper rival.

Finance

Warranties

Finance

Auctions

Black Horse

Car Care Plan

Moneybarn

FullAuction

Car care

Wholesales

Online Advertising

Supagard

Carfleet Wholesale Ltd

Netcars.com

W: blackhorse.co.uk/Motor T: 02921 386338 E: michael.mcpartlin@blackhorse.co.uk Info: We’re the specialists in finance, offering vehicle finance at point of sale though our network of over 7,000 dealers.

W: carcareplan.co.uk T: 0844 573 7591 E: salesinfo@carcareplan.co.uk Info: Choose the market leading supplier of vehicle warranty and GAP insurance – 1m customers every year can’t be wrong!

Getting your company featured here is more affordable than you imagine. Here’s why

W: moneybarn.com T: 0845 50 50 192 E: mail@moneybarn.com Info: The leading non-prime car finance provider, offering finance for consumers with impaired credit via a nationwide broker network.

Price: £19,560, tested in Issue 50

W: www.fullauction.co.uk T: 08455 611224 E: fullauction@coopersolutions.co.uk Info: Trade-only, online auction site.

Free to list, buy and register. Visit our website or call the telephone number above.

Digital marketing W: motorcommerce.co.uk T: 01724 859600 E: enquiries@motorcommerce.co.uk Info: Digital marketing confusion?

Come to us for effective websites, integrated marketing, business intelligence.

Prices for 12-month listings: £29 per month.

Single months are £49 per month

Prices exclude VAT. Adverts are invoiced after it has been included in the magazine. 12-month bookings are payable up front.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 103

data file.

James Litton TRADER TALES

Why I really do believe in power of VIP events

I

am sitting in my office on this drizzly Sunday afternoon observing the wind-down of our first VIP customer event.

For those dealers who have lived under a rock for the last couple of years, these promotional weekends are designed to sell a number of new and used cars to your existing database by providing the illusion that deals are constructed for one weekend only.

This is achieved by creating a retail atmosphere not typical of a normal working day.

Red carpet, blacked-out showroom, prestigious invitations with customer lanyards and up-tempo music all conspire to drive a big order take.

Many salesmen are cynical – mine particularly as I have a bunch of wily old campaigners – particularly when they hear how much staging an event like this costs. However, I, like the majority of dealers who run this style of weekend, am happy to report a successful four days.

So why is it successful? Certainly the concept of offering special deals to existing customers is nothing new. Nor is the idea of using a white pen or ‘was’ and ‘now’ stickers on the car.

I find it hard to believe that customers believe these deals are unique. Go to Currys, there is always a sale on.

For me it is a case of changing what is normally a sterile, boring and clichéd environment into one that is exciting, dynamic and, more crucially, different. When the promotional agency gave the product presentation, we were told it is about the sizzle not the sausage.

Many of you would have read the headline statistic a couple of weeks that there were 30 or so shops going bust per day in August.

Indeed, the environment for our beleaguered retail sector is still a difficult one. Recently, electrical retailer Comet became the latest big-name operator to announce it had encountered difficulties. Easy to blame the recession but I wonder whether more retailers need to lend some thought to the environment in which they operate.

You can buy anything on the internet, as we all know by now. Therefore why travel 10 miles and struggle to park only to be disappointed when the item you want is not in stock and you have to return home empty-handed?

VIP events ensure plenty of parking, a vibrant atmosphere, huge focus on available stock and above all a pricing reason to make a decision instantaneously.

I for one will be paying more attention to these factors in the months ahead.

‘We were told it is about the sizzle not the sausage.’

Traderdir Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo

Sturgess Alfa Romeo Scott Allen 0116 275 8800 scottallen@ sturgesscars.co.uk

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

Audi

Audi

HWM Aston Martin

Wimbledon Carriage Company Limited

Walton & Epsom Audi

John Crisp 07885 211872

Mark Loughnane 01932 220404 07739 519306

BMW

BMW

Bentley

Williams Rochdale

Vines Group

Harwoods

Bentley

Chrysler

Daihatsu

Jack Barclay Bentley

Horsham Car Centre

Alan Nicholas 07703199478 alan@horshamcarcentre.co.uk Best buyer for all late Chrysler/ Jeep

Stephen Barnard 0208 504 0017

Daihatsu

Ferrari

Ferrari

Proven Daihatsu

HR Owen Ferrari Nick Carey

Bryan McMorran bryan@hwm.co.uk 01932 240611 07767 660285

www.hwm.co.uk

Craig Fenlon 01706 717700 07808 092110

Derek Bennett 020 7629 7444 07713 887 88

Keith Pattison 01428 652554 07771 547406

Dominic McConnon 07776 246905 dominic.mcconnon@ vinesguildford.bmw-net.co.uk n Buying used BMWs up to five years old

Simon Elkin 01798 877211 07803 088711

Woodford Motor Co Ltd

Monza – Ferrari

nick.carey@hrowen.co.uk 07824 362229

Andrew Ludlow ferraribuyer@ntlworld.com 07889 305 053

Ferrari

Fiat

Fiat

Maranello Ferrari

Glyn Hopkin Ltd

Sturgess Fiat

John Dutton 07817 019 456

Glyn Hopkin 07730 711889

Perry Beaver 0116 254 1717 perrybeaver@sturgesscars.co.uk

Who is James Litton?

James is sales manager at Tony Purslow Mercedes Benz, Guildford. He always has something to say about the industry he loves. ���| 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

Ford

Ford

Honda

Honda

Benfield

Des Sammon des.sammon@benfield-ford. co.uk 07831 828024

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

Lifestyle Ford

Honda

Thames Honda Group

Honda

Hyundai

Hyundai

Jaguar

Jaguar

Holdcroft Honda

Bushey Heath Hyundai

Hatfield Hyundai

Sturgess Jaguar

Lookers Park Royal

Jeep

Kia

Kia

Lexus

Land Rover

Horsham Car Centre

Tower Hill Garage

Chapelhouse Kia

Lexus Twickenham

Sturgess Land Rover

Luke Regan / Chris Thursfield 07971 543884 07813 737 921

Alan Nicholas 07703199478 alan@horshamcarcentre.co.uk Best buyer for all late Chrysler/ Jeep

Jon O’Donoghue 0208 420 5100 07976 177 959

Lee Gilmour 01923 263700 07768 367085

Richard Walker 07748 177889

Mark Littler/Tim Barnes 0161 767 9500 07920 599 394 07787 921 222

Andy / Neil 01925 570800 07891 531129 07825 311 297

Brayley Honda Kevin Adams 07900 986095 kevin@brayleys.co.uk

Chris Allen chrisallen@sturgess jaguar.co.uk 0116 282 6868

Dave Cooper / Steve Gurr 07831 704134 07921 408983

Jerome Chandiram 0208 845 3551

parkroyaljaguar@lookers.co.uk 0208 938 1300 07534 927 821

Mike Mongiello mikemongiello@sturgess cars.co.uk 0116 282 6969

Land Rover

mini test: mercedes-benz b-class

Lotus

Maserati

Beadles Land Rover

Car dealer says HHHHH

Murray Motor Company

Meridien Modena

Greg Wilcox g.wilcox@beadles-landrover. co.uk 07740 717209

We were never fans of the old B-Class, but this new car is a much stronger offering in the MPV segment.

Brandon Ware 0131 200 8888 0750 326 0186

Warren Butt 02380 283404 07860 530703

Price: £33,110, tested in Issue 51

Maserati

Mazda

Mini

Mazda

Nissan

HR Owen

Lifestyle Mazda

Vines Group

Brayley Mazda

Nissan

Toyota

Volvo

General

Hyundai

Kia

Currie Motors Toyota

Sturgess Volvo

Barry Freedman

Sturgess Hyundai

Brayley Kia

Nick Carey nick.carey@hrowen.co.uk 07824 362229

Dave Cooper / Steve Gurr 07831 704134 07921 408983

Mark Spowage 01293 845045 07974 770020

Scott Allen 0116 275 8800 scottallen@ sturgesscars.co.uk

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.

Payments can be made online via credit or debit card. Or send your cheque made payable to Blackball Media Ltd to Car Dealer, Endeavour Quay, Mumby Road, Gosport, Hants PO12 1AH. Your details will appear in the next issue.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 105

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the fleet.

longtermer

Mitsubishi Outlander A missing key, Peppa Pig and an embarrassing phone call . . .

I

t’s been an interesting and rather eventful month with our long-term Mitsubishi Outlander. There have been some highs, but unfortunately two rather depressing lows. You’ll be pleased to hear neither of the latter had anything to do with the car.

The first came just a few weeks after Batch and I had been to London to receive Car Dealer Magazine’s Headline Auto Best Business Publication of the Year accolade. Did I mention we’d won that…?

Anyway, two weeks after the celebrations had ceased, I had an email from the lovely people at Mitsubishi HQ breaking some bad news. Yes, it was a ticket. Fortunately not of the speeding variety, but of the slap-on-the-wrist-we-now-wantyour-cash flavour. On the way to the award I’d spent too many seconds in a box junction on the King’s Road. Enough seconds to relieve my wallet of £65.

I was a bit aggrieved at first, but when I thought about it I was actually quite glad said ticket had been issued. Why? Well I hate those morons that block traffic in the yellow hatchings and even though I’d strayed in unwittingly into it, I still deserved a fine.

That misdemeanour was shortly followed by a slightly bigger problem. Before going away for a three-day trip on my motorbike, I hung the key up at home where I always do, but when I returned it had disappeared.

No one in the house knew where it was – and after heavy questioning my two-year-old daughter didn’t crack. She did point the finger at Peppa Pig – and, if I’m honest, I’ve never quite trusted that porky little character – but despite the accusations I couldn’t prove anything.

I hunted everywhere a two-year-old might think to stash a key. In the big plant pot by the door, in the oven (both real and plastic versions), the dog bowl, the shoe cupboard, in the recycling bin, under the computer table where she likes to ‘get some privacy’, and behind the sofa (where I did find the DVD remote – every cloud). Anyway, you get my gist – I looked everywhere.

At one stage I was pretty convinced Car Dealer Dog had scoffed it, but then I realised the key is about as big as his head (it’s a big key, and he’s a small dog). After five days of frustration I had to make the call to the press office and fess up – fortunately my embarrassment was dulled by the start of the conversation with a member of the press team admitting they thought raisins grew

on trees. They know how to make you feel better these press types…

Two days later the key and I were reunited and I was back to enjoying our 4x4. I’ve grown very fond of the big beast in the short time it’s been on the fleet. It’s huge inside and extremely comfortable.

I’ve been pounding the roads for meetings all over the country recently and it’s been a trusty companion.

It’s even comfy in the back. I know that because I spent six hours there while a mate drove me to two meetings as I had to finish that essay on the Paris Motor Show you may have read in the last issue. The tinted windows made me feel like a proper Dragon’s Den billionaire.

I do have a couple of moans though. I’ve bought a new phone and can’t for the life of me work out how to hook it up to the Bluetooth. Last time I just happened to be at Mitsubishi HQ and their technician did it for me, but now the phone has changed and I’m stuck again.

And to be honest, the multimedia unit isn’t really the best. The sound that comes out of the speakers is immense, but it’s clunky to use and frustrating. The sat nav barks orders at you like a butch female prison guard and to make matters worse she doesn’t ‘do’ postcodes.

Despite those minor gripes, the torquey engine

fast shifting auto and solid feel make up for those shortcomings. The Outlander always feels like it’s going to last a lifetime.

On that aforementioned bike trip I headed to Wales and it seemed every other car there was a Mitsubishi – either they’ve got a brilliant dealer network across the border, or the Welsh just know how solid these things are. I’ve got a feeling it’s a combination of the two. Right, I’m off to try and pin the key theft on Peppa Pig. She MUST have had something to do with it…

JAMES BAGGOTT

the knowledge Model: Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 DI-D GX4 4WD Automated Manual Price: £31,029 Engine: 2.2 litre, four-cylinder Power: 154bhp, 380Nm Max speed: 123mph MPG: (comb’d): 39.4 0-60mph: 11.1s Emissions: 189g/km Total mileage: 7,392 Costs this month: £65

This month’s highlight: Getting back behind the wheel after being sent a replacement key.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 107

workshops.

New labelling will help drivers choose right tyre A shocking number of motorists are in the dark when it comes to tyre safety, according to a new report

A

poll of 2,000 motorists commissioned by tyre manufacturer Goodyear revealed that over half of those surveyed didn’t know that the legal limit for tyre tread depth is 1.6mm; 70 per cent said they didn’t check the pressure of their tyres at least once a month and 13 per cent thought that stopping distances decreased in wet weather.

The results are revealed as new Europe-wide tyre labelling legislation comes into effect. Similar to the labels used on white goods, the labels grade tyres based on three performance criteria.

Each tyre now comes with a fridge-freezer-style EU-branded label outlining the three variables – the first of which is energy efficiency, represented by the icon of a petrol pump.

Rated from A to G (with D not used), this relates to the tyre’s ‘rolling resistance’ – the level of friction

that the car then has to work against. Low rolling resistance equals lower fuel consumption for the car, and a higher rating on the chart.

Next is braking distance on wet roads – represented by a rain cloud. Once again, ‘A’ marks the best rating, with Michelin estimating that the highest performing tyres could cut your car’s stopping distance by as much as 16 metres.

Finally, tyre noise – symbolised by a speaker and a decibel rating. Three waves emanating from tyre represent the noise level on a scale of one to four – the less, the quieter – while decibel figures can be compared to other tyres for complete accuracy.

While these new indicators certainly make the process of buying tyres just that bit quicker, the tyre manufacturer Continental is urging caution if anyone is thinking of choosing their next set of rubber using only the new-style ratings.

How the new labels look ‘The EU label only shows three of more than 14 important tyre performance criteria,’ said the firm, speaking to the SMMT. ‘Tyre tests from magazines will continue to be the most comprehensive source of information for motorists.’

Eddy Geerdink, marketing director of Goodyear, agreed, saying: ‘Three criteria don’t tell you how a tyre will perform on every level. There are many other factors to consider, from braking on dry roads and high-speed stability to aquaplaning and how many miles the tyre will do.’

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Want to be included in our new section? Call (023) 9252 2434

Great customer service rewarded Ford Retail wins coveted award from the Auto Body Professionals Club

F

ord Retail, Europe’s largest Ford dealer group, has been recognised by the Auto Body Professionals Club (ABP) for providing outstanding customer service and consistently going the extra mile in a challenging trading environment.

The group’s bodyshops consist of 16 sites throughout the UK, operating under the brand names Polar Ford (Yorkshire and North West); Dagenham Motors (London and South East); Brunel Ford (Bristol and South West); Heartlands Ford (Birmingham and the Midlands) and Lindsay Ford (Northern Ireland).

Ford Retail was named ‘Franchised Bodyshop Group of the Year’ at an awards ceremony in front of 400 industry representatives.

The annual awards are held to acknowledge the

great work being carried out within the bodyshop industry.

On receiving the award, Garry Winckley, group aftersales director at Ford Retail, explained: ‘We are delighted to receive this award.

‘In difficult trading conditions, Ford Retail continues to increase market share and profitability by focusing on delivering the highest possible standard of repair and customer service.

‘We strive to keep ahead of the market ensuring we have the right personnel, equipment and technology to meet our customers’ ever-changing requirements.’

The ABP Club was founded in September 2004

Marc Fossaluzza and Garry Winckley of Ford Retail with the ABP ‘Franchised Bodyshop Group of the Year’ award and now has more than 1,750 members – bodyshop professionals and other individuals from all sectors of the industry such as insurers, accident managers, suppliers and trade bodies.

For more information regards the Auto Body Professionals Club please visit abpclub.co.uk

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CarDealerMag.co.uk | 109

SHARES.

..in association with ASE-global.com

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Could these positive announcements herald the start of recovery?

O

ver the past few weeks there has been a rush of positive results announcements amongst the listed motor retail stocks which has seen a significant bounce in share prices. It’s possible that the positive sentiment about sector recovery might actually turn into a reality.

It started with Vertu and their results for the first six months of their financial year. They reported an upgrade in estimate and produced some superb numbers, particularly with used vehicle return on investment.

They also managed to grow their aftersales business – a real challenge in the current climate.

All this has gone down very well with the stock market with the share price increasing 16 per cent in the month. Further dealerships were acquired from the Co-op and there look to be more acquisitions on the horizon.

Towards the end of October we then saw a rush of Q3 announcements from Lookers, Inchcape,

Pendragon and HR Owen. Lookers reported record trading and reiterated that they believe their annual results will be in line with market expectations.

Given that September’s results were included within the analysis, something disastrous would have to happen for them to miss. This produced a nice seven per cent gain during the month and continues the steady growth in the share price from the summer.

Inchcape produced another ‘robust’ quarter of trading and produced a statement full of promise over their belief that they are trading in the right markets with the right brands.

This produced a 14 per cent share price bounce in the month, reversing some losses during September and continuing the overall positive movement in the share price during 2012.

Pendragon’s results were slightly more downbeat, however, in line with expectations.

This resulted in very little movement in the share price, which did not see the gains reported amongst other stocks.

In a remarkably short statement HR Owen reported that Q3 was ahead of management expectations and they expect

to produce a full year result also ahead of market expectations.

In line with Lookers the share increased by seven per cent in the month and has now regained all of the losses suffered earlier in the year and appears to be on a significant upward trend.

The biggest percentage gainer in the month was Cambria, which was up 24 per cent.

This appears to be the further unwinding of the Promethean decision, with the share having now basically recovered all of the losses suffered during September.

When we come to the end of 2012 it may well prove to be a record year for share price growth for the listed motor retailers.

There appears to be some momentum building with the increase in registrations reported by the SMMT being matched with increased profits from the motor retailers.

Long may this continue.

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

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���| CarDealerMag.co.uk

29/10/12 16:29:57

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data fiLe.

If you survived 2012, start to think about what 2013 will bring S

ometimes, in the fast-paced lives that we all lead, we can all too easily forget the plight of those people who are less fortunate than ourselves and who are really feeling the squeeze of the recession that continues to surround us.

One example where this really hit home (and I am sure we can all think of many) was recently reading about the increase in emergency food people received from The Trussell Trust. The trust commented that during a period covering six months of 2012, they had distributed food to as many people as they did in the whole of 2011.

This particular trend has been travelling in the wrong direction since 2008, a year which we all no doubt remember vividly as one where things ‘started to change somewhat’. As a result of the upheaval at that time, the world we live in today is not the same as it once was.

So as we approach the end of yet another year, now is probably a good time to give yourselves a ‘pat on the back’ for the efforts and results that have been achieved over the past 12 months.

In some parts of the business world, reaching this ‘pat on the back’ may feel like it has been an upward battle, and one where numerous questions were asked in your own mind about whether or not you would make it.

Well, if you are still here – particularly when others around you may not be or are in a less fortunate position than yourself – then you have something to be thankful for.

The question is: What lies in front of us in the year ahead? Furthermore, how well-placed strategically are you to execute actions which will bring not only survival

Jonathan

Such TIME IS MONEY

in 2013, but more importantly success and even stronger foundations on which to build?

Strategy can sometimes be a bit of a scary word for some people, and because of this they carry on along the same old path towards their desired destination without putting a decent amount of thought into what opportunities there are, or indeed how they can do things better.

The first part of any decent strategy is simply obtaining an understanding of ‘what’s going on here’ through a thorough diagnosis of the current situation you are faced with as a business.

This could include looking into how you purchase

‘Strategy can sometimes be a bit of a scary word for some people.’ the vehicles for your forecourt and how effective this is from a profitability perspective. Or what amount of money is currently invested in marketing each month and drilling down into what return is this investment generating. Lastly, what finance lenders do you currently have relationships with and are they serving the purpose you intended them to and maximising all finance leads you pass to them?

These are, of course, only a handful of examples, but only with an up-to-date overview of the different elements of your business can you then move on to think about what actions you are going to take to make 2013 a successful and prosperous year.

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 next month If there’s something you think we should be covering get in touch. Our details are on page three ���| CarDealerMag.co.uk

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