Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 94

LOOK, NO HANDS: WE TEST KIA’S SELF-DRIVING CARS

Business Publication of the Year

Issue 94 | January 2016 | CarDealerMag.co.uk | £3.50

INSIDE: MAKE AUCTIONS AND REMARKETING WORK FOR YOU

M R O T S T R E DES WHO’S WE MEET THE WHIRLWIND DEALER LD OUTSELLING THE REST OF THE WOR

BEAT THE JANUARY RUSH

OVER

20,000

VEHICLES THIS DECEMBER*

Whatever you’re after, find great stock every day this December *Figure based on sales in the month of December for 2012 - 2014 plus 2015 forecast in the same period 02 | CarDealerMag.co.uk for Manheim UK physical & online auctions and Dealer Auction. Figures exclude private sales.

MANHEIM

SP1027_206 20.11.15

manheim.co.uk

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

BLACKBALL MEDIA HASLAR MARINE TECHNOLOGY PARK, HASLAR ROAD, GOSPORT, PO12 2AG T: (023) 9252 2434 W: CarDealerMag.co.uk

FREE iPAD APP

7,202 PEOPLE HAVE IT – HAVE YOU?

IGNITION.

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Dave Brown

dave@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerDave

HEAD OF DESIGN Graeme Windell

graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @graemewindell

STAFF WRITER Sophie Williamson-Stothert

sophie@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @1Sophie_W

Mike Brewer and his not very glamorous assistant, above

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Laura Thomson

laura@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @lauramayrafiki

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jack Evans

jack@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @jackrober

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER Michelle Searle

michelle@blackballmedia.co.uk

ACCOUNT MANAGER Jon Hickey

j.hickey@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerjon

SUITS MANAGING DIRECTOR James Baggott

james@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerEd

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Andy Entwistle

andy@blackballmedia.co.uk Twitter: @CarDealerAndy

Contributors Tim Naylor, Nick King, Mike Jones, Nigel Swan, Jon Reay, Jon Fleetwood, John Bowman, Ben Garside, Big Mike, Andrew Evans, Chris Jervis, Gareth Bethell, Paul Foster, Peter Spinney.

Subscriptions £39.99 per year (UK) £59.99 (EU) £79.99 (rest of the world)

You can pay by credit or debit card on our website – visit CarDealerClub.com

Distribution Car Dealer is distributed to a database of up to 12,000 franchised car dealers, independents, service and repair sites, car manufacturers and suppliers. Advertisers are supplied with a print certificate every month.

8

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.

Car Dealer is fully protected by copyright. Nothing may be reproduced wholly or in part without permission.

was an almighty cockWELCOME. There up at this year’s Used Car Awards that, if you were there, you wouldn’t have noticed, but when I arrived at The Brewery just two hours before things were supposed to kick off, I most certainly did.

Planning for the highlight of the automotive industry’s used car calendar takes months. We work extremely hard on gathering nominations, mystery-shopping dealers that are put forward and then sorting shortlists, the finalists and the ultimate highly commended and winners places.

But not only does working out who should win take time, but so does the military planning that goes on behind the scenes. There are awards to create (we hand-make them all), certificates, menus and table plans to design, raffle prizes to source, scripts to pen and stage directions to lay out. So when something unexpected is thrown into the mix, stress levels can reach vein-popping fever pitch.

To add to that stress, Mike Brewer and I had been in Dubai the weekend before the awards and were due to land at Heathrow at lunchtime on the day of the awards.

Needless to say, when we checked in and were asked if we ‘wanted to get the later flight’ the attendant was left in no doubt that we were ‘keen’ to get on the right plane…

To compound matters, two passengers forgot they were in an airport and missed the plane (how does that even happen?) so their cases had to be unloaded, which resulted in the plane taking off an hour late. The knock-on effect meant our arrival at Heathrow came as somewhat of a surprise to what seemed like everyone… and, to cut a long story short, Mike and I arrived a little on the late side at The Brewery for our awards.

It was at this point I was told of the problem. The stage design where the awards were going to be handed out had been modified from the year before – and we hadn’t been told about it. Where in previous years Andy and I had stood comfortably in the wings, handing Brewer the awards

and giving him any directions we needed to, this year there were no wings. None. The gaps behind the curtains had been filled in and a wooden wall built in their place.

No-one at The Brewery could explain why – and to make matters worse insisted that it ‘had always been like that’ – to say I lost the plot would have been putting it mildly.

Toys back in pram, we came up with a solution, of sorts.

A large black panel was erected next to Brewer, which we hid production editor Dave Brown behind, to hand over the awards. Poor old DB spent the entire night stood silently behind the screen, only appearing once when he slid out to hand over the Manufacturer Used Car Scheme of the Year gong. There’s a reason we call him The Ledge here at Car Dealer and that’s not because he’s always so close to falling over. Think of our hero of the night when you read the Used Car Awards coverage, which starts on p44.

JET SET This month I’ve been travelling around the globe to bring you the latest motoring news. First I was in South Korea with Kia where I got the chance to drive its Prius rival, the Niro. I also got a glimpse of its advanced autonomous driving technology (which was amazing) and plug-in hybrids that will be in your showrooms soon. Read all about it from p96. Then there was that aforementioned trip to Dubai where, thanks to my hosts GardX, I got the chance to see one of the most amazing dealerships I’ve ever visited.

Read all about that one on p12. And don’t forget to check out our inside line on auctions and remarketing, which could potentially save you cash – it starts on p101.

Enjoy the issue.

James Baggott Managing Director

WINNER

CAR DEALER MAGAZINE Best Business Publication CarDealerMag.co.uk | 03

04 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

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

INSIDE. ISSUE 94 I JANUARY 2016

Dashboard Feedback Focus on CarGurus

44

Supercars in the sand Mazda’s stylish new HQ

Used Car Awards

Ask CAP HPI

Now in its fourth year, this year’s awards night was the biggest and best yet – and we’ve got full coverage in this edition of the magazine

Made in the UK: Infiniti Q30 Around the World Finance Big Mike Trading Up

101 96

We talk to the experts in auctions and remarketing

Kia makes great strides in the arena of autonomous driving

22

‘‘

Forecourt Nissan Navara Made in Sunderland – behind the scenes at Infiniti Q30 production

Audi Q7 e-tron Mini Clubman Seat Ibiza

‘How in the world is that fair?’ I asked. ‘That’s the way it is, sir,’ replied the smug one.

Feature Self-driving cars for all?

130 Data File

James Baggott

Car Dealer Club The Statistics Taking Stock Market Insight Auctions Recruitment

18

Key Notes with Traka Suppliers’ Guide with Litton Long-termers Mazda’s head office staff have moved into a swanky new home – with a stunning showroom-style space at the heart of the building

James Baggott

06 08 12 18 19 22 27 28 33 34

37 39 40 42

96

110 112 114 115 116 119 121 124 127 130

OUR EVENTS...

As voted for by dealers, the Car Dealer Power Awards are unique.

For full coverage of this year’s event, call 023 9252 2434 to get hold of a copy of the results issue.

The Car Dealer Used Car Awards, sponsored by Black Horse, celebrate the used car industry.

Full coverage of this year’s big night starts on page 44.

Next year’s CDX will be held at Silverstone on Tuesday, May 24. If you want to get involved, please call us on 023 9252 2434 to register your interest.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 05

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

Our website at CarDealerMag.co.uk

December diary: So how Out of interest, how do you find December as a month? Last year in mail-order sale (like the 12 previous years), we found December busy but only because it was a shorter month. Do you find inquiries dry up around the 22nd/23rd or do people buy right up until 6pm on Christmas Eve ?

Do you find it generally quiet from the 24th until January 2/3?

Steve92 We’ve had a right stampede at our place, couldn’t move for punters. Anyway, the workshop’s now busy for the next couple of weeks with warranty returns so hopefully I can sell some cars.

RS Car Sales Had one go out on the 1st which was carried over from last month but otherwise absolutely dead, which it has been since the beginning of October.

A bit worrying to be honest because the year had been fairly good up to that point. October and November numbers were about 50 per cent off where they were earlier in the year.

Autolink100

Picture of the month What a good idea this was (we said ironically).

With the Used Car Awards behind us, and a mountain to climb to get all the pictures and stories about the winners into this edition of Car Dealer, our esteemed leader decided to build a gingerbread house! It attracted plenty of attention in the office, and Phil ‘the power’ Riley can be seen admiring it here. As it’s the season of goodwill toward men, quite a few tasty treats have been arriving at Car Dealer Towers lately and the house made a tasty addition to our seasonal table of goodies. Cheers, James.

On seven now. Lovely customer came for a 2009 1.6 Astra Coupe I sold Friday, ended up selling him a 2004 Merc C180K Auto. Took his Fiesta ST in p/x – 2007 with 53k on the clock, only (minor) issue is five owners, but doubt that will matter to Mr Boy Racer. Gave him £2,900 so hope that retails at 4k still. Full and proper service history on it, no mods.

See Cars Derby

If only I’d saved from the oodles of cash I’ve paid myself instead of squandering it on frivolities like food (and wine. And loose women) I’d bugger off somewhere for the month.

Rosemotors All the cash I pay myself gets squandered by the wife so I didn’t even have that pleasure!

J&K Vehicle Sales

THE MOTOR TRADE SPECIALIST A-LY’S RTHUR DN

A CHEAP

S

AS CHIP

Motors

• Full/Part Time Traders • Sales And Service Liability • Combined / Premises Cover • Sports/ Hi Performance • Convictions And Claims

0844 282 0139 • www.dna-insurance.com 06 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

On Twitter: Follow @CarDealerMag

Forum: CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

busy are we all?

So is anyone having trouble selling Zafiras?

Anyone had any problems shifting the Zafiras that could be affected with the catching fire problem? I know it’s only the ones with electronic climate control or no air con at all, but you know the public...

Jack Regan A local dealer I have links to is struggling with a 70k Life Model they have up for £2,990. Surely that would normally fly on 2006/7. I have had a 2008 34k on for 8 weeks and no joy, £4,890 then £4,590.

See Cars Derby Just been the underbidder on one today. If I could, I’d still buy one, it would have to be diesel though. sparky

Top tweets from the Used Car Awards #UCAwards 2015. Good luck to all those nominated and here’s to a great night!

Imperial Car Sales @Imperialcar It’s not an awards ceremony without a selfie with this guy... #UCAwards @CaptainCaralot

We have an 09 that’s dragging its heels, nice low miles, 40k, phoned main dealer the other day, they had it in, voluntarily, checked it out, changed pollen filter, checked the blower resister and gave us a certificate to prove the action. We thought it best as when we get someone on it, we don’t want to lose them and this may give us a better chance!

Wood 235

Sign up to our forum at CarDealerMagazine.co.uk/forum

Full house inside the #UCAwards at @theBreweryVenue #greatatmosphere!! Going to be a fab night @CarDealerMag Big Motoring World @BigMotoringWrld Raised £3900 for Great Ormond Street. @CarDealerMag fab everyone #UCAwards #charity Caroline Shield @simonshieldcars Having a great time #UCAwards in London.

Mike Brewer @mikebrewer

Coverage of the awards starts on page 44

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 07

DASHBOARD.

CarGurus brings TripAdvisor-like ratings into play New online car sales site will put a focus on dealers’ reputation as well as their pricing

I

n the dark days of the Second World War, the arrival of healthy looking American servicemen did not always sit well with a war-weary and sometimes envious British population.

The not always jokey phrase that the Yanks were ‘over-paid, over-sexed and over here’ became common currency, and remains buried deep in the UK’s cultural psyche.

So what to make of an interloper from the other side of the pond which has quietly set up an online car sales site looking to challenge the might of AutoTrader and other platforms?

CarGurus is likely not a name that sparks instant recognition. So when its CEO, Langley Steinert, suggests that the UK’s car dealers should get on board as ‘we are going to help them sell a lot of cars’, the temptation is to dismiss this as the bravado of some brash interloper. Tempting, but wrong. Steinert was co-founder of the hugely successful TripAdvisor travel site, and CarGurus is America’s second largest automotive car classified site with over 16 million unique visitors a month and 10,000 car dealers signed up.

CarGurus opted for a ‘soft launch’ in the UK in the summer, unheralded by any marketing or advertising, and sponsoring an award at the recent Car Dealer Used Car Awards is about the highest-profile thing the company has done.

Talking to Car Dealer from his CarGurus base in Cambridge – Massachusetts that is – Steinert makes it clear the company will be following the path that worked so well in America.

‘The marketing strategy we used in the US is the same one we will be using in the UK, which is basically to build a really great product and word of mouth will get people there,’ he says.

In the UK there are now 200,000 cars on the CarGurus platform, says Steinert, making it the fourth largest in terms of inventory.

Moving on to its USP, the

“

by PHIL RILEY @PhilRiley5 TripAdvisor concept is central to the overall approach. ‘If I had a single message for car dealers it would be that we are really good at two things – driving a lot of traffic and selling a lot of cars. If we don’t execute on those two then dealers shouldn’t be doing business with us.’

Which leads to the big question – how is CarGurus going to do that?

‘What we are trying to accomplish here is really what we did with TripAdvisor and bring more transparency to a big-ticket purchase,’ says Steinert. ‘When I looked at the automotive market in the US, and it is similar in the UK, we saw a big marketplace but we didn’t see a lot of transparency being provided to consumers.’

Transparency here is applied to two quite different, but interrelated, factors – where the advertised car’s price fits in to the local market, and the dealer’s reputation.

The marketing strategy we used in the US is the same one we will be using in the UK. 08 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CarGurus CEO, Langley Steinert

‘Is the car being priced appropriately in the market? Is it a good deal? Is it a bad deal? Does the dealer have a good reputation? We use dealer reviews to try and ferret out that issue.

‘With every car on our listing, we look at how many days the car has been on the market, how many price reductions it has had, whether it’s been in an accident, a whole bunch of stuff to bring transparency.’

That may all sound airy-fairy, but in practice it has very real impact on potential customers.

Steinert explains: ‘When a consumer does a search on our platform we will show cars based on two primary factors: how far below the market is the car being priced, is it a good deal or a bad deal? And we say that explicitly on the website. And we also put in a ranking factor for the dealer’s reputation.

‘It’s not enough for the dealer to have a car that’s a really great deal that’s been priced aggressively for the market, they also need to have received positive reviews from consumers.

‘If a dealer has great deals but is getting lousy reviews, we will suppress their inventory and they won’t get much traffic at all.

‘At the same time, the site discriminates against cars judged over-priced so they end up on page five with little visibility.

‘What we are trying to provide, if you sum it all up, is to help consumers quickly and easily find the most economic deals from the most reputable dealers in their marketplace.’

A pilot scheme in the US to assess the effect of a ‘third-party price validation on their inventory’ reinforced the positive aspects of the CarGurus approach as around 90 per cent of the email leads sent to the dealer were for good, fair or well-priced cars, as rated by CarGurus.

Steinert adds: ‘So what we are doing for dealers is not simply sending them leads but leads that are pre-qualified, where the consumer thinks ‘this is a great deal, I want to buy the car’. So as a result, the close-rate is extraordinarily high. We are really sending the dealers buyers rather than lookers, if you will.’

Time will tell if the approach will prove irresistible to UK car dealers.

Steinert hands over CarGurus’ Used Car Award, p87

More top automotive retailers choose us for digital than any other PRovideR

0844 846 4767 info@gforces.co.uk | www.gforces.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 09

A FRESH NEW FINANCE OPTION

FOR DEALERS FCA regulation has caused many dealers to think again about finance. Now, there is a totally new opportunity for dealers from MotoNovo Finance, including those who were thinking about ceasing to offer finance altogether.

Finance is an integral part of the car buying process for many buyers of new and used vehicles. For some dealers, it is a useful profit centre but for many it is largely a means of helping a customer to make a buying decision.

Consumer credit regulation by the Financial Conduct

‘SELF-SERVE’ A TOTALLY NEW CONCEPT IN DEALER FINANCE In what is yet another industry first, MotoNovo Finance is launching its all-new Self-Serve financing service. In dealer showrooms, customers will be able to complete their own online finance proposal and benefit from an all-new level of transparency. Dealers don’t need to be directly FCA authorised to offer it.

‘Self-Serve’ is the brainchild of MotoNovo CEO Mark Standish who observes: “The way we all access financial services is undergoing a massive change. This is clear from the growth of mobile banking as people embrace the convenience and control that technology can now facilitate. In dealer finance, we cannot ignore this trend.

“In the 1970s the petrol station experience typically involved a petrol pump attendant. Today, many consumers, it seems, find the idea of someone filling their vehicle to be very odd; they like the capacity to control their own re-fuelling. The same trend is now developing for banking. People are used to filling out on-line forms, they value the control. Going further, from a data security perspective, many do not want to disclose the increasing level of personal data now required in a loan application in a showroom. We are making that possible.”

The Self-Serve process means that in the showroom, dealers will continue to input the car and price details. This creates a code that enables the customer to continue their loan application on a tablet or PC there and then. The customer can still expect to get an efficient decision with acceptance levels in line with traditional dealer finance. Competitive 10 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Authority (FCA) means that some dealers are thinking carefully about the way forward. They want credit to be available but candidly could do without the challenge that regulation brings. Now, it seems all is possible.

interest rates are agreed at the outset with the dealer who is then rewarded courtesy of an innovative new merchandising payment, itself linked to the effectiveness of the dealership as a distribution point for finance.

Self-Serve is available to dealers who are both authorised by the FCA and those who are not directly authorised, with clear controls for the latter on the level of dealer engagement in the financing process. Facilitating this latest innovation from MotoNovo is a new digital platform built to MotoNovo’s specification that supports the process in the showroom and online.

GAINING AN EDGE WITH DEALER FINANCE

Regulation of consumer credit will have seen all dealers reviewing their future approach to finance. Some may have considered withdrawing from providing finance entirely, whilst others may be concerned about the ‘risk and reward’ situation. Self-Serve from MotoNovo can help and it is important to recognise that the type of secured finance facilities provided by MotoNovo can give dealers an edge in the sale of cars.

When compared with unsecured loan options dealer finance is often far more attractive for buyers. The advantages are still available to car dealers offering MotoNovo’s Self- Serve approach.

• Dealer finance can be efficient and convenient • Typically dealer finance enjoys far higher acceptance levels than unsecured personal loans, when applying on the same financial terms • When using dealer finance, customers can feel assured that the quality of the dealer and the quality of the vehicle is guaranteed by MotoNovo Finance as the lender And of course, the offer is highly competitive.

JOIN THE SELF-SERVE

REVOLUTION WITH MOTONOVO FINANCE In brief dealers can enjoy: • Finance in their showroom, with or without direct FCA Authorisation • The comfort that all of the finance procedures, marketing, and compliance are taken care of by MotoNovo Finance • The opportunity to enable customers to self-serve their own finance • The chance to be at the cutting edge of consumer finance • The benefit from an all-new revenue source And for car buyers - Self-Serve eases the buying process: • Customers can find the car they want online or in the showroom, with finance to demonstrate affordability • They can use the Self-Serve system to quote and apply for finance in the showroom • MotoNovo’s team is on hand to communicate directly with the customer on the finance process, supporting the dealer • Once approved, the customer can drive away in their new car Efficient and straight-forward, the entire Self-Serve process is very compliant. More than this, it makes life very much easier for many dealers. By taking the dealer out of the financing process, dealer concerns about regulatory compliance are alleviated and even dealers opting not to become directly authorised by the FCA can become involved. The whole process is seamless.

MotoNovo ‘Self-Serve’

THE LATEST INNOVATION December 2015 sees MotoNovo launch yet another genuine first. ‘Self-Serve’ is designed to provide an all-new highly compliant finance option for dealers. Self-Serve enables customers to arrange their own finance in the showroom.

Dealers need not be directly FCA authorised to benefit, with interest to date coming from both authorised and non-authorised dealers.

This unique approach, developed entirely by MotoNovo will utilise state-of-the-art technology and provides dealers with the opportunity to develop a new income stream.

Interested? To date over 100 dealers have signed up to the pilot. Dealers can email marketing@motonovofinance.com for more information.

THE NEW CAR BUYING JOURNEY

-

IT’S CUSTOMER LED

Today’s showroom sees less traffic but those who visit are often interested in buying.

Self-Serve finance meets a customer desire to control their own purchase.

DEALER FINANCE – Putting the Customer in Control MotoNovo Finance’s unique online and in-showroom approach is helping more dealers to make finance accessible to more customers.

Get finance right and customer satisfaction can be impressive MotoNovo Finance Customer Satisfaction

92%

90%

Convenience

Flexible repayment options

92%

92%

Ease of use

90%

Suits my budget

Clarity of information

93%

Likelyhood to recommend dealer finance

Feedback provided by over 6,000 customers buying a used car with MotoNovo Finance in September 2015.

To find out more about the Self-Serve revolution with MotoNovo Finance, please contact

0330 159 1895 or email marketing@motonovofinance.com

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

CarDealerMag.co.uk 11

DASHBOARD.

SUPERCAR SANDCASTLE James Baggott reports from an unassuming dealership in the middle of the Dubai desert that holds an Aladdin’s Cave of supercar greats

F

rom the outside, the huge warehouse erected in the middle of the desert on the dusty outskirts of Dubai looked pretty unremarkable.

Huge grey slabs of fabricated metal stretched out as far as the eye could see through the wavy, hazy 35-degree heat.

Perhaps the security guard and chunky automatic gate that eased gently open should have given it away, but not even the plush reception was enough to prepare me for the sights that Al Habtoor Motors’ dealership had within.

Row upon row of McLarens, a huge selection of Bentleys and no fewer than five Bugatti Veyrons were lined up neatly inside the pristine showroom and workshop. The sheer size of the air-conditioned facility was hard to fathom – in total, the dealer has an incredible one million square feet of workshop space, on a site that’s five million square feet in all.

In the main reception, adorned with leather sofas, huge TV screens and plenty of marketing material for their elite customers to leaf through, I was met by Irishman Joe Rogan, director of the Prestige Division of the business. ‘Five years ago this was nothing but desert, but now we have a one million square foot facility staffed by 200 people,’ explained Rogan. Al Habtoor Motors is the main agent for Mitsubishi, Bentley, Bugatti and McLaren in the United Arab Emirates and also has a huge used car business dubbed Car

Al Habtoor Motors is the world’s biggest Mitsubishi dealership, selling 5,000 models a month

12 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Zone. To give you some idea of the scale of this dealer’s operations, outside the air-conditioned workshop, which has some 86 engineering bays, were 16,000 Mitsubishis in stock. And that’s just three months’ worth of sales. Although the market in the UAE isn’t huge, at around 250,000 cars a year, Al Habtoor Motors still manages to sell 5,000 Mitsubishis a month and owns and operates the biggest Mitsubishi dealership in the world there – a 300,000 sq ft site.

Al Habtoor Motors is also dabbling in Chinese brands, selling Chery and JAC. ‘These feel like Kia and Hyundai did 10 to 15 years ago. They’re the next big brands,’ he predicted. But what was really jaw-dropping was the sheer number of prestige models the dealership held in stock. A multi-million-pound row of McLarens sparkled off into the distance as we climbed on board a golf kart that the management team and sales executives

use to get around. ‘We sell 75 McLarens a year and 50 pre-owned models – and currently we are the second best-selling McLaren dealership in the world,’ said Rogan.

But that’s nothing compared with its Bentley sales. Al Habtoor Motors has been the bestselling dealer for the British marque for the past four years, shifting 450 new models a year. ‘The

Al Habtoor Motors’ facility is one of only a handful able to service Bugattis while it is one of the best-selling McLaren dealerships

clientele in the Emirates are high-net-worth individuals and can change their cars often.

‘We deal with many members of the royal families who want their cars a certain way – and we can offer them that sort of bespoke build,’ added Rogan. In the line-up of McLarens is a new 570S, the first I’ve seen up close. It’s the ‘baby’ of the McLaren range and Al

Habtoor Motors has already sold plenty. Parked up a few rows down is a P1. ‘That’s a customer’s car. This is his second P1. He often leaves it here,’ explained Rogan. ‘Most of our customers are multiple car owners and some with their own private collection.’

One member of the team tells me about a phone call he received from a flustered customer who was trying to track down where he had left his Bentley – he couldn’t remember that it had been dropped off at the dealership for a service! With customers so rich

that they forget where they leave their Bentleys, it’s little surprise that Al Habtoor Motors is the biggest Bugatti dealership in the world. Last year, it sold 15 of the £1.2m-plus models, and it’s already gearing up for the arrival of its successor, the Chiron. ‘We recently held an exclusive event to showcase the new Chiron to some VIP customers and successfully secured several orders,’ said Rogan.

It’s rumoured the order process for the new car is pretty prescriptive too. There’s talk of an upfront 200,000 euro deposit, another 200,000 when it goes into production and 900,000 euros when the build is complete. The rest is apparently paid upon collection.

Luckily, the sort of customers Al Habtoor Motors deals with are more than capable of stumping up that sort of cash.

After a 20-minute drive we cover only a fraction of the vast dealership. It reminds me of a docks or pre-registration impound with row upon row of cars, covered in sand and dust, lined up as far as the eye can see.

There’s a huge parts warehouse too – fully automated, which loads inventory into the backs of waiting trucks to spread out across the Emirates. I’ve never seen so many tyres in one place. Back in the workshop we end the tour next to five Bugattis all in various states of undress. Al Habtoor Motors is one of only a handful of dealers allowed to service the 250mph weapons and it’s amazing to see just how packed in that almighty engine is.

Rogan explains that despite the fact the dealership is a fair old drive outside of Dubai it’s become a bit of a tourist destination. ‘We don’t mind, though. We love showing people around,’ added Rogan. I can see why those tourists make the trip. Abu Dhabi can keep its Ferrari World, because I know where I’d rather come next time I’m in the land of the sand. [CD]

With thanks to GardX for organising the trip to the Al Habtoor facility CarDealerMag.co.uk | 13

14 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

VANTAGE Motor Group has unveiled its newly refurbished Skoda dealership in Morecambe following a £400,000 facelift. The investment at the Lancashire dealership is intended to reflect Skoda’s new, upmarket corporate identity. The site on White Lund Industrial Estate has been transformed in line with the manufacturer’s new branding. Centre principal David Hainsworth said: ‘The refurbishment shows how both Vantage and Skoda are setting the highest standards.’

Skoda dealership is looking superb

A BUGATTI Veyron on sale for almost £900,000 was damaged when a vandal broke into Kahn Automobiles in Leeds. The perpetrator, a hooded man wielding a metal bar, smashed a showroom window to gain access before badly damaging the Veyron’s windscreen and running off. A spokesperson for the business said: ‘We have reported the matter to police and are helping with their inquiries.’ The car, similar to the one above, is a 2006 model, according to Kahn’s website.

Bugatti Veyron vandalised

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

NT SHAW of Louth, Lincolnshire, has joined the MG Motor UK dealer network, becoming the sixty-third firm to do so.

Dealer principal Nigel Shaw said: ‘Everyone at the dealership is really excited about MG and we’re keen to get moving with it.

We have some great customers who we know are just as excited as us about our new arrivals. We can’t wait to help grow the franchise within the MG team.’ Matthew Cheyne, head of sales and marketing for MG, added: ‘We’re thrilled to welcome NT Shaw of Louth onboard. We look forward to working with them.’

Keen to get moving with MG

SCUNTHORPE car dealership Hartwell has begun a major expansion programme, which promises to create new jobs and boost capacity. Hartwell’s £350,000 expansion project will take place on its Station Road site, following the acquisition of an adjoining building, which had previously been a print works and Jobcentre.

The extended space will boost the number of cars on site from 150 to 250, as well as improving services and facilities for staff and customers, according to the Scunthorpe Telegraph. The project is also expected to create approximately six new jobs, adding to the 43-strong team currently operating at Hartwell.

Major expansion at Scunthorpe dealership

TWENTY jobs have been created by the opening of a new Nissan showroom in Dunfermline. Eastern Western Motor Group has made a significant investment to turn an old dealership site at Crossgates Road, in Halbeath, into a state-of-the-art Nissan outlet. It is the group’s second new Nissan dealership to open this year after Western Nissan at Springkerse Trade Park in Stirling was launched in April. It also has a Nissan dealership in Edinburgh. Neil Johnson, dealer principal of both Nissan franchises in Stirling and Dunfermline, said: ‘Opening the new showroom in Dunfermline fills a gap in the market and allows us to cover an even wider area.’

New jobs created as Nissan showroom opens

News from around the UK DASHBOARD.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 15

A CORNISH car dealer has been given a suspended jail sentence after posing as a private seller to sell suspect cars and avoid any consumer rights responsibilities. Truro magistrates sentenced Michael Popham-Blyth, of Pengarth Rise, Falmouth, to 13 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months after he pleaded guilty to running a fraudulent business, two charges of fraud, and one offence under trading standards legislation.

Marvellous month for Big Motoring World NOVEMBER was the best month ever for sales at Kentbased Big Motoring World. The car dealership had a year-on-year increase of 104 per cent after selling 904 cars. Big Motoring World, the UK’s largest independent seller of pre-owned BMWs, has said that part of its success is down to offering a wide variety of car brands, such as Volkswagens and Audis. Big Motoring World CEO Peter Waddell said: ‘We are extremely pleased with last month’s figures.’

PICADOR, one of Hampshire’s longest established automotive retailers, is the newest investor to join the Renault UK dealer network. The new Southampton franchise is the first to be opened by Picador, and follows the firm’s launch of its Renault service centre in March. The new, purpose-built showroom in the Sholing area shares a site with an existing 23-bay Renault Service Centre. The showroom includes a ‘Brand Bar’, where customers can view a range of vehicles on iPads.

ENDEAVOUR Automotive has announced the acquisition of Haddocks Hyundai in a share capital deal.

Haddocks operates Hyundai dealerships in Colchester and Frinton-on-Sea. John Caney, Endeavour Automotive managing director, said: ‘I am delighted to have strengthened our relationship and geographical spread with Hyundai UK. The Haddocks business is a fantastic opportunity with a great territory, loyal team of staff and produces a positive set of results. This is a great fit for the group and expands our reach.’

A great catch for Endeavour Automotive

Picador joins Renault’s dealer network

MARSHALL Motor Holdings has announced the biggest deal in its history with the purchase of the longestablished South London dealer group SG Smith.

The £24.4 m deal is the first by Marshall as a listed PLC and restates its established strategy of expanding geographically within England with its existing portfolio of brands. Talking to Car Dealer, group chief executive Daksh Gupta said: ‘This was a rare opportunity to acquire a very well run and established business that punches above its weight in a highly attractive area.’

TL DARBY Volkswagen is basking in awards glory, having clinched two gongs at the Burton Mail business awards recently. The company, based at Centrum East Retail Park, won the business of the year and best customer service performance gongs. Richard Darby, TL Darby brand manager, said: ‘Our company has been part of the local business community for almost 50 years. This past year has seen us relocate to new purposebuilt premises, enabling us to improve the customer experience we offer.’

Dealer given a suspended sentence

The biggest deal in Marshall’s history

Double award triumph for TL Darby

Rapidly-expanding car finance website Carfinance247 has acquired an additional 10,500 square feet of office space at Albion Mill in Ancoats, Manchester, to house the company’s growing workforce. It follows the appointment of an additional 60 employees in the last quarter, taking the total number of people to more than 200. Carfinance247 has reported a 280 per cent increase in turnover this year as consumers increasingly secure car finance online.

More office space acquired

HPI. So much more than a check.

HPI provides an expanding portfolio of products that turn data into valuable information, driving business opportunities and growth for our customers.

HPI works closely with all parties involved in the automotive trade – dealers, consumers, finance houses, insurers, manufacturers, trade bodies and Government agencies making sure you only get accurate, up-to-date information.

Why not trial our products today for free?

Contact us on 0845 300 8914 or visit hpi.co.uk/trade 16 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

hpi check hpi spec check hpi mileage services hpi mot data hpi driveaway hpi bid

DASHBOARD.

Top dealers rewarded following another good year for Suzuki ‘High level of work and effort has contributed to successful 12 months’

S

uzuki has announced the winners of its 2015 Dealer of the Year awards which were handed out at the vehicle manufacturer’s annual national dealer conference.

At the prestigious event on Tenerife, Suzuki proudly presented several trophies to the dealer network, which now counts 155 dealers, in recognition of their achievements, exceptional performance and service during the past 12 months.

All dealers were assessed on seven criteria which included the percentage of target sales achieved; finance penetration percentage; sales customer satisfaction index (CSI); service CSI; number of parts sold; the

quantity of accessories sold and return on sales percentage.

The figures were then aggregated on a balanced scorecard to reveal the winners in the large, medium and small dealer of the year categories.

The master of ceremonies was the renowned comedian and actor, Rob Brydon, who revealed the following results during the course of the evening: Large dealer: Luscombe Suzuki, Leeds – award collected by Robin Luscombe.

Medium dealer: J&J Motors, Bridgend – award collected by James Plimmer.

Small dealer: Donnelly and Taggart Suzuki, Londonderry, Northern Ireland – collected by Victor Pollock.

An individual trophy for outstanding performance in customer service was presented to Graham Vanassche of Hale Common Suzuki in

Newport, South Wales. Three Suzuki dealerships were also commended for their long-running commitment to the company, with one site celebrating 30 years with the brand: 20 years: John Banks Suzuki, Bury St Edmunds – award collected by Justin Banks.

20 years: John Wilkins Cars – award collected by Stephen Wilkins.

30 years: Cumbria Suzuki – award collected by Graham Whiteman.

Dale Wyatt, left, sales and marketing director, said: ‘We would like to congratulate all of our winners.

‘Each has made a significant contribution to Suzuki this year, mirroring the high level of work and effort that we have been witnessing by the network nationwide. It has been another very successful 12 months for Suzuki in the UK.’

www.desperateseller.co.uk | www.facebook.com/desperateseller.co.uk | twitter.com/despseller

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 17

DASHBOARD.

Home, sweet home: Mazda moves into a posh new pad Ultra-modern offices mean manufacturer is sharing its passion, says MD

T

he staff of Mazda’s UK head office have transferred to a stunning new building in Dartford, Kent – in a move described by managing director Jeremy Thomson as ‘a fabulous turning point’.

And the new offices, representing a multi-million-pound investment, were designed very much with the manufacturer’s 137-strong dealer network in mind.

Staff moved into the ultra-modern building last month – and attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony performed

by Thomson; Jeff Guyton, Mazda’s European president and CEO; and Yuji Nakamine, director and senior managing executive officer.

The new HQ, in Crossways Business Park, is just a few hundred yards away from the old base, but is a world away in terms of design, technology and environmental credentials. Having lain empty for eight years, the 25,000 sq ft building now features sustainable carpeting made out of fish netting, 100 per cent eco-friendly LED lighting and ‘Millboard’ decking.

There’s a state-of-the-art

by DAVE BROWN @CarDealerDave

showroom area, pictured on page 5, in which the cars in the Mazda range are on display; space to display models from the manufacturer’s heritage collection; and wellequipped offices and breakout areas, with room to grow for the future.

Explaining that dealer principals would be visiting the new HQ building early in 2016, Thomson said: ‘There is so much to be gained from this facility.

‘Almost from the start it is going to give a return to the business. If anything we do reflects the Mazda blueprint, this is it, because it’s about sharing our passion.’

Thomson said he was at first unsure about the thinking behind the ‘showroom’ element of the new offices to begin with but added: ‘Our dealers are really pleased about it because they can see that we’re investing money in the same way that they have. They’ve been investing in our brand with our new corporate identity and this is an unapologetic equivalent of what they have been doing.’

Guyton, Mazda’s European boss,

praised Mazda’s UK dealers and staff for making ‘a fantastic contribution’ to the manufacturer’s global business. Addressing head office staff, he added: ‘First of all, this place honours the contribution that you have made. Creating a stimulating working environment for you has a direct relationship on how the dealers will feel about the brand and therefore how the customers are going to feel about the brand.

‘If we’re going to continue to grow the business in the UK, make more profit and so forth, we’re going to have to meet those customer expectations in the future at a much higher level than we do now.’

Nakamine-san outlined Mazda’s commitment to the UK market, saying: ‘The UK team make a tremendous contribution to Mazda’s global business in terms of the volume and the profit. I want to say thank-you on behalf of Mazda management and at Mazda headquarters we will do our best to support this market. You deserve this fantastic office.’

The past year has proved a successful and busy one for Mazda.

As well as a tranche of new model launches such as the iconic MX-5 and CX-3, sales are running around 20 per cent up year-on-year and the Mazda2 was voted Car of the Year at Car Dealer Power in the summer.

MANUFACTURING

UK productivity best in Europe THE UK motor industry is the most productive in Europe, ahead even of Germany, according to a new study by the Automotive Council.

The study said the figures showed a trend of increasing productivity over the past 10 years and partly reflected a move towards process efficiency following the global financial crisis and a shift towards the production of high-value premium vehicles. Labour flexibility and constructive labour relations were also singled out as a key strength.

NEW ROLE

NextGear makes key appointment NEXTGEAR Capital has appointed Pamela Halliday, above, as its new sales and marketing director. Her role in leading the sales and marketing activities coincides with NextGear Capital’s move into the Irish market; planned acceleration into the franchised market; the launch of its new StockMaster operating platform; and a new focus upon developing consultative partnerships with industry players right across the remarketing cycle.

Speed is key, p103

PURCHASING

BMW unveils new online service

UK DEALER NETWORK ‘IS AN APPROPRIATE SIZE’ MAZDA’S UK sales director, Peter Allibon, right, says the new headquarters ‘is reflective of a brand that’s enjoying a two per cent market share and selling 50,000 units a year’. He added that he thought the current size of the UK dealer network – 137 – was ‘the appropriate size for the level of retail 18 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

and dealer-delivered fleet business that we are going to be doing in the short term.’

He added: ‘I think we’d need to be selling 60,000 cars a year before we needed to look again at our overall network plan.

‘Profit this year, dealer profitability, is under strain generally in the industry.’

BMW has unveiled a new online retail service, allowing customers to purchase a car in under 10 minutes.

Although the firm has an existing online service, users could only do part of the carbuying process on the web, whereas BMW Retail Online allows buyers to purchase a car entirely from home, including configuration, payment method and arranging a test drive.

Wessex Garages create a seasonal celebration video. bit.ly/wessex94

Ask CAP HPI YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Working together will benefit the industry

T

Hyundai teams up with Rockar in bid to repeat success...

‘Digitally-enhanced sales concept’ arrives in east London

H

yundai and Rockar have opened their second Rockar Hyundai store, at Westfield London, Stratford. Following the overwhelming success of the first Rockar Hyundai store at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent, the two companies have brought the digitally-enhanced sales concept to one of Europe’s largest urban shopping and leisure destinations.

At 250 square metres, the Westfield store is slightly larger than the Bluewater site but its aim is the same: to put customers in control by giving them all the facts and figures and as much time and flexibility as they need when making a purchase.

Located on the lower ground floor of Westfield Stratford, the new store features five display models including the new Tucson, i20 and award-winning i10.

Rather than salespeople on commission-based pay, Rockar has ‘Angels’

on site at Westfield to help customers navigate their way through the process.

The concept, designed by creative agency Dalziel & Pow, features 45 digital content screens and two browsing tables with 11 interactive 21-inch touchscreen tablets. These allow customers to browse the Hyundai range independently, book on-site ‘You Drive’ test drives and even make a purchase in five minutes flat.

Unique to Westfield is that one of these touchscreen tables is located outside the store. A set-back store front creates a 24hour brand zone, allowing customers to look at display cars, browse and buy even when the store is closed but the shopping centre is open – for instance, if going to Westfield’s cinemas or bars in the evening.

Tony Whitehorn, president & CEO, Hyundai Motor UK, said: ‘Rockar Hyundai has completely revolutionised the way in which consumers can buy new cars.’

...as a million sales are recorded HYUNDAI has announced a significant milestone in its UK history – it has sold exactly one million vehicles since 1982 when it imported its first car, the Pony.

The landmark one millionth car is the all-new Tucson compact SUV, which is Hyundai’s latest and fastest-selling model in the UK. To celebrate reaching this milestone, the company will give this top-of-the-range vehicle away through its

#M1LLION campaign. The competition will ask users to nominate their ‘one in a million’ – a person they believe deserves to win the new car.

Tony Whitehorn said: ‘To have reached a million cars sold in the UK is an amazing achievement. We have been selling cars in the UK for a lot longer than many people think. The last 10 years, though, have been the most seminal in our history.’

here’s been lots of noise about HPI and CAP working more closely together, but what does this actually mean for me as a dealer?

You don’t often see Aristotle quoted in a motoring column, but when the Greek philosopher coined the phrase ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’, he could have been talking about HPI and CAP. With both brands working more closely together, the industry will benefit from a wave of new innovation that will help customers make quicker and smarter decisions.

Working together means CAP and HPI are the only UKbased businesses that collectively can boast decision-support data and software solutions spanning vehicle identification, valuation, validation, collision and mechanical repair, and total cost of ownership.

Crucially, it means we’ll be able to speed up the pace of innovation for the benefit of customers.

As we all know, CAP and HPI are old friends. Our valuation and provenance services are often sold hand-inhand, working well together because we share the same customer sector and provide the same vital need for used car information. Now, with CAP and HPI working side by side, you get the expertise of both brands.

That means we can develop a new generation of products that harness our data and experience to create something that’s unmatched in the marketplace.

So, what sort of services can you expect? Well, let’s just say we’re working on some exciting things.

In fact, we’re already in discussions with our customers, who have asked for a more cohesive approach to products, services and company representation. We are already working with our customers to deliver a new level of openness and transparency when it comes to decisionmaking in the industry. We aim to align your journey with a host of products and services that deliver a market-beating return on investment – so you get the best level of data to help your business thrive.

As market leaders in our respective fields, we jointly employ the best talent in the industry to help us grow.

By building teams that can drive synergies and efficiencies, we are in an enviable position to deliver the future growth of our businesses at home and abroad.

This means you’ll get the same great CAP and HPI services you’ve always enjoyed, plus some exciting things to come.

So, it’s a case of watch this space...

‘It means we’ll be able to speed up the pace of innovation for the benefit of customers.’

Who are CAP HPI?

CAP HPI are the experts in provenance and vehicle data.

Every month, they help to answer questions from you relating to finance, write-offs or car scams. If you have a problem and need some help, send us an email at HPI@blackballmedia.co.uk and we’ll do the rest CarDealerMag.co.uk | 19

THANK YOU! We’re the UK’s leading alternative finance provider, thanks to our Dealer Network By using our industry leading product suite our dealers have sold over 25,000 cars this year! If you’re not already a part of our Dealer Network and want to start maximising your sales potential, then call our Dealer Set-up Team on 02392 448 690.

To find out more call us on 02392 448 690 or visit www.tcfcdealers.co.uk The Car Finance Company (2007) Limited Registered address 47-51 Kingston Crescent, Portsmouth, PO2 8AA. The Car Finance Company (2007) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Interim Permission 600168. All finance is subject to status and income.

20number | CarDealerMag.co.uk

2015 so far:

Over

25,000

Cars Sold

£9,154

165%

Average Loan Value

Increase in Web Traffic

We are able to take full ownership of every deal that is made and provide you with much lower regulatory risk and even greater security.

www.thecarfinancecompany.co.uk is our website where we provide our financial services to the end consumer. We direct these approved online applications straight to our dealer network.

Dealer Testimonial We have been using The Car Finance Company for 3 years now and they have helped us increase our rate for risk business by 39% and increase overall profitability by 63%.

They take a human approach to underwriting and offer a ‘deep’ rate for risk product. The paperwork is completed by their reps and funds are released within 48 hours. We hope for a mutual profitable working relationship in the future.

Mark Zavagno – Stoneacre Motor Group

Award Winning

in association with

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 21

DASHBOARD.

Q30: MADE IN BRITAIN A multi-million-pound investment has been made by Nissan at its Sunderland plant as the manufacturer looks to expand the Infiniti brand with the Q30, reports Laura Thomson

T

he Japanese carmaker Infiniti has revealed the latest in its range of luxury models, the Q30, in a futuristic ceremony at its Sunderland plant.

The small hatchback has marked many firsts for the brand, which is owned by Nissan Motor Corporation. Not only is it the first Infiniti vehicle to be manufactured in the UK and in Europe, but it is also the first compact C-segment model that the brand has produced.

Infiniti in turn has become the first new car brand to be manufactured on this scale in the UK in 23 years, and the volume of vehicles set to roll off the production line is only possible following a £250m investment in Nissan’s Sunderland facilities, which has created 300 jobs.

With such a momentum behind it and an increasing presence in the UK, Infiniti is understandably now looking to expand its dealer network. There are currently 10 Infiniti dealerships spanning the UK, each boasting the brand’s unique ‘IREDI’ approach. Standing for ‘Infiniti Retail Environment Design Initiative’, the style highlights light, natural materials and well-lit, open spaces. Customers are introduced to the vehicle’s materials in a visual and sensory manner, enabling them to compare the feels of the different leathers, for example.

Infiniti UK’s country manager Carl Bayliss said: ‘Infiniti is looking to expand to around 25 centres in the next couple of years.

‘Infiniti has the advantage of human-centric design, products and technology – we look at the way that our customers are involved with our product and work with that.’

However, it isn’t just the brand’s individual style that draws customers into the dealerships.

Bayliss believes that the products speak for themselves. He added: ‘Infiniti has consistent history in terms of the fastest-accelerating hybrid and our products talk for themselves. We expect the all-new C-segment Q30 to be a turning point for the growth of Infiniti across the world.’

The Q30 boasts a stand-out style, consisting of curvaceous panels and a large, attention-grabbing double-arch grille.

It will be produced with five engine options and three spec levels: SE, Premium, and Sport.

The engines are all turbocharged, and include two 1.6-litre petrols offering power outputs of 119bhp and 148bhp, a 2-litre 250bhp petrol option, a 1.5-litre 105bhp diesel, and a 2.2-litre 168bhp diesel.

22 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

The Infiniti Q30 has exceptionally low sound levels in its cabin, thanks to its highly rigid bodyshell It is hoped that the Q30 will follow in the footsteps of its larger D-segment sibling, the Q50, which was released in late-2013 and has seen significant traction in its segment against rivals including competitors the BMW 3 Series and the Mercedes C220.

With competitors ranging from the basic hatchback to larger crossovers, the Q30 sits in the larger end of the C-segment spectrum, with a high ride height and an uplifted driving position.

Infiniti is still a relatively unknown brand in the UK, having sold just shy of 750 cars last year. However, the brand is celebrating continual growth globally, with November becoming the 15th month of consecutive best months on record and 192,000 vehicles sold so far this year – a figure that has already surpassed the full-year 2014 sales volume.

As for the UK? Bayliss continues: ‘I would anticipate probably that we will double our sales in this full year across Infiniti UK. We’ll see the Q30 will have a significant impact, but we’ve also got some time in the UK market now with our other models like Q50, which has taken a foothold in the marketplace and is currently our number one seller.’

Roland Krueger, the president of Infiniti, commented: ‘The Q30 comes at a moment of significant opportunity for Infiniti. Following a period of record global sales, we are entering a new segment with the Q30. The new active compact will play a vital role in our strategy to become a top-tier global premium brand.’

The decision to build the Q30 in Sunderland was made in 2012, following years of outstanding quality standards reached by the workforce.

A £250m investment in the plant, combined

”

The Q30 comes at a moment of significant opportunity for Infiniti

From its design in London through to its build in Sunderland, the Infiniti Q30 demonstrates the brand’s strong commitment to the UK with a £9.2m grant from the UK Government Regional Growth Fund, has seen new production facilities spanning 25,000 square metres built at the Sunderland plant, housing a 100 per centautomated body shop, where 134 new robots with laser-welding precision have been installed to build a highly rigid bodyshell – one of the reasons for the exceptionally low sound levels in the Q30’s cabin.

The plant’s Line 2 for painting and final assembly has also received an extension of 14,500 square metres. The manufacturing process has been tailored to ensure every Q30 is made for the individual at the Trim & Chassis shop, where the Infiniti operators perform 1,191 different tasks to complete each model.

Newly-appointed master craftspeople will monitor each stage of the production process to ensure that every individual Q30 meets Infiniti’s premium manufacturing standards.

Bayliss stresses that the Q30 is a British premium car, one that demonstrates the brand’s strong commitment to the UK .

‘The Q30 active concept is a fundamental turning point for Infiniti across the globe, but more so in the UK,’ he said.

‘The design was instilled by the team at the Infiniti Design Centre in London, who competed with other Infiniti design centres in San Diego, Beijing and Japan, and they were responsible for the interior and exterior design of the Q30.

‘The development of the car, from the design through to where it is today, took place in Cranfield at the technical centre we have there and finally the car is built in the Sunderland plant. So not only did this £250m investment secure 300 additional jobs, it means the Q30 really is a car that’s made in Britain.’ [CD]

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 23

Do you want to sell more cars?

Is your stock the most Are you pricing Do you regularly desirable locally? it correctly? re-price it?

“By learning more about i-Control I found I was quickly able to manage every part of the process from pricing accurately to presenting stock effectively online and managing our forecourt intelligently.�

Chris Killen Georgesons

Learn more at trade.autotrader.co.uk/i-Control 24 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Smarter, faster stock management with i-Control can help you sell more cars To attract customers and stay ahead of the competition, it's important to stock desirable vehicles and price them correctly for your area.

You've definitely got the know-how, but have you got the data and insight that enables you to improve both stock turn and profitability? i-Control, powered by Auto Trader, helps you evaluate your stock against demand, supply, margin potential and speed of sale in your area. It provides you with a view of how your stock is performing in the marketplace, allowing you to automatically update your listings, saving you time and ensuring your forecourt is competitively priced.

Find out how retailers have increased the desirability of their forecourt using i-Control.

What drives us is you CarDealerMag.co.uk | 25

Chris is a 37 year old construction manager from Birmingham. He lives in a three bedroom semi, is married and has two children under five. In his spare time, he likes to watch West Bromwich Albion and walk his Labrador.

THIS IS

A LEAD

He wants to buy the silver 61 plate Ford Galaxy on your forecourt that he found through a car portal and it has been established that three of the lenders you work with are likely to approve his preferred monthly payment and finance product.

Chris is probably the most qualified lead you will ever have seen.

How did we build such a complete picture of him? Through online products like Car Finance Checker, part of the iVendi Platform.

What we do at iVendi is simple: we use technology to empower dealers around 2,500 of them to date.

Wouldn’t you like to become empowered?

0845 226 0503 info@ivendi.com www.ivendi.com

26 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

DASHBOARD.

Around the world Dealer news from somewhere other than here

HONG KONG

LEADING luxury British carmaker Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) opened its brand new Hong Kong showroom in November, in direct response to growing customer demand in the Far East. Based at the Nan Fung Commercial Centre in Kowloon Bay, the showroom has already had some success, with BAC selling eight of its annual allocation of 12 vehicles during the opening night party.

AMERICA

A FORD dealer in Massachusetts wants to make sure that customers understand everything their cars can do. The showroom has a team of electronics-savvy people around to do it – teenagers. Quirk Ford employs teens to teach customers about the in-car tech.

Some don’t even have driver’s licences, but they’re experts in infotainment.

SOUTH AFRICA

MASERATI has officially celebrated the return of the marque to South Africa after it announced the appointment of European Automotive Imports – South Africa (EAI-SA), as official importer earlier this year.

Maserati has soft-opened its first 16-car showroom and service facility in the Bryanston area of Johannesburg.

AUSTRALIA

LAMBORGHINI Australia has officially opened its fourth dealership – in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. The Willims Motor Group will run and operate the 300 square metre showroom.

Lamborghini Brisbane dealer principal Greg Willims said now is the best time to be relaunching the brand in south-east Queensland. Despite restricted supply, Lamborghini has agreed to support the investment made

by WMG with the provision of 16 new Lamborghini cars in the first 12 months.

NEW ZEALAND

A WHANGANUI car dealer has been ordered to pay $6,000 to a man for falsely advertising a car’s fuel economy. Bruce Campbell went to a disputes tribunal after he bought a Ford Kuga Titanium from Whanganui Motors having been told it would use 7.7 litres of fuel per 100km. He tested it and found it needed 9.4 litres to travel the distance, equivalent to 62 miles.

www.desperateseller.co.uk | www.facebook.com/desperateseller.co.uk | twitter.com/despseller

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 27

FINANCE.

One-stop shop launched after pilot project success Moneyway is moving into the prestige vehicle market

Louis Rix: ‘Moneyway’s prime product has been received extremely well’

M

oneyway’s Motor Finance arm has launched its prime product to the UK motor retail market, as it looks to create a one-stop shop for dealers.

This announcement means that the motor finance provider, which has traditionally specialised in the sub- and near-prime lending space, can now tap into the prestige vehicle market. The firm’s prime product will have a two-tiered approach to provide the most flexible and bespoke offering to customers. In addition, Moneyway will provide a Loans to Value (LTV) of 115 per cent, building on the recent extension of its maximum lend to £25,000.

The rollout of the prime product will provide brokers and dealers with additional choice in the prime space, and further underlines Moneyway’s desire to expand its market share. The business has seen its lending balances increase to £152.3m, up 19 per cent on last year, including a rise of 10 per cent in balances over the first six months of 2015.

John Simpson, managing director at Moneyway, said: ‘With the objective of lending across the widest part of the risk curve, the prime market is one we have been exploring for some time. Having worked closely with some of our key partners throughout this year to develop and refine the product, we have witnessed high levels of demand from both dealers and brokers to roll this out across the country. The launch builds upon an outstanding 12 months for the business and is further evidence of our desire to grow.

‘With the new product, dealers will now be able to offer Moneyway as

a one-stop shop for motor finance, boosting sales and providing consistency.’

This comes after a successful pilot scheme that began in April.

Undertaken with a number of key partners, including Manchesterbased Carfinance247, the pilot has demonstrated the appetite for the product from the market.

Louis Rix, director at Carfinance247, said: ‘During the pilot scheme, Moneyway’s prime product has been received extremely well by both our internal sales teams and consumers alike. It offers competitive terms, high approval rates and strong commercials, while also resulting in quick and efficient payouts.

‘The new product strengthens Moneyway’s offering in the space, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the firm.’

Renault is bringing Christmas cheer with special offers RENAULT is giving car buyers even more reason to celebrate this Christmas with an attractive offer on some of its most popular models.

It’s a case of ‘happy holidays’ for customers who buy certain models through the brand’s popular Selections PCP packages. Those in the market for a new Twingo, Clio (excluding Expression versions) or Captur – and purchase one by December 31 – will have the option of deferring the start of their monthly

28 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

payments until February 2016. The payment holiday means they can change their car earlier than they might have imagined during what

is traditionally the most expensive season of the year.

As an example, a customer can put a £159 deposit down on a Clio Play 1.2 16v 75 in December and start their 45 monthly payments of £169 in February. There is a whole host of finance offers available across the Renault range. And with every finance option, customers enjoy the Renault 4+ warranty and Renault Assistance scheme, providing peace of mind for four years or 100,000 miles.

IVENDI

Change in online targeting is forecast GROWING use of ad blockers means that dealers will have to get increasingly sophisticated in their use of online marketing, says iVendi.

Chief executive James Tew said Apple had just added ad-blocking capabilities to its new iOS9 operating system, while use of the technology was also becoming more and more widely used on Windows PCs through a variety of browsers. ‘Over the last few years all advertisers – including those in the motor industry – have often used online ads in a fairly blunt manner, just getting in front of as many people as possible,’ he said.

‘This type of advertising has never been popular with those using the internet and there has been a move over the last couple of years that has seen increasing use of adblocking technology.

‘Apple’s move with iOS9 has really added momentum to this trend.

We could be seeing the death of old-fashioned online ads and, as a result, advertisers will need to get smarter.’ He said that if adblockers continued to grow in use, an approach would have to develop that was much more targeted.

He said the ‘scattergun’ approach commonly used by dealers would probably end, with individuals being targeted based on what was known about them.

..in association with

The award-winning dealers who are an example to us all O

n November 30, I had the pleasure of presenting an award for the best used car customer care at Car Dealer Magazine’s Used Car Awards. After firstly getting over my nerves, I walked up to the front and looked out at 600 motor traders while standing alongside the ‘legend’ that is Mike Brewer. My job was to present Uber GT with its award. It was a very proud moment for me, and one that Uber GT should be very proud of, too – well done to all concerned.

There was yet another proud moment for me – my good friends Jamie Caple and Nick Donald of Caralot were receiving yet another award.

‘Other motor traders should be looking at competitors who get things right’ This time, however, it was not for their usual marketing and social media activity, but their sales team being judged to be the UK’s best. I’ve personally seen these gents go from a few cars and a portable building on their pitch to where they are today, with well over 200 cars in stock at any one time, an indoor showroom and a whole host of other valuable customer-orientated areas.

In only five years, these two and their team have gone from strength to strength – growing non-stop.

I was really happy that I was at the awards and able to congratulate them, while giving them positive feedback on how I feel they have achieved so much in such a short time and that they need to just keep it up.

I heard one person in the room say that they were obsessed with social and they may be slightly.

Ben

Garside TIME IS MONEY

However, I don’t believe that this is the key to their success. The lads are in love with their job, business and careers. Having written before in this column about the need for enthusiasm, passion, brand consistency and doing things for the customer, these are all areas that shine when I think of Caralot.

They spend a massive amount of time communicating on-brand, being consistent and working on giving their customers a high level of service.

Looking at Caralot’s online reviews, they have 4.6 out of 5 stars on Google, and 4.8 out of 5 stars on Facebook, and it’s important to note that the Facebook rating is from 752 votes – this is huge and shows the dedication Caralot shows to customer service.

I was actually shocked to find out that their sales people were not on a commission structure but were

Turn over page for more finance stories actually all on a flat annual salary. This is probably something that gets them such great reviews – the sales people are focused on their service to the customer and not the car sale!

In all honesty, I didn’t know much about Uber GT as it isn’t in the same market as us, but even on a quick look it has a five out of five star status on Google, its branding is consistent and its motto is about passion.

Other motor traders should be looking at their competition, including dealers such as Caralot and Uber GT, who seem to be getting things right consistently.

They should then be looking inwards and assessing what they’re doing wrong and how they can improve their business.

Ben Garside congratulates Uber GT, p63

Who is Ben Garside?

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

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 29

DEALFINDER.

FINANCE. YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO...

PICK-UPS FORD RANGER DOUBLE CAB LIMITED 1

MITSUBISHI L200 SERIES 5 THE Mitsubishi L200 Series 5 has proved a popular pick-up since its launch earlier this year.

As well as winning a number of awards, including the 2015 Auto Express Pick-Up Truck of the Year, it has also seen a boost in L200 sales for Mitsubishi Motors in the UK. The fifth-generation vehicle has seen 330 changes from the previous model, with improvements made to fuel efficiency, performance, emissions and manoeuvrability plus combined carrying and towing. The L200 Series 5 Titan is available for a deposit of £8,005.80 with 43 monthly payments of £299. At the end of the contract there is an optional final payment of £7,150 required. Altogether, that makes the total amount payable £27,723.80, compared with an on-the-road price of £25,178.80.

FEATURES on the Ford Ranger Double Cab Limited 1 include Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with Traction Control and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Dual Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (DEATC).

A new Ranger will be available in 2016, but this vehicle was named International Pick-Up Award in 2013 and was the first pickup to achieve a prestigious Euro-NCAP 5-star safety rating.

The Ranger Double Cab Limited 1 2.2 TDCi 150PS is available on a two-year deal with a deposit of £5,842.31, followed by one payment of £369 then 23 monthly payments of £359.

At the end of the contract there’s an option to buy the vehicle for a final payment of £12,065, taking the total to £26,543.31, compared with a cash price of £25,175.19 including a £2,880 customer saving.

Scotland – where you’re most likely to buy a car with finance issues Dealers run risk of jeopardising business and reputation

S

cotland has the greatest number of used cars for sale hitting the CAP HPI outstanding finance register, according to new data released by the company.

The north-west of England and Wales follow close behind. A vehicle that has outstanding finance registered against it legally belongs to the finance house, which means unwary dealers could lose the car and the money they paid for it.

With as many as one in four used cars hitting the CAP HPI finance register, dealers need to protect themselves and their customers from fraudsters.

CAP HPI deputy managing director Neil Hodson said: ‘It’s very clear from our data that the chances of buying a car that still has finance owing against it are much higher in some regions than others. Dealers in London, East Anglia and the south-west are the least likely to find

30 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

by DAVE BROWN @CarDealerDave themselves with a car that is legally owned by someone else. However, if we drill down to subregions, high volumes of checks conducted by buyers in the City of London, Isle of Lewis, Isle of Man, South Glamorgan and Ayrshire are hitting the finance register the most, meaning these cars are likely to be owned by the finance house.

‘The risk of buying one of these cars is that it could very well be reclaimed by the finance company who holds the legal title. Dealers have the additional worry of selling one of these vehicles on to a customer, putting their business and reputation in jeopardy.’

Hodson, above right, said that CAP HPI always

advises dealers to protect themselves by only ever buying from the registered keeper, and he urged them to ask the seller for photo ID. Hodson added: ‘Payment for the car must be made into a bank account in the registered keeper’s name. If the car has just changed hands then it’s even more vital to verify who is selling it and that their ID checks out.

‘Dealers, just as private buyers, stand to lose the car and the money they paid for it if it later turns out to have finance against it.

‘The only safeguard dealers have against putting their reputation and their business at risk is to conduct a vehicle provenance check.

‘HPI Check is one of the strongest defences against finance fraud.’

..in association with

Higher res column advert.pdf 1 12/05/2015 09:45:32

Looking for a Non-prime finance company with a difference?

NISSAN NAVARA THE cheapest of the three options here, the Nissan Navara, which is soon to be replaced by the new NP300 Navara, has a payload of up to 1,250kg and towing capacity of 3,000kg.

Like the Mitsubishi L200, the Navara also comes with a five-year warranty. Creature comforts include a rear-view camera, Bluetooth telephone integration, dual-zone climate control and an optional sat nav.

The Nissan Navara VISIA 2.5 dCi 144 Manual is available on a three-year deal with 4.9 per cent APR representative PCP. The required deposit from the customer is £5,699.03 alongside a dealer contribution of £3,000, which is followed by 37 monthly payments of £219. At the end of the contract there is the option to buy the vehicle outright with a final payment of £7,387.68, taking the total amount payable to £23,970.71, compared with a cash price of £22,415.00.

First Response Finance offer Non-prime finance with a Prime service

C

HIGH RANKING

PARAGON

Carfinance247 ends a ‘phenomenal year’ with an award for growth

Corporate PDI service capacity is to be doubled

CARFINANCE247 has been ranked number 13 in the 2015 Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50, a league table of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the UK. Brothers and co-owners of Carfinance247 Reg and Louis Rix attended an awards dinner in London where they were presented with a trophy.

Reg, the managing director of Carfinance247, said: ‘It’s been a phenomenal year for the team based in Manchester, and being recognised in such a high-profile, national ranking is a real privilege. This is the latest in a number of schemes we’ve been recognised in – testament to the hard work and dedication of the whole team.’

Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth over the past four years.

David Cobb, the partner leading the Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50, said the Fast 50 list ‘gives great profile to technology companies and is internationally recognised as being one of the most important business awards in the sector’.

He added: ‘This year’s ranking highlights the importance of being innovative.’

PARAGON Automotive has said CMY K it will double capacity for its corporate PDI service to meet dealer demand.

The service helps dealers exploit the growing leasing market, a sector that showed nearly 12 per cent year-on-year growth in October and is worth £25.7bn a year.

The company provides dealers with new car inspection and PDI, vehicle preparation, delivery and customer handover, and de-fleet services. It is designed to provide a flexible service that can quickly scale to meet changes in demand, and seasonality.

Chief executive Ian Carlisle said: ‘By outsourcing the preparation, delivery and management of these vehicles it provides dealer groups with a scalable and responsive solution that frees up valuable workshop space for other, more profitable activities.’

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

Get in touch today!

0115 946 6317

Registered in England No. 03560611. Registered Office: Chetwynd Business Park, 5 Regan Way, Chilwell, Nottingham, NG9 6RZ. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 31

Car retailing technology designed for today and tomorrow

www.codeweavers.net

32 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

contactus@codeweavers.net

0800 021 0888

BIG MIKE.

B

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

Why my university challenge ended in disappointment

y now, you’d have thought I’d have learned.

I have, to date, spent just over 42 years in the motor trade (a rather astonishing seven of which have involved contributing to Car Dealer) and with that amount of experience under my belt, it would be a reasonable supposition that I’d find it easy to spot a timewaster when I see one.

But no. Idiots, as we all know, exist. Wasting people’s time is often their favourite pastime. And for some reason, no amount of experience can stop me encountering them in all their bumbling glory. I must have some weird inbuilt timewaster filter that, simply, prevents me from spotting them even when they’re right under my nose.

My most recent experience with a timewasting idiot – for that, of course, is a logical amalgam of the words timewaster and idiot – came just last week, but on this occasion I should point out that there were mitigating circumstances.

You see, the timewaster in question came recommended by a friend, who had been having a conversation with said chap at work. My friend, who isn’t involved in the motor trade but has a passing interest in cars, learned that his colleague was very keen to get his hands on a 14 to 15-yearold Jaguar S-Type, having seen how stupidly cheap they’d become in recent months.

As it happened, I had one in stock, which I’d taken in part-ex against a lovely XJ8. It was a 2001 3.0-litre auto in mid-spec SE trim with leather, sensible miles, some history, sort of reasonably nice, but not perfect condition. Being a 14-year-old S-Type, it wasn’t worth a tremendous amount. I’d allowed £700 for it in PX and had it in the paper at £1,195, but on the basis it was still ‘awaiting preparation’ and a mate was involved, I decided to let it go out the door for what it came in at. The third party involved in all this, though, was currently vehicularly embarrassed.

His previous ancient Mazda had finally wheezed its last after spending 15 years without ever being serviced – a testament to Japanese engineering, but not to his ownership skills. I should have known…

But rather than hear the warning alarm, I decided to be helpful. Although there was absolutely nothing in it for me, because my friend was involved, I agreed I would drive the Jaguar to the university where both of them worked on my lunch hour, whereupon Matey Boy would take it for a quick run round the block, fill out the V5 and disappear into the sunset. That was the plan…

What really happened was the following. I arrived at the agreed time and stood, freezing cold, outside in a car park.

Big Mike OUR MAN ON THE INSIDE SPILLS THE BEANS ON THE CAR BUSINESS...

Matey Boy eventually strolled over, expressed surprise that the Jaguar had hardly any gas in the tank (us car dealers get free petrol, don’t we?) and asked if he could take it for a run around the block, taking my friend and his colleague with him so I knew he wasn’t going to nick it. I shrugged and chucked him the keys, and popped into the university cafe for a sandwich. Twenty-five minutes later, the sandwich a distant memory, he hadn’t returned, so I called my acquaintance (who was slowly ebbing towards being slightly less than a mate) to check all was okay.

It wasn’t. His colleague, paranoid that the yellow light on the dashboard meant the S-Type was about to splutter to a fuel-deprived halt, had pulled into the local Esso for a top-up. After splashing a princely fiver into the tank, he pulled out of the petrol station and promptly clobbered the kerb, which had an immediate and negative effect on

‘Rather than hear the warning alarm, I decided to be helpful’ the condition of the nearside front tyre. The pair of them were in a state of panic, desperately trying to seek out the whereabouts of the Jaguar’s locking wheelnut (centre armrest, where I always leave them).

I eventually got bored of waiting and set off down the road on foot to see if I could help. Twenty minutes later, I was met by what appeared to be a roadside remake of a Benny Hill sketch, as one of them danced merrily upon the wheelbrace and the other stood quizzically alongside.

Neither had ever changed a wheel in their life.

Relieved at my sudden appearance, they both declared themselves ‘a bit late for work’ and dashed across the road to a waiting bus, leaving me alone with a deflated Jag, a wheelbrace, and a lovely crease in the nearside front sill where the jacking point hadn’t been taken into account when raising the car off the ground. Genius.

And to compound matters, when I eventually drove back to the lot (at least I had enough fuel), I opened up my phone to find a text from my mate saying his friend had decided the Jaguar ‘wasn’t for him’, which was a ‘terrible shame’. Yes, and so was the dented sill and buggered tyre, you timewasting idiot. Anyone want a cosmetically challenged S-Type on a spacesaver? £550 ono.

Who is Big Mike?

Well, that would be telling. What we do know is he’s had more than 40 years in the car trade and picked up some incredible tales along the way.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 33

TRADING UP.

We like taking risks – so here we go again...

The weather is finally getting dodgy, so the time is nigh to cash in on our fettled Cherokee, says ANDY ENTWISTLE

W

ould you buy a Jeep Cherokee with 170,000 on the clock? Even if it was just one owner? Nope, I didn’t think so. But Trading Up likes to take risks. Yes, I know this hasn’t exactly gone our way in the past, but there’s no point in buying a Focus and competing against the hundreds out there. And besides, where would be the fun in that?

Our Cherokee went straight from BCA to be MOTed and checked over.

A fluid change sorted out a rather tired feeling box – it’s no DSG, but

it changes as well as you’d expect for a big old 4x4 now.

And with a little fettling, the old girl now has a 12-month MOT courtesy of those top chaps at Fox Garage Services in Sandhurst.

So, £200 in and we’re almost ready to retail – we’re just trying to find a window regulator for the driver’s window and it’ll be sorted. The guys at Autoglym have been in touch and kindly offered to give her a going over with their new paint renovator product. Given she’s seen a fair few years of use but is

only one owner, this should help improve our chances of getting top cash for the car.

The weather seems to be turning for the worse just now, which should see demand for old girls like this increase. I’m going to chance my arm at £1,295 for her if she comes up well. That’s potentially another doubling of our initial investment…

As an aside, with Workshop Magazine about to be launched as a standalone publication (if you haven’t already, make sure you get your free copy by emailing admin@ blackballmedia.co.uk) I’m hoping to get us a workshop set up for us to use for product testing and more. With a bit of luck, this will benefit Trading Up too, giving us a place to work on our own cars and keep costs down…

MY LAST 11 CARS Toyota Rav4 Paid: £2,000 Spent: £200 Sold: £3,000 Mazda MX5 Paid: £1,500 Spent: £200 Sold: £1,900 Jaguar XJS Paid: £2,200 Spent: £0 Sold: £2,600 Audi A6 Allroad Paid: £2,250 Spent: £500 Sold: £2,650 Ford Fiesta XR2 Paid: £1,900 Spent: £250 Sold: £2,650 Land Rover Discovery Paid: £3,600 Spent: £1,500 Sold: £3,500 Subaru Impreza Paid: £1,600 Spent: £650 Sold: £2,250 Rover Coupe Paid: £600 Spent: £0 Sold: £800 Peugeot 307 Paid: £500 Spent: £50 (on a battery) Sold: £700 Renault Clio Paid: £1,600 Spent: £400 Sold: £2,250 Citroen Saxo Paid: £100 Spent: £100 Sold: £400

Total raised so far: £1,150

Unicom Insurance Services Ltd Proud Sponsors of “Trading Up” Motor Trade Insurance Specialists Est. since 1992 • Motor Trade Road Risks 34 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

• Motor Trade Liability

020 8805 7799 or 0844 620 1000 www.unicominsurance.com

• Combined Insurance

• Uninsured Driver Cover

Turntable Pro

360 Vehicle Photography

Turntable Pro : Automated Photography System (Operated by unskilled operatives) Programmable positioning Camera to website images in less than 10 minutes Like to improve image quality?

Consistent branding important ?

Join the on-line revolutiong

‘Registration number’ referenced file for each vehicle Automatically takes HD still and HD Video at the single touch of a button Internal 360 degree imagery Our bespoke software controls both turntable and cameras in harmony with each other.

We are UK manufacturers of photo booths incorporating our turntables for Car, Van and Motorcycle dealers.

From a standard turntable to a full blown Studio.

Phone for quotation: 0800 612 4930 email: info@ukturn.com

www.turntablepro.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 35

#CDX16

THE BIGGEST UK AUTOMOTIVE EXPO OF ITS KIND Silverstone, May 24, 2016 For more information go to

cardealermagazine.co.uk/events/cdx16 36 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

FORECOURT. PAYLOAD & TOWING

Navara can carry in excess of 1,000kg and has a towing capacity of up to 3,500kg.

PERFORMANCE

You can go from 0 to 60 in under 12 seconds across the range and reach 114mph with some of the grades.

INTERIOR

Nissan Navara

The rear bench seats in the Double Cab are comfy and have impressive leg room as well.

Some great improvements have been made with this pick-up, as Laura Thomson discovered during an off-road comparison WHAT IS IT? In a show of confidence, Nissan launched its latest NP300 Navara by way of an off-road comparison test with the previous model. Luckily, the tactic worked, as the differences are significant. The Japanese manufacturer has combined its 80plus years of pick-up manufacturing with its successful crossover technology to create a comfortable, yet resilient pick-up.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? The new Navara boasts a boisterous 2.3-litre diesel engine, which comes in a variety of guises. The Chassis and King Cab variants feature 158bhp dCi single turbo engines, and while the Visia and Acenta grades of the Double Cab also have a single turbo engine, the higher specification Acenta+, N-Conecta and Tekna grades benefit from a twin turbo engine, which boosts the power output to 187bhp. Power is transmitted to the road through either a seven-speed

automatic – up from five-speed on the previous model – or a six-speed manual transmission, which boasts a longer first gear than previously to allow for smoother moving off.

Cabs. This gives the ride a more comfortable, crossover-esque feel.

Sub-12-second 0-60 acceleration is achievable across the whole range, with top speed varying from 107mph on the Visia grades to 114mph on the WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? Acenta+ and Tekna grades. Steering on the new model is significantly The NP300 Navara comes in three guises, each with at least two different heavier than its predecessors. spec levels. The Double Cab variant’s rear bench seats boast impressive WHAT DO THE PRESS leg room and are significantly more THINK? comfortable than the King Cab’s two Autocar says: ‘The Navara is far more rear flip-down cinema-style seats. The comfortable than its competition, NissanConnect infotainment system looks good in the metal . . . and yet can be found in the N-Connecta trim is still able to carry or tow big loads, grade, while the top-of-the-range therefore if you are in the market for a Tekna grade also boasts Nissan’s pick-up it is the one to go for.’

Around View Monitor, which creates a handy bird’s-eye view of the car.

WHAT DO WE THINK? The latest Navara does exactly what WHAT’S IT LIKE TO Nissan promises – it offers the DRIVE? comfort and styling of a crossover, The Double Cab is the only model to combined with the functionality of boast new independent multi-link a pick-up truck. Technologies in the rear suspension, which is far more cab are impressive, but to make the advanced than the rigid leaf-spring most of them, opting for the top-grade suspension on the King and Chassis Tekna is a must.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Nissan NP300 Navara Double Cab Visia Price: From £23,995 Engine: 2.3-litre diesel six-speed manual Power: 158bhp Max speed: 107mph 0-62mph: 12secs MPG (comb’d): 44.1mpg Emissions: 169g/km

TARGET BUYERS: Recreational users and those wanting a trusty utility vehicle

THE RIVALS: Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Fully independent multi-link rear suspension 2. Payload of more than 1,000kg and a towing capacity of 3,000kg to 3,500kg 3. Five-year/100,000-mile manufacturer warranty

DEAL CLINCHER:

The Navara provides the perfect compromise between crossover comfort and pick-up capability CarDealerMag.co.uk | 37

38 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

FORECOURT. SUPER-CLEVER

Hybrid technology is almost unnoticeable in its operation.

PRACTICALITY

High driving position gives a great view of the road ahead.

Audi Q7 e-tron

COMFORT

Ride quality is excellent, with few bumps transferred to the cabin.

Can this clever car help the VW Group restore its reputation after the emissions scandal? Over to Jack Evans . . .

WHAT IS IT? The Q7 e-tron is Audi signalling its intent to expand into the hybrid market. With Audi, and more importantly sister company Volkswagen, in the headlines over emissions, the company needs to be seen to be taking a more environmental approach. So while the standard Q7 has been extremely popular, Audi hopes the e-tron will add to this by offering a luxury product with better fuel economy. It’s lost the third row of seats included in the standard Q7, but the e-tron still aims to be the ideal family SUV.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? The e-tron’s hybrid powertrain begins with a tried-and-tested 3.0-litre diesel engine, powering all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. This is then coupled to a 94kW electric motor, which when combined with the combustion engine, produces 369bhp and a torque figure of 700Nm. And, while

still being able to make the jump to 62mph in just six seconds, it has a combined consumption figure of 166.2mpg and emits only 48g/km.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? Typically Audi, which is no bad thing.

The Q7 has always been marketed as a premium product, and Audi is right on the money again. Inside, every surface is finished in highquality materials, and each dial and button has good weight to it. The virtual cockpit does away with the traditional instrument binnacle and relays information about the car’s electricity reserves, fuel economy and sat nav route back to the driver.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? Almost fantastically normal. First impressions of the e-tron are as they would be if driving a traditional Q7.

The e-tron’s greatest triumph is ‘Predictive Assistance’, which uses GPS mapping to determine the best driving mode for the road ahead,

making the car capable of achieving the best possible fuel economy. When the car detects that it is approaching a town, it will change to all-electric mode to cut down on emissions in populated areas.

WHAT’S DO THE PRESS THINK? Autocar said: ‘In the wake of the diesel emissions scandal, the Q7 e-tron looks like the upmarket family car of the future.’

WHAT DO WE THINK? The Q7 e-tron is a seriously impressive package. It manages to combine ground-breaking technology with everyday normality – people would have to look closely to distinguish it from the standard car. Managing to transport five people while achieving 166.2mpg is an achievement that shouldn’t be overlooked – and although the German manufacturer is in the spotlight after the emissions scandal, it seems that it is aiming for redemption, and possibly succeeding.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Audi Q7 e-tron Price: £65,000 (estimated) Engine: 3.0-litre diesel engine, plus electric motor Power: 369bhp / 700Nm Max speed: 135mph 0-62mph: 6.0seconds MPG (comb’d): 166.2mpg Emissions: 48g/km

TARGET BUYERS: Families looking for a premium product without high running costs; traditional 4x4 owners wanting better economy.

THE RIVALS: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, Lexus RX 450h.

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. High levels of equipment.

2. Quiet and efficient hybrid powertrain.

3. Low running costs – no road tax or congestion charge to pay.

DEAL CLINCHER: An incredibly capable product, and so clever.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 39

FORECOURT.

Mini Clubman Oliver Lowe, Mini’s product manager, chats to Car Dealer Magazine about the new Clubman and the brand’s exciting future

STORAGE

With the rear seats reclined, the Clubman boasts a 1,250-litre boot.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Model: Mini Clubman Cooper S Price: £22,755 Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged Power: 189bhp Max speed: 142mph 0-60mph: 7.2 seconds MPG (comb’d): 45.6 Emissions: auto 137g/km manual 147g/km

TARGET BUYERS: Families wanting the sporty characteristics of the hatch

THE RIVALS: Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Available with the 2.0-litre diesel from the BMW 3 Series 2. A 360-litre boot space that can increase to 1,250 litres 3. Drives just like the Mini hatch

DEAL CLINCHER: The qualities of a premium product with a smaller price tag 40 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

ENGINES

The Cooper D is powered by the smooth 2.0-litre unit found in the 3 Series.

on test

Sophie Williamson-Stothert finds that there’s a lot to like WHAT IS IT? This is the second-generation Mini Clubman – the brand’s first premium C-segment people mover.

It’s been 15 years since BMW Mini launched the reincarnation of Britain’s iconic small car with the R50 hatchback and, says the brand, the carmaker has reached its second milestone with the all-new, five-seat Clubman. This model pushes Mini upmarket and, with a similar starting price and performance figures, Volkswagen’s Golf had better watch its back.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? Stealing the spotlight is the Cooper D, which is the first car in the Mini range available with the 2.0-litre from the BMW 3 Series. As the brand aims to increase its presence in fleet and corporate sales, the diesel is set to be the most popular engine in the Clubman range. The entry-level Cooper is powered by the

1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol unit, while the sporty Cooper S houses a four-cylinder 189bhp engine. As standard, all models are driven by a six-speed manual gearbox, with an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission (another first for Mini) available as an option on the Cooper S and Cooper SD Clubman.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? From launch, the new Mini Clubman is offered in the form of an entry-level Cooper, the diesel Cooper D and the performance Cooper S. In terms of equipment, Clubman comes well equipped from standard, with all models featuring climate control, air conditioning, cruise control, sat nav, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and keyless start. The tech doesn’t come at a huge price, either, with the bottom-range Cooper Clubman starting from £19,995 and the Cooper S Clubman at £22,755.

INSIDE

The Clubman boasts a premium cabin space with plenty of gadgets.

Why is the second-generation Clubman so important for the brand?

This is the first Mini to enter the premium compact segment. It meets all the rational needs of a modern driver in terms of space, comfort and performance, without compromising the emotional aspects linked with Mini ownership – we understand our buyer base and the connection they have with their cars.

The new Clubman builds on the ownership experience set by the hatch but adds the comfort and premium qualities required by business buyers and families who need something a little more practical. The second-generation Clubman is definitely the biggest milestone since the launch of the R50 Mini in 2001.

Does the Clubman mark the beginning of a new start for Mini?

It’s been 15 years since the R50 Mini hatchback hit the market, so it’s about time we had a change.

The Clubman certainly pays testament to the brand’s history but it definitely marks a new beginning for Mini – we even have a new logo!

Over the next six to nine months you’ll begin to see the brand slowly changing.

Our core values are still the same as they were 15 years ago but, as you’ll see from our growing range, the Mini continues to evolve with time and our line-up of cars becomes more and more diverse. This isn’t just the launch of a car, it’s the start of repositioning the brand. Mini, in its own DNA, is always challenging itself.

So the new Clubman is designed to appeal to fleet customers?

Yes, the new Clubman is designed to appeal more to fleet and business buyers, which is why the Cooper D is powered by the same 2.0-litre diesel engine you’ll find in the BMW 3-Series, and we expect this model to be the most popular of the range. What makes the Mini stand out in this segment is the fact we can offer the same levels of personalisation as we do with the hatchback, including Mini Yours, while providing much more in terms of space and practicality.

There are more than 2,500 unique customisation possibilities available on the Clubman and it even has the largest sunroof available on the market. In this segment, the Clubman boasts an unmatched standard specification, which is even more appealing with a competitive entry-level price.

The new Clubman is very much a premium car you can make your own.

As the brand adapts to meet customer demand, do you hope and expect to attract new buyers?

This certainly rings true from Clubman. As mentioned, Mini is new to the C-segment and this is really exciting for us – it’s the fastestgrowing segment in the automotive industry, which means by 2020 it will have a 27 per cent share of the total market. This naturally creates more space from our existing competitors.

Our buyers needed us to be different in the past and they need us to be different in the future. We are supporting young entrepreneurs who dream of owning their own company. We are pioneering the way we see Mini as a brand and as a car. This, inevitably, means we are likely to attract a new audience who feel the Clubman suits their needs more than its rivals. It won’t stop at Clubman, either. In the future, each car will be given its very own identity from launch. Like its classic predecessor, our aim is to make Mini future-proof.

about the upmarket estate that is the second-generation Mini Clubman WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? Superb. As it’s based on BMW’s popular UKL2 platform, the Clubman shares the same foundations as the 2 Series Active Tourer and, with short overhangs, follows in the footsteps of its classic predecessor with a ‘wheel-at-eachcorner’ philosophy – in short, it handles like a Mini should, and you hardly notice the extra few

inches on the rear. The Clubman is a little on the firm side when you approach the city streets but, then again, Minis always are. The Cooper D is quiet and smooth, as you’d expect from a diesel, while the Cooper S boasts a crisp engine note, which will build as you increase the revs – this, coupled with the crackles of the exhaust in Sport mode, makes for some excellent fun while darting around on the open road.

WHAT DO THE PRESS THINK? Autocar said: ‘The Clubman is only the beginning of Mini’s push into more premium territory – and we have every reason to believe it will succeed.

It’s comfortable, quirky and still has that degree of excitement that makes Minis such a hit. The looks won’t be to everyone’s taste but standing out has never played such a significant role.’

WHAT DO WE THINK? The Clubman is an upmarket hatchback that is arguably one of the most entertaining cars of its segment to drive. It’s certainly one of the betterlooking options and has so much more to offer in terms of gadgets and punchy engines. If you want to be a Mini driver but struggle to live with the small dimensions of the standard hatch the Clubman is the car you’re looking for.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 41

FORECOURT. RIDE

Still an easy and satisfying car to drive with light and precise steering, especially around town.

NEW LOOKS

The revised model comes with a new steering wheel and bolder dash, as well as improved materials.

ENGINE CHOICE

Plenty on offer, with a new 93bhp 1.0-litre turbo joining 74bhp, 108bhp and 148bhp options.

Seat Ibiza

The revamped hatchback boasts a new interior plus retuned suspension and steering. Sophie Williamson-Stothert reports WHAT IS IT? This is the revived version of one of Seat’s most important models – the new Ibiza hatchback. The most significant improvement over the outgoing model, which was first launched in 2008, is a much-needed new interior. In other words, the revamped Ibiza has adopted the look of the latest Leon, making it a smaller version of its big brother. What’s more, Seat has also tweaked the Ibiza’s driving characteristics.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? Buyers are spoilt for choice. The biggest update is the addition of a new 93bhp 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine, alongside the normally aspirated 74bhp units.

There’s also a 108bhp 1.2-litre fourcylinder TSI unit available and a sportier 1.4-litre 148bhp TSI for FR cars. There are two diesel engines available: the 1.4-litre 74bhp and 108bhp TDI units. Drivers will get more than 300 miles out of a full tank 42 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

of fuel from the 74bhp 1.0-litre, which has a combined fuel consumption figure of 54.3mpg.

though, this does compromise its appeal on the open road when you’re tackling faster and tighter corners.

The ride is slightly more refined, WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? though, because Seat has retuned the The supermini features a new steering steering and suspension to optimise comfort and driver involvement. wheel, a cleaner and bolder dash layout and significantly improved, high-quality materials. Seat offers five WHAT DO THE PRESS trim levels across the range, kicking THINK? things off with the entry-level S, the Discussing the 1.0-litre 75 SE, Autocar mid-range SE, Vista and Connect said: ‘The Seat Ibiza is a competent, models and the range-topping FR well-designed and pleasant car to variant. At a glance, the exterior has drive, and the updates make it a more hardly changed, aside from the LED appealing prospect than it was before. daytime running lights and a suite of It doesn’t feel like it was launched six colour packages, new body paint several years ago, either, which is no and new alloy wheels. mean feat.’

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? The Ibiza has always been an easy, and relatively satisfying, car to drive and, thanks to its improved handling, this remains unchanged. Around town, the steering is light and precise, which makes manoeuvring into tight spaces all the more simple. Sadly,

WHAT DO WE THINK? For buyers looking for a comfy supermini, with enough poke to bring a smile to their face and a price tag to please their bank balance, the Ibiza is definitely worth considering. Bearing in mind all the equipment it comes with, a £13,000 asking price isn’t too bad at all.

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Price: Engine: Power: Max speed: 0-62mph: MPG (comb’d): Emissions:

Seat Ibiza SE £13,025 1.0-litre 74bhp 107mph 14.3secs 54.3mpg 118g/km

TARGET BUYERS: Young drivers looking for a reasonably-priced car with the latest tech

THE RIVALS: Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208, Suzuki Swift

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. It’s one of the best-looking superminis currently available to buyers 2. A sector-leader in driver connectivity 3. A cheap price tag when compared to the opposition

DEAL CLINCHER: More gadgets than its pricey rivals

GET YOUR SMART FINGER OUT AND ADVERTISE YOUR CARS ACROSS OUR POWERFUL NETWORK

For more information on how you can reach millions of potential car buyers each month please: • Call 0845 265 6001 • Email sales@motors.co.uk • Visit media.motors.co.uk

SELL CARS THE SMART WAY

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 43

Used Car Awards 2015

The class of 2015: all smiles on a big night 44 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

LOOK at their little faces! Like five-year-olds at a Christmas party with a bouncy castle and unlimited ice cream, they couldn’t be happier. And that’s because they’re not clutching their stomachs after shaking up a litre of vanilla Wall’s on inflated rubber – they’re clutching something far more important: a Car Dealer Magazine Used Car Award!

That long, and frankly quite random, introduction is my way of saying those smiling faces you see up there raising beautifully-crafted chunks of Perspex above their heads are the best of the best in the used car industry. And happy they should be.

We’d spent months hunting them down, and on

November 30, at The Brewery in London, in front of a crowd of 600 people, Mr Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer called them out one by one and handed them those coveted trophies.

It all started with a nomination. That could have come from their contemporaries, business owners, manufacturers or even themselves. We accepted entries online for most of 2015 and then the real hard work began.

My team, Mike and I whittled down hundreds of nominations to a shortlist of just seven in each category. We looked at feedback dealers received online from their customers and the trade and

mystery-shopped each and every one of them. And you know what? The number of dealers who put themselves up as one of the best in the country but didn’t even bother to answer our emails was shocking. Yes, that still happens.

Those lists of seven were published on the Car Dealer website a couple of weeks before the awards night. Then it was time to get to work on our second round of mystery shopping. This was even tougher than the first and even Mr Brewer himself got on the phones. With the analysis done, the stage was set and places decided.

We now had a top five in each category, the

names of which were revealed on the big night. It then fell to Mike Brewer to announce the winner and two highly commended entries in each category.

There were tears of joy, dances of excitement and screams of delight as Brewer worked his way through the proceedings, and it all culminated in this happy end-of-night winners’ photo you see above. What a night it was! If you want to be there next year make sure you keep an eye on Car Dealer Magazine and our website for when we open the nominations for Used Car Awards 2016. But for now, sit back and relax as we reveal who are the leading lights of this vital part of automotive plc.

James Baggott Managing Director, Blackball Media CarDealerMag.co.uk | 45

Used Car Awards 2015 Brewer on the awards

“

The evening of the Used Car Awards is fantastic. It’s always the highlight of the year for me. To bring the country’s top dealers and dealer groups in to one space, to see them supporting each other and getting along famously, is great.

In the real world they are all competing with one another, but to bring them all here together and hand out these awards each year is amazing.

The Used Car Awards are unique. Most awards out there exist to celebrate something that’s new – a new film, a new product, a new car.

With 7.2 million cars being sold in the last year, it goes to show you how important the used car sector is to the motor trade. We had 50 per cent more people here this year – and more categories

Mike Brewer

FIVE STEPS TO AWARD HEAVEN 46 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

1

too. It seemed as though we had double the amount of smiles and almost double the number of people enjoying themselves!

The event is growing exponentially every year and we have now taken over the whole of our venue, The Brewery, which has become its traditional home. We have a unique chance, me and James Baggott, to take this on and take it to a place like the Grosvenor House Hotel, to make it a much bigger event – but actually there is something really nice about it being contained, about it being quite personal, about it being in this special place with these very fine people who always seem to get behind it.

You see the evidence for that when you have small car groups, the 50 to 100 cars category and the less than 50 cars category. When they get their awards, they’re jumping on the tables, screaming for joy.

The highlight for me this year was the Scottish company, Lawries Volkswagen, winning the under-50 cars category. When they came up to collect their award, there were tears, tears of joy.

And we had a double award winner, Prestige Diesels Portsmouth. It’s always great to see them.

What we try to encourage people to do is to make the most of winning the award – whether it’s a trophy they put on their desk or a highly commended certificate they put on their office wall. Either way, it’s something they should be shouting about with their customers.

Many of them go out on social media and tell the world what they are up to and how good they are – that translates into more customers and more money.

If you want to win, you’ve got to be nominated, and you’ve just got to keep trying. Get nominated – talk to your peers, to your finance company, to your bank. Talk to someone who will nominate you, or nominate yourself.

We take it very seriously at Car Dealer Magazine, it’s not just a case of pulling a name out of a hat, we do mystery shopping, we get a lot of insight into the business, trawling their websites, we do a lot of cold-calling. You would be amazed how bad some of the dealers are out there, but you would also be amazed how good the winners are in this room.

So if you want to be here, you need to get nominated, and we’d love to have you here.

Throughout the year, we receive hundreds of nominations from dealers and their business partners and customers from right across the UK.

2

“

With 7.2 million cars being sold in the last year, it goes to show how important the used car sector is for the motor trade.

MIKE BREWER

Each entry comes under scrutiny and our first task is to eliminate those dealers who don’t come up to scratch in our first round of mystery shopping.

Sponsor’s message

“

“

The used car market is something we should all be really proud of. It is a very important part of the UK economy.

PAUL McGILL

3

After more exhaustive phoning, emailing and visiting dealerships, we work out our shortlist in each category – lists of seven potential winners.

At Black Horse, we are pleased and proud to be celebrating our third year sponsoring this event. The Car Dealer Magazine Used Car Awards are dedicated solely to the used car sector. This is a vital part of the industry and this event rightly gives it the recognition it deserves.

The operation of an efficient and effective used car business helps all the other parts of the industry – new cars, parts and service. It’s terrific to have the biggest and the best here in the room, celebrating another successful year.

It’s a fantastic occasion. We’re really pleased with our engagement with the used car market and I can see from the various awards we have won over the last four years that the sector sees us as being a really strong partner.

Black Horse has a heritage of supporting the motor finance industry that goes back over 90 years. We are proud of this long and consistent record of providing competitive motor finance offers. We are not complacent and recognise we need to continue to develop our products and services to maintain our market-leading position which includes our new award-winning online signit product launched in the summer.

There are some consistent themes from all the nominees and award-winners. Every single one of the most successful retailers has a real focus on customer satisfaction. The FCA, the new regulator, recognises that having the interests of customers at the heart of a company’s operation will help fulfil their guidelines for our industry.

The awards recognise the companies delivering the right levels of customer satisfaction across the UK. Black Horse takes real pride in helping our partners operate these customer-centred practices and embrace the new regulations on the sale of finance in our industry. It has been very pleasing to see how the new terms have both improved sales of finance and increased customer satisfaction with the sales process.

With the increasing use of the internet by all customers, there is no doubt that product knowledge, clarity and transparency are all important elements in ensuring that the right online experience is matched by the process that is experienced when they visit the dealership. Those dealers who leave with trophies tonight should feel very proud of their

4

achievement. It’s a very competitive industry and the winners show they are going that extra mile, delivering the best customer experience and excellent business results.

The used car market we operate within is something we should all be really proud of. It is a very important part of the UK economy.

Black Horse is delighted to continue to support it and help it prosper. My thanks go to all of you – dealers, suppliers and our competitors – who continue to make this such a dynamic and enjoyable sector.

Finally, congratulations to all the nominees and our winners for 2015 and I look forward to another busy and successful year in 2016.

These lists, published in advance of the awards, are each whittled down to contain five potential winners on the awards night itself...

Paul McGill Head of Motor Finance South, Black Horse

5

... before Mike Brewer announces our winner and two highly commended winners in each category.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 47

RAC VIP reception Bigger and better – but VERY exclusive!

EVERYTHING about this year’s Used Car Awards was bigger and better – and that included the exclusive VIP reception hosted by the RAC. After the success of the inaugural reception last year, the RAC moved to a more spacious room at The Brewery where guests had the chance to unwind and relax ahead of the awards – and after battling through London’s traffic in many cases!

The stylish central bar certainly caught many people’s eye and awards host Mike Brewer said: ‘Wow – what a fabulous start to the awards.

‘As I’d flown in from Dubai just hours before the ceremony was due to begin, I really enjoyed a cold glass of bubbly and a chat with some friendly faces.’

48 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 49

NO PAPER. LESS WORK. Introducing Black Horse SignIt™ Black Horse SignIt™ will improve the finance experience for you and your customers. It gives you more time on the sales floor and ensures you benefit from next generation technologies to securely and seamlessly sign and authenticate finance documents online.

Black Horse SignIt™

Contact your Account Manager or visit blackhorse.co.uk/dealerportal 50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Used Car Dealership of the Year – Under 50 Cars Sponsored by Black Horse Presented by Paul McGill, Head of Motor Finance South, Black Horse

From left, Keith Brocklehurst and David Henderson from Lawries Garage collect their award from Paul McGill and Mike Brewer

Winner: Lawries Garage Volkswagen Highly commended: Southern Sky Motor Cars and Prestige Diesels Portsmouth THERE was no doubt that Keith Brocklehurst, sales manager at Lawries Garage Volkswagen, was thrilled with his company’s success at this year’s Used Car Awards.

As our host Mike Brewer said on the night, the under-50 cars category is a dog-eat-dog world and anyone operating in this area of the market really needs to be on top of their game.

Many of our finalists in this category were quick to reply when our mystery shoppers got in touch. They were knowledgeable and friendly.

However, our winner impressed us the most.

Within 30 minutes of our initial inquiry, we hade received a personalised video... and a follow-up phone call half an hour after that. They were

professional but not pushy... and left us with a big smile on our face.

So it was a big well done to Lawries Garage, of St Boswells in the Scottish Borders – and well done also to the two recipients of ‘highly commended’ certificates in this category – Prestige Diesels Portsmouth, who also picked up the trophy for being the best social media user of the year, and Southern Sky Motor Cars, of Rudgwick, West Sussex.

They both performed strongly in our mystery shopping exercises – but were just pipped to the post by the team at Lawries.

A good effort all round, in a category that’s keenly fought every year.

Prestige Diesels Portsmouth, above, and Southern Sky Motor Cars, below, were both highly commended in this category

Brewer’s verdict: Always great to see new people at the Used Car Awards – and the team at Lawries really do deserve their success. Our mystery shoppers were very impressed – well done!

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 51

Used Car Dealership of the Year – 50 to 100 Cars Sponsored by Black Horse Presented by Paul McGill, Head of Motor Finance South, Black Horse

Valentine Farrell, left, and Gary Pope from Country Cars of Bristol hold their trophy aloft. Also on stage are Mike Brewer and Paul McGill of Black Horse

Winner: Country Cars of Bristol Highly commended: Jim Reid Vehicle Sales and Wimbledon Specialist Cars OPERATING (obviously) with a larger number of cars than the dealers in the under-50 group, our top three in this category were entitled to be very proud of themselves – and the judges had a tough task singling out a winner.

After all, they are all top companies who take customer care seriously, as our mystery shopping proved. Our two highly commended winners, Jim Reid Vehicle Sales and Wimbledon Specialist Cars, certainly impressed us but were just pipped to the top spot.

(We hope Jim himself won’t have been too disappointed, having scooped our Dealers’ Dealer award earlier in the evening!)

Our winner was a company that just missed

out in 2014… so we were impressed by their determination. They take customer service very seriously and during the judging process, it wasn’t difficult to find glowing testimonials from satisfied buyers all over the internet.

With website visits up 76 per cent year-onyear, it’s an outfit that clearly knows what it’s doing: Country Cars of Bristol took top spot.

‘We are over the moon,’ said sales director Valentine Farrell. ‘It’s about being professional and doing our best for the customer.’

Fellow co-owner and MD Gary Pope added: ‘We have had an amazing turnaround in just four years, stripping the whole company down and rebuilding it.’

Jim Reid Vehicle Sales were worthy ‘highly commended’ winners in this category and picked up their certificate from Mike Brewer

42

More than 42 per cent of used car dealers would expand their premises if they could afford to do so. (Source: BCA)

Brewer’s verdict: Once dealers start working with more than 50 cars, it’s even harder to keep things running smoothly. Well done to all three of our winners here – particularly Country Cars.

52 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Used Car Dealership of the Year – Over 100 Cars Sponsored by Black Horse Presented by Paul McGill, Head of Motor Finance South, Black Horse

Simon Palmer from Hendy Group Eastleigh with Mike Brewer and Paul McGill

Winner: Hendy Group Eastleigh Highly commended: McCarthy Cars and SW Car Supermarket OUR winner here was nominated by its franchise holder and many peers in the industry.

Locals say it manages to retain a lovely family feel while being one of the most successful dealerships in the south of England.

Although the nomination we received was for just one of the franchises the company represents at its site in Eastleigh, Hampshire, our mystery shoppers checked out the sales teams representing other brands and found everyone to be friendly and professional.

Our worthy winner in the over-100 cars category was Hendy Group Eastleigh.

‘We are delighted to have been nominated and even more so to have won,’ said used car

sales director Simon Palmer. ‘It’s a great chance for us to be recognised for all the hard work that the team at Hendy Group Eastleigh do.

‘What a way to round off a busy year – we’re absolutely delighted and we’ve had a great night at The Brewery.’

The two highly commended spots in this category were taken by McCarthy Cars, Croydon and SW Car Supermarket, Peterborough.

With both outlets boasting thousands of satisfied customers, they’re well deserving of their certificates – and McCarthy Cars have enjoyed plenty of success at the Used Car Awards in the four years they have been running. Well done everyone.

The team from SW Car Supermarket collect their ‘highly commended’ certificate from Used Car Awards host Mike Brewer

7.2 million The number of used cars traded during 2014 (data from BCA / University of Buckingham)

Brewer’s verdict: Great work by Hendy Group Eastleigh. It just goes to show that the larger outfits can deliver the same high level of service often seen at smaller dealerships. Fantastic.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 53

Used Car Dealer Group of the Year Sponsored by Black Horse Presented by Paul McGill, Head of Motor Finance South, Black Horse

The Go Vauxhall team, Jim Jones, John Sullivan and Criena Davies, collect their award

Winner: Go Vauxhall Highly commended: Perrys and Inchcape IT WAS the first time our winners in this category had been nominated for a Used Car Award and boy, did they go up against some major competition.

Despite being fairly modest in scale, they demonstrated that great customer service and getting the basics right pays dividends.

Our mystery shopping experience received an automated reply immediately – with a personalised, follow-up email within the hour.

A short while later we received a call from the dealer who gave us plenty of friendly help and advice without pushing us into making a decision. Serving London and the south-east, and operating from eight locations in Kent,

Surrey and Sussex, the best used car dealership with more than 100 cars was Go Vauxhall.

‘Winning the Used Car Award means we are doing something right, and we just need to keep on doing it,’ said Go Vauxhall’s John Sullivan after collecting the trophy. ‘We have a brilliant marketing team.’

‘I love it,’ agreed marketing executive Criena Davies, ‘it’s such a great night in the industry.’

Group used car manager at Go Vauxhall, Jim Jones, added: ‘The Used Car Awards is a great event and well run.’

Well done to our highly commended duo Inchcape and Perrys. Again, a tremendous achievement by everyone concerned there.

Perrys were highly commended in this category – well done to them!

£45.1bn The total value of used car sales in the UK during 2014

Brewer’s verdict: Go Vauxhall are a great outfit. We were really impressed when we mystery shopped them and they are a key part of the automotive landscape in the south-east. Nice one.

54 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

We’ve developed the Black Horse Roadmap to help you navigate the changes the industry is facing and use them as a catalyst to grow your business.

The steps we take today will help build a sustainable platform for point of sale automotive finance.

Let’s navigate the future together.

YOUR FUTURE. OUR ROADMAP. Find out more about our Roadmap for point of sale finance at blackhorse.co.uk/dealerportal or contact your Account Manager.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 55

Award winning PROFIT SOLUTIONS . . .

The choice is clear. The choice is GardX!

WINNER

Paint protection provider of the year.

GardX - Vehicle Protection System (V.P.S.)

WINNER

Product Innovation of the year.

GardX - Cosmetic Accident Repair Solutions (C.A.R.S.)

Award Winning. . . Forward thinking. . . GardX Protection.

Talk to us!

e: info@gardx.co.uk t: 01243 376 426 w: www.gardx.co.uk

56 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Follow Us!

Used Car Supermarket of the Year Sponsored by GardX Presented by Amanda Massey, Head of Sales

CarShop CEO Jonathan Dunkley accepts the trophy from GardX head of sales Amanda Massey

Winner: CarShop Highly commended: Caralot and Cargiant CAR supermarkets have acquired a bit of a reputation among some members of the public for maybe not having the most diligent approach to customer service.

It’s a reputation, however, that for the most part is entirely undeserved – and that’s certainly the case when it comes to the three winners in this important category. All of them demonstrated that car supermarkets and poor levels of customer care do not go hand in hand – and all scored very highly in our rigorous judging process.

Our mystery shoppers put them to the test on several occasions, and we dug deep to ensure those that made it through to the final

stage were potentially worthy winners.

Highly commended in this category were Caralot and Cargiant – well done.

But the tremendous feedback our winner received over the course of the year singled them out from a very competitive and deserving bunch – so congratulations to the victorious team at CarShop.

‘It’s a massively motivational moment for the whole team to win this trophy at the Used Car Awards,’ said delighted CEO Jonathan Dunkley soon after leaving the stage.

‘It’s a great accolade and fantastic news for all of us at CarShop, and the work we do putting the customer at the heart of the business.’

Nick Donald and Jamie Caple from Caralot pick up their highly commended certificate

4,000 The maximum number of cars CarShop has in stock at any one time, according to the company website

Brewer’s verdict: All of these guys took the old image of the car supermarket and bashed it over the head, demonstrating a real commitment to customer care and satisfaction.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 57

An apology from Glass’s:

Since 1933 we’ve been providing the industry with independent, trusted and accurate trade valuations, but we’ve been keeping our strongest hand too close to our chest.

Now it’s time to put our cards on the table...

Find out more at www.glassbusiness.co.uk/sorry or call us on 01932 823 823

58 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Specialist Dealership of the Year Sponsored by Glass’s Presented by Lee Coomber, Head of Retail and Strategic Partners

Howard and Ross Quirk were presented with their trophy by Lee Coomber

Winner: Quirks Car Company Highly commended: Top 555 and GC Motors THERE has been an increase in the number of specialist dealers across the UK over the past few years, so this new category proved to be hotly contested.

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, given the quality and value of the stock carried by our contenders, the average score recorded by our mystery shoppers was higher in this category than any other – there are some very impressive operations out there, and none more so than our finalists.

So it was a great achievement to reach our highly commended level – and congratulations to Top555 and GC Motors.

For our winners, Quirks Car Company, this

was a return to the stage, having won in the 50 to 100 car dealership category last year (and being highly commended the year before!).

‘Winning this means everything to us,’ said Ross Quirk. ‘We work so hard every day, so to get this award cements what we are about.

‘I think the biggest thing for us is that we really care – if ever there was a family business, then this is it.

‘Hopefully that’s why we won again tonight,’ he added, shortly after coming off stage.

Quirks Car Company was only founded 12 years ago, and having increased their turnover by some £3 million and profit by 150 per cent, they must be getting something right.

Quirks Car Company Ltd is a family-run business in Wickford, Essex, dedicated to selling prestige used vehicles

£3m The increase in turnover at Quirks Car Company – while profit has risen by 150 per cent!

Brewer’s verdict: To get a result in this category you’ve really got to be doing something a bit special. You’ve got to be better than all the rest, and so it proved with our winners once again.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 59

60 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Newcomer of the Year Sponsored by National Car Cleaning Company Presented by Justin Macal, Managing Director

The T.H. Boler Automotive team on stage with their trophy

Winner: T. H. Boler Automotive Highly commended: Salisbury Mitsubishi and RS Car Sales IT’S a competitive and tough environment even for the long-established dealerships.

So it would be more than understandable if newcomers to the scene took a little time to get fully up to speed. All our finalists in this category disproved that notion, however, and have demonstrated how it’s possible to hit the ground running and rapidly become a going concern.

RS Car Sales and Salisbury Mitsubishi fully earned their highly commended status in what was a tight contest.

But the newcomer of the year that stood out for us was T.H. Boler Automotive.

The dealership based near Banbury has

state-of-the-art, purpose-built premises, and a growing reputation for having friendly staff that our mystery shoppers discovered was more than fully justified.

‘It’s a year to the day that we started out,’ said a delighted boss Tim Boler, surrounded by his celebrating colleagues.

‘It’s been 24/7 all the way but it’s all about the team and the great work that they all do.’

The company has created its own space and specialises in a range of European luxury, performance and prestige marques.

Sales and maintenance are delivered with the same high level of attention to detail and customer satisfaction. Good work.

Salisbury Mitsubishi was highly commended in this category

35

T. H. Boler are fully FCA registered, giving the company access to more than 35 different lenders

Brewer’s verdict: Our winners in this category really smashed it out of the park, bowling our mystery shoppers over in the process with their impressive level of customer care and delivery.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 61

62 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Best Used Car Customer Care Sponsored by First Response Presented by Ben Garside, Marketing Manager

The winning Uber GT team with Ben Garside, far left, and Mike Brewer

Winner: Uber GT Highly commended: Specialist Cars of Stoke and McCarthy Cars EVERY year it’s the same – this is the hardest fought category of any at the Used Car Awards.

Win this and you know you’re doing something right, in spades.

The beauty of this award is that it keeps on giving. After all, anyone walking into a dealership is going to be impressed by a business that has won a customer care award.

Our mystery shoppers discovered significant improvements in the quality of service and rapid dealer response across the board, with only a few points covering all of our finalists.

So the overall praise applies to both our highly commended winners – McCarthy Cars and Specialist Cars of Stoke. They should both

be genuinely and deservedly proud to have made it on to the podium in this category.

Meanwhile Uber GT, the overall winner here, proved to be knowledgeable and passionate, demonstrating an incredible level of commitment to its customers in all the aspects we were able to assess.

‘For is it’s all about the customers and the cars,’ said Uber GT director and co-founder Andrew Muggeridge.

‘The way we look after our customers is really important to us.

‘Winning this award has been a great reflection of that – it’s a great prize and a real achievement for us.’

Specialist Cars of Stoke was highly commended in this category – well done to Umesh Samani

£8,126 The average value of a used car sold at BCA during November 2015

Brewer’s verdict: There’s no substitute for good customer care. There are some dealerships that are really, really bad at it out there – but not any of these guys. Pure class all the way.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 63

64 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Best Used Car of the Year Sponsored by CAP HPI Presented by Wendy Swaine, Head of Retail Account Management

Nick O’Neill accepts the Used Car of the Year trophy for the Skoda Yeti from Wendy Swaine

Winner: Skoda Yeti EVERY single car dealer, ever, has an idea of the dream car, the make or model that will just fly off the forecourt.

It’s the holy grail of the automotive world, the ones that just sell, simply and easily – and make plenty of money along the way of course as well.

The Skoda Yeti arrived in the UK back in 2009 and found a warm welcome and almost immediate success.

Then, as now, the crossover offers impressive value for money and huge quantities of practicality to its many owners.

It has been a favourite with car dealers from the off, with a mid-life facelift further enhancing its looks and appeal across the board.

‘It’s one of those cars that bridges a demographic,’ said Nick O’Neill, national used car sales manager for Skoda UK.

‘Winning the award is fantastic,’ he added.

‘The Yeti remains hugely popular with new and used car buyers and we’re delighted with this important award.

‘Owners have consistently rated the Yeti as one of the most satisfying cars to own and this is reflected by strong demand in the used sector,’ he said.

The judges in this category took numerous factors into consideration when deciding the winner. Apart from retained value after three years, the panel looked at data and feedback from dealers, particularly in terms of days to sell and desirability.

‘The Yeti was a unanimous decision this year,’ said Car Dealer managing director James Baggott. ‘The award was made not only on its ability but also its desirability – both with users and our own test findings.’

2009 The year the Skoda Yeti arrived in the UK

Brewer’s verdict: There are some makes and models that any dealer would give their right arm for to secure a steady supply, and the Skoda Yeti is one of those. Just pure gold.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 65

Do you want to sell more cars?

Is your stock the most Are you pricing Do you regularly desirable locally? it correctly? re-price it?

Smarter, faster stock management with i-Control can help you sell more cars To attract customers and stay ahead of the competition, it's important to stock desirable vehicles and price them correctly for your area.

You've definitely got the know-how, but have you got the data and insight that enables you to improve both stock turn and profitability? i-Control, powered by Auto Trader, helps you evaluate your stock against demand, supply, margin potential and speed of sale in your area. It provides you with a view of how your stock is performing in the marketplace, allowing you to automatically update your listings, saving you time and ensuring your forecourt is competitively priced.

Find out how retailers have increased the desirability of their forecourt using i-Control.

Learn more at trade.autotrader.co.uk/i-Control 66 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

What drives us is you

Best Performing Used Car of the Year - Days to Sell Sponsored by Auto Trader Presented by Nick King, Market Research and Insight Director

Toyota GB’s Ewart Lister after receiving his award from Nick King, left

Winner: Toyota Prius IF YOU like tales of the unexpected, this is one story you would want to hear the end of – our winner certainly surprised a few people at the Used Car Awards.

The reality is, of course, that they probably shouldn’t have been as the facts and figures speak for themselves, and loudly.

The Toyota Prius disappears from dealers’ forecourts more quickly than any other threeyear-old motor. And that’s official, direct from Auto Trader’s market insight data.

‘The Prius is going from strength to strength and with the next generation to come we expect huge things,’ said Ewart Lister, manager, remarketing services group at Toyota GB. ‘It’s a recognition that hybrid is becoming mainstream, and it’s great to get it at this lovely event, having a great time with so many people from the industry.’

The fourth generation of the Prius will be going on sale in the UK early next year, and will no doubt continue to woo buyers.

That it should be so successful is perhaps not a surprise as it has managed to combine the practical virtues of a family car while becoming a green icon in the process, beloved of film stars and others wishing to establish their ecofriendly credentials while still having a decent set of wheels to get around in.

Toyota say they originally chose the name Prius – a Latin word meaning ‘to go before’ – as when first introduced to the world in 1997, environmental issues had nowhere near the prominence they now possess.

Sales in Europe first began in 2000 and it has evolved over time to become the hugely successful hybrid it is today – the toast of dealers the length and breadth of the country.

2000 The year sales of the Toyota Prius began in Europe

Brewer’s verdict: This result surprised a few people, though the smart dealer living in the right part of the country will have been all over them for a long time already.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 67

A FRESH NEW FINANCE OPTION

FOR DEALERS 

Finance in your showroom, with or without direct FCA Authorisation



Be at the cutting edge of consumer finance SELF-SERVE PILOT DEALERS FEEDBACK “It’s such a logical move I don’t know why it hasn't been in place before”- Monarch Motor Company “My priority is selling cars, finance has always helped the process and any income was useful. In the new regulated world this approach suits me perfectly and means I can focus on other things while the customer is self-serving”- Lymedale Motors

“Let’s be honest, dealer finance needed to embrace change; customers self-serve in supermarkets and do their banking on their phones; dealer finance has to adapt to these changes – this is a smart step in this direction”- WRH Car Sales “I’ve gone from sceptic to supporter; my life is easier and customers like the way they control their own finance proposal”- CavenFields

To find out more about the Self-Serve revolution with MotoNovo Finance, please contact

0330 159 1895 or email marketing@motonovofinance.com

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

68 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Best Performing Used Car of the Year - Residual Value Sponsored by MotoNovo Finance Presented by Justin Clements, Divisional Manager

Rob Punshon from Porsche Cars UK after receiving his award from Justin Clements

Winner: Porsche Boxster IN DECIDING which car should take home this award, we analysed a wealth of data from right across the industry. We also spoke to some of the UK’s leading valuations providers, who provided us with the retained value of all threeyear-old vehicles at 30,000 miles. To ensure a level playing field, we took care to remove any limited-run specials.

Our winner managed an impressive 66.6 per cent retained value at three years. It’s a car that’s definitely come of age in recent years and is no longer a poor relation to the rest of the models in its range.

The best performing used car of the year, residual value, is … the Porsche Boxster.

‘It’s a big surprise but great to win,’ said Porsche Cars UK press officer Rob Punshon.

‘The Boxster has been around for 20 years now and has fully emerged from the shadow

of the 911. Overall, it’s great that the used car sector is being recognised at an event like this.’

Many believe the introduction of the Boxster helped save Porsche from acquisition. The current generation, the third, arrived in the UK in 2012 and quickly won plaudits from motoring journalists, dealers and customers alike.

In fact, Car Dealer’s own Dave Brown described it as ‘responsive, agile and exciting all at the same time’ – and Porsche GB managing director Chris Craft told the magazine: ‘For people who enjoy driving, and who want to enjoy the sun when we do have sun, it appears to be the right formula.’

Year-to-date, Porsche sales are running 39 per cent up, according to the latest SMMT figures, with the iconic little Boxster no doubt playing a crucial role in the manufacturer’s success so far in 2015.

The Porsche Boxster

39%

The amount by which registrations of new Porsches have risen so far this year

Brewer’s verdict: What a cracking car the Porsche Boxster is. Rob’s dead right when he says it’s finally emerged from the shadows of the 911. This is a well-deserved accolade.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 69

The complete dealer solution Join AA Cars and benefit from our comprehensive dealer solution: advertise and manage your stock online with complete flexibility

With AA Cars’ advertising package: - 12 months’ AA breakdown cover with every vehicle you sell - Advertise your stock on AA Cars and be associated with the UK’s most trusted brand † - Access to 15 million AA members - We’ll build you a free website with a fully-featured stock-management system. Export your stock any where online with no extra fees - Over 2 million vehicle views a month - 40% increase in 2015*

Call us today to find out how we can help to transform your business.

01920 252 474 *Compared to the same period in 2014 † Source: Independent Brand Asset Valuator April 2014. Survey of more than 3,000 people in the UK aged 18 to 74 between 4 January and 7 February 2014 by Rainey Kelley Campbell Roalfe/Y&R’s Brand Asset Valuator (BAV) 70 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Lifetime Achievement Award Sponsored by AA Cars Presented by Paul Yates, Managing Director

Sir Arnold Clark’s son, Adam, accepted the award on his father’s behalf

Winner: Sir Arnold Clark THIS award, one of the most prestigious of the night, went to a man who is at the helm of Europe’s largest privately-owned car dealership: Sir Arnold Clark.

Sir Arnold has overseen his company grow to a point where it sells more than 200,000 vehicles per year and generates an annual turnover of at least £1.5 billion.

His success began more than 50 years ago when, after leaving his position as a motor mechanics instructor with the Royal Air Force, he found himself unable to secure a job.

As a result he started his own business, opening his first showroom in Glasgow in 1954. The rest, as they say, is history.

These days, his business has more than 15,000 new and used cars in stock, and sells vehicles from 24 different manufacturers.

The company has 200 dealerships, 130

service centres and 40 accident repair facilities. In all, it can boast two million customers across the UK. What’s more, Arnold Clark is reported to have achieved its most successful year in 2014, with a 12.3 per cent increase in turnover and an impressive jump in unit sales by 7.5 per cent to 249,000.

Accepting the trophy on behalf of his father, Adam Clark said: ‘It is a very special award and even more so because it’s been awarded by the car dealer community.

‘It has been a fantastic year for the company and the 10,000 staff we now employ in the business. The company is expanding technologically and moving forward.

‘The Used Car Awards are fantastic and help recognise people who are the lifeblood and core of the business.’

Sir Arnold Clark was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Used Car Awards

249,000

The number of unit sales achieved by Arnold Clark in 2014 – an increase of 7.5 per cent over 2013’s total

Brewer’s verdict: What an incredible career Sir Arnold Clark has enjoyed. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of this award – he is a legendary figure in this great industry of ours.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 71

DEALERZONE V6, OUR BEST PROPOSAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM YET. SUPERIOR FCA COMPLIANCE V6, our most comprehensive and

SHOWROOM CONTROL BALANCED WITH FLEXIBILITY

transparent showroom system ever,

With the new functionality of being able

pulls all products onto one screen - 3 PCP

to quote by APR, you can now compare

quotes, an HP/Motorloan quote, an

products like with like, ensuring fairness

HP/No fees quote, and a Motorloan with

and consistency for your customers.

balloon quote – allowing you to easily

There’s even the flexibility to control your

compare products, ensuring the best

showroom pricing and quoting by whichever

outcome for your customer.

methodology works for your business.

PROPOSE PERSONAL, COMMERCIAL

PROPOSE COMPANIES AS WELL AS

VEHICLES, LIFESTYLE VEHICLES,

INDIVIDUALS

MOTORCYCLES & MOTORHOMES

Our goal has always been to help our dealership partners to sell more vehicles, be more efficient and, crucially, be compliant and we think that DealerZone V6 ticks every one of those boxes.

You can propose for businesses as well as

V6 creates absolutely no restrictions on

individuals. V6 features a Quick Lookup

the type of vehicles you propose, including

function, which is not only super-efficient

commercial vehicles, motorhomes and

but also ensures accuracy and a much

lifestyle vehicles. DealerZone V6 can now

quicker decision.

provide you with PCP quotes on vehicles such as the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200 or Isuzu D-Max.

For more information or to arrange a no-obligation demonstration of our best DealerZone yet contact us on:

0844 558 0221 www.evolutionfunding.com Tel:

72 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Outstanding Achievement Award of the Year Sponsored by Evolution Funding Presented by Paul Hibbert, Key Accounts Director

Paul Hibbert presented Andy Turner with his well-deserved trophy

Andy Turner – Chorley Group THE Outstanding Achievement of the Year award looks to recognise a dealer who has gone above and beyond the call of duty. Our award this year went to Andy Turner, chairman of the Lancashire-based Chorley Group, who got on his bike to raise enough money to keep a local charity running for a whole year.

That charity was Chorley MENCAP – and to make the feat all the more remarkable, Andy jumped into the saddle just months after undergoing major back surgery.

The kind-hearted 55-year-old embarked on the gruelling 1100km cycle ride, which followed the River Rhine through Switzerland, Germany, France and Holland, after being set the challenge by his 58-year-old brother, Peter.

And despite several mishaps en route, which resulted in numerous injuries and a hospital visit, Andy and Peter pedalled their way to the

finishing line in Rotterdam in just nine-and-ahalf days, resulting in a £8,300 windfall for Chorley MENCAP. Andy and Peter were presented with a yellow jersey by grateful members of Chorley MENCAP, who formed a guard of honour to welcome them back to Lancashire.

Andy said: ‘It was probably the biggest physical challenge of my life. It was extremely tough but also extremely enjoyable.

‘Had it not been for one or two accidents and incidents along the way, we probably would have shaved a day off the time.’

Linda Hargreaves-Wilde, Chorley MENCAP chairman, said: ‘Andy and Peter are two amazing men and we are so proud of them.’

After leaving the stage at the Used Car Awards, Andy told us: ‘I’m very flattered and honoured to have won this trophy.’

En route during the charity bike ride

£8,300 The amount of money Andy Turner and his brother Peter raised for Chorley MENCAP

Brewer’s verdict: What an effort by Andy Turner and his brother! Amazing stuff and fair play to them for overcoming the setbacks they faced. Two men with hearts of solid gold.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 73

Book your table now for the 2016 Used Car Awards at 2015’s prices

Email | events@blackballmedia.co.uk 74 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Call | 023 9252 2434

2015’s prices held until February 14, 2016

Manufacturer Used Car Scheme of the Year Sponsored by Car Dealer Magazine Presented by Dave Brown, Production Editor, Car Dealer Magazine

Yaser Shabsogh, Kia’s commercial director, received the accolade from Dave Brown and Mike Brewer

Winner: Kia Approved Used Highly commended: Vauxhall Network Q and Jaguar Approved Used PEACE of mind is so important to people when they’re buying a used car. Buying new means there are plenty of safety nets provided, which isn’t always the way in the second-hand market. That’s why a good manufacturer used car scheme is so important – and why this particular award is so fiercely contested.

Our two highly commended winners in this category were Jaguar Approved Used and Vauxhall Network Q. Well done to Vauxhall and Jaguar. But at a time when the majority of used car schemes offer the same level of cover, our winning manufacturer stands head and shoulders above the rest, in the opinion of our judges.

And all this is linked to a brand that’s a byword for reliability in the first place.

The manufacturer used car scheme of the year is provided by …. Kia. Yaser Shabsogh, Kia’s commercial director, received the accolade from Car Dealer’s Dave Brown and Mike Brewer and commented: ‘Having the best new car warranty in the business wasn’t enough for us – we wanted to give Approved Used buyers the same security and peace of mind – and this award proves we deliver.’

Kia is flying high in the UK at the moment with models such as the Rio, Cee’d and Carens all helping it do well.

7

All Kia Approved Used cars come with a seven-year warranty from the day a buyer drives away

88

The number of items tested, assured and certificated by a qualified Kia technician before a used car buyer drives away

Brewer’s verdict: The Used Car Awards play a crucial role in rewarding the smaller players in the business – but it’s great to see manufacturers ticking all the right boxes, too. Well done, Kia. CarDealerMag.co.uk | 75

Would like to congratulate everyone who was nominated, highly commended and won awards at the Used Car Awards.

Congratulations

for winning the award

Manufacturer Website of the Year Highly Commended were

76 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

www.codeweavers.net

contactus@codeweavers.net

0800 021 0888

Manufacturer Used Car Website of the Year Sponsored by Codeweavers Presented by Shaun Harris, Sales Director

Land Rover was a deserving winner in this category with Pete Norwood accepting the trophy

Winner: Land Rover Highly commended: Kia and Audi MANUFACTURERS have big bucks to spend on their websites but splashing the cash doesn’t always get the right results. Websites that lack the right functionality, look over-complicated or are too sales-heavy all risk putting punters off.

Our three winners at this year’s Used Car Awards managed to avoid all those pitfalls, and highly commended were Audi and Kia. But our winner in this category, Land Rover, ticked all the right boxes. It’s sexy, features some truly great video work and is extremely easy and straightforward to navigate.

And it comes from a brand that’s flying high at the moment and making the most of its connections to Spectre, the latest James Bond

film. The site boasts that every vehicle that wears the Land Rover badge is designed to be driven effortlessly on some of the world’s most difficult terrain and explains that the manufacturer’s Approved programme goes above and beyond to make sure all vehicles continue to be up to the challenge no matter what buyers put them through.

‘It’s great to be recognised for all the hard work we do on the website,’ said Pete Norwood, digital manager at Jaguar Land Rover.

‘It’s great for us and a tribute to the team who give it their all in developing the website and, hopefully, we have got it right, generating leads for dealers.’

Kia were highly commended in this category

11

Land Rover Approved vehicles come with an 11-point customer promise in place, designed to give buyers peace of mind

Brewer’s verdict: These days, whatever the individual dealer’s skills or experience, there is no substitute at all for a state-of-the-art website that presents information in just the right way.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 77

The warranty experts

The UK’s favourite warranty company Visit WMSGroupUK.com or call 01844 293817

Voted Warranty Provider of the Year 2015 78 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Used Car Dealer Principal of the Year Sponsored by WMS Group Presented by Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Brand Ambassador

Mike Brewer, Sir Stirling Moss and Robin Luscombe’s son, Sam. Below right: Our award winner

Winner: Robin Luscombe - Luscombes Highly commended: Will Blackshaw and Ching Patel OUR winner in this category, Robin Luscombe, is a true gentleman of the trade, nominated by staff, peers and the manufacturers he represents – Suzuki and Mitsubishi – at his Leeds dealership.

He runs a multi-award-winning business and leads from the front, being helpful and supportive to staff and customers alike.

Unfortunately, he was unable to be with us on the awards night, but instead, Mike Brewer and Sir Stirling Moss were delighted to welcome to the stage Robin’s son Sam, who collected the trophy on his father’s behalf.

Speaking after the announcement, Robin said: ‘The unique thing about these awards is

you don’t put yourself forward, others nominate you. To be chosen by other people makes it even more special. I’ve got a great team and they are the best. I’d also like to say a sincere thanks to Mitsubishi for supporting us since we joined the brand. We really appreciate it.’

Robin is more than happy to be the face of his company, even providing his personal mobile number for customers to use.

The Used Car Awards Dealer Principal of the Year trophy wasn’t the only gong he picked up during December. At the Suzuki dealer awards held on the holiday island of Tenerife, and as we report on page 17, he picked up the manufacturer’s ‘best large dealership’ accolade.

£59,000 Robin’s dealership supports local charities, having recently raised over £59,500 for a Leeds hospice

Brewer’s verdict: Robin is a great character and well-known in the industry. I love the blog he writes on his website, keeping everyone up to date with what he’s up to. Good work, sir.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 79

YOUR CAR FINANCE JOURNEY SIMPLIFIED.

How Our Dealer Network Can Benefit You

1 2 3 4

Customer Application We handle all of the communications, paper work and administration. We even sign the customer up for you on site.

Customer Approved We approve over 50% of applications we receive, providing a decision within an hour.

Dealer Paid Out We have a dedicated payouts team, who ensure our dealers are paid out efficiently.

ÂŁ

Sale Is Completed With our Renewal Incentive Program we send your customers back to you. We support you in helping to grow your business.

If you’d like to join our dealer network and start maximising your customer potential then call our Dealer Support Team on 02392 448 690 or visit www.tcfcdealers.co.uk

The Car Finance Company (2007) Limited Registered address 47-51 Kingston Crescent, Portsmouth, PO2 8AA. The Car Finance Company (2007) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Interim Permission number 600168. All finance is subject to status and income.

80 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Used Car Sales Team of the Year Sponsored by The Car Finance Company Presented by Toby Yates, Regional Sales Manager

The Caralot sales team collect their award

Winner: Caralot Highly commended: Quirks Car Company and Harvey Cooper Cars IT’S something of a cliche, but that’s only because it’s true, that a used car dealership is only as good and successful as the team who are running the show.

A good team can take the company to the heights, while by the same token a poor one can plunge it into the depths.

In an industry that depends on skills and dedication, nowhere is that more true than in the sales team.

In this hotly-contested category, any of the five finalists could have won it, so the two highly commended winners – Harvey Cooper Cars and Quirks Car Company – have a great deal they can be very proud of.

The true plaudits, however, must go to the winning team at Caralot.

It’s a particularly remarkable victory when you consider that Caralot has broken the sales model common in the car industry, with none of their sales staff paid on commission.

Indeed, several members of their sales team had no car sales experience when they first joined the company.

Nonetheless, they had a record year and have gone on to defy the odds.

Over the past year they have achieved more than 1,500 retail sales, an average of one car every day of the year for every single one of this dedicated and accomplished team.

Congratulations also to Quirks Car Company, above, and Harvey Cooper Cars, below

Brewer’s verdict: Well there’s an old saying that there’s no ‘i’ in team and that’s the way it should be. The Caralot guys seem to follow that ideal. Really, really impressive.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 81

Plan Insurance Brokers have specialised in arranging motor trade policies for over 25 years.

As independent brokers we are not tied to any one provider or network. We combine advanced I.T. with tailored cover and a determination to provide outstanding service.

Our approach turns risk into peace of mind.

Motor Trade Insurance Experts

Exclusive rates from leading motor trade combined insurers 25 years experience of tailoring high quality policies for motor trade businesses Gold standard service independently accredited by Feefo

Keeping your business motoring 82 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

planinsurance.co.uk

0333 003 0609

Dealers’ Dealer of the Year Sponsored by Plan Insurance Brokers Presented by Nick Cole, Operations Director

Jim Reid after receiving his trophy from Nick Cole

Winner: Jim Reid - Jim Reid Vehicle Sales Highly commended: Umesh Samani and Sean Cantillon IN any industry there are always a few people, a small number of personalities, who stand out from the crowd.

With the Dealers’ Dealer of the Year award we wanted to honour the dealer who has been a real credit to the industry.

That’s someone who does business with his colleagues and fellow professionals with respect and with honesty, someone who takes great care of his – no doubt many – customers.

All of our finalists are well known within the industry for all the above reasons and many more besides, and all are a true credit to the businesses they are a central part of.

Both of our highly commended winners are

hugely respected, so many congratulations to Sean Cantillon of Geoff Cox, and Umesh Samani of Specialist Cars of Stoke.

That said, there were an awful lot of nominations for the winner – Jim Reid of Jim Reid Vehicle Sales.

A previous winner at these awards, Reid was described as ‘a true gentleman’, ‘a brilliant operator’, and ‘always willing to help others’.

Even after the event, someone commented on his Facebook page that the award ‘couldn’t have gone to a nicer guy’.

Ever modest, after accepting the trophy Reid said: ‘It’s great for the industry to be recognised and important for us to have won.’

Umesh Samani was highly commended...

...as was Sean Cantillon. Well done, guys

Brewer’s verdict: It takes something pretty special for anyone to get their hands on this particular trophy, so well done to Jim, a lovely bloke, and all the other finalists in this category.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 83

Rob is the 44 year old general manager of an independent used car dealership. On Monday morning, when he sat down at his laptop, he found he had received four highly qualified leads overnight showing named individuals and their contact details.

These people had already been prequalified as eligible for finance for specific cars on his forecourt by at least one of Rob’s providers. Two came through after browsing the leading car portals over the weekend and the other two directly off his own website.

Wouldn’t you like to be making your vehicles more affordable across all your digital channels, generating more leads and managing your finance all in one place, just like Rob?

THIS IS

EMPOWERMENT

He uses online and showroom products that form the iVendi Platform.

Wouldn’t you like to become empowered?

0845 226 0503 info@ivendi.com www.ivendi.com

84 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Social Media User of the Year Sponsored by iVendi Presented by Russell White, Head of Business Development

Scott Shilcock and Alexis Cassey from Prestige Diesels Portsmouth, centre, with their award

Winner: Prestige Diesels Portsmouth Highly commended: Harwoods and Perrys MIKE Brewer welcomed Russell White, iVendi’s head of business development, to the stage to present this award.

Brewer explained that with Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, the world of social is always evolving and it’s a foolish dealer that ignores the impact it can have.

He added: ‘The Car Dealer team are well aware of the power of social media and regularly compile a list of the 150 most influential dealers on Twitter.

‘In deciding who should win this award, the judges took into account that all-important list but also looked at their other social media activities across the board.’

Highly commended in this category were Harwoods and Perrys. They both impressed the judges with their work on social media.

But Prestige Diesels Portsmouth walked off with top honours.

The delighted winners – who were highly commended in this category as well as winning the Under-50 Cars Dealership award last year – were praised for being ‘prolific across all the main platforms’.

Alexis Cassey and Scott Shilcock proudly accepted the trophy. Cassey said: ‘We worked really hard for this and put in a lot of hours to make it work. It really helps us to sell cars, and to buy them.’

A touch of bromance as Perrys picks up its award! Harwoods was also highly commended in this category

1.44 billion The number of active Facebook users on the planet as at March 31, 2015

Brewer’s verdict: I’m active on Twitter and Facebook myself and I know it can be a great way to generate business. Well done to all our winners and it’s great to see Prestige Diesels do well again!

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 85

At CarGurus, our mission is to make the online car shopping experience more transparent and efficient, thereby delivering informed, ready-to-buy shoppers to your dealership.

Contact us today to list your stock for free. dealers_uk@cargurus.com 86 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Dealer Used Car Website of the Year Sponsored by CarGurus Presented by Langley Steinert, CEO

Brett Ward, centre, collects Harwoods’ award from Langley Steinert and Mike Brewer

Winner: Harwoods Highly commended: Harvey Cooper Cars and CarShop TO present this award, Langley Steinert, CEO of CarGurus, was welcomed to the stage – all the way from Boston, Massachusetts.

Mike Brewer explained that a car dealer’s website is their shop window on the world. He continued: ‘Live chat, video, social media links – there is so much to think about, it’s difficult to keep up sometimes! In this category we looked at a wide range of criteria, such as rankings on search engines, usability and responsive design, to name but a few.’

CarShop and Harvey Cooper Cars were highly commended in this category. But our winner, Harwoods, received a high volume of nominations, all praising the company’s

website as it is so straightforward to use and has content that’s always being updated. One nomination said it should win because it is ‘easy and awesome’. Praise indeed!

Harwoods is a privately-owned group based in the south of England, with showrooms throughout Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent.

The company aims to provide the highest levels of service every time a customer visits one of its outlets.

Harwoods’ group marketing manager, Brett Ward, said: ‘It means a lot for the team in the office. We don’t put ourselves up for awards but we believe in Car Dealer and what these awards stand for – they are pretty honest people.’

Harvey Cooper Cars, above, and CarShop, below, were highly commended

Brewer’s verdict: As I said on the night, a dealer’s website is their window on the world. As a dealer myself, I know how important the internet is these days and our winners do, too. Well done.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 87

88 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Service and Repair Outlet of the Year Sponsored by the Independent Garage Association Presented by Stuart James, Director

Graham Clark after accepting the award from Stuart James

Winner: Anderson Clark Motor Repairs Highly commended: Brookspeed and Grimsdyke Service Station SALES figures may get a lot of the attention and steal many of the headlines in the UK’s vibrant used car market, but the servicing and repair work that underpins it is just as important to the health of the industry.

Without top-quality operators adhering to the highest standards, the entire used car sector could be heading into trouble at a rapid rate.

So it is good to report that Eastleigh’s Brookspeed and the Grimsdyke Service Station in Harrow were up to the mark and worthy winners of our Highly Commended certificates.

But we went a long way north to find our winner, all the way to the Inverness base of Anderson Clark Motor Repairs.

Praise for the company’s ability to get to the root of any problem, and offer helpful advice that was frank and to the point, were among the accolades piled on the winners.

Customers told us they trusted Anderson Clark absolutely, were always kept up to date on any work needed, all the costs that could be involved, and the progress of any job.

This was the second year running Anderson Clark has picked up this trophy.

Speaking after receiving the gong, managing director Graham Clark said: ‘Winning this is a huge recommendation from our customers. This is a fantastic night for all of us and we will be celebrating.’

10 The number of full-time staff employed by the award-winning repairs garage

2620 The number of garages signed up to the IGA’s Trust My Garage Scheme

Brewer’s verdict: To win this award once shows a remarkable dedication to delivering really good customer service – to win it two years running is a giant achievement for Anderson Clark.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 89

Need someone to talk to?

None of us are immune to life’s difficulties If something knocks you off your feet, BEN is here to help you get back on track

Whatever it is; whether it’s you or a close family member that’s going through it dealing with it can be tough. You’re not alone.

BEN offers a free confidential advice & support service - exclusively for motor industry employees and their families. Talk to us today so you can face tomorrow mentally, financially, socially and physically fitter.

08081 311 333 Not quite ready to talk?

We can still help!

Visit our website:

ben.org.uk

BEN and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund. Lynwood Court, Lynwood Village, Rise Road, Ascot SL5 0FG. 90-|Motor CarDealerMag.co.uk A charity registered in England and Wales (no.297877) and Scotland (no.SC039842).

Used Car Product of the Year Sponsored by BEN Presented by Kelly Neal, Events Manager

WMS Group’s Eric Stone accepts the trophy from Kelly Neal

Winner: WMS Safe and Sound Highly commended: CarFinanceChecker – iVendi and FlexiCalc – Codeweavers THIS is a category that tests the mettle and ingenuity of many companies out there.

The goal? To come up with a product that is clever, useful and capable of earning you some decent money along the way.

The leading contenders in our awards process included some of the big players in the very different worlds of finance, warranty and paint protection.

Codeweavers with FlexiCalc and iVendi with Car Finance Checker certainly ticked all the boxes to earn themselves a well-deserved highly commended certificate.

But they were pipped at the post by WMS Group’s Safe and Sound, a used car

warranty scheme that is not only award-winning but has also earned the endorsement of racing legend Sir Stirling Moss OBE. The product is currently offered by more than 250 hand-picked, high-quality dealerships, with nominees describing it as the ‘best cover in the market’ and ‘a brand name they can trust’.

WMS business development director and company director Eric Stone said: ‘This is a tremendous accolade and a recognition for all the team that bringing the best to market involves a lot of hard work.

‘Winning means a great deal to us and really is a highlight of the year for us. I would like to thank Sir Stirling for his endorsement.’

iVendi were highly commended.

James Tew picks up his certificate

1905

The year BEN was founded by Dunlop’s advertising manager, A.J. Wilson. It was then called the Cycle Trades Benevolent Fund

Brewer’s verdict: The right product can make all the difference in the world when it comes to helping secure a sale – and Safe and Sound is the best of the best this year. Lovely stuff.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 91

Awards in pictures

92 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 93

The AA Cars casino A really good night was on the cards!

AA CARS were fully involved in this year’s Used Car Awards. As well as sponsoring the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, the company ran a great fun casino in our new bar area – and it proved very popular.

Paul Yates, managing director of AA Cars, said: ‘The Used Car Awards was a really good event and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening at The Brewery. We were pleased to have a dual role this year and it was great to catch up with existing customers and meet some of our new ones.

‘People seemed to be enjoying the casino and I’d like to congratulate Geoff Baker, who won an iPad Mini for amassing the most chips. And of course, congratulations to all the award winners on the night.’

Winner: Geoff Baker of Centurion Warranties won an iPad Mini for amassing the largest amount of chips at the AA’s fun casino.

Congratulations!

94 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Congratulations from...

‘The Used Car Awards get bigger and better every year. Our winners should be very proud of their achievements.’

‘I said in the last edition of the mag that the awards are my favourite Car Dealer event. That’s still true. What a night!’

‘We have again shone a light on a part of our industry that doesn’t get enough praise. Well done to all our winners.’

JAMES BAGGOTT Managing Director

DAVE BROWN Production Editor

ANDY ENTWISTLE Operations Director

A big thank you MANY THANKS to everyone who took part in our charity raffle on the evening of the Used Car Awards – even though many participants were cajoled into doing so as Mike Brewer made his presence felt at various tables during dinner! And thanks to GardX, Karcher and Mike Brewer himself for donating some fantastic prizes. We raised the amazing total of £3,900 for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 95

FEATURE.

SELF-DRIVING CARS FOR ALL? Kia is making impressive strides in the arena of autonomous motoring.

JAMES BAGGOTT reports

I

f you thought autonomous cars were the preserve of the super-rich and their Teslas then think again – because now Kia is planning on bringing self-driving cars to the mainstream masses.

On a test track at the highly secretive Namyang Research & Development Centre in South Korea – where more than 10,000 engineers are busy creating the next generation of Kia and Hyundai models – I sat back and relaxed while a Soul drove itself around.

Although not fully autonomous – that’s still some years off yet – the SUV could take over driving in traffic jams and on motorways.

In simulated stop-start traffic on a motorway, a Kia engineer demonstrated how simply hitting a button on the steering wheel would see the Soul take over steering, throttle and brakes to keep up with the car in front.

Using the lane guidance system and advanced cruise control it could drive happily along, and even when a car pushed in front of us, it simply dropped back and let it squeeze in – all on its own. There’s even a more advanced traffic jam assist function, which is designed for similar slow-moving traffic situations, but off the motorway. Once a lead car has been selected,

96 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

the autonomous system can lock on to the car in front and follow its every move, even if that means turning a corner.

While both were very impressive, neither was quite as impressive as the autonomous motorway driving at speed.

Once the system was engaged, the Soul would change lanes and overtake slower moving cars, pulling back to the correct lane once the move was complete, all while the driver sat back, arms folded with feet nowhere near the pedals.

It was extremely impressive indeed and it’s easy to see how all three would be very popular with buyers. So how far away is it from making production? Well, Kia says these very systems could be with us as soon as 2018.

The manufacturer already believes that the general public have accepted the technology, but admitted there are still concerns about safety and reliability of the systems among buyers.

‘Malfunctions will never be accepted and there’s still the issue of who would be liable in the case of an accident,’ said Seoho Choi, Kia’s general manager for R&D. ‘Google have invested a lot in this technology, and although we were working on some systems before they announced their project in 2009, they

have clearly spurred the industry on to move faster towards autonomous cars.’

Kia says consumers understand the benefits of automation and have already accepted systems such as emergency braking and lowspeed collision avoidance which make driving safer. However, whether they are ready for fully autonomous cars just yet remains to be seen.

‘We see it needing a staged approach to introduction,’ said Choi. ‘Consumers see the benefits but they have to trust the systems.’

Kia has also developed a valet-park mode for its cars that can be operated via an App or smartwatch. How far down the line it is with this particular technology is a little unclear, though, as we watched one engineer desperately chase after a self-parking car as it veered off towards some stationary vehicles.

While this particular piece of technology may still need some refinement, the attraction of a car that goes off and parks itself while you get to the airport or supermarket certainly does appeal – and Kia says we’ll see it rolled out before 2020.

But just how far off are the days of selling a Kia with no steering wheel? ‘That’s not the end goal,’ said Choi. ‘With autonomous cars, there still needs to be an element of the driver feeling like

“

There still needs to be an element of the driver feeling like he can take control

he can take control – and he needs to be able to in certain situations, so we don’t think we’ll ever develop a Kia without a steering wheel. That’s not to say the technology wouldn’t allow it.’

Kia is busy shipping autonomous cars to its Californian testing site for further development and has also applied for a licence to test on public roads, like Google.

‘We see Google as a threat,’ admitted Choi.

‘Companies like them are taking on the automotive industry and we are preparing to compete. We want to have the competitive edge.’

That competitiveness will come from offering

this advanced technology at an affordable price. Kia’s next-generation models are already being designed with automation in mind, with engineers making it easier to fit the sensors needed for the systems to work into the cars’ electronic platforms.

It’s clear Kia is taking autonomous driving very seriously. The firm has already invested $2bn in the technology and that investment is ramping up – it’ll soon start work on a testing facility dedicated to autonomous vehicles and promises that in two years’ time customers will be able to buy cars with some of the systems tested here.

‘Kia is still in the early stages of developing its autonomous technologies and we are confident that the latest innovations – both partially and fully autonomous – will ultimately make driving safer for everyone,’ said Tae Won Lim, one of the vice-presidents of the R&D facility. ‘But fully autonomous vehicles are still some way off.’

Maybe the days of driving to work while reading the paper aren’t quite around the corner then, but for those of us who hate the monotonous plod of an all-too-familiar traffic jam, there’s some relief in the knowledge that help is on the way.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 97

FEATURE.

Optima saloon is to be joined by PHEV stablemate KIA will enter the UK plug-in hybrid market next year for the first time when it launches the Optima PHEV. The Ford Mondeo-rivalling saloon features a 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a battery pack and electric motor that can propel it on pure electric power for 27 miles.

Recharging can be carried out on the move using the engine or it can be plugged in and recharged in nine hours with a standard charger.

It also boasts a range of more than 600 miles.

A Kia spokesman revealed ambitions to sell around 1,500 PHEV Optimas a year – doubling the model’s current sales volumes – but wouldn’t be drawn on pricing.

The best-selling plug-in hybrid in the UK, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, sells more than 10,000 units a year thanks to competitive pricing on a par with equivalent diesel models.

‘We haven’t set pricing yet and are not sure how it will compare to the diesel, but we won’t sell the PHEV at a loss,’ said the spokesman.

The Optima PHEV is the first hybrid model the firm has sold in the UK and will lead the way for the technology to be extended across the range.

Joining the firm’s line-up later in 2016 will be a standalone hybrid model called the Niro – think of it as the company’s Prius – and a PHEV version will be added later in the model’s life.

In South Korea we put a pre-production Optima PHEV through its paces, and we were impressed by how refined and smooth the PHEV was.

It switched quickly between its 50kW electric motor and 2.0-litre petrol engine and felt swift thanks to a combined output of 203bhp.

Performance figures for the pre-production model haven’t yet been released, nor was a European mpg figure as it’s due to pass through testing. However, a 99mpg/e figure was revealed.

Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV claims 156mpg, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the Optima performed similarly. Pricing will be key to its success, though. If it’s keen it’s likely to be an attractive proposition both to fleets, thanks to company car tax savings, and to consumers looking to make considerable savings.

Kia Niro Prototype

Kia will be unveiling its rival to the Toyota Prius early next year with sales starting in 12 months.

James Baggott grabbed an early drive

POWER

This is Kia’s first standalone hybrid model and the maker is targeting sub-90g/km

on test WHAT IS IT?

The Niro is Kia’s answer to the Toyota Prius, as if that was actually a question. It’s designed to be a standalone hybrid SUV and is built on a completely unique platform. We were shipped out to Kia’s highly secretive South Korean R&D facility to drive the new car, and although it’s covered in camouflage here, we saw it undressed. Think of it as a cross between a squished Venga and a Sportage and you’re pretty much there.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

It’s more a case of what’s under the seats too.

Firstly, there’s a 104bhp, 146Nm 1.6-litre petrol engine combined with a 32KW electric motor.

This is channelled through a six-speed DCT gearbox. The 1.56kWh battery is tucked away under the floor. Although Kia wouldn’t tell us exactly what the mpg figures looked like, it alluded to 70mpg as a safe guess. Emissions are believed to be sub-90g/km.

Considering our test route consisted of a bit of follow-the-leader through rural Korea in a car covered in cladding it’s quite hard to tell, but from what we could gather it was refined and the powertrain was smooth. It switches quickly between petrol engine and electric propulsion with a noticeable boost from the latter. We found on potholed, bumpy roads it rode well, and despite the added weight of those batteries it didn’t feel like a slouch. But that said, we need a proper drive on UK roads before we can tell you much more.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

WHAT DO THE PRESS THINK?

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET?ET?

As this is a test mule, we can only assume 98 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

it includes black cladding and lots of sticky tape. No, seriously, Kia has yet to set any specification levels, but knowing the manufacturer it’s likely to come with plenty of creature comforts. From what we could see of the cabin there was a smart multimedia screen and some updated details for the controls. Material quality felt good on the surfaces we could touch.

Well, we were one of only a handful of

LOOKS

Don’t worry, it’s not shy, it’s just Kia didn’t want you to see what the Niro looks like until its debut early next year

TEST

We don’t usually test pre-production mules but as we were in South Korea we thought it would be rude not to

THE KNOWLEDGE publications to get the chance to drive the Niro, so we’ll turn to Auto Express’s James Batchelor first. He said: ‘Kia could well have cracked the compact SUV hybrid segment and produced an interesting alternative to the Toyota Prius.’ Jim Holder of Autocar fame wasn’t quite so sure, adding: ‘We can only conclude that Kia has a very capable car that is worthy of success, if not guaranteed it.’

WHAT DO WE THINK?

That’s obviously what you really wanted to know. And unfortunately we’re not quite sure. Driving a prototype is hard enough, and when you know few details – such as the performance, emissions and economy, let alone the price – it’s hard to deliver a definitive verdict. Kia says this is an alternative to SUVs such as the Nissan Qashqai and the VW Tiguan, but because of its unique hybrid powertrain it sits in a sector all of its own. That is, of course, until we see hybrid versions of those cars. Overall, though, we like the Niro. Even the name is a grower.

And let’s face it, it’s a damn sight prettier than a Prius – and that’s with its camouflage on.

Model: Kia Niro Price: £N/A Engine: 1.6-litre, 32kW motor Power: 104bhp, 146Nm Max speed: N/A 0-60mph: N/A MPG (comb’d): 70mpg (est) Emissions: sub-90g/km (est)

TARGET BUYERS: Hessian-pant-wearing vegans with bad backs who can’t get in a Prius

THE RIVALS:

Hydrogen power is seen as key in cutting emissions KIA has revealed it is working on a fuel cell vehicle likely to be based on the new Sportage and the vehicle will be on sale in just four years.

The manufacturer believes that hydrogenpowered cars are one solution to regulators’ ambitious targets to cut emissions and at a special future technology event in South Korea laid out its plans to hit them by 2020.

Engineering chief Dr Kim said the EU’s target for manufacturers of an average of 95g/km across their range could only really be met by introducing fuel cell vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

‘They are really challenging targets,’ he said. ‘Even hybrid vehicles are not enough to meet them – without plug-in hybrids you just can’t do it.’

However, it’s the brand’s fuel cell technology that’s really exciting. Currently, it is running a fleet of Hyundai ix35 hydrogen fuel cell models across the world, which use the gas and the atmosphere’s oxygen to propel the car, with only water exiting the exhaust as a by-product.

Dr Kim explained that currently the world’s chemical and metal industries produce a whopping 38 million tons of waste hydrogen every year – enough to power 190 million fuel cell vehicles annually. The problem, he said, is convincing governments to back the technology and build networks of filling stations.

‘Infrastructure is key,’ said Dr Kim. ‘It is a political decision – not a cost problem – to back this technology. Politicians are not convinced yet that it is the answer. The more manufacturers that launch fuel cell cars, the more it will help convince them.’

Kia and Hyundai are working hard on improving the technology. In 2003 fuel cell vehicles couldn’t even be started in freezing conditions, because the water would ice up.

However, these problems have been overcome and now its FCEVs can travel nearly 375 miles at up to 100mph. ‘We are aiming to make our nextgeneration models five per cent more efficient, 15 per cent lighter and the fuel cell units 15 per cent smaller,’ said Dr Kim. ‘We want to see a range of 500 miles too and be able to guarantee them for 10 years.’

Driverless disruption?, p121 [CD]

Toyota Prius, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

KEY SELLING POINTS: 1. Decent specification at launch 2. Seven-year warranty 3. It pleases the greens

DEAL CLINCHER: Finally there’s a credible alternative to the Prius that doesn’t look like a Prius CarDealerMag.co.uk | 99

100 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

FOCUS ON.

Auctions and remarketing

Four different approaches to filling up the forecourt To sell cars you have to have them in stock, and there are plenty of people wanting to help you

A

uctions play a central role in the operation of any car dealership, as new and replacement stock is the lifeblood of a successful business. And around that concept are organisations who have found different ways of getting involved, of helping both the independent and franchised dealers make money – while earning a living for themselves.

Getting the right stock in place at the right time is one of the core keys to profitability, and NextGear Capital present themselves as the go-to guys to make it happen.

‘We aim to ensure that all stock is not out of sight and out of mind,’ observes David Mercer, NextGear Capital’s managing director.

‘The first 28 days are the most profitable period for any used vehicle coming on to a stock plan.

The added transparency our process offers, in line with wholesale funding systems, helps to bring focus to costly delays.’

Intuitive and easy to use technology underpins NextGear Capital’s offering via its StockMaster application.

As the UK and Europe’s largest vehicle marketplace, BCA is no doubt on most dealers’ action list, and the company believes it should be the first call for franchise, independent and light commercial dealers or any used-vehicle traders.

At the same time, the innovative BCA Partner Finance Service assists independent car and van dealers get incremental funding to expand their operational capability.

It’s an option many have chosen to accept. Colin Bacon, managing director at Junction 17 Cars of Peterborough, said: ‘As an independent family-run car supermarket, BCA Partner

by PHIL RILEY @PhilRiley5

Finance gives us the freedom to compete on a level playing field with the bigger national groups when it comes to buying power.’

With no pretensions of being the biggest in its field, West Oxfordshire Motor Auctions makes a claim to being the very best at what it does – providing an excellent and responsive service to its many regular customers.

‘We have a focus that we treat our customers as

individual people with individual requirements,’ said WOMA’s experienced auction general manager Ken Hagar.

Taking a more specialist line – and again aiming to be the very best at what they do – is Dealer Auction.

‘Our specialist subject, the only thing that we do, is to sell trade vehicles for franchised dealers – the only people who can sell on the site are franchised dealers,’ says operations director Kieran TeeBoon.

‘And we sell them to carefully vetted, VATregistered full-time traders,’ he adds, summarising a simple and effective business approach.

FEATURED SUPPLIERS NextGear Capital

BCA

WOMA

Dealer Auction

Soon to celebrate its second anniversary, this company is helping dealers have the right stock on hand all the time.

The biggest in the auction business and, they would strongly argue, also the best to do business with.

A personalised and highly customer-focused approach has worked wonders for this Midlands motor auction concern.

A specialist and effective approach that benefits both the franchised dealer and the independent auto trader.

P103

P104

P107

P108

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 101

Dealer Stocking. Simplified.

A FREE present from NextGear Capital Visit nextgearcapital.co.uk/present to claim your FREE present*

To find out more about NextGear Capital visit nextgearcapital.co.uk or call 0843 50 60 600† *Free gifts available only to used car & LCV dealers who are potential applicants for a NextGear Capital Stocking Plan and who meet our eligibility criteria to apply. (To be eligible to apply you must be VAT registered, trade from physical retail premises, stock at least 6 vehicles and have been trading for more than 12 months). No purchase necessary. Limited to one gift per dealer, while stocks last. If the gift associated with the selected box is no longer available then NextGear Capital shall decide in its sole discretion which alternative gift shall be given, and its decision shall be final. By providing your details to claim your free present you agree to being contacted by us to arrange delivery of the gift and to discuss NextGear Capital’s Stocking Plan. Physical gifts will be personally hand delivered during normal business hours by the NextGear Capital Account Executive for the postcode area in which the dealer is based to the person named in the form.

NextGear Capital UK Limited, International House, Kingsfield Court, Chester Business Park, Chester, CH4 9RE. Registered in England and Wales number 08696123. Stocking Plan is subject to status, terms and conditions. †We may monitor and record calls, email and SMS messages between you and us for quality control, training purposes to improve our services and to keep a record of what was agreed.

102 Calls| CarDealerMag.co.uk will cost 7 pence per minute plus your phone company’s Access Charge.

FOCUS ON.

Auctions and remarketing

Speed the key to bigger profits NEXTGEAR CAPITAL

T

he right stock at the right time is central to the success of any used car operation. Speed in the stocking process can help boost profitability.

These are the central pillars to NextGear Capital’s distinctive stock-funding facility and are why the team at NextGear Capital is committed to ensuring dealers of all sizes add a NextGear Capital facility to their stock funding options.

Wherever you source your used stock, you can fund it with NextGear Capital This is the proud boast from a business that has developed a paperless approach to stock purchasing that can be accessed anywhere, anytime on a dealer’s smartphone, tablet or desktop. More than just the accessibility, the approach is helping to accelerate the purchase of stock, making a positive impact on stocking days.

This represents profit straight to the bottom line.

In two years, 750 dealers in the UK and Eire have now signed up to use a NextGear Capital Stocking Plan. The attractions are many. Among them is the freedom from bricks and mortar or retail finance ‘collateral’. The stock itself is NextGear Capital’s security. More than this, they value the flexibility and access, which is helping them to stock more and so sell more.

Easy to use, NextGear Capital’s stock funding technology speaks the dealer language and is available across all stock purchase areas. Dealers can buy stock at 80 per cent of all NAMA member auctions and can be used by dealers to self-load stock purchased from other channels; part-exchanges; trade and private purchases; and off fleet/lease. Existing stock can quickly be transferred into the plan.

Smart stock funding with StockMaster Enabling dealers to accelerate the remarketing cycle is NextGear Capital’s smart and

W: nextgearcapital.co.uk T: 0843 50 60 606 THE NEXTGEAR CAPITAL IMPACT Franchised and independent dealers are all seeing the value of a NextGear Capital stocking plan n Dealers with new funding lines: 750+ n Credit lines £88,790,000 n Value of vehicles funded so far this year: £243,775,836.49. n Vehicles funded so far this year: 35,277. straightforward StockMaster technology. Dealers can view and fund all pending vehicles at the touch of a button; at an auction or remotely via their smartphone, tablet or PC, 24/7.

Joining up the remarketing ‘dots’ to just-in-time stocking Every day that a vehicle is on-stock but not on-sale is money lost. The NextGear Capital approach to stock funding helps dealers recognise just where every individual vehicle is and its ‘time on stock’ in its journey to sale.

It is something that is helping dealers to recognise delays in bringing stock to market. Not only can the NextGear Capital approach facilitate just-in-time stock funding; it can also help ensure dealers know exactly where every vehicle is in terms of time in stock, ‘We aim to ensure that all stock is not out of sight and out of mind,’ observes David Mercer, NextGear Capital’s managing director. ‘The first 28 days are the most profitable period for any used vehicle coming on to a stock plan.

‘The added transparency our process offers, in line with wholesale funding systems, helps to bring focus to costly delays. At the same time, dealers can assess stock turn to establish their most

profitable vehicles. Armed with dealer-specific data, stock purchasing can be better targeted.’

If dealers can reduce their overall time on stock through better, more informed buying, reducing preparation and transportation times, then additional income flows to the bottom line.

‘Time to cash’ is an area NextGear Capital aims to help improve used vehicle profitability. As Mercer concludes: ‘Sixty days may be the industry norm for time on stock, but we believe that with a little effort dealers can quickly reduce this by 10-15 per cent. The added accountability we can support will be a key tool in making this a reality.’

Accelerating growth in 2016 Next year will see NextGear Capital celebrate its second anniversary. The marketplace is changing and new sales and marketing director Pamela Halliday is excited by the prospect of developing consultative partnerships with industry players right across the remarketing cycle.

She said: ‘Technology and processes must develop to keep pace with the changes we see right across the marketplace, and further accelerating the remarketing cycle will be a key focus. Working hand in hand with dealers, remarketing and allied businesses forms a key part of our strategy.’

NEXTGEAR CAPITAL MD DAVID MERCER EXPLAINS THE BENEFITS YOU can still pay cash to get that deal and then use your Stocking Plan to keep your cash ‘topped up’. From the very outset, our technology and operating processes have been geared around flexibility, accessibility and ease of use. We know that dealers source their stock from multiple sources and this trend will unquestionably develop as digitisation becomes even more prominent. We also know that some dealers value

the opportunity to manage their stock privately.

Paying cash is part of the stock-buying legacy for some dealers, but many such buyers recognise that access to stock funding can help them enhance the quality and quantity of stock they hold. A stocking plan from NextGear Capital gives them the capacity to pay cash and still make use of a stocking line. They can simply self-load the vehicle as and when they want.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 103

FOCUS ON.

Auctions and remarketing

Why you should make BCA BCA

W: british-car-auctions.co.uk T: 0344 875 3480

A

s the UK and Europe’s largest vehicle marketplace, BCA helps dealers meet the needs of their retail customers with a complete range of vehicle buying and selling services. No one offers a greater selection and diversity of stock or more ways to source and buy, which is why BCA is the first choice for franchise dealers, independent dealers, light commercial vehicle dealers, car supermarkets and used-vehicle traders.

The company’s comprehensive remarketing programme offers nationwide coverage in the very best facilities – as well as full digital access via BCA Live Online and e-Auctions.

The programme is supported through a range of complementary services including collection and delivery, valeting, SMART Repair, Bodyshop, BCA Video Appraisals and Autograde. Meanwhile BCA Assured powered by the AA helps build buyer confidence.

BCA sets the pace for online sales, offering a choice of routes to market with BCA Live Online, Bid Now, Buy Now, and e-Auction giving customers the opportunity to buy and sell 24/7, 365 days a year. BCA Auction View, a sophisticated search engine, brings sellers and buyers together in the digital space.

Specialist dealer products include the cloudbased BCA Dealer Pro to manage, appraise and remarket part-exchanges, and BCA Partner Finance, which is helping independent dealers to compete thanks to a flexible and customerfocused funding service for auction purchases.

BCA’s market research and data ensure customers have their fingers on the pulse of the used vehicle sector, 24/7, 365 days a year, while its range of services and remarketing channels make it easy for customers to conduct their business. BCA is fuelling the exchange and driving the market.

YOU CAN PROFIT FROM PART-EXCHANGES WITH BCA DEALER-PRO BCA has developed a unique set of tools to help dealers maximise the benefits from the part-exchange process. BCA Dealer Pro is a cloud-based and iPad solution designed by BCA 104 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

to help retailers control and manage vehicle appraisals, provide accurate valuations and manage part-exchange inventory and vehicle disposals – and as a result, sell more vehicles.

Dealer Pro integrates with dealer systems to improve overall dealer efficiency, and enable all data captured to be used in any sales channel.

To maximise the profit from part-exchange vehicles it is critical to appraise them

consistently and accurately, ensuring the selling customer feels confident both in the process and the valuation.

BCA Dealer Pro allows retailers to be transparent with customers as they capture the condition of the incoming part-exchange car via an iPad, with auto grading to NAMA standard and real-time BCA Market Price valuation data.

It also integrates with other dealer systems,

your first choice AUTOCAPTURE

Car dealership videos and images from tablet to website in minutes

BCA PARTNER FINANCE THE innovative BCA Partner Finance Service helps independent car and van dealers secure incremental funding to allow them to expand their retail operations.

BCA Partner Finance was the first finance product to launch that is specifically designed for the UK remarketing sector.

BCA Partner Finance funds the whole auction purchase, including fees and VAT where applicable, and interest is charged at a competitive flat rate – equivalent on average to around £2 a day – with both cars and vans funded using the scheme.

Notably, the service is generating incremental value and volume into the remarketing sector as buyers joining the scheme typically increase their average purchase value by around 20 per cent, and purchase up to 40 per cent more vehicles.

BCA works closely with customers to ensure such as lead management and provenance systems, to improve overall dealer efficiency, and enables all data captured to be used in any sales channel.

Dealer Pro also improves the customer’s experience, increasing confidence with a professional appraisal process that they can see and understand, and giving credibility to the part-exchange value they are quoted.

they are maximising the benefits of the scheme.

The key feedback from customers has been that BCA Partner Finance is both good value and easy to use with very few administrative headaches, allowing dealers to get on with the business of sourcing and retailing used vehicles.

Customers value the simplicity of the service, which is helping them to purchase additional stock from the huge choice available at BCA. Dealers can use BCA Partner Finance to fund any auction purchase, whether they are making a speculative buy, sourcing a vehicle to order or expanding their stock profile.

Colin Bacon, managing director at Junction 17 Cars of Peterborough, said: 'As an independent family-run car supermarket, BCA Partner Finance gives us the freedom to compete on a level playing field with the bigger national groups when it comes to buying power.'

BCA Dealer Pro brings clarity and transparency to the part-exchange process, through an elegant and sophisticated technology-based solution. It is a unique package of tools for dealers within the remarketing sector, marrying best-in-class business practices with easy-to-use-technology that is integrated within their existing systems, supported by robust data.

TO HELP turn browsers into buyers, BCA company autosonshow.tv provides a suite of easy-to-use and highly effective online imaging services.

AutoCAPTURE keeps dealers in control of their vehicle imagery, by uploading highquality videos and professional imagery from an iPad or iPhone to website in minutes with consistent, 100 per cent perfect results every time.

The autosonshow.tv solution has eliminated the need for cameras, cables and computers, putting showroom management in the palm of your hand. The AutoCAPTURE app allows dealers to create engaging and professional content by simply walking around a vehicle using the iOS video function, creating HD video and crisp images.

The technologically advanced registration plate recognition system catalogues the vehicle imagery, which is then integrated directly on to the dealer website.

AutoCAPTURE™streamlines vehicle turnaround time by dramatically reducing the website imagery upload process and enabling dealers to create and maintain website imagery through an intuitive management suite. Visit autosonshow.tv for more details.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 105

Y T I N ORTU

P P O F O S T O L T I F O R P F O D N A LOTS E C I V R E S F O S T S U LO M O R F T R O P SUP K O O L O T T O L A T 6 1 A 0 H 2 W N I O T D R A FORW ry

@WOMAltd

WOMA.CO.UK 106 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

to

n

T

io

/womaltd

Mo

F

xfords O st

re hi

For a unique route to disposal of your part exchange vehicles in 2016, speak to Steve or Ken on 01993 774413 or via e-mail: stevec@woma.co.uk / kenh@woma.co.uk

We

e v e d l e s h g n e i r n a e s v Auction nd Thursday e t a p y m a o d r s p s r Tue u o h 0 0 8 1 g startin

r Auct

FOCUS ON.

Auctions and remarketing

Professional, personal service WOMA

W: woma.co.uk T: 01993 774413

Y

ou don’t have to be the biggest in the auction business to be a success, as West Oxfordshire Motor Auction Ltd proves on a regular basis.

The family-owned company has been operating from its England heartland base at Witney in Oxfordshire since 1986, and is proud of the service it offers to vendors and bidders alike.

With twice-weekly auctions, WOMA has seen a surge in business from some 11,500 entries in 2009 to around 16,000 now.

Not the biggest fish in the pond, certainly, when compared with the Manheims of this world, concedes auction general manager Ken Hagar, but definitely one of the best. In fact, WOMA was a finalist in the Car Dealer Power awards in 2014.

‘We offer a very personal service, a very professional service that’s hassle-free,’ Hagar says.

‘We always try and do everything right, taking into account we will work for the vendor, and the bidder. We have a focus that we treat our customers as individual people with individual requirements.’

Flexibility is the name of the game, and remaining responsive to their customers’ needs is a theme that emerges time and time again during our conversation.

‘Over the past three years there has been a strong focus on the vendors – we don’t just work with the larger franchised dealers, we also work with the smaller independents who may only have one or two outlets’, Hagar insists.

‘We try to make ourselves very flexible as to what we offer – we don’t approach everyone in the same way, it’s a very bespoke service backed up by a genuine interest in what our customers want. We want to work with our vendors to develop their business, improve areas of profitability on disposal, and make the process of disposal a lot easier and audit transparent for them’.

A recent auction was populated by vehicles from a variety of motor groups, including CityGate, Baylis, Fish Brothers and Platinum, as well as various police forces.

Indeed, if WOMA has a profile outside expected areas it’s likely that is a result of it being a national clearing house for soon-to-be former police vehicles.

WOMA has upped its game over recent years and new facilities now include a purpose-built, secure and floodlit customer car park, along with a lorry park for customers who want to bring a flatbed along to collect their vehicles. For those that don’t, the company has its own fleet of 12 car transporters for their customers’ convenience.

This is all part of a changing landscape, says Hagar, one that WOMA is happy to adapt to.

‘What has happened over the past five years is that dealers and vendors require a more professional and personal service – they need regular communications from us, they really appreciate updates on the market place and being kept abreast of what’s going on’, says Hagar.

‘They like to get feedback from the auctioneers on vehicles that may or may not be a potential challenge for them’.

‘We offer a facility where they can always call us for a second opinion on the market valuation, and we will let them know what we think of the marketplace and what the likely outcome might be when a vehicle comes into the auction hall, which in turn helps to avoid expensive mistakes originating from the showroom floor’.

Confirming its go-ahead approach, the company’s auctions will be going online in 2016, expanding their market right across the country.

‘It will bring a much bigger audience to us and give people a better option to buy from us, who perhaps because of the distance they are away from us cannot attend as often as they would want to,’ confirms Hagar.

‘From our vendors’ point of view they want to offer their cars to as broad a spectrum as possible – it’s not something we have been able to do so far, but we recognise we must get involved with the 21st century and we are very happy to do it’.

‘It will be live bids in a real-time auction. The vehicles will be posted online prior to the auction so that they can be seen by the audience before they bid on them. They will have the same access to information as the people who are actually there – it’s an entirely level playing field.’

The future, it would seem, holds no fears for West Oxfordshire Motor Auction Ltd.

by Phil Riley (@PhilRiley5)

‘‘

We try to make ourselves very flexible as to what we offer – we don’t approach everyone in the same way.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 107

FOCUS ON.

Auctions and remarketing

Fast-moving conveyor belt DEALER AUCTION

S

ome companies make it work by doing a bit of everything for everybody, keeping a lot of balls in the air.

Others, though, take the opposite tack, refining what they do for a specific aspect of the motor trade while hoping they can do it better than anyone else. So it is with Dealer Auction, the trade-only online auction site that’s boiled its offering down to the bone.

On the one side, franchised dealers and groups with part-exchange vehicles to move on; on the other, full-time independent motor traders.

‘Our specialist subject, the only thing that we do, is to sell trade vehicles for franchised dealers – the only people who can sell on the site are franchised dealers,’ says operations director Kieran TeeBoon.

‘And we sell them to carefully vetted, VATregistered full-time traders,’ he adds.

‘This is all we do, we do nothing else, it’s our USP. We’re not selling paint protection or service plans or courtesy cars or anything, we’ve got an online auction and we focus like a laser beam at doing it better than anyone else in the country, and that’s why we are the best at it in the country.

‘We are not relaxed about that, we’re not patting ourselves on the back, every day we try and make it a better experience for everyone who uses it,’ says TeeBoon.

Dealer Auction was founded in 2008 by Gavin Smith and Clive Colyer, who combined their relevant experiences as a sales manager in a franchised dealership and as an independent trader.

108 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

W: dealer-auction.com T: 0116 2301444 The duo saw a gap in the marketplace and an opportunity for franchised dealers to get their trade part-exchange vehicles out to a much, much wider audience.

TeeBoon puts the move in context: ‘The options in 2008 for a franchised dealer to dispose – that’s a dirty word we don’t like to use – of their trade vehicles was to either send them to auctions or, alternatively, they would probably have three or four independent traders who would pop in uninvited and see what was available.’

He goes on to make the point that, typically, of any 10 cars taken in part-exchange by a franchised dealer, three would be resale opportunities, valeted and on the forecourt as part of a dealer-approved used-car programme.

The other seven would be of an age or mileage that ruled them out, so would normally be moved on, rapidly, to simply cover their cost as part of the

of dealer exchanges

‘‘

No one ever buys a car off the Dealer Auction website to do us a favour – they are buying it because they see profit in the car.

part-exchange deal. It is, TeeBoon says passionately, very much a lost opportunity.

‘That’s the mentality, people ‘‘dispose’’ of trade cars, they don’t see it as a profit-line. They will spend all the time and money in the world selling service plans and paint protection, but the most valuable asset they have, the trade partexchange vehicle, they just pull the big chain and flush them away.

‘As long as you get your money back you think you’ve done a good job. We’ve proved with what we do that there is money in trade vehicles. We don’t dispose of trade cars, we turn them into a profit that dealer didn’t use to see.’

If this is beginning to sound like a one-way street that favours the franchised dealer at the expense of the independent, think again, says TeeBoon. The benefits work for both ends of the arrangement.

‘No one ever buys a car off the Dealer Auction website to do us a favour – they are buying it because they see profit in the car.

There is probably not any faster moving conveyer belt of dealer exchanges anywhere in the UK that you can look at.

'The franchised dealers load the cars because we get them a result, and the independent buyers buy them because we get them into businesses they would never normally be able to buy from.

‘It doesn’t matter where you are from, you have as much chance of buying that car as anyone in the country. It’s totally fair, it’s the man with the bid.’

Another significant virtue embodied in the Dealer Auction model is that the right cars can get online exposure in their ideal market area.

As TeeBoon puts it, a Vauxhall dealer in Cumbria taking a Prius in part-exchange ‘would have more idea how to put a man on the moon than value that car’ as the market in Cumbria for 100,000-mile hybrids is, shall we say, limited.

In contrast, he adds: ‘Let me tell you I have got 500-plus traders inside the M25 who look at a Prius and all they can see is a bar of gold.’

And he continues: ‘By the same token you have a franchised dealer in the middle of Manchester takes in p-x a six-year-old Suzuki Vitara with 76,000 miles that no one in Manchester wants as it’s not exactly a Chelsea taxi, but the 900 traders who live to the west of Shrewsbury and Welshpool are crying out for little 4x4s to sell to

their local audience.’ That is, at heart, what Dealer Auction is all about, offering used cars – lots of them, around 6,000 a month – to the widest possible audience.

On the day we spoke, some 400 cars had appeared on the site, courtesy of the 1,600 franchised dealers who are registered to sell there.

They can load their cars from one to seven days, though TeeBoon says three is the most profitable.

There they are viewed by the 4,000 or so vetted traders, all of whom had originally applied by filling in the straightforward online form, after which they are checked and called up and taken through the process. The beauty of the process, says TeeBoon, is that independents can rapidly restock to maximise the space they have on their sites – and he speaks from experience of knowing how key that can be to the bottom line.

‘I ran a car dealership for the Listers group for 12 years, and if I had been given £450,000 to fill my used car pitch and had only £400,000 worth of stock on show, the boss would want to know why.

‘If I sold three cars on an afternoon, I needed to fill three spaces – you can’t sell an empty space.

‘If Sainsbury’s sell a tin of beans they don’t leave the shelf empty, they put another tin of beans there. It’s very simple selling cars really, we just make it difficult sometimes.’

As he puts it, Dealer Auction is ‘the auction that never sleeps’.

‘I can buy a car today and go and collect it tomorrow. That’s one of the most important things – the speed with which you can replenish your stock.’

The deals made around cars on the site are ultimately between buyer and seller, though both sides are talked through the process in detail before they start trading, and Dealer Auction will arbitrate if necessary. However, TeeBoon makes the point that the moment of collection and payment is the time to address any discrepancies.

‘It would be wrong of me to say that 100 per cent of the time with 6,000 vehicles being sold a month that it goes perfectly every time – as with any sale or trade sale there is a chance a franchised dealer may have missed something, but a trader can renegotiate at the point of collection.’

And that is the Dealer Auction deal – simple and straightforward with lots, and lots, of choice.

by Phil Riley (@PhilRiley5) [CD] CarDealerMag.co.uk | 109

DASHBOARD. FEATURE.

Ask Lawgistics

Save and grow with affordable legal advice

Car Dealer Club lawyers at Lawgistics answer dealers’ legal questions. Join for £39.99 a year to get advice like this when you need it

Q

I’m a new employer and this is my first Christmas as ‘the boss’. I’ve organised a staff Christmas party but I’m concerned about ‘the morning after the night before’. How do I keep control over events while not being a Scrooge?!

It’s that time of year where everyone begins to get into the festive spirit and it can be an employer’s worst nightmare. However, it doesn’t have to be with proper planning.

To save any confusion, make sure your staff handbooks are up to date and policies relating to the areas below are clearly covered. This saves a lot of hassle at a later date because employees then know what you expect of them and, in return, what they can expect from you.

Alcohol and drugs If you are happy for people to have a drink or two, it might be worth considering how they will get home safely, so providing transport may be helpful.

Employees must also be careful if they have to drive vehicles the following day, as they could still be over the legal limit. Many people forget this fact and it can have severe consequences to them as an individual and you as their employer, as you are liable for their actions when they are acting in the course of their employment.

‘Banter’ gone wrong People tend to let their hair down a little at the office Christmas party, but they should still remember that

A

this is a working environment. So employees telling each other how they really feel about one another in ‘banter’, or playing office pranks, may be misconstrued.

Any grievances you receive should always be dealt with, as it is still your responsibility to do so. This can also extend to social media, so open confessions on Facebook or inappropriate photos on Twitter must also be dealt with accordingly.

Sore heads the next day If employees fail to turn in after a night on the town, whether it be after your own Christmas party or another, it’s a disciplinary offence. Please remember to apply the same rules to all, to avoid any discrimination claims.

Remember to have fun!

It’s a time when management and staff can enjoy each other’s company on an informal basis. It can also be a good morale booster after what may have been a very difficult year Severe weather – what to do You have a duty of care to your staff at all times, therefore be careful about insisting that they come into work in a snowstorm! However, employees sometimes use slightly poor weather as an excuse for a ‘duvet day’, so there has to be a balance. Parents of children whose schools or nurseries close because of snow should be granted parental leave (which can be without pay unless your contracts state otherwise).

.com

How can I get rid of bad reviews on Google Plus?

Q A

What can be done about a negative review that I might receive on Google Plus?

Unless the review is defamatory, otherwise unlawful or violates Google’s own policies, and you can prove it without attracting even more negative attention and incurring considerable costs, there may not be much that can be done about it.

That said, you may be able to report the review/comment to Google. Whether it will do anything about it in a timely fashion or at all

remains to be seen, and each case will of course turn on its own merits.

Google’s relatively new Contact Us process appears to offer an improvement in elevating a form to contest reviews.

The form sends a review removal request into the queued email response system and, typically, generates an intelligent response from a human. This contrasts with the review flagging process more typically encouraged.

In the field asking for content

of the inappropriate review, add suitable comment. There is also now an option to ask for them to be moved from one listing to another. If all else fails, it may be possible to push down the negative comment and effectively have it buried.

Since less than one per cent of all searches go past the second page of search results this is worth considering. For more on this option visit http://remove negativesearchengineresults.com

ADVICE

Q A

Why is it necessary for SMEs to have affordable legal support?

Research by the Legal Services Board (LSB) has found that the number of legal problems reported by small businesses has reduced significantly over the past two years, reflecting better trading conditions. However, total losses to small businesses because of legal problems are estimated at a staggering £9.79 billion annually.

Against this, only 13 per cent of small businesses viewed lawyers as costeffective and almost half strongly agreed or agreed that they use legal service providers as a last resort to solve business problems.

LSB chairman Sir Michael Pitt said: ‘Access to goodquality and affordable legal services helps small businesses to start up and grow.’ Mike Cherry, policy director for the Federation of Small Business (FSB), said: ‘We know from the FSB’s own legal advice line for members that getting the right advice at the right time can save small firms money in the long run.

‘Given that so many small businesses could benefit from more use of legal services, we hope the report will encourage service providers to explore and develop their offering to small businesses, focusing on how they can deliver real value for money.’

So, it is clear that costeffective, proactive, specialist legal advice and assistance will save your business money and help it grow.

JOIN CAR DEALER CLUB AND GET ALL THESE BENEFITS WORTH

App Creatives 110 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Autotrade-mail

Blackball Media

HPI

Lawgistics

Loop Fobs

WHY I JOINED CAR DEALER CLUB

WANT TO UPGRADE YOUR MEMBERSHIP?

This month we chat to a dealer who saved £750 after talking to the legal experts at Lawgistics OUR Member of the Month for January is Simon Manis, owner of the Leedsbased left hand drive vehicle dealership, Switching Sides Ltd. When a customer purchased a 2008 Mercedes Viano from the dealership earlier this year Manis, right, naturally took all of the necessary steps to ensure that the vehicle was safe and completely retail-ready.

An MOT had not revealed any faults or advisories, and the client’s father, who had come to check the car out pre-sale, was happy. As the customer was Bristol-based, Manis agreed to meet him in Manchester to complete the transaction.

He had experienced no problems with the car on the way there, and was surprised to receive a call from the client when he was halfway home to say that a warning light had come on.

‘The car had had no faults and it was a relatively low mileage vehicle for the year. When the customer called me I immediately offered to get it sorted, and asked him to go and get the car plugged in to have a diagnostic as it was impractical for him to bring the vehicle back to me,’ he commented.

A problem arose when the customer chose to ignore Manis’ suggestion to take the vehicle to an independent dealership, instead taking it to his local Mercedes dealer. The dealer diagnosed the problem as the intercooler for the turbo, and despite Manis asking the customer to get a second opinion, he immediately authorised the repair as he said he was in a hurry.

As a result of the repair, Manis was hit with a £1,250 bill, which not only exceeded the warranty he had sold the vehicle with, but also seemed far too expensive.

‘It was unfair as I didn’t get a chance to get a second opinion,’ said Manis. ‘I was just hit with a ridiculous bill. Strictly speaking, the car should have come back to me to sort out.

But short of that, if somebody has got a car which is quite a distance from me, I’ll

ask them to use a little bit of common sense, and try to sort any problems with somebody who’s going to charge a reasonable rate.

‘But this guy just approved the work, despite the fact that I’d actually found an independent locally, and the main dealer fitted a new turbo at a cost of £1,250.

‘If it had come back to me it would have been approximately £70 for an hour-and-ahalf of labour and the turbo should have been £350 plus VAT, with a two years’ manufacturer’s warranty.’

Since he didn’t believe that he was liable to pay the full £1,250, Manis turned to Lawgistics, who went over the Consumer Rights Act 2015 with him, advising him that he would only need to pay the warranty limit.

He concluded: ‘I ended up paying the claim limit amount of £500, when really the bill should really have been slightly less than this. In future, I will take greater care in explaining the warranty procedure in a little bit more detail, and explain what my commitment is, and what the customer’s commitment is.

‘Obviously, you want things to be as fair as possible but you do expect the fairness to work both ways.’

£1,000s AND ALL FOR JUST £39.99

Unicom

AMS – GAP Insurance

Moneybarn

LAWGISTICS’ basic membership – which you receive as a member of Car Dealer Club – is a cracking deal, but what if you need something that has extra clout? Larger dealer groups or a dealer embroiled in a big legal battle may require some more firepower, and the good news is that Club members get discounts on Lawgistics’ other packages. You’ll receive a £100 discount off the small business package (normally £695) – perfect for sole traders, a partnership or a small dealer group – and £250 off the professional package (normally £1,295). This is ideal for franchises, a dealer group or a car supermarket and covers all areas of legal law and documentation. There’s a package for everyone with Lawgistics.

EASY STEPS TO JOIN CAR DEALER CLUB

1

OR

GO TO WWW. CARDEALER CLUB.COM

Scan the QR code

2

HIT SUBSCRIBE

3

FILL OUT YOUR PAYMENT DETAILS ON PAYPAL AND 4 HIT SUBMIT WAIT FOR YOUR CAR DEALER CLUB PACK TO ARRIVE IN OR THE POST PHONE 023 9252 2434 AND SPEAK TO ONE OF THE CAR DEALER CLUB TEAM

Dragon2000 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 111

DATA FILE.

Thestatistics

n

SMMT Sales Data

n

Taking Stock

The market bounces back – but it’s bad news for VW Group

November’s figures ‘are a reminder of the strength of the UK car market’

T

he fallout from the VW emissions scandal was reflected in the latest new car registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

They showed a sharp decline in the popularity of VW Group vehicles.

While overall new car registrations grew by 3.8 per cent year-on-year in November, Volkswagen-branded cars were down by almost 20 per cent – from 16,196 to 12,958.

To make matters worse, other brands in the VW Group also saw a decline in registrations, with Seat down 23.8 per cent, Skoda slumping 11 per cent and even premium brand Audi showing a 4.4 per cent fall in November compared with the same month in 2014.

The figures offer the first concrete evidence of the damage done to the Volkswagen image following admissions that ‘cheat devices’ and suspect software had been used to bypass engine emission regulations in the United States and Europe.

The SMMT figures showed that a total of 178,876 cars were registered during November, while the overall market in the first 11 months of 2015 has seen 6.2 per cent growth to 2,453,426 units.

Demand for both petrol and diesel models remained robust, with respective gains of 3.8 per cent and 3.6 per cent, while the popularity of alternatively-fuelled vehicles continued to grow with an 8.6 per cent uplift.

Registrations to fleet buyers (up 8.7 per cent) increased ahead of those to private customers (up two per cent), continuing a trend that has been evident for several months.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, pictured left, said: ‘November’s figures come as a reminder of the strength of the UK car market, as low interest rates and competitive finance deals continue to attract consumers.

‘We have been expecting a levellingoff in demand for some time now – a development that is being realised following an unprecedented three and a half years of non-stop growth.’

The top 10 best-sellers in November were the Ford Fiesta (7,826 units registered), Vauxhall Corsa (7,267), Ford Focus (4,868), Volkswagen Golf (4,336), Vauxhall Mokka (3,928), Mini (3,464), Nissan Qashqai (3,306), Vauxhall Insignia (3,197), Audi A3 (3,190) and Vauxhall Astra (3,141).

The best performers so far this year are the Ford Fiesta (124,457 units registered), Vauxhall Corsa (85,163), Ford Focus (78,834), Volkswagen Golf (68,593), Nissan Qashqai (57,565), VW Polo (51,725), Vauxhall Astra (48,628), Audi A3 (45,327), Mini (41,705) and Vauxhall Mokka (40,995).

2015 will be a record breaker, say the experts INDUSTRY observers and analysts are now predicting new car sales are likely to exceed 2.6 million in 2015, making it the biggest year on record.

Philip Nothard, CAP consumer and retail editor, said: ‘We are predicting sales will exceed 2.6m vehicles, and while pre-registration has played a part in hitting this number, we are seeing a shift in the way we purchase a vehicle.

‘The rise in PCP and a wide variety of leasing products means manufacturers 112 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

are able to offer some eye-catching deals. The UK car industry is coming to the end of one of its biggest years for a decade, exceeding pre-recession sales in 2008 and post-recession sales in 2014. Used vehicle sales are set to hit 7.5 million, as strong demand continues to drive the market.’

John Leech, head of automotive at KPMG UK, agreed, saying: ‘It seems certain that 2015 will break the all-time sales record for new

cars. Manufacturers are maintaining their levels of incentives fuelled by the strength of sterling, and with an expected year-end pre-registration push, we expect that 2.62 million cars will be sold in 2015, beating the 2.58 million record set in 2003.

‘Although diesel sales have remained steady, Volkswagen is suffering as a direct consequence of the ‘‘dieselgate’’ publicity, with sales figures down 20 per cent in November.’

SMMT sales data Nov/year to date

5

Top

Most-improved manufacturers in November

smart +442% Infiniti +213% Jeep +121% Abarth

+100%

SsangYong +99%

5

Bottom

Worst-performing manufacturers in November Perodua -100% Chrysler -100% Lexus -32% Lotus -30% Citroen -28%

BENTLEY +20%

SUZUKI -10% Figures supplied by SMMT

Marque Abarth Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Chevrolet Chrysler Citroen Dacia DS Fiat Ford Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Kia Land Rover Lexus Lotus Maserati Mazda Mercedes-Benz MG Mia Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Perodua Peugeot Porsche Proton Renault Saab Seat Skoda smart SsangYong Subaru Suzuki Toyota Vauxhall Volkswagen Volvo Other British Other imports Total

November 2015 2015

227 375 80 11,083 88 11,963 1 0 4,216 2,438 1,549 3,747 21,597 3,692 6,174 72 2,140 768 5,103 6,535 765 29 84 2,432 9,929 249 0 4,917 1,529 8,803 0 6,722 909 0 5,844 0 2,711 4,815 705 247 218 1,932 6,172 20,945 12,958 3,790 43 280 178,876

% market share 0.13 0.21 0.04 6.20 0.05 6.69 0.00 0.00 2.36 1.36 0.87 2.09 12.07 2.06 3.45 0.04 1.20 0.43 2.85 3.65 0.43 0.02 0.05 1.36 5.55 0.14 0.00 2.75 0.85 4.92 0.00 3.76 0.51 0.00 3.27 0.00 1.52 2.69 0.39 0.14 0.12 1.08 3.45 11.71 7.24 2.12 0.02 0.16

November 2014 2014

113 374 41 11,594 73 12,355 0 52 5,925 1,729 0 4,739 19,159 2,954 5,952 23 1,291 347 5,099 3,370 1,138 42 70 2,360 8,808 170 0 4,643 1,497 10,752 2 6,772 916 0 5,686 0 3,559 5,409 130 124 208 2,167 6,037 16,653 16,196 3,613 50 135 172,327

% market share 0.07 0.22 0.02 6.73 0.04 7.17 0.00 0.03 3.44 1.00 0.00 2.75 11.12 1.71 3.45 0.01 0.75 0.20 2.96 1.96 0.66 0.02 0.04 1.37 5.11 0.10 0.00 2.69 0.87 6.24 0.00 3.93 0.53 0.00 3.30 0.00 2.07 3.14 0.08 0.07 0.12 1.26 3.50 9.66 9.40 2.10 0.03 0.08

% change 100.88 0.27 95.12 -4.41 20.55 -3.17 0.00 -100.00 -28.84 41.01 0.00 -20.93 12.73 24.98 3.73 213.04 65.76 121.33 0.08 93.92 -32.78 -30.95 20.00 3.05 12.73 46.47 0.00 5.90 2.14 -18.13 -100.00 -0.74 -0.76 0.00 2.78 0.00 -23.83 -10.98 442.31 99.19 4.81 -10.84 2.24 25.77 -19.99 4.90 -14.00 107.41 3.80

2015 2,566 4,695 884 157,565 1,284 150,210 10 137 75,237 24,225 7,257 60,022 312,006 50,623 82,846 1,129 22,035 10,035 75,023 61,608 12,375 358 1,365 43,276 136,362 2,869 0 56,211 21,200 144,162 0 97,662 11,612 0 69,615 0 45,569 69,883 7,803 3,150 3,153 32,489 93,940 248,936 209,369 39,865 683 2,122 2,453,426

Year-to-date (YTD) % market share 0.10 0.19 0.04 6.42 0.05 6.12 0.00 0.01 3.07 0.99 0.30 2.45 12.72 2.06 3.38 0.05 0.90 0.41 3.06 2.51 0.50 0.01 0.06 1.76 5.56 0.12 0.00 2.29 0.86 5.88 0.00 3.98 0.47 0.00 2.84 0.00 1.86 2.85 0.32 0.13 0.13 1.32 3.83 10.15 8.53 1.62 0.03 0.09

2014

1,516 5,194 791 150,974 1,364 136,433 2,774 1,833 78,215 22,359 0 63,166 306,134 50,084 77,408 667 17,045 3,589 73,618 52,548 10,863 230 1,088 36,069 116,645 2,198 5 46,489 14,443 129,576 29 98,057 8,347 1 61,172 3 49,620 70,873 4,329 1,466 2,564 35,342 88,325 246,015 200,353 38,343 738 1,342 2,310,237

% market share 0.07 0.22 0.03 6.54 0.06 5.91 0.12 0.08 3.39 0.97 0.00 2.73 13.25 2.17 3.35 0.03 0.74 0.16 3.19 2.27 0.47 0.01 0.05 1.56 5.05 0.10 0.00 2.01 0.63 5.61 0.00 4.24 0.36 0.00 2.65 0.00 2.15 3.07 0.19 0.06 0.11 1.53 3.82 10.65 8.67 1.66 0.03 0.06

% change 69.26 -9.61 11.76 4.37 -5.87 10.10 -99.64 -92.53 -3.81 8.35 0.00 -4.98 1.92 1.08 7.03 69.27 29.28 179.60 1.91 17.24 13.92 55.65 25.46 19.98 16.90 30.53 -100.00 20.91 46.78 11.26 -100.00 -0.40 39.12 -100 13.80 -100.00 -8.16 -1.40 80.25 114.87 22.97 -8.07 6.36 1.19 4.50 3.97 -7.45 58.12 6.20

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 113

TAKING STOCK. Remarketing specialist BCA analyses its latest Pulse report to give its thoughts on matters that are important to dealers for the months ahead

November, another strong price performance month in the UK’s used car market But volume sellers need to reappraise and revalue any vehicles that are proving difficult to remarket, says UK network operations director Simon Henstock

T

he headline average value for a used car reached a record level in November as we reported another strong month for price performance in the used car market.

The average value of a used car sold at BCA in November increased to £8,126, a £134 (1.6 per cent) rise compared to October despite performance against CAP Clean falling by half a percentage point to 96.15 per cent.

A small change in sector mix contributed to the rise, as higher-value fleet and lease cars represented a slightly larger percentage during the month. Year-onyear, average values were up by £51 (0.6 per cent), with age static and mileage continuing to fall.

Performance against CAP was up by nearly one percentage point compared to 2014.

While average values for fleet/lease and partexchange cars both fell back slightly from the record levels seen in October, both remained well ahead year-on-year, with the fleet and lease value being the second highest on record.

However, issues over condition and presentation remain.

While average values remain exceptionally strong, this reflects the development of a two-tier market, where the best vehicles sell quickly for often exceptional values, while the less attractive or over-valued cars struggle to attract the same sort of attention.

It is important that the less desirable cars are properly appraised and valued in line with market sentiment, otherwise there is a risk they will remain unsold, putting pressure on conversion rates.

Volume sellers particularly need to pay attention to this and reappraise and revalue any vehicles that are proving difficult to remarket, rather than simply adhering to a one-size-fits-all pricing strategy.

Fleet and lease car values averaged £9,778 in November, a fall of £70 (0.7 per cent) compared to October, but still the second highest

Average value of a used car sold at BCA

£8,126

114 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

average value recorded for fleet and lease stock since Pulse began reporting. Retained value against original MRP (Manufacturer’s Retail Price) was down slightly at 41.04 per cent, with age and mileage broadly static.

Compared to November 2014, average fleet and lease values were up by £145 (1.5 per cent), with performance against CAP Clean up and retained value down slightly on 2014.

Average values for dealer part-exchange cars also declined from the record levels seen in October down by £87 (1.9 per cent) to £4,314 over the month, equivalent to 96.5 per cent of CAP Clean. Year-on-year values remain ahead by £126 (3.0 per cent), with CAP Clean performance ahead by nearly three percentage points compared to a year ago.

Nearly-new values fell by £373 (1.7 per cent) to £21,403 when compared to October.

Model mix has a significant effect in this very low volume sector, as we always point out.

CAP Clean performance fell to 99.13 per cent from 101.54 per cent in October.

Year-on-year average values up by

£51

MARKET INSIGHT.

..in association with ASE-global.com

VW uncertainty is hitting order books, but the UK’s economic outlook is good Further consolidation is expected before the start of the new year, according to Mike Jones

L

isted motor retailers reported mixed share price performances in November, despite strong results being released by Cambria and Caffyns. It is clear that the Volkswagen emissions scandal is impacting order books in the dealerships, and with some uncertainty around the fixes to affected vehicles, it is likely to continue to influence customers.

The FTSE100 as a whole also saw some rebound from October, but it still remains down on the year. UK economic forecasts are strong into 2016, and this bodes well for motor retail.

November saw some notable increases in share prices, representing the market’s reaction to the positive trading announcements made by Caffyns and Cambria.

Vertu’s share price also continues to increase, influenced by the continued strong performance in the sector, and the added earnings from the recent acquisition of South Hereford.

The other groups’ prices have increased since the turn of the year, but have fallen back in the month of November. Marshall will be boosted by the group’s biggest ever acquisition of SG Smith towards the end of the month.

Financial performance Two of the dealer groups provided the market with trading updates this month. Cambria posted

Share price movement from Jan 1 to November 27, 2015

Share price movement from Jan 1 to October 30, 2015

Pendragon

133.1%

137.7%

Vertu

127.4%

124.9%

Lookers

130.8%

135.3%

Inchcape

107.8%

110.3%

Cambria

153.2%

144.7%

Caffyns

102.7%

101.8%

Marshall

110.5%

112.1%*

*movement since admission to AIM on April 2 their final year-end results to August 2015 which saw them go past the £500 million revenue mark for the first time and improve profitability by 43 per cent year-on-year.

A key driver for the increase in earnings was the shift of mix towards Land Rover, upping gross profit per new unit by more than £165 compared to last year. Cambria continues to drive strong used vehicle profits and their used return on investment at 137 per cent clearly shows this is the case when compared to the industry average or circa 77 per cent.

This is helped by their ‘Velocity’ strategy, designed to keep used cars in stock for as short a time as possible, helping them to boost used gross profit per unit by 5.3 per cent to £1,395 when compared with 2014. Aftersales gross profit grew by 7.9 per cent, a solid performance against a backdrop of an ever-increasing UK car parc.

Half-year results were published by Caffyns which showed a healthy first six-month performance to the end of September. Underlying profit before tax rose by 30 per cent to £1.5m when compared to the same period in 2014.

All areas of the business have contributed to the rise in earnings, with like-for-like new and used vehicle revenues up by 9.3 per cent and 11.4 per cent respectively.

Reporting a fourth successive year of growth, the group announced an increased dividend of 7.25p (6.75p in 2014) and a rise in basic EPS of 35 per cent. The group did warn that the Volkswagen emissions scandal is affecting inquiry rates, and that short-term performance is expected to be negatively influenced until there is certainty on a fix for those vehicles affected.

Transactional activity November reported the Marshall acquisition of SG Smith for £24.4 million. This addition further increases the Marshall’s partnership with Audi, adding a further five sites to their existing presence with the premium brand.

The purchase also represents an extension to the geographical representation in the UK. Given the post plate-change timing of the transaction, it is expected to be marginally earnings dilutive in the short term, but the benefits of scale with an existing brand partner will definitely be seen medium to long term.

Following the robust announcements in the month regarding profitability and cash generation, we remain expectant of further consolidation of the market between now and 2016.

A key factor in Cambria’s increase in earnings was its shift of mix towards Jaguar Land Rover cars

Who is Mike Jones?

He’s the chairman of dealer profitability specialist ASE plc. You can read ASE’s column here every month CarDealerMag.co.uk | 115

AUCTIONS.

Henstock AUCTION STATIONS

Get the spec to match the car for sales success

O

Gold! Aston Barclay is rewarded for providing great service and value LeasePlan accreditation is seen as an accolade for the entire group

S

taff at Aston Barclay’s Leeds site, pictured above, were delighted to be given two awards from the vehicle management company LeasePlan for their strong performance throughout the third quarter of 2015.

The Hillidge Road site scored extremely strongly for its value and service offering in LeasePlan’s overview for Q3, ranking first in value between July and September.

With a nine-in-ten conversion rate, Aston Barclay’s Leeds auction centre topped the field for Q3, while also achieving one of the highest CAP performance percentages of any site measured.

September was also the third time in 2015 that Leeds had topped the valueranking tables of measured sites – the only assessed site to do so.

In terms of service, Leeds registered a perfect rating, achieving platinum status when graded on administration, valet, lineup, timing and late notifications.

The achievements led to the site being named best service provider and the one providing best auction value.

Aston Barclay’s Prees Heath and Westbury sites also contributed to an incredibly strong quarter for the UK’s largest independent auction group. Both sites were bestowed with gold awards for their service levels, while they also performed strongly when judged on value.

The strong quarter for all measured Aston Barclay sites enabled the group to achieve a gold accreditation for its overall performance.

Lisa Grimsley, Aston Barclay’s remarketing director north, added: ‘Receiving LeasePlan’s gold accreditation is an accolade for the entire Aston Barclay group, which continuously strives to improve its overall remarketing offering.’

ne of the major changes over recent years has been the trickle-down of specification once only seen in the very best premium models.

Safety and security features such as airbags, remote central locking, anti-lock brakes and other driving aids are expected because used car buyers perceive them as being ‘part of the package’.

DAB is an interesting upgrade in that it is desirable at the moment and will become close to essential when the analogue radio signal is turned off towards the end of this decade. The bar is always rising for in-car entertainment and used car buyers’ expectations are on the up, too.

Connectivity, data and safety are likely to be critical, giving drivers live information about their journey so that blockages and accidents can be avoided, for example, as will an increasing number of driving aids from parking to auto-stopping to avoid accidents. Increasingly, extras such as smartphone connectivity and parking aids are expected on younger used cars.

Whether used car buyers in the years ahead will be prepared to pay a premium for these remains to be seen, however. Do added options also add value? While a lot depends on the make, model, age and condition, the right extras can make any used car more desirable, and that in itself has a value in the wholesale sector.

If you are buying premium models then they should have a good level of specification – attractive paint and trim, leather interior, alloys, all the expected bells and whistles – because low-spec premium cars generally don’t meet the retail customer’s expectations.

Motorists will make decisions about desirability and value and will buy the best used cars they can, avoiding the cars that appear overly expensive, poorly specified or in unattractive colours.

Get the spec that matches the car and you won’t go far wrong.

Who is Simon Henstock?

Simon is UK network operations director for BCA. Visit british-car-auctions.co.uk or call 0845 600 6644.

MAJOR CORPORATE FLEET & MANUFACTURER CAR AUCTIONS 3 100’s of Professional buyers every Thursday 10am – 300 fleet vehicles at Rockingham and Belfast 3 Live Bid 2 online technology available from smartphone and tablet 3 Buy with confidence - corporate vehicles subject to mechanical health check and 20+ digital images 3 Competitive buyer fees - buy five cars or more and qualify for Platinum rates

ENTRIES INVITED FROM CORPORATE VENDORS WORLD CLASS FACILITIES – FIRST RATE SERVICE Click www.cityauctiongroup.com for vehicle details, images and NAMA inspection reports 116 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

JLR eyes sales and marketing base in Silverstone takeover. bit.ly/silverstone94

Celebrities’ cars are the auction stars as hall is jam-packed with interested buyers Charles Dance attends sale but David Beckham stays away as their vehicles prove to be lucrative lots

A

pair of fantastic celebrity-owned cars helped Classic Car Auctions (CCA) achieve a record sales rate of 75 per cent and record total sales of more than £770,000 in its sale on December 5.

Taking place at its new permanent home, the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, just outside Leamington Spa, a very special 1967 Ford Mustang Convertible owned by the renowned actor Charles Dance was successfully hammered away in a packed-out auction hall for £33,550.

Dance himself attended the sale to see his car sold for nearly £10,000 above its lower estimate.

Viewed with much interest from hundreds of buyers at the sale, a 2007 Range Rover Sport, exclusively designed and first owned by David Beckham, was sold for £31,350, more than £8,000 above its lower estimate.

The highest value lot of the sale, a 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series II 2+2 Auto, sold for £46,750. The car had been beautifully restored over many years by the vendor, whose hard work and dedication were clear to see.

Those after a modern classic

were impressed by the 1995 Ferrari 348 Spider. The low-mileage example, which was presented in the superb colour combination of Rosso Corsa with a Nero leather interior, had been lovingly cared for and sold for £42,625.

Commenting on the results, CCA general manager Guy Lees-Milne said: ‘I’m delighted that we have achieved such great prices for our vendors in what was one of our best catalogues of the year, and it’s great to see customers old and new extremely happy with their new cars.’

Porsches continue to prove in demand at auction. A great-value 1971 Porsche 911T was sold for £29,920 – more than £9,000 above its lower estimate – and a fantastic-looking 2006 Porsche Cayman S was sold for £15,180 after an intense bidding battle between buyers in the room.

For the quirky classic car collector, an incredibly rare 1975 Citroen DS23 Pallas proved a hit, selling

for £26,620, which was more than £8,000 above its lower estimate.

Another expertly restored car, a 1973 MGB Roadster presented in Old English White with a red roof and interior, was hammered away for £13,750, while a 1993 MG RV8, one of only two pre-production ex-factory cars, was sold for £17,270. CCA is now inviting entries for its 2016 sales, which will all take place at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, the next sale being on March 19.

Specialising in ‘everyman’ classics valued at between approximately £5,000 and £50,000, those looking to sell a car are encouraged to get in touch soon. Lees-Milne said: ‘It’s been a very busy and successful first year for us at CCA and we’ve sold some great cars. We look forward to welcoming even more buyers to our sales next year.’

Charles Dance’s Ford Mustang Convertible, right, and David Beckham’s Range Rover Sport, above, proved to be star attractions at CCA’s sale

Car dealer May 2015

24/4/15

10:53

Page 1

No cowboys.

Just Just trade trade professionals. professionals.

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

Purpose built 12 acre auction complex .

Enclosed and heated auction halls.

Fleet Car Sales every Monday & Thursday.

Excellent variety of weekly stock from premium sources.

Collection of vehicles 24 hours a day.

Fixed cost buyer’s premium.

Excellent on-site restaurant.

Call now for account applications.

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

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 117

We have what you need.

We have more candidates, more recruiters and fill more vacancies than any other UK automotive recruitment company.

We have over 100,000 candidates only a phone call away from one of our 45 automotive recruitment specialists.

Dealer Principals, Sales and Aftersales Managers, Vehicle Technicians, Service Advisors, Sales Executives – Fact is, there isn’t a vacancy in the motor trade we can’t fill.

Get in touch with us today to find your perfect placement.

UK’s No.1 automotive recruitment consultancy

PROUD SUPPORTERS OF

01603 701077

perfectplacement.co.uk 118 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

WINNER ‘Recruitment Agency of the Year ’

#CDPower

RECRUITMENT.

CAP and HPI go for growth with three new appointments ‘Vital to have the right people in place to create a world-class brand’

O

ne of the UK’s largest automotive data businesses is gearing up for growth in the UK and significant international expansion with three new appointments.

Leeds-based CAP and HPI employ 160 staff and provides both data and insight to the automotive trade and consumers.

Joel Albyn, pictured right, a former director of product management and global ecommerce strategy for Walmart, joins the business as director of innovation and product management. He will lead the rollout of new data products and devise new digital strategies.

He had been working between Walmart’s innovation labs in San Francisco and the UK, leading a team

of product and project managers.

Roland Barzegar has been appointed as chief of staff. Barzegar will coordinate programme management and support the managing director with the acquisition strategy. He joins from Plusnet, where he was finance director and sat on the board. His

MMG careers advert_Layout 1 26/07/2012 15:29 Page 1

Only

Dave is head of operations A NEW head of operations has been appointed at GardX Assure Ltd. Dave Allmark has moved from QBE to take up the position after 29 years within the motor trade and insurance industry.

At QBE, he headed up the company’s UK claims operation. His CV includes various senior management positions in franchised dealers and groups; 10 years of claims and operations management with Warranty Holdings; and consultancy positions with NIG and The Warranty Group.

Allmark said: ‘GardX Assure has firmly established its position in this sector. I look forward to playing a key role in the development of the insured operation and helping to take the GardX brand to the next level.’

Reach new heights... need apply!

Marshall Motor Group is part of a unique family owned group of companies with a turnover approaching £1bn (35% growth), with interests also in the aerospace and ground systems sectors. We celebrated our Centenary in 2009 and we are still growing in size.

At Marshall, wherever we work, we all play a big part in ensuring that our sales and profit targets are met, not least by providing our customers with a fantastic level of service which means identifying their needs, and responding to them quickly.

With our strong customer centric and people focus it is not surprising that we have received some enviable accolades including "Dealer Group of the Year" and being shortlisted for "Employer of the Year" and we are committed to building on our achievements to date.

marshallweb.co.uk

previous roles include spells at Ernst & Young and PWC. Andrea Preston joins the business as head of HR, automotive. She will lead a record period of recruitment for the business.

Preston has held senior HR roles in legal firm Taylor Wessing and technology business PACE. Ian Rendle, managing director of CAP and HPI said: ‘We are building a world-class brand, and it is important to have the right people in place.’

The move follows a restructure of the senior management team to sit across both the CAP and HPI brands.

CAP and HPI coming together creates the only UK-based business with decision-support data and software solutions spanning vehicle valuation, validation, collision, mechanical repair, and total cost of ownership.

Ask CAP HPI, p19

GARDX ASSURE

We are looking for talented automotive professionals to join our team. If this is you and you share our passion for being the best then you can look forward to a great benefits package, the chance to build on your skills and experience with ongoing training, plus all the encouragement and support you need to develop a rewarding, long-term career with us.

Please go to

www.marshallcareers.co.uk

...with a career at Vertu Motors

Welcome to Vertu Motors PLC, the largest growing motor retailer in the UK Whether you’re starting your career or changing jobs, it is important that you apply to join a company that is right for you, one that shares your values, will appreciate your work ethic and reward your achievements.

It is not that different from buying a car.

Get it right and you’ll feel good every time you make a journey. Get it wrong, however, and you’ll never feel satisfied. Choosing an employer is similar but, considering how much time we spend at work, it is far more important to get that choice right. After all, this is a decision that will literally change the course of your life. You need to know, however, that we are equally choosey when deciding who will make this journey with us. You would expect no less.

to find out more about the Group and see our current vacancies.

To apply or to explore all our exciting career opportunities, visit...

www.vertucareers.com

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 119

SuperUnleaded.com THE GRID

Top stories, accelerated by you...

SuperUnleaded is your new motoring service station where you choose what’s important. Like a post? #AccelerateIt up The Grid for others following in your slipstream and help set the starting line-up of timewasting content for everyone else.

Fuel for thought

Daily motoring news where you help choose what’s important. From the makers of award-winning @CarDealerMag straight out of @BlackballMedia

facebook.com/superunleaded

twitter.com/SprUnld 120 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Never A Dull Moment For F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton

Motorist Sees Police Chase, Joins In, But Sadly Fails

So, you’ve just won your third Formula One World Championship. Time for a rest, right?

Not if you’re Lewis Hamilton, who swapped his Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid for a dune buggy.

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12224

Seeing a police chase fast approaching in West Valley City, Utah, Rachelle Fernandez decided to use her Toyota Tacoma to aid the police.

However, her valiant effort backfired rather...

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12223

Flame-Spitting Nissan GT-R Makes Light Work Of Snow

Special Suit Shows Dangers Of Doing Drugs And Driving

When it comes to winter motoring, you want a sensible off-roader, right? Well, this GT-R prefers to unleash 550hp of Nissan’s finest horsepower – and there are flames, too.

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12179

Anyone driving while under the influence of drugs is up to 30 times more likely to have a serious crash. Ford has created a special suit that highlights the dangers of such behaviour.

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12121

Hatchback Is Swapped For Porsche 911 In This Great Test

Aston Martin Vulcan Makes A Pit Stop In Downtown Dubai

You’d be pretty terrified if you turned up for your driving test to find out that the city runabout you’d got used to had been swapped for a new Porsche 911 – right?

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12190

An Aston Martin Vulcan was in Dubai for a VIP reception to mark a special showing of the new James Bond film Spectre. While there, it made a pitstop outside the brand’s showroom.

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12324

Drift Cars Fly Around A Disused Shopping Mall

Dust Flies As Lamborghini Aventador Does Donuts

Hoonigan has produced a video with two Nissan drift cars going sideways through an abandoned shopping mall – and it’s good. In fact, it’s a whole lot better than good…

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12093

We’re sure most people would be able to find something better to do with a 200mph supercar than go off road for stunts. But one insane driver decided to do just that.

Visit: superunleaded.com/?p=12197

KEY NOTES

..in association with Traka

Driverless disruption?

The autonomous age might affect the way dealerships operate, says Paul Smith

L

ike many people driving long commutes daily, I’ve been doing some thinking about whether there is a better way. All too often, I find myself sitting in traffic jams contemplating the amount of driver error that has contributed to the motorway ‘incidents’ holding us all up. I have often imagined how driverless cars might take some of this pain away. After all, official figures tell us that driver error is a factor in 90 per cent of car accidents today.

It is not simply that we are getting worse at driving, but the roads in front of us are filling up.

Many are very close to capacity and we cannot keep widening them. The amount of vehicle miles car drivers are putting in all over the UK is rising at a rate of more than two per cent per year and now stands at 244.5 billion vehicle miles.

As our roads fill up, tolerance for driver error falls and more accidents occur.

Sadly, injuries and deaths in those accidents are also now creeping up year on year, despite increased vehicle safety features.

But what if more of us left the driving to our autonomous vehicles? Would we see accident numbers fall, road safety levels increase and journey times shorten? Technology companies such as Google and Bosch, and car manufacturers such as Toyota and Volvo have been pumping millions into development to answer these questions in the affirmative.

By June this year, Google announced that its 23 driverless vehicles had now driven more than a million miles – ‘equivalent of 75 years of typical US adult driving’, and that in the process they had encountered 200,000 stop signs, 600,000 traffic lights and 180 million other vehicles.

These cars that are being tested on public roads have been involved in a total of 12 accidents over

the past six years driving around on public roads.

All of those accidents involved being rear-ended or side-swiped by other vehicles.

But is the technology too expensive for you and me? Google’s cars have about £100,000 of equipment on board, including a £46,000 roof-mounted laser scanner system. LiDAR, as it is called, is a 64-beam laser that measures distances by illuminating a target with a laser and analysing the reflected light. It allows the vehicle to generate a detailed 3D map of its environment.

The car then takes these generated maps and combines them with high-resolution maps of the world, producing different types of data models that allow it to drive itself. Several US states have already changed their laws to allow driverless cars on their public roads and Google expects to be able to offer its first driverless car by 2020.

In an interesting twist, we will be testing cars as well as drivers for readiness to drive on public roads. There is talk of driverless cars having to do 10,000 miles of ‘safe road driving’ before being given a road licence in the States.

You could argue that the driverless car, or at least elements of it, are already here. Many highend cars already come with lane-keeping systems.

Others offer self-parking systems.

Self-driving trials are now under way in the UK. In Milton Keynes, courtesy of the UK Automotive Council and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the LUTZ Pathfinder project has delivered the UK’s first three driverless electric-powered ‘pods’, which can take you from Milton Keynes central rail station to a nearby shopping mall.

However, the big issue appears to be when will we be able to trust driverless cars to drive better than the average driver on our roads?

The boffins in places such as Oxford University have been working hard on the issue of machine learning – applying neural computing techniques (based on integration of deep learning and reasoning models) to autonomous vehicles.

The idea is that the computer in the driverless car will be able to exercise judgment, thereby compensating for the fact that they cannot do what humans do, eg, send non-verbal signals to other drivers in order to negotiate who goes first to avoid collisions in traffic or at junctions.

Machine learning aside, Google tells us that driverless cars could be on our roads within just four years. That leaves a few questions for car dealerships. Just how disruptive will the driverless car be for them?

Will autonomous vehicles be programmed to automatically book themselves in for services when they fall due or maintenance issues have been detected? Will workshop dealers need to upgrade their IT skills to run IT health checks and firmware upgrades?

Logically, driverless cars will be able to sell with more ‘infotainment’ offerings when new cars are being specced up. Are the manufacturers that you currently sell preparing for these changes?

Maybe 2016 is the year to answer some of these fascinating questions.

Who is Paul Smith?

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

Keys can make you money…

Find out how at www.traka-automotive.com The only viable key management solution for automotive POWERED BY

Email sales@etagsolutions.com or call 0845 225 2910 CarDealerMag.co.uk | 121

122 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

HOT PROPERTY

..in association with Rapleys LLP

You couldn’t make it up!

Or could you? Geoffrey R Sayer looks at the world of rent reviews...

T

he Christmas season often brings with it the latest sci-fi or fantasy blockbuster transporting us to worlds where the impossible and the fantastic become reality. This year is no different and the long awaited seventh instalment in a renowned intergalactic franchise will do the job for us and our kids this festive season.

But let me put forward the notion that there is a wider scope to the idea of an artificial world.

For those readers who occupy a property on a lease and those others who have let commercial property out on a lease, the term ‘rent review’ may perhaps be a familiar one. A landlord and a tenant agree what the rental value of their property is at a certain date. However, to the uninitiated or the unwary, the process and the mechanism can be fraught with uncertainty, brinkmanship and cost.

It might be as easy as a friendly meeting over a drink but it can be as difficult as a high-stakes game of poker – and just as costly. The common misconception is that the issue, the argument or the battle, however you see it, takes place in the real world – it doesn’t!

The rent review provisions in your lease provide the building blocks to create a parallel world in which your property gets let all over again at your rent review date. The rules of that world, how your buildings and site look in that world and even who does the deal, are set by the lease, the courts and the laws of the land – but whilst they may follow some reality, they do not, repeat do not, have to. So, because the lease was written 20 years ago when everyone took 25-year leases but no-one does now, that is an issue.

Because the property has a showroom now, that is no guarantee that the showroom gets

taken into account, it may even be that none of the buildings on your site get valued in this parallel world or it could be that a completely different building gets valued in its place.

The possibilities are endless and that is before you get to any unintended consequences because something has been left out, or something has been described too vaguely. These issues affect rental value, often being the difference between the rent going up, staying where it is, or even, in a few cases, going down.

Rent review surveyors are the regular visitors to these parallel worlds and understand how they get built, how they work and how to interpret them but beware of spending too long there.

The best advisers also understand the real world because they spend time there too – so taking advice from them in 2016 would be a great thing to do.

Who is Geoffrey R Sayer?

Geoff is a Partner in the market leading Automotive & Roadside Team at Rapleys LLP, providers of specialist property advice for over 30 years

Property & Planning Consultants Search & Acquisitions

Expert Witness

Disposals & Lettings

Rating Appeals

Portfolio Advice

Planning Applications & Appeals

Development Consultancy

Lease Consultancy

Valuations & Appraisals

Building Consultancy & Project Management

Investment Brokerage

For over 30 years Rapleys has been synonymous with the automotive & roadside market, providing our clients with an unmatched continuity of service and level of experience.

For more information on how we can help your business, please contact: Geoff Sayer I 07769 671 488 I grs@rapleys.co.uk

LONDON

HUNTINGDON

MANCHESTER

BRISTOL

EDINBURGH

0370 777 6292 www.rapleys.co.uk CarDealerMag.co.uk | 123

DATA FILE.

James Litton TRADER TALES

Why Mercedes-Benz deserves its success

I

have decided to accept a new general manager role with an ambitious and successful familyowned business on the South Coast starting in January 2016. This means that after an enjoyable four-year period, I will be leaving the Mercedes-Benz network.

There is a danger that this month’s column will read like an editorial written within the walls of Tongwell, but the collective performance in that time of Daimler AG, MercedesBenz UK and the Mercedes-Benz dealers has been very impressive. It is important for me to recognise how strongly I admire Mercedes-Benz and what they have achieved.

During my four years in the brand, Mercedes have experienced perhaps the most halcyon period in their history in this country. Manufacturers with similar aspirations should look to Mercedes as a case study of bringing together the perfect symmetry of the marketing mix.

The product is obviously the most important element of any success in the motor trade.

Mercedes have launched a staggering number of models in the last four years, ranging from the competitively-positioned A-Class to bonkers niche offerings such as the C63 Black Series and G63 Colour Editions. For an everyday car buyer to see his or her new C-Class alongside the F1-inspired AMG GT truly reinforces the thoroughbred reputation of the cars.

However, whilst the product may stir the desire, it has been the aggressive and competitive nature of the finance campaigns which have delivered the bulk of this growth.

Having been a part of the retailer group which works with the campaign team at Mercedes, I can say that it is no accident that the deals Mercedes-Benz offer have been right on the money.

The growth has come at the expense of mainstream brands who have struggled to compete with the PCP offer of Mercedes’ volume models. Mercedes have utilised social media, especially through a strong VIP campaign, to appeal to a new audience who would have never considered the brand before. This has been a vital part of the appeal of smaller models like the A-Class or SLK. None of the above matters, though, without a dedicated team of people within Mercedes-Benz UK or the network to deliver the volume. It has been a great privilege to work with some of the best individuals in our industry and I wish them all continued success.

‘A privilege to work with some of the best individuals in our industry.’

Who is James Litton?

James is sales manager at Mercedes-Benz of Taunton. He always has something to say about the industry he loves.

124 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Suppliers’

If you’re looking for a motor trade supplier you can find

App development

Key control

Insurance

AppCreatives

Keytracker Ltd

DNA Insurance

Auctions

Automotive data

Insurance

Aston Barclay

HPI Spec Check

W: appcreatives.co.uk T: 020 7544 8636 E: enquiries@appcreatives.co.uk Info: A leading mobile app development company that specialises in automotive mobile apps for all platforms.

W: keytracker.co.uk T: 0121 559 9000 E: sales@keytracker.co.uk Info: No more lost keys! Electronic & mechanical key control systems from 10p per key. Seals, pegs & hangers from stock. Best prices guaranteed.

W: dna-insurance.com T: 0844 2820138 E: mail@dna-insurance.com Info: Save money! Low cost insurance for road risk and / or combined. No 1 provider for motor traders in the UK.

Mapfre Abraxas

W: astonbarclay.net W: hpi.co.uk T: 01245 450700 T: 0845 301 1843 E: info@astonbarclay.net E: thehpiteam@hpi.co.uk HPI Spec Check Info: Aston Barclay delivers national Info: Get the exact options that W: www.hpi.co.uk coverage through its four auction were factory fitted to an individual T: 0845 301 1843 centres, together with proven vehicle to help you identify and online remarketing channels. E: thehpiteam@hpi.co.uk retail the best stock.

W: mapfreabraxas.co.uk T: 0845 6838795 E: contactus@mapfre.co.uk Info: We’re insurance specialists who like to keep everything in-house, which means we can be flexible and innovative.

Auctions

Insurance

Central Car Auctions

Info: Get the exact options that were factory fitted to an individual vehicle to help you E-shot marketing identify and retail the best stock.

DP Publicity

Think Insurance

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: centralcarauctions.com T: 0141 773 6000 E: info@centralcarauctions.co.uk Info: Scotland’s largest indoor auction. More range, more choice with 2,000 vehicles weekly, Mon, Wed & Fri or online via LiveBid.

W: dppublicity.com T: 01924 200797 E: eshots@dppublicity.co.uk Info: Complete e-shot service to customer or prospect database.

Creative & branded design, with distribution and analytics from £95.

Auctions

Finance

Insurance

Manheim Remarketing

Carfinance247

W: carfinance247.co.uk T: 0800 019 7180 E: info@carfinance247.co.uk Info: The UK’s fastest-growing online car finance broker specialising in fast decisions, same-day payouts and market-leading commissions.

Spectrum

W: spectrumfa.co.uk T: 01279 315 013 E: lewis@spectrumfa.co.uk Info: Business Protection Insurance.

Including Ownership and Key Person Insurance. Free no-obligation reviews and advice. All the leading insurers.

Auctions

Finance

Insurance

Newark Motor Auctions

First Response

Unicom

W: manheimremarketing.co.uk T: 0844 856 4545 Info: For further information please call sales support on 0844 856 4545 or visit the website.

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: unicominsurance.com T: 0844 620 1000 E: sales@unicomins.co.uk Info: Specialising in insurance since 1992, Unicom are trading partners with Tradewise – the largest motortrade road-risks insurer in the UK.

Auctions

Finance

Lead Generation

West Oxfordshire Motor Auctions

Glenside Finance Ltd

FindsYou

W: newarkmotorauctions.co.uk T: 01636 671167 Info: East Midlands/Lincs’ largest independent auctions. Main agent, finance and private entries.

Sub-£3,000 our speciality.Friendly welcome for all.

W: woma.co.uk T: 01993 774413 E: enquiries@woma.co.uk Info: Service levels and profitability our focus. Specialists in main dealer PX disposals. Tuesday and Thursday evening sales.

W: glensidefinance.co.uk T: 01329 849434 E: props@glensidefinance.co.uk Info: Long-established subprime lender. Helping you to write the deals you might miss.

Call now to find out more.

W: findsyoucars.com T: 0121 224 7333 E: cardealer@findsyou.com Info: Allows people to list their cars for sale and offers are made by dealers. Allows dealers to buy stock at a fair price.

To have your details included here call (023) 9252 2434 and ask for Suppliers’ Guide listings

guide

Confessions

YOUR REAL STORIES

the details of selected companies here Lead Generation

Stock

Warranties

Moneypenny

Maguires Garage

AutoProtect (MBI) Limited

W: moneypenny.co.uk T: 0333 202 1005 E: hello@moneypenny.co.uk Info: Unanswered telephone calls are a major gripe with car buyers. Never miss another call again – talk to us about a free two-week trial.

W: maguiresgarage.co.uk T: 02890 613141 / 07718 7080343 E: info@maguiresgarage.co.uk Info: New car and van imports in stock and available to order. Contact Stevie or Jim. First-class customer service and very competitive pricing.

Marketing

Training

Admark

W: admark.co.uk T: 01992 636999 E: automotivespecialists@admark.co.uk Info: One call does all advertising & marketing including digital marketing & website management, direct mail, eDM, ppc, seo, social media.

Drive Development Solutions LTD W: drivedevelopment.co.uk T: 0800 133 7070 E: info@drivedevelopment.co.uk Info: Helping the motor industry find, keep and develop talented people by offering training solutions that are innovative, practical and relevant.

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.

Warranties Car Care Plan

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!

Online marketing

Accident management

Warranties

iVendi

Warrantywise

W: ivendi.com T: 0845 226 0503 E: info@ivendi.com Info: Award-winning motor finance calculators and highly-qualified lead generation. See why over 2,700 dealers now work with us.

EDAM Group

W: edamgroup.co.uk T: 0330 333 3344 E: automotive@edamgroup.co.uk Info: Our programmes create extra vehicle sales and fully manage all customers, not just those involved in non-fault accidents.

W: wisedealer.co.uk T: 01254 355104 E: dealers@warrantywise.co.uk Info: Provide your customers with the UK’s best used-car warranty, designed by Quentin Willson.

Paint protection

Vehicle checking

Warranties

Supagard

HPI Check

WMS

Paint protection

Vehicle logistics

Wholesales

GEN-3 Glasscoat

Movex Logistics

Carfleet Wholesale Ltd

Remarketing

Video

Workwear

GlobalOASys

AutosOnShow.TV

Dickies

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: g-3glasscoat.com T: 01753 215 311 E: enquiries@g-3glasscoat.com Info: Existing paint-protection products cannot compete with GEN-3 Glasscoat. It gives your car a ceramic-hardened glass finish.

W: globaloasys.com T: 020 3322 2090 E: sales@globaloasys.com Info: The best and most automated stock-sourcing solution that dealers can get – with hundreds of vehicles available right now.

W: hpi.co.uk T: 0845 301 1812 E: thehpiteam@hpi.co.uk Info: We are the UK’s leading provenance check provider, with 75 years’ experience. Get peace of mind with HPI Check.

W: movex.co.uk T: 0208 551 1060 E: daren@movex.co.uk Info: UK’s largest FREE vehicle logistics platform. With over 5,000 members, place a job, receive quotes, accept favourite, up to 40 per cent savings.

W: autosonshow.tv T: 0800 644 6894 E: info@autosonshow.tv Info: Sell more cars with our multi-award-winning video solution. On-demand video plus live video streaming of your stock.

The UK’s Best Used Car Warranty

W: wmsgroupuk.com T: 01844 293 810 E: dealers@wmsgroupuk Info: Open 24/7, we offer award-winning warranty products for FCA and non-FCA registered dealerships.

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: dickiesworkwear.com T: 01761 410 041 E: eurosales@dickies.com Info: Our workwear range is made to last – our garments are stylish and practical and offer exceptional comfort.

A charity event that gave us all a real Buzz

A

lot of the confessions I have read in Car Dealer seem to be acts of revenge – whether people are getting their own back on horrible bosses or bad-tempered customers.

My tale is no different, I’m afraid. Back in the day, I worked in a dealership that was a bit of an outpost in a network of seven or eight showrooms.

We had a sales manager at our place but presumably to save a bit of money, there was only one DP, and he was at the main ‘head office’ outlet a few miles away. He was an annoying bloke. As well as running his own show, he was in charge of us lot ‘out in the sticks’ as well – and he really enjoyed exercising authority over us.

He had a habit of summoning us to the main dealership for regular briefings, announcements, and even the occasional bo*****ing, when in most cases a phone call or email would have sufficed. These meetings would usually be at the most awkward times as well, almost as if he was trying to cause us maximum inconvenience.

Anyway, we decided to get our own back by summoning him to our place for a change.

We sent him a message to say we were having a special charity day at our dealership. We had a bit of a raffle going, we were charging a few pence for the coffee we normally give away for free, donating £25 from the proceeds of every car sold to charity, that sort of thing.

We asked our boss if he’d like to come along, and we might have accidentally mentioned that the whole thing was fancy dress – a Toy Story theme in fact.

Anyway, you can probably guess the rest. The DP rocked up at our dealership dressed as Buzz Lightyear!

It was absolutely hilarious – expecially as he’s a rather portly chap – and we couldn’t stop laughing. We were all in our normal business attire, of course. But what happened next took us all by surprise.

Instead of telling us all off and retreating back to the big city, he offered to pose with some of the kids who were in the showroom with their mums and dads – and charged them a few quid for the privilege! That all went into the charity pot and we ended up raising far more money than we’d hoped. To infinity and beyond!

‘We might have accidentally mentioned that the whole thing was fancy dress.’

Tell us your story

Have you something to confess? We’d love to hear your tale of woe. Email the editor (you can find our details on page three) or post them on our new forum – simply type cardealermagazine.co.uk/forum into a web browser and get confessing!

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 125

Available on iPad FREE app download free subscription interactive content

Search for ‘Car Dealer Magazine’ in the iTunes store 126 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

Powered by

THE FLEET.

LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Welcome report:

CitroenCactus

Three weeks in, and it’s so far so good when it comes to our newest addition to the fleet...

I

won’t lie to you, I’m actually rather pleased to be in charge of KP65LWH for the next 12 months – and I say that fully aware that, given enough elbowing for the keys, I could probably have nabbed our boosty Focus ST instead.

There’s a couple of reasons I didn’t though.

Firstly, my wallet gets squeezed enough without introducing a thirsty hot hatch into the mix, and secondly, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for Citroen.

I’m not going to go into a reflective monologue about how wonderful the DS was, don’t worry, but I think it’s fair to say that the brand is finally starting to find its mojo again after years of discount-driven sales – and cars like the Cactus are critical to its growth.

So, on to the car itself then. Ours is a top spec ‘Flair’ model with Peugeot-Citroen’s perennial 1.6-litre diesel under the bonnet, offering up a smidge under 100bhp in this guise.

And it’s a manual, rather than Citroen’s (ahem) questionable EGS automatic, although curiously in this day and age it’s only a five-speed ’box – time will tell whether that becomes an annoyance or not.

In terms of kit, our Cactus wants for nothing.

Sat nav, Bluetooth, climate control, cruise control and a reversing camera are all bundled in with this trim, and Citroen has specced a rather natty panoramic roof too. Happy days.

Three weeks in, things are so far so good

– thanks to the busy run-up to our Used Car Awards, the Cactus and I have racked up nearly 2,000 motorway miles already, and I have to say it proves a strangely compelling prospect for a long journey. That typically French combination of soft suspension and sofa-like front seats mean that the Cactus floats up and down motorways with barely an intrusion to the cabin, and thanks to Citroen’s weight-saving endeavours, the 1.6 diesel feels powerful enough even for the fast lane.

Refinement seems pretty good for what’s effectively a big supermini, too (the Cactus is actually based on the C3, believe it or not).

Though to be honest, I’ve been using our car’s

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Citroen C4 Cactus Flair 1.6 BlueHDI 100 Price: £18,765 Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel Power: 97bhp Max speed: 114mph 0-62mph: 10.7 seconds Emissions: 89g/km Mpg: 83.1mpg Mileage this month: 1,742 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Finding that the Cactus doubles as a comfy motorway cruiser.

posher stereo with beefier amp to drown out most of the noise anyway. Speaking of which, I’m more than relieved to see that Citroen has finally got its act together when it comes to designing an infotainment system.

It’s miles better than the ancient set-up in the DS3, and don’t even get me started on the hell that awaits you in the Peugeot 208.

It’s a good job things have improved too, given that the Cactus’s one also takes care of things like climate control and various important settings – clearing the dash of ugly buttons.

That’s really what the Cactus is about: there’s a lot of design for design’s sake, which I’m more than on board with.

Did Citroen need to make the glovebox look like some designer luggage, or pen some matching grab handles for the doors? Of course not, but I’m glad they did.

Personally I’m not convinced about those plastic Airbumps on the outside, but at least they’re distinctive. It’s things like that which transform the Cactus from a slab-sided French hatchback to a desirable, head-turning bit of design – we’ll soon see if the rest of the car lives up to the looks.

Jon Reay (@JonReay) CarDealerMag.co.uk | 127

THE FLEET.

LATEST FROM THE FLEET...

Welcome report:

Third report:

Third report:

HondaCivic Tourer

Mazda2

RenaultTwingo

Seats leave a little to be desired, but the big T looks set to become a popular addition to the fleet

Like being reunited with an old girlfriend...

A memorable journey after a key cock-up

AFTER a lengthy stint out of the country I returned home to find my Mazda 2 privileges had been usurped by one of our journalists...

The result, a ‘hot-desking’ situation driving whatever was left in the yard for the rest of the month. Although it’s never much of a chore, driving brand new cars (my own is just about to turn 16), I was surprised to find how much resentment I felt at losing the Mazda. Not only had it made my commute cheaper with its frugal sips from the diesel tank, but also, similar to Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory – ‘That’s my spot…’

Never was this highlighted more than when the keys were dangled in front of my nose for a ‘one night only’ return to the status quo.

Despite the sexier, faster ST being available, I jumped at the chance.

Similar, I suppose, to getting back with an ex, everything was as remembered but subtly different.

My settings had been changed and the ultimate slap in the proverbial face, my phone number longer connected automatically…

Nothing a few grumpy seconds of fiddling couldn’t fix and once again the Madza was mine and perfect.

Jonathan Fleetwood (@jfleetwoodphoto)

THIS month, admittedly, I haven’t spent too much time with the Twingo. That said, there was one occasion when I urgently needed a set of wheels and the little Twingo was my shining star. I was finishing up in the office before darting out to embark upon a last-minute trip to Farnham, Surrey.

I grabbed the keys and braced myself for the horrendous rainstorm, which saw the office car park turned into a small lake. I made a run for it and, as I reached the driver’s door of my trusty BMW, realised the unlock button clearly wasn’t working.

Silly me. As it turns out, in my frantic rush to hit the road, I’d grabbed the keys to the Twingo.

Soaked to the skin and cursing myself, I jumped in and decided to stick with the French runaround.

The little Twingo didn’t let me down though. It was another stressful journey for the little 0.9-litre car, braving the M27, the A3 and a few back roads in a heavy downpour, but it got me to my destination, and in good time.

I still wish it had a left footrest for motorway commutes, though (see the picture above).

Sophie Williamson-Stothert (@1Sophie_W)

DESPITE being shunted out of my Mazda for most of this month, there was a partial silver lining thanks in no small part to the arrival of our new long-term Honda Civic Tourer.

Being an economical and spacious diesel, this was where I spent most of my ‘non-Mazda’ month.

Having racked up almost 2,000 miles in the couple of weeks between returning from recent travels in India, and this magazine going to print, it is safe to say I have come to know our new team member inside and out.

The Civic manages in many ways to be all things to all people: it is spacious, economical and packed with a great deal of the latest automotive technology.

Technology aside, though, it has to be said one of the simplest features – the drop down compartment in the boot – is immensely useful. My go-to kit, which accompanies me on 90 per cent of shoots (I’m Car Dealer’s staff photographer, in case you didn’t know), fits neatly in this space, resulting in a noticeable reduction in the ominous rolling / thumping sounds which usually accompany me on journeys along fast and winding A and B roads.

With winter rearing its chilly 128 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

head, another feature that proved to be worth its weight in gold were the heated seats. Not only do they get nice and toasty, they do so satisfyingly rapidly.

One thing, however, that I didn’t get on with was the limited range of seat adjustment that was available.

Even at its very lowest setting – and even as a moderate 5ft 10ins guy – I found myself feeling perched on the seat rather than part of it.

And although not exactly uncomfortable, I really wouldn’t want to be any taller.

Overall, it has to be said that the Civic looks to be a very valuable addition to our fleet, and will probably prove popular thanks to its impressive load-lugging ability.

Jonathan Fleetwood (@jfleetwoodphoto)

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Civic Tourer 1.6i-DTEC SR Price: £24,940 Engine: 1.6i-DTEC Power: 120bhp, 300Nm Max speed: 121mph 0-62mph: 10.5s Emissions: 103g/km Mileage this month: 2,517 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Making the most of the Tourer’s toasty heated seats

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Mazda 2 1.5D SE-L Nav Price: £16,395 Engine: 1.5-litre turbodiesel Power: 104bhp Max speed: 111mph 0-60mph: 10.1sec Emissions: 89g/km Mpg: 83.1 (combined) Mileage this month: Nowhere near enough with me!

THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT The car coming back to me, briefly!

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Renault Twingo Dynamique S Energy TCe 90 Price: £12,545 Engine: 0.9-litre petrol Power: 98bhp Max speed: 103mph 0-60mph: 10.6sec Emissions: 99g/km Mpg: 65.7 (combined) Mileage this month: 566 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT I was safe and dry on a tricky drive

LONGTERMERS

Third report:

Fifth report:

Farewell report:

Farewell report:

MitsubishiL200

FordFocus ST

RenaultMegane

KaiProcee’d GT

Disney or disaster?

It’s tree-buying time...

What a great idea! Why don’t others follow suit?

It’s goodbye to a very competent all-rounder

Cheerio to a popular member of the fleet

IT’S that time of year where our family heads off to pick out a Christmas tree – and while each year I convince myself it’s going to be a Disney moment, it is, inevitably, a stressful ordeal that results in an argument, followed by a silent drive home and then another argument.

This year, at least, borrowing the L200 took a lot of the stress out of it. The usual debate over size (my wife always wants a bigger one) wasn’t necessary because rather than trying to cram it into the back of our hatchback, with our daughter hidden beneath the spruce, we simply chucked it in the back of the pick-up and went on our merry way.

The new L200 Series Five has delivered something of a Christmas bonus to Mitsubishi dealers too.

Having arrived in showrooms in September, the new model has helped L200 sales increase by around 60 per cent and it’s easy to see why.

Having made improvements to 330 areas from the fourth-generation vehicle, Mitsubishi’s latest pick-up is best in class at just about everything you want it to be.

And of course, the car is capable of carrying much more than just a Christmas tree!

Gareth Bethell (@garethbethell)

GIVEN the number of cars that we see here at Car Dealer Towers, you won’t be surprised to learn that we get to see our fair share of new bits of kit. Most of these are gadgets with questionable value, in an attempt to try to set a particular model apart from its rivlas. However, occasionally, something comes along that makes you wonder why it hasn’t been thought of before.

If I needed a new reason to love the ST (which I didn’t), the automatic door edge protectors are it and in the recent storms they have saved me a couple of times from nasty chips and damage.

My drive runs down the side of my house and a couple of times the wind has caught the Focus doors, whipping them open.

No problem, the ingenious plastic door edge protector that pops out when the door opens comes to the rescue. It’s a simple solution and one of those rare genius ideas that comes along every now and then.

Why everyone else hasn’t followed suit yet is beyond me!

Yet another reason why I would put my own money into a new ST, not that I needed it, this is the car that keeps on giving!

Andy Entwistle (@CarDealerAndy)

AFTER racking up the thick end of 5,000 miles behind the rather nice leather steering wheel of our Megane Coupé, we’ve waved goodbye to the sleek Renault.

It’s been quite a sad parting too, the Megane being a competent all-rounder and its looks, although penned a good few years ago, proving to have plenty of appeal.

Well, in my eyes anyway.

The finish was much better than I’d anticipated too, and although the fancy door sill coverings were perhaps a little unnecessary, the rest of the limited specification was pretty handy with the panoramic sunroof adding a good dose of welcome light into the coupe’s interior and the smart black cloth trim giving the supportive seats a bit of a retro sporty look.

I’m definitely going to miss it, especially as it swallowed up the miles so well and it didn’t leave me feeling any more knackered than I was when I got in it.

There’s no time to be sad though, because the Megane fairy has already made a return visit and this time she’s brought one with bigger wheels and chucked in another couple of doors too.

Christian Tilbury (@christilbury1)

IT was the morning after the Used Car Awards and, not surprisingly, energy levels were a bit low. The Brewery in central London is an amazing venue for our annual event but it’s a bugger to drive to from Car Dealer Towers on the South Coast.

My colleagues Sophie, Cliff and I weren’t particularly looking forward to the journey home in LG64MPF, given that the journey up to ‘town’ the day before had taken the best part of three hours.

Fortunately, however, our sporty little Kia is (as I think I have mentioned before) the perfect companion for city-centre driving and made light work of the battle through the traffic south of the Thames as we headed to the A3.

Once back in the office I put in a call to the Kia press office. A conversation in the car had revolved around the fact that it didn’t seem to have been serviced for a while – and was any maintenance due?

Sadly, this seemed to remind them that the car was due for collection! Not my intention at all!

So to cut a long story short, I handed the keys (and the car) back a few days later. She’ll definitely be much missed.

Dave Brown (@CarDealerDave)

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Mitsubishi L200 Warrior Double Cab (manual) Price: £27,658 (commercial vehicle list price, excluding VAT, is £23,049) Engine: 2.4 litre MIVEC diesel Power: 178 bhp Max Speed: 111 mph 0-60mph: 10.3s Emissions: 173g/km Mileage this month: 789 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Our daughter not getting the needle...

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Ford Focus ST-3 5-door Price: £27,730 Engine: 2.0-litre 6-speed manual Power: 247bhp Max speed: 154mph 0-62mph: 6.5sec Emissions: 159g/km Mpg: 41.5 (combined) Mileage this month: 944 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Keeping the car in tip-top condition despite my awkward driveway

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Renault Mégane Coupé Limited Nav dCi 110 Price: £21,945, (as tested £22,565) Engine: 1.5-litre dCi diesel Power: 110bhp Max speed: 118mph 0-60mph: 12.1 seconds Emissions: 90g/km Mpg: 80.7mpg (combined) Mileage this month: 978 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Swapping one Megane for another

THE KNOWLEDGE Model: Kia Procee’d 1.6 T-GDi GT Price: £22,495 (as tested) Engine: 1.6-litre petrol Power: 201bhp Max speed: 143mph 0-60mph: 7.4s Emissions: 171g/km Mpg: 38.2 (combined) Mileage this month: 1,222 THIS MONTH’S HIGHLIGHT Making light work of London traffic after Car Dealer’s big night CarDealerMag.co.uk | 129

BAGGOTT.

Have you got our FREE iPad app? Download it here bit.ly/CDMiPad

Why should I pay more just because I’m not a new customer?

W

e all have to have it, we all hate it and it always comes around faster than you think it should. No, I’m not talking about your prostate exam, I am of course referring to that other painful experience: paying for car insurance. This month, I’ve had the dreaded bill drop through the letterbox, but it’s the experience which followed that makes me think car insurance could easily become the next PPI mis-selling scandal. Or in fact a whole lot worse.

Let me explain what happened to me before I rant, because it’s been a month since the last one of those and I’m in the mood for a vicious one. Aforementioned letter landed on the mat and I just about managed to save it from the jaws of the New Dog before it became shredded paper.

Letter safely in my hand, I discovered that for my wife’s Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the insurer – who will remain nameless so I can really rant – wanted £384 for another year’s cover. Which, considering she drove our last car into our house twice, is quite a good deal. (We’ll see if she actually reads my column now, won’t we?)

So, being the bargain hunter that I am, I always check out a comparison website before renewing car cover. On Confused.com all my details were saved from last year’s quote when I bought the PHEV, so I simply ran the quote again.

Needless to say there were many cheaper, but the bit that really annoyed me was that the cheapest – at £300 – was from the provider I was already with. How does that work?

I called the insurer to ask them exactly that. ‘Oh, that price is for new customers only,’ said the smug call handler. ‘The best we can do for you is £354.’

‘Hang on a bleeding minute,’ I said, ‘how in the world is that fair?’ ‘That’s the way it is, sir,’ replied the smug one.

Now, let’s think about this for a minute. Dealers are lambasted with FCA regulations that insist on ‘TCF’ – treating customers fairly, as if you hadn’t had that rammed down your throats enough.

These rules state you must ‘minimise the sale of unsuitable products by encouraging best practice before, during and after a sale’. While I can understand why the bemused checkout girl at Morrisons might not have had this level of training when it comes to inappropriate meat purchases, I would fully expect insurers to abide by the same laws.

Charging your existing customers and new customers two completely different prices is inherently wrong. It’s unjust, it’s conniving and it’s a con. Insurance companies categorically should not be allowed to get away with such shoddy and

Who is James Baggott?

James Baggott AGAINST OUR BETTER JUDGMENT, WE GIVE OUR MD THE LAST WORD EACH MONTH

dishonest sales techniques. What makes matters even worse is that most insurance companies save your credit card details and automatically renew a policy should you not cancel in time. Again, that’s wrong and unfair. I don’t remember being asked if I wanted the insurer to save my details to take another payment without me asking – and even if they did it was obviously not clear enough as I wouldn’t have allowed it to happen.

Imagine if this was the same in the world of car sales. Your existing Ford Fiesta customer has to pay £1,000 more for their new Fiesta as the cheaper price is only for Vauxhall Corsa drivers who want to change (and who could blame them?).

What if you sent out different prices for cars to customers in the post in the hope they ignored the letters and then you just charged their credit card anyway because you saved the details the last time they came in and whispered quietly that you might do it? Ridiculous isn’t it? But that’s exactly what insurers are getting away with.

‘Insurance renewals have got mis-selling written all over them’ Yes, I know I could have changed to another insurer (and that’s exactly what I did in the end), but it was the fact that I had two very different prices – one on the renewal and one on the computer screen – from the same insurer which annoyed me so much. That, and the fact insurance companies are so arrogant they think they can get away with it.

I thought about calling the press office and asking for their opinion, but knew they’d just quote the same old line that’s let them get away with this underhand stealing for so long. I thought about speaking to the Association of British Insurers too, but then with a name like that, whose side are they going to be on? Not ours is it? Insurance renewals have got mis-selling written all over them.

They don’t treat customers fairly, that much is very obvious, and they don’t ‘minimise the sale of unsuitable products’.

How long will we have to put up with this theft before someone makes a stand? Or do we just wait for the legal vultures to circle and let another almighty scandal play out while hoping the compensation payouts fund another round of new car deposits…?

He’s the founder of Car Dealer Magazine and managing director of parent company @BlackballMedia, an automotive services provider. He now spends most of his time on Twitter @CarDealerEd and annoying the rest of us.

130 | CarDealerMag.co.uk

would like to congratulate

on winning the Used Car Dealer Customer Care Award 2015

From left to right: Ben Garside (Marketing Manager, First Response Finance), Peter, Andrew & Nick (Uber GT), Mike Brewer (Wheeler Dealer)

First Response Finance were delighted to sponsor the 2015 Used Car Dealer Customer Care Award and proud to present the award to the Uber GT team.

As the number 1 rated car finance provider, as voted by our customers, we understand how important exceptional customer service is. We would like to wish Uber GT ongoing success for the coming year.

CarDealerMag.co.uk | 131

BCA Partner Finance A vehicle stocking service that helps you buy more, stock more, sell more.

• Get easy access to stock funding from a trusted partner who understands your business.

• Buy vehicles in any of our auctions - physical and online.

• We’ll finance the whole deal, 100% of vehicle price plus fees, transportation and even the VAT. • Covers not just cars but also LCVs purchased at BCA, with no age or mileage limits.

• You can drive away on the day and you have up to 120 days to pay.

• Improve cash flow, buying power, choice and profitability.

Helping you grow your business. bca.co.uk/partnerfinance