Driving Digital 2024 – NFDA announces speaker line-up
Speakers at Driving Digital 2024: The Dealership of the Future are Graeme Potts, CEO of Eden Motor Group; Dale Wyatt, director of Suzuki GB; Mark Busby, commercial director of Hendy Group; Owen Edwards, automotive business consultant at Grant Thornton; Ian Plummer, commercial director of Auto Trader; and Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.
March new car market sustains growth
Growth was again driven by fleet investment, up 29.6% as the sector continues to recover following the constrained supply of previous years. Registrations by private buyers fell by 7.7%, with a challenging economic backdrop of low growth, weak consumer confidence and high interest rates. The small business registration segment, meanwhile, declined 8.0%.
Top of the world? Kia EV9
I have been a big fan of Kia for many years, it makes excellent cars and to be fair, there's nothing particularly wrong with the EV9. But to achieve World Car of the Year, surely it has to have worldwide appeal - and this car doesn't in my mind.
Used cars sold faster in March as buyers benefit from price realignment
Overall, the fastest sales were achieved by cars in the £10,000 - £14,999 (30 days) and £15,000 - £19,999 (32 days) price bands. The data also shows how younger 2-5 year old cars are becoming increasingly more affordable with prices averaging £19,505 in March, down 11% YoY from £21,837.
Lookers opens first multi-franchise car HUB in Middlesbrough
The first-of-its-kind 25,500 sq. m. sustainable car retail concept boasts six 150kW EV rapid chargers – capable of providing a 100-kilometre range to EV drivers in as little as six minutes. Open 24 hours a day, the new EV charging hub can power up to 480 cars in a single day, providing a significant boost to Middlesbrough’s EV charging infrastructure.
Star turn – Nissan Townstar Electric
It's aimed at operators who work relatively small local areas and who can charge at a central base. With a range of 180 or so miles it’s a very appealing prospect for last mile deliveries as well as commercial vehicle customers looking to future-proof their business operations and transition to zero emission motoring.
Do you know how to sell used EVs?
In the past month, we have reached a point where there are a million EVs on UK roads and, while this is still a small percentage of the overall car parc, it also shows they are becoming a normal part of the used market.
Part exchanges acting as “roadblock” to online car buying
Part exchanges have traditionally been something of a problem area for dealers who want to offer a complete online car journey. While there are a number of methods available of handling them, there is currently no uniformly accepted solution that works well for dealer and for consumer.
Halal car finance platform, Ayan Capital, launches in the UK
With the number of PHVs and PCOs projected to rise, Ayan Capital empowers new and existing business drivers to purchase a new vehicle with its Islamic finance offering. Its tech-enabled solution is fast, accessible and easy-to-use, allowing the drivers, who are approved, to obtain a car for up to £50,000 within days from any dealership in the UK.
Dealers set to benefit from technology partnership
iStoreDOCS, created by MAD DEVS, facilitates omnichannel retail and offers cutting-edge technologies that give customers and dealership employees an effective sales experience. Dealers can meet compliance standards in their sales and service operations by using iStoreDOCS to replace old paper-based operations.
Connected car dealerships – the way forward
SOME Car dealers don’t quite grasp the distinction between ‘a digital strategy’ and ‘a business strategy for a digital world’, according to the boss of one of the UK’s [...]
Automotive “reverting to type” in a bid to face down EV challenges
Speaking about recent attitudes to EV adoption from the perspective of manufacturers and customers, the digital garage’s Founder and Chief Executive was a significant contributor to Cox Automotive’s latest Insight Report. He thinks the ICE vehicle ban deadline change along with other factors, including the ZEV mandate, had caused a pronounced shift in the sector.
Review – Nissan X-TRAIL Tekna e-POWER
It's not an EV in the true sense then. It's more of a stepping stone to full electric. A mild hybrid option available which just has the 161bhp 1.5-litre petrol from the hybrid cars powering the wheels itself but with the help of a mildly beefed up battery that enables it to coast and use stop-start for extended periods.
New feature allows dealers to show defleeted vehicles alongside own stock
Called Dealer Showroom, it is designed to be used when a consumer has approached a dealer looking for a specific car, van or truck and a matching vehicle is available on epyx’s 1link Trade Buyer platform.
Online motor finance drives engagement for retailers
withholding motor finance from the retailer web site is almost always a negative. If consumers can’t find what they want online, they tend to leave and look elsewhere. Offering online motor finance drives engagement and increases sales.
Westdrive reopens Braintree Kia showroom
In addition to the new-look showroom, the Kia ‘Showcase’ interactive system offers customers an opportunity to take an in-depth virtual tour of any Kia model. ‘Showcase’ allows customers to experience a car’s different grades and colours via a 360-degree configurator. Customers can view a car from every angle, open the doors to explore the interior and even add key accessories.
Lookers Audi Stirling takes top award at Q Power Awards
The Q Power programme was introduced by Audi in 2009 to shine a spotlight on the success of its network partners, ranking their performance by analysing a variety of key performance indicators on a regular basis and across several important brand pillars including customer experience, loyalty and people.
Honda Jazz crowned most reliable model
The Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris and Toyota Aygo were the three most reliable used models from WSG’s analysis. Whilst both Honda and Toyota are renowned for their general reliability, this could also be attributed to the lower mileages that small city cars like these typically cover.
Large EV discounts on the way from under-pressure manufacturers
Tony Whitehorn, former UK Chief Executive and President of the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai, said carmakers were facing a number of pressures to do with the electrification of the UK vehicle parc – and that as a result, there were bargains available to buyers.
Dacia Spring pricing could place downward pressure on fleet EV pricing
This does feel like a potential watershed moment for EV pricing. While the Spring is too small and too limited for many fleet applications, it does show that a modern EV with a 137-mile range can be brought to market at a very attractive price. The key here is that it immediately makes every other EV look like poor value