The advent of the agency model, where car manufacturers take ownership of distribution, has been a dominant trend in the car retail market as more and more brands consider making the switching.
Tjekvik’s technologies, which have been adopted by dealer groups including Group 1, Hartwell, JCB and Vertu, enable customers to check in and check out their vehicles at a time and place convenient for them, either at home using a mobile-optimised site, or at dealers via tablets and easy-to-use touchscreen kiosks.
Scotswood Road location is undergoing a transformative repurposing, with an investment of £1 million to become Bristol Street Motors Newcastle Ford. This refurbished location will be the flagship centre for Ford representation in Newcastle.
Outlets operated by Rowes represent the Honda franchise, and are located in Plymouth, Plymstock and Truro. The business also operates a Suzuki franchised outlet in Plymouth, which will continue to operate as a used car outlet and Suzuki authorised repairer on acquisition and will be refranchised in due course.
New location in Newbridge offers sales and servicing for Peugeot, Kia and MG brands, with up to 120 vehicles displayed across the site and a 16-bay service area operated by manufacturer accredited technicians. Existing employees have relocated from a pre-existing dealership on Bankhead Road, Edinburgh, with 14 new jobs created – including two apprenticeships – as part of the move.
Bumper’s platform operates across Keyloop’s Autoline and Drive dealer management systems (DMS), providing users with access to its digital Buy Now, Pay Later and PayNow aftersales services.
Dual franchise site, which is undergoing a £1.7m refurbishment, will benefit from a showroom revamp for each brand with full servicing and aftersales departments. It will create a number of jobs for the local area in both sales and aftersales, including master technicians, franchise-qualified technicians and sales executives.
Vertu, which operates 147 outlets representing 23 vehicle manufacturers across the UK, has been able to deliver a multi-channel digital showroom experience, encompassing all elements of the process, from meeting the dealer and looking at the vehicle to completing FCA-compliant finance paperwork.
Demand exceeding expectations and projections largely due to pent-up demand.
Process of selling cars will look very different with dealers putting safety measure in place, including temperature checking staff, hand sanitising, masks, perspex screens and one way systems.
