Surveys

Pundits looking at the used car market have been fairly upbeat at the beginning of 2020. The National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) said the majority of its members expected auction volumes to stabilise in February following an increase in supply during January. NAMA members are predicting petrol vehicle values will climb and two thirds of members are forecasting stable ...

This year is expected to see dealers turn a forensic eye on costs as they strive to maintain profitability in a weak new car market. During 2019 dealers saw an increase in overheads and according to Mike Jones, chairman of dealer profitability specialist ASE, they will need to look at used cars to maintain the status quo. “Over the past ...

Just how important are extended warranties to dealers? That was one of the crunch questions we put to respondents in the Motor Trader Warranty Survey sponsored by WMS Group. Over 200 readers of Motor Trader took part so it gives an accurate picture of the state of the market in 2020. We asked dealers what aftersales products made the most ...

Franchised dealers have increasingly turned to used cars as new car registrations have come under pressure. They fell -6.7% in October to 143,251 units. The decline was driven by falling demand from private consumers, with registrations down -13.2%. Year to date the market is tough with diesel sales under the cosh and falling consumer confidence. In the used car sector ...

The September plate-change new car market was tough. Consumer confidence was hit, demand for new cars declined and dealers pre-registered cars to meet quarterly targets. New car registrations rose 1.3% to 343,255 units. The SMMT said it was a below-par performance following the -20.5% decline in the same month in 2018, when new emissions regulations and lack of testing capacity ...

This year may be remembered as the year electric vehicles entered the mainstream. EVs and AFVs have consistently seen the largest percentage increases in registrations through H1 of 2019 and there were an overwhelming number of EVs and AFVs on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Given that the motor retail sector has been selling internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles ...

In the first of a series of articles with Motors.co.uk, we look at the fastest selling cars across the UK and by region. Dealers have been going through tough times in recent months. The decline in the new car market is well chronicled. UK new car registrations fell for a fourth consecutive month in June, down -4.9% to 223,421 units. ...

The new car market was hit by a triple whammy in 2018 with diesel under the cosh, WLTP creating havoc with the new car supply chain and Brexit breeding fear and confusion in equal measures with the threat of tariffs and a potential economic downturn. The damage caused by WLTP is ongoing. Some carmakers unloaded their non compliant stock ahead ...

The way in which commission works in the motor finance sector has been highlighted for scrutiny by The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), following a three year review that began in April 2017. It has become concerned over the way that commission arrangements in motor finance can lead to consumer harm on a potentially significant scale. This in particularly pertains to ...

As one of the maturest of mature products, it might seem like there’s nothing more to know about warranties. Sales of extended warranties have to compete for time in the showroom with other up-sells including paint protection and GAP insurance, and time is limited. But what can dealers do to ensure they promote warranties more effectively and ultimately maximise their ...