Those of you who bother to read my ramblings will know I am often critical of the pace of change in automotive (not of the products, though, which continue to evolve beautifully), and the willingness...

As I continue my search for a new car, I can’t help but offer more observations on the industry and its retail proposition. Firstly, for an industry that clearly suffers from over supply, it’s...

2016 was a record year for car sales in the UK, with almost 2.7m new cars sold – a truly a remarkable result. But I wonder at what cost? Already, the SMMT are predicting a drop in new sales this year...

The ever growing trend of automotive “pop-ups” in retail malls is both a good thing and a bad thing. At its best, it shows brands are beginning to think about retailing cars rather than selling...

Across the world of journals, conferences and internet portals, there is an increasing level of ‘chatter’ predicting the future of retail in automotive. From the gloomiest, apocalyptic scenarios to...

I am writing this just a few hours after the announcement that the UK has voted in favour of Brexit and, like many, I am trying to guess what this means for our country and our industry. As with any...

With new car sales volumes continuing to climb (allegedly not wholly down to pre-registrations), we have seen a widespread commentary on the impending collapse of UK used car prices. With so many...

Higher volumes of used cars as the new car market rises, combined with an increased pressure to self register new cars, is increasing the pressure on second hand prices. If this leads to a drop in...

The holy grail for any manufacturer is to have a ‘golden triangle’ of long term production forecasting, ‘approved used’ car residual values, and manufacturer finance programmes, all inter-linked...

Welcome to 2016 and I hope it turns out to be a great year for the industry. For many in automotive, 2015 looked good on paper with increased new car sales, PCP continued growth and manufacturers...

There are huge opportunities and big changes on the way for the automotive sector, which could affect both retailers and consumers, according to Autotorq’s CEO Stewart Niblock. “For 20 years, people...

I am fortunate enough to have sat on both the supply side and buy side of a number of companies across multiple sectors over the years, and in both cases, the involvement of procurement can be a...

A growing trend in automotive is to push retailing behaviours across all channels, to enhance customer engagement and the sales process.  As someone with a retail background, this sounds great in...

We have been working in China for more than years now and I love watching the market develop in a way that is free from the legacy constraints we face in Europe. Until now, Western manufacturers have...

We recently sponsored and spoke at Auto Retail Networks “New Strategies in Auto Retailing” conference, along with speakers including Vodafone, Frost & Sullivan and Urban Science, to a great...

Digital technology is the enabler in any new auto retailing strategy but not the solution, according to Paul Gordon, managing director of autotorq, speaking at Auto Retail Network’s ‘New strategies...

In this increasingly digital age, there is widespread coverage in both general and automotive press about “User Permissions”, data privacy and security. Many automotive brands now have digital...

We recently presented at the ‘ConnecteDriver’ conference in Brussels, which was a great way of meeting and finding out more about the many other companies involved in this well hyped space. However,...

It’s the time of year where we all look forward in blind expectation that the New Year will bring major improvements without us having to do anything to make it happen. But in reality how much does...

So it’s that time of year again when the dealerships have to sell and deliver about three months normal business in just one month. With every customer expecting not only a great deal but also...