Pretty much every brand could sustain 2% and perhaps even 3% or more market share from a retail network of just 20 locations. That’s the view of Rockar founder Simon Dixon, and while he stops short...

Honda will move retailers onto a non-genuine agency agreement starting with the launch of the Eny1, the brand’s first all-electric family SUV. The manufacturer has also revealed to retailers that it...

The short-lived ‘growth at all costs’ doctrine introduced by Liz Truss and Kwarsi Kwartang in recent weeks was said to be a challenge to the orthodoxies of HM Treasury economics. The ‘markets’...

A few months ago, I posed the question of whether now is a good time to sell a retail car business. Recent enquiries at MHA certainly suggest that more dealers are now evaluating future options. The...

Suzuki believes retailers and the manufacturer need to act now while order banks are strong to put the partnership on a strong footing for the future. Under the motto ‘Together Toward Tomorrow’,...

Regular readers of the automotive retail trade press won’t have failed to have noticed the plethora of articles speculating on the future shape of the industry. Some are expensively researched by...

OEM investment in electric vehicles, including extensive retailer training, means franchised retailers are better prepared to capitalise on the EV future than independents, Auto Trader insight...

EVs GIVE FRANCHISES HUGE OPPORTUNITY OVER INDYS SHAREHOLDER AGM ATTENDANCE BOOM DUE TO ESG WFH TO FALL AS ENERGY BILLS RISE? RON BROOKS TOYOTA FOUNDER ELSIE DIES WARREN BUFFETT INVESTS IN AUTO FINANCE...

The common narrative that franchised retailers will have an inherent lead on independents when it comes to electric vehicle service, maintenance and repair (SMR) may not be the case, new research from...

Hyundai’s UK managing director Ashley Andrew believes the complex nature of a deal including a finance agreement, new car and used car part exchange means the franchised model is the best way to...

Kia’s UK president and CEO Paul Philpott believes the franchise model is the best option for customers, retailers and the manufacturer as the brand aims to hit 100,000 new car registrations this...

There was a flurry of excitement following the announcement by Volkswagen AG, in May, of their sales plans for the new ID3 electric car. In Germany, they intend to use the agency model from launch....

Ford’s plans to cut almost half its retailer network over the next four years is not surprising. Today, Ford has 400 franchise points. The next nearest brand in terms of outlets is Vauxhall which is...

Kia’s dealer network is on track to generate the Korean brand’s eighth annual UK registration record – 87,000 units – as it celebrates jointly topping the NFDA franchise value survey with...

In a complex automotive world, the industry is under attack from people who don’t actually understand the business and certainly are not interested in the empirical data, and who are coming up with...

Ssangyong will cast off its role as a front for used car operations or rural agricultural equipment businesses as the UK importer’s managing director Nick Laird targets 10,000 annual sales within...

As DS sets out its stall in the UK to take on the traditional premium brands with vehicles of equal quality combined with standout design flair, John Grose Group managing director Richard Howard says...

Dealers register interest in Subaru franchise More than 20 potential dealers attended a Subaru event this week at importer IM Group’s Birmingham HQ to explore the possibility of taking on the...

David Peel’s game plan aimed at fostering an engaged, motivated, thinned-out and increasingly profitable network is on track after one year as Peugeot UK’s managing director. Overhauling what he...

More and more we see schemes which try to generate a good customer outcome. At Barclays we call them magic moments, where a colleague or client has gone above and beyond the call of duty. However,...