Last year, 2016, might go down as a record-breaker for the retail car business. An all-time high 2.69 million new cars were registered. Used car sales could also be a record. And although the service...

The automotive industry is facing challenges, some of which could be disruptive, and retailers will need to adapt to these changes. It will need an intensification of the use of existing dealership...

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VW CV) is cautiously optimistic about its fortunes this year given the strength of its product range, but has no plans to expand its network dramatically. Instead it is...

Volvo believes that its retailers need to be profitable enough and confident enough in the brand to “experiment” with new ideas in sales and aftersales. The message comes from David Baddeley,...

The pressure to self-register new cars has lessened slightly since last summer where it was a major concern for 95% of retailers, but 78% still think it will be an issue over the next six months. And...

Last month a German consultancy asked us for a detailed breakdown of the suppliers to the UK market for servicing and repairs. They wanted to know about independent garage workshops, fast-fits, tyre...

When units sales drop, it is important to remember that the service department can be a major income source Unfortunately, the workshop is not always managed properly, nor is it given the attention it...

Over the past decade, the non-franchised workshop sector – predominantly independent garage workshops – carried out the largest volume of servicing, maintenance and repairs (SMR), including MOT...

The forces driving the retail market for servicing and repairs are complex, but the most recent prime mover was the 2008/2009 recession and how this impacted on new and used car sales and the car parc...

To prepare our annual Car Servicing & Repair Trend Tracker report, we collect lots of data. Our motorists’ survey provides a breakdown of the work completed, but pricing this work – to arrive at...

In last month’s Bulletin, I read Mike Jones’ (ASE plc) sound advice to refocus on used cars to avoid problems should the market soften in 2016. He also noted the strong performance of dealer service...

Providing vehicles that offer outstanding quality, value and reliability, and combining this with a rigorous preparation process, and supplying the vehicles with a comprehensive standard or extended...

Does your aftersales department use a call centre to handle bookings? In theory, it’s a sound idea. Customers’ calls get answered quickly and politely, while the diary is efficiently...

A well-equipped workshop with well-trained technicians, should out perform a poor workshop lacking the right tools and expertise. But this is not always the case! Accurate measuring tools must first...

The recession will result in severe market contraction and widespread closure of franchised workshops and independent garages over the next five years. That’s just one of the disturbing findings...