Episodes
Cazoo’s new digital marketplace goes live after online disruptor pulled out of used car sales Lithia confirms hundreds of job losses at Pendragon as US giant kills off CarStore Government rejects bringing back EV grants and other House of Lords report recommendations Fiat takes aim at ‘sleepwalking’ UK government with country ‘on the cusp of an EV crisis’ Renault reveals a new kind of dealership called rnlt© in central Paris Tesla slashes prices in several countries in move which could...
Published 04/26/24
Inchcape agrees £346m deal to sell UK retail operations to US giant Group 1 Automotive What makes UK dealer groups so attractive to US investors? We ask industry experts for their take Alfa Romeo forced to rename upcoming ‘Milano’ after model accused of breaking Italian law Britishvolt gigafactory hopes set to end with Blyth site due to be sold to private equity firm GWM Ora to inspect condition of EV car batteries after crashes to cut waste Battery-electric vehicle sales poised to hit...
Published 04/19/24
Published 04/19/24
Peter Waddell threatens High Court action after shock removal as Big Motoring World director Lotus racks up £593m loss for 2023 despite selling record number of cars FCA warns motor finance firms to prepare to pay out following discretionary commission review Barclays appeals against ruling which sparked FCA investigation into motor finance industry Keyloop reaches ‘definitive agreement’ over acquisition of Automotive Transformation Group Alfa Romeo reveals first ever EV as Italian brand...
Published 04/12/24
US dealer AutoNation eyeing move to pounce on Inchcape’s UK dealerships SMMT chief urges swift action and ambitious policies to increase EV adoption Saxton 4×4’s pre-tax profit slides by almost 50% despite turnover rising Used car market entering second quarter with momentum as new records set, says Auto Trader Motorpoint expecting to see full-year loss ‘at favourable end of expectations’ Aston Martin expands ultra-luxury retail strategy with showroom at five-star Tokyo hotel Thieves...
Published 04/05/24
Volvo officially drops diesel with XC90 as manufacturer’s final derv car Hyundai to cut number of UK dealers it works with as it looks to ‘future-proof’ network Video: Omoda and Jaecoo brands aiming for 100 dealers and 10,000 sales in UK by end of 2024 Lookers opens its first multi-franchise car dealership hub after £6m investment Trading Standards calls for car dealers to be licensed as part of clampdown on rogue traders Investigation finds Luton airport car park blaze was started...
Published 03/29/24
Six new directors appointed at used car supermarket Big Motoring World Close Brothers conserves £400m as FCA’s car finance commission probe rumbles on BBC Watchdog highlights Toyota and Lexus keyless car theft problems Bentley performs U-turn on pledge to stop ICE manufacturing by 2030 Nissan and Honda join forces on developing electric vehicles and AI for cars Independent Garage Association welcomes government’s new £60m apprenticeship scheme --- Send in a voice message:...
Published 03/22/24
Now Audi ‘delays’ introduction of fixed-price car sales for its EVs as another agency model cracks Vauxhall boss calls on government to ‘immediately’ cut VAT on new electric cars Scrap ‘unfair’ WLTP system for testing range of EVs, says What Car? Watch Chinese car maker Yangwang show off SUV’s crazy pirouette on the spot party trick Leak reveals Cazoo boss wants to be ‘strong number two’ in used car ad space Updated: Big Motoring World’s Peter Waddell fuming as used car supermarket says...
Published 03/15/24
Cazoo halts used car sales and plans to take on Auto Trader as advertising marketplace Senior carmaker execs hit out at government’s EV approach amid ‘frustrating’ Budget Big Motoring World’s Peter Waddell reveals rapid move to hoover up Cazoo stock after online used car dealer scrapped sales Peter Vardy opens conference on how Chinese EVs and tumbling margins have led to change in business model Diesel sales poised to fall to 3% by 2028 as market shares head for radical change, says Cox...
Published 03/08/24
Jaguar Land Rover cans fixed-price car sales plan and sticks with traditional franchised model Current climate makes it ‘almost impossible’ to get private buyers into electric cars – Fiat boss Chancellor is urged to bring in ‘fair taxes for a fair transition’ to boost EV uptake Sir Jim Ratcliffe accuses governments of forcing EVs on consumers Luca de Meo warns European car makers can’t flinch from EV challenge posed by China and US Supercar dealer Tom Hartley Junior makes £20m profit...
Published 03/01/24
Lloyds Banking Group puts aside £450m to deal with FCA investigation into motor finance Cars that aren’t Ulez-compliant set to be sent to Ukraine under scrappage scheme Genesis keen to boost brand and launches search for more dealers to add to fledgling network Fiat calls on government to reinstate plug-in car grant to boost EV demand These are the exciting new car brands that should be on your radar now The undesirables: Meet the used cars that took the longest to sell in 2023 ---...
Published 02/23/24
Carwow buys car magazines Auto Express and Evo for undisclosed sum Close Brothers shares tumble as it scraps dividend amid fears over motor finance claims D.M. Keith snaps up Suzuki heavyweight dealer group Colin Appleyard JLR’s lead times become ‘far more acceptable’ as supply woes ease, says boss Selling Supercars: Meet the team behind supercar dealer Alexanders Prestige UK slides into recession after output shrinks more than expected, according to ONS Tax shake-up to close loophole...
Published 02/16/24
Martin Lewis’s car finance complaint tool receives 262,500 inquiries in opening days Financial incentives are needed NOW to boost new and used electric car demand Trading Standards clamp down on used car dealers’ ‘unfair’ admin fees Google to take wraps off its Vehicle Ads solution for motor trade at Car Dealer Live Gap insurers agree to suspend sales immediately after FCA voiced concerns Vertu Motors buys back 200,000 shares as car dealer remains a ‘sitting duck’ for investors ---...
Published 02/09/24
Battleground: How will car makers hit tough 2024 EV targets? And do car buyers REALLY want electric cars? Honda boss on hitting electric car targets, used cars and what 2024 has in store for car dealers Shock as SUV Prestige is forced to close due to ‘difficult trading conditions’ for used car dealer Inchcape confirms it could offload all its UK dealerships but says a sale isn’t certain Used car prices drop just 0.1% in January as falls begin to level out – video update Group 1 set to...
Published 02/02/24
FCA ‘effectively banning’ car dealers from selling Gap Insurance from February Geneva Motor Show could appear in more countries, despite Qatar event controversy Which car manufacturers will and won’t be attending the Geneva Motor Show? Arnold Clark owner pays £78.3m tax bill as the largest car dealer tax payers are revealed Stellantis expands used car sales potential in UK with launch of Spoticar Direct service Sources say Lookers owners are fishing for fresh funds to refinance buy-out...
Published 01/26/24
Trading Standards warns of dangers of buying from used car dealers posing as private sellers on Facebook Tesla and Volvo to halt European production after Red Sea shipping attacks by Houthi rebels Now Lookers ‘asks staff to work weekends and longer hours due to staff shortages’ Electric car price war expected this year as Chinese brands eye large slice of UK market by 2030 Single franchised car dealer enjoys another stellar year as it rakes in impressive £1.4m profit Used car dealers...
Published 01/19/24
Used car dealer Cinch lost £181m in 2023 results reveal ZEV mandate comes into force prompting calls for EV incentives and better infrastructure Lookers staff at threat of redundancy claim car dealer group is ‘cutting corners’ Whistleblowers claim Jaguar Land Rover dealership ramps at ‘serious risk of collapse’ Successful Toyota dealership to pass into hands of employees as owners step down My reasons to be cheerful (and not) for the motor trade in 2024 --- Send in a voice message:...
Published 01/12/24
Used car dealer Cazoo says it faces going under as it reveals new cash crisis Used car prices tumble again in December – but will begin to stabilise in 2024 JLR launches insurance product for Range Rover customers in face of rising thefts Could Lookers acquisition fall foul of Takeover Panel rules after wave of redundancies? SsangYong rebrands as KGM Motors in UK and adopts new global slogan Going, going, gone! Much-loved auctioneer to bring down gavel one last time --- Send in a...
Published 12/22/23
Why do banks hate used car dealers so much? The AI Car Dealership Project Part 3 More redundancies looming at Lookers as business managers and sales teams now face cuts Now Christmas parties are ‘cancelled’ as car dealer Lookers axes even more staff Family business JCB Group agrees deal to buy Marshall Volkswagen site in Kent Car dealer group Sytner’s American parent company to buy Rybrook chain of showrooms Data shows Land Rover profit margins are booming for used car dealers How...
Published 12/15/23
We got things wrong and for that I’m sorry – Stellantis boss opens up about mistakes and why it’s delaying agency sales yet again Comment: How new Stellantis boss handled horrible questions from car dealers Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer’s top tips for my used car dealership powered by AI Outspoken Cazoo founder Alex Chesterman finally bows out of used car dealer No-haggle agency sales ‘underestimate’ value dealers bring to sales process – Suzuki UK boss CEO Mark Raban ‘stepping down’ at end...
Published 12/08/23
Tesla FINALLY rolls out hotly anticipated Cybertruck after years of delay Exclusive: I’m starting a used car dealership of my own – with the help of AI ⁠Electric car discounts have rocketed by average of 323% in a year – report⁠ Leaked memo reveals two MORE senior directors have quit Marshall Motor Group Cinch and We Buy Any Car owner ups its stake in Vertu for the THIRD time this year Used car price ‘correction’ continues with trade values falling 4.2% AGAIN in November Daksh Gupta...
Published 12/01/23
Used car auction house BCA to hold trial physical sale for first time since pandemic Boost for British car industry as Nissan confirms Sunderland base for electric Juke and Qashqai Genesis to be axed as standalone firm in UK and merge with Hyundai GWM axes controversial Funky Cat name as firm adopts new numbered naming strategy Sources reveal BMW Group has pushed back agency sales even further  JLR spends more than £10m on high technology to thwart car thieves Daksh Gupta on why he left...
Published 11/24/23
Used car marketplace Motorway launches trade sales and clever Instant Match feature Carmakers are registering cars ‘tactically’ again to boost market share Hyundai becomes first car brand to sell vehicles on Amazon as firms announce new partnership 'Not much evidence' non-compliant used car stock heading north after Ulez expansion Embarrassment for DVLA as agency is forced to offer refunds after £1m trade plate blunder Auto Trader opens up on reservations tool testing after anger among...
Published 11/17/23
Cinch and We Buy Any Car owner increases its stake in Vertu Motors again Marshall Motor Group sees profit nearly halve in first year under Constellation ownership Five UK car dealers named in Top 10 of largest groups in Europe – the Top 20 list revealed Mazda announces record profits for first half of the year as sales of CX-60 go through the roof Cap HPI issues stark warning as used car prices fall further 1.5% in just 10 days Big Motoring World opens new headquarters in Kent to support...
Published 11/10/23
Car Dealer Top 100: Britain’s most profitable dealers clock up £2.78bn earnings Car dealer group Vertu Motors suffers ‘malicious’ amendments to Companies House records Tesla boss Elon Musk warns Artificial Intelligence will one day ‘eliminate jobs’  Toyota reverses plans for fifth-generation Prius and says new car WILL now be sold in the UK Jaguar Land Rover boss says sorry for crippling parts crisis which has wiped cars off the road Jaguar Land Rover dealers accused of using second-hand...
Published 11/03/23