Editor’s Blog

So how was your March? Judging by the official SMMT figures the new 15-plate market did extremely well with volumes up 6% year on year as nearly half a million cars were registered making it the biggest month since 1999. But before anyone starts partying like it’s 1999, what do the figures mean? Clearly it was a good month for ...

Since the financial meltdown the high street banks have stayed away from the car loans business. Fingers were burnt and lessons were learnt over big ticket loans. In the meantime the take-up of point of sale dealer finance exploded in an unprecedented manner with a record 1.9 million new and used cars funded through retailers last year. That’s about to ...

It’s March, which traditionally means two things: there’s a bit of a car industry do in Switzerland and dealers start selling the new plate. We used the opportunity to speak to several carmaker bosses for some early feedback on the 15-plate and the advance word is positive. The expectation is that the market will be up year on year to ...

For the last 15 years Motor Trader has joined ASE’s annual delegation to the US for the Nada Dealer Convention, the biggest gathering of car retailers in the world. The scale is immense with over 500 exhibitor stands, 60 workshop sessions and 80 speakers covering best practice across every imaginable area of dealership operations. Whilst much of the event is ...

The new car market ended up out-performing even the most optimistic of expectations coming in at just under 2.5 million and hitting a 10 year high. How long this will last is anyone’s guess but it doesn’t seem that long ago that some industry players were saying that 2.5 million units was artificially high. Sales in the UK are expected ...

No-one’s going to shout about it but the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) proposals on how GAP will be sold by car dealers are a lot less onerous than expected. Furthermore, the proposals are set to benefit franchised dealers more than their car supermarket and independent counterparts. The FCA’s move to introduce a four day opt-in gives franchised dealers the opportunity ...

This month we reveal the names and rankings of the UK’s biggest groups in the Motor Trader Top 200, the most comprehensive analysis of the health and wellbeing of the franchised dealer sector. The survey, which rates groups according to annual turnover, reveals just how successful the motor trade was during the last financial year, a trend which has continued ...

As press releases go it was a short one. Its timing was also curious; issued as the UK motoring press was en route to the Paris Motor Show, a good day to bury awkward news? So what are we to make of Vauxhall ditching its Lifetime Warranty cover, a flagship product launched to much ballyhoo in 2010? What’s certain is ...

What a shame to be reporting that Unipart Automotive has collapsed, resulting in the loss of over 1,200 jobs; especially at a time when the UK car retailing market is booming. The troubled performance of the automotive distributor, once the UK’s biggest operating 180 branches, has been in the public domain for some time although it was hoped that a ...

The highest achievers in the motor retailing sector were acknowledged and rewarded at this month’s Motor Trader Awards. The gala dinner, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in the heart of London’s West End, attracted over 1,200 guests making it the biggest night in the event’s 24 year history. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners. The quality of this ...