Blogs

The UK faces a pivotal moment in its transition towards sustainable transport. Despite ambitious government targets for electric vehicle (EV) adoption, sales figures reveal a significant shortfall, particularly in the retail sector. The time is right for the government to introduce robust incentives to stimulate demand for EVs among retail consumers, which would provide essential support for automotive retailers while ...

Having previously suggested that distribution models sit on a spectrum from the traditional franchise through to the direct sales model, I am concluding that this is not actually the right representation of the different models that we will see in 3-5 years time. It will be much more like a smörgåsbord – the Swedish buffet offering a wide range of ...

As we all return to work (what happened to the holidays?) the news is full of stories related to potential mergers amongst the established car manufacturers – and possibly some newcomers. Honda and Nissan have agreed in principle to merge their companies under a single new holding company. Mitsubishi may get drawn into that as well.  Some believe that the answer to ...

In 2025, the automotive industry will continue to face pressure from global trends, policy shifts, and evolving consumer preferences. Global EV Growth: EV sales remain robust, with China surpassing a 50% market share for battery-electric and plug-in hybrids in 2024. UK EV adoption continues to grow but lags due to affordability and charging infrastructure gaps. BYD’s Global Impact: Chinese automaker ...

Firstly, happy New Year to all that follow this blog!  I hope that the break has allowed you to recharge your batteries, ready to re-engage in your business for the next, doubtless eventful, twelve months.  I’m sure that your inbox will be full of projections for 2025 related to the world in general, the economy and our industry, so I ...

Before anyone thinks that I’m going to start offering tips on how to make a fortune in their local casino, I will immediately declare that my card skills are limited to simple childhood games like snap and whist. When I visit Las Vegas for the NADA Show every other year, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on at the ...

There is an expression in English to get your hands dirty – which means to get engaged in something personally rather than just to watch others from the sidelines. When you’re in advisory roles, there is always some degree of frustration that you’re not hands on, able to execute rather than advise. Clearly there are risks associated with that – ...

Following on from the seismic changes brought on by the decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd, Wrench v FirstRand Bank Ltd and Hopcraft v Close Brothers Ltd. [2024] EWCA Civ 1282, dealers and finance institutions have been holding their breath to see if the matter would proceed to the Supreme Court. In what appears to be an early Christmas ...

You don’t need a crystal ball to anticipate some of the pressures that will face UK dealers in 2025 – a challenging economic backdrop, continuing upwards cost pressures, particularly on staff costs, electrification with the ZEV Mandate targets being ratcheted up another notch, and manufacturers continuing to try to find ways to get cost out of distribution – whether through ...

The news that Stellantis and Carlos Tavares were parting company came as a surprise – at least to me – given that it was already planned that he would retire at the start of 2026.  The recent problems at Stellantis with high inventories in North America and low sales in some European markets have been well-publicised, so it was clear ...