The ICDP has published a new white paper, the ‘European Dealer of Tomorrow’. According to the ICDP, the report ‘consolidate[s] research from recent years.. and puts forward our views as to what form the dealer of tomorrow will take’. In essence, while there are clearly issues with the current dealership format, the ICDP believes that dealerships will remain relevant – ...

Values of used diesels, hybrids and ex-fleet cars are continuing to climb as dealers focus on retailing used cars, according to vehicle remarketer Aston Barclay. The auction company says the focus on used vehicles is intended to off-set declines in the new vehicle market. Speaking about the market trend, Martin Potter, Aston Barclay’s group operations director, said: “Dealers continue to ...

The RAC and Assurant, a global provider of risk management solutions, have agreed to continue to operate the RAC brand together until at least 2024. The agreement covers all use of the RAC brand in the UK warranty and car dealer products sector, including RAC-branded warranty and other dealer insurance products, together with the RAC Dealer Network, including RAC Approved ...

SalesMaster, an automotive industry software specialist, and global automotive data and SaaS (software as a service) supplier, Autofutura, have formed a strategic alliance which will see the combination of SalesMaster’s Stockbook product and Autofutura’s Portfolio 3Sixty. The set up will allow dealers and financiers to leverage real-time stock availability to prepare personalised repurchase propositions to existing customers, well in advance ...

Motordepot Car Supermarket has announced the opening of a tenth dealership site, located in Stoke-on-Trent. The new site is the fifth acquisition for the group over the last 12 months. Most recently the group purchased a site in Sheffield in July and another in Barnsley in June. The Sheffield site is currently undergoing significant refurbishment in preparation for an autumn ...

Independent car auction G3 Remarketing has recorded a 30% year-on-year increase in online sales. The increase is attributed to a series of factors, including the introduction of enhanced high-definition imagery, plus internal and external 360-degree videos for all stock. This is said to have contributed to a 16% year-on-year rise in total bids. In addition, the firm has put in ...

Cox Automotive has published its first full-year used car market forecast. Figures released by the retail group predict that the market will fall by -3.7% over 2017 (8.11m units) to 7.86m units. The drop is less than expected, in light of market headwinds caused by Brexit, diesel-related issues and a wider lack of confidence in the national economy. The total ...

JATO Dynamics has released its latest findings on the impact of WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) on the automotive market. Findings released by the automotive intelligence firm indicate that re-homologation of vehicles tested under the previous NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) in order to gain WLTP compliance could result in higher-then-expected CO2 values. The NEDC-to-WLTP figures are calculated ...

Appointed in March this year, Peter Bell is the managing director at Manheim, the auction and remarketing division of Cox Automotive. In this interview he talks with Julian Buckley about adapting the business for the digital future, including changes to physical auctions   You’ve got an extended background in automotive but you’ve just recently joined Manheim. Can you say what ...

The Paris motor show, or Mondial l’Auto, will be held from 4-14 October. The show is one of the most important in the automotive year, rivalling Geneva, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Detroit in importance. While a series of major brands (inc. VW, Volvo, Ford, Infiniti, Nissan, etc.) will not be in attendance, others will take the opportunity to show a series ...