Surveys

The annual Motor Trader Top 50 Independent Dealers, the most comprehensive guide to the performance of non-franchised used car retailers, reveals how the UK’s biggest players have built on the growth they achieved in 2014 with a significant increases in turnover and profitability. The research, conducted for Motor Trader by Trend Tracker, showed the combined turnover of the top 50 ...

The new car market has been growing for the last three years and while the debate over registrations versus sales will rattle on, there’s no escaping the fact that retail buyers are in the market and with interest rates at an all-time low they have cash to spend. Indeed, recent figures produced by the Finance and Leasing Association showed that ...

Manufacturer websites are the first port of call for customers researching a new car purchase, according to new research from the International Car Distribution Programme, the independent automotive research company. The DataPort Consumer Survey research also found that new car buyers make 3.2 visits to 2.4 dealers during the buying process, while 85% of new car buyers conduct online research ...

The UK is seeing the emergence of an increasingly polarised market in the property market. That’s the view of property consultant Rapleys which sees a growing divide between some of the biggest dealer developments currently under construction and the growing number of pop-up businesses. “In the last few years we have seen an emerging trend of polarisation in the automotive ...

Judging by the dealers we follow on Twitter and Facebook most do a pretty good job at promoting themselves and engaging with current and prospective customers. Those who do it well post regularly with meaningful and personalised content, often with a strong local flavour and with supporting images. However, many just use social media as a blatant extension of the ...

Ford Focus remains one of the most popular cars for used car buyers. March turned out to be a positive month for dealers in both the new and used car markets. Registrations of new cars rose 6% to 492,774 units, the 37th consecutive month of growth and the best March performance since the twice-yearly number plate changes were introduced in ...

Last year was a good one for UK dealers with record profitability and buoyant new and used cars sales. It looks good for 2015, too. Interest rates are at a record low. The economy is improving and unemployment is falling. The increased activity in most sectors is driving up the cost of UK commercial property, including dealerships, although it is ...

The twice-yearly Dealer Attitude Survey carried out by the NFDA is eagerly awaited by carmakers to see how they have performed relative to other brands. This time 28 networks took part in the survey carried out in January 2015. The Winter 2015 survey looked at how dealers view the major issues affecting their business and also how these views change ...

The franchised workshop sector is increasing its share of the aftersales market with dealers capturing more cars aged up to two years old, according to new research by Castrol Professional. The research suggests that increasing sales of service plans and lack of consumer awareness that vehicles can be serviced in the independent sector without invalidating warranties has enabled franchised dealers ...

The average UK car dealer finished 2014 strongly with profits up 22.7% to £27,000 in December. For the full year, the average UK dealer saw profitability rise 9.2% to a record £225,000 in 2014, according to analysis from dealer profitability specialist ASE. But the return on sales (RoS) percentage dropped slightly to 1.46% from 1.47% in 2013, as turnover grew ...