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January got off to a slow start when it came to new car sales. This came as no surprise given that showrooms are shut and there is also a shortage of some vehicles due to cuts in production in 2020 because of the lockdown. The new car market fell -39.5% in January with just 90,249 registrations. Demand was down for both private buyers (-38.5%) and large fleets (-39.7%).
The January market could have been worse but dealers have learnt a lot in successive lockdowns. In the first lockdown sales plummeted over 90% in April as dealers struggled to come to terms with the changes to their business. Click and collect has played its part as has home delivery. And dealers have done a lot of work in digital marketing to keep in touch with customers with showrooms shut.
The feeling is that there will be pent-up demand for later in the year but in the meantime, dealers must hope that showrooms can open sooner rather than later to give business a kick-start. All done in a way that is safe for customers and employees.
In the February issue of Motor Trader, we have our annual look at the Top 50 Movers & Shakers, the individuals who have stood out during 2020 and are set to do the same this year. There have been some big shifts. The used car sector has seen disruptors enter the market and make a big impact while established players have upped their scale and pushed hard into online sales.
On the gender front there is a long way to go but there have been some women appointments at the most senior level joining the Top 50 for the first time.
And in our dealer insight we check out the new Arnold Clark Innovation Centre in Glasgow to see what it is doing to promote electric vehicles. It is not alone, of course. Earlier this year we saw what Robins & Day was doing in London with its supersite.
It is a tough time for motor retailing and while many networks have been restructured or reduced in size, there are opportunities from smaller players. Isuzu is looking for new dealers having taken on 10 last year. Lotus is also looking to add to its network as it expands its product-line-up. And MG Motor has been active in looking for dealers.