Tag Archives: Steve Young

There have been some blogs and news items recently, including from our good friend Glenn Mercer, which relate to some recent positive developments in the world of Waymo.  They just achieved 200,000 rides in one week, double the level just six months ago and up from 10,000 two years ago.  At least within the defined areas where they are operating ...

I do not want to trivialise the personal challenges that people with substance abuse problems and their families face, nor do I want to suggest that the management of our car manufacturers are prone to this condition, but I do genuinely see some similarities within a critical part of our business, and perhaps also similar challenges in terms of kicking ...

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 I head to the US for the annual NADA Show, the headlines are full of President Trump’s ‘shock and awe’ first 24 hours in office. I’m certain that I will meet many card-carrying Republican US dealers over the next few days who are highly supportive of what is unfolding in Washington, and I’m not going to comment here on ...

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 ...

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 ...

ICDP motor consultancy director Steve Young is to head up a new dealership in London called Auto West London. The business will represent the Chinese brands Omoda and Jaecoo. Young has been tasked by Çetaş Otomotiv, the largest Turkish dealer group, to head up their entry into the UK market. “The ambition in the mid-term is to grow from a ...

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 ...

Following my post last post, it was good to see a number of readers of this blog joining our webinar on Tuesday alongside ICDP members and some representatives from the press. The webinar was for the formal publication of our Top 50 European dealer group ranking that we produce annually, and the presentation slides are available to download from the ...

We had our Autumn ICDP Members’ Meeting in Paris this week which gave me an opportunity to visit the Paris Motor Show as well (a ‘proper’, albeit slightly smaller, motor show, with a very impressive showing by a number of serious Chinese brands), but also required me to prepare a couple of the presentations. One took advantage of this year ...