New vehicle retailing

AM asked three AM100 car dealer group leaders – Jason Cranswick of Marubeni Auto UK, Chris Clark of John Clark Motor Group; and Robert Forrester of Vertu Motors – what are the opportunities of 2024 and what were the challenges of 2023.

Polestar, Cupra, Volkswagen and Kia are among the brands picked out in our analysis of the September 2023 new car registrations in the UK.

Car dealers that are not enabling test-drive booking online are disappointing three-quarters of in-market car buyers.

The future of electric vehicles (EV) is being forged in China with its leading carmakers ready to take on the world. In this first part of our analysis on what this means for the UK, we talk to industry experts on their potential to transform the British new car marketplace

Industry veteran Tony Whitehorn has been part of the UK motor industry for over 30 years holding senior roles with Renault, Toyota and most recently as president and CEO of Hyundai in the UK. Now an authoritative advisor, he has worked with both Chinese OEMs who want to tap the Chinese EV market and UK dealers who want to deliver its potential.

The 2023 AM Awards Retailer of the Year winner is TrustFord, the world’s largest Ford dealer group, with 65 locations across the UK.  

Read why the AM Awards judges voted for AM100 dealer group TrustFord to win the 2023 Community Hero Award.

Leading a cultural transformation at a two-site dealership underpinned the winner of the 2023 AM Award for Dealer Principal/General Manager (DP/GM) of the Year. 

A fifth consecutive Dealer Group of the Year (up to 10 sites) win for Waylands reflects on the culture of high performance and support at the Volvo, Kia, MG and Polestar car dealer.

Celtic Subaru and Mitsubishi won the 2023 AM Award for Franchised Dealership of the Year. Here, read about the transformation that impressed the judges.

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors, won the 2023 AM Award for Business Leader of the Year. This article outlines why the judges picked him.

As car dealerships are increasingly omnichannel retailers, the expertise they provide is still appreciated by most car drivers, industry experts tell Tom Seymour

Honda UK car boss Rebecca Adamson explains to AM editor Tim Rose that the "lightest touch" agency contracts will be part of its car dealer network's future.

AM interviews Peter Charters, general manager of Maserati’s North Europe, about luxury car sales and car dealer profitability

Experts point to some of the structural elements which could help make car dealerships more sustainable in tough economic conditions, from rates reviews and refinancing to tax reliefs.

Plug-in vehicles accounted for almost a quarter of all new car sales in February, with year-on-year growth achieved by both pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs).

Tackling the cost base has once again been brought into sharp focus for automotive retailers as the UK economy stagnates.

Car retailers have been told “there is no silver bullet” in the fight to avoid potentially devastating data-grabbing cyberattacks as high-profile AM100 businesses continue to recover from hits on their digital systems.

EV-focused Chinese brand GWM Ora has established a UK beachhead with AM100 dealers and is set to expand its territory carefully, reports AM editor Tim Rose

MD Andrew Iveson talks about his decision to go from employee to co-owner at Subaru, isuzu and SsangYong car dealer Livingstone Motor Group and the resilience and innovation he and his team displayed as Mitsubishi quit the UK.

An unexpected explosion in the appetite for luxury car purchases after the pandemic hit the UK was a catalyst for significant growth at independent car retailer Auto100.

As consumers are coming under increasing financial strain from soaring inflation and the cost-of-living crisis, so car dealerships are stepping up to help them through these challenging times.

In his latest automotive retail sector analysis for AM magazine David Francis delved into the strength of the Volkswagen range, Toyota's electric car conundrum and considered whether premium SUVs might be running out of road.