News
NAMA appoints BCA director Robin Wilde as new chairman
The National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) has confirmed Robin Wilde, UK buyer development director at British Car Auctions as its new chairman. Wilde will serve a two-year term, having been elected by the association’s membership. A longstanding member of…
MG takes control of car distribution in BeLux from Astara
MG is pushing ahead with plans to take control of vehicle distribution, sales and aftersales in Belgium and Luxembourg from 1 July. It is taking over distribution from Astara, which was responsible for the brand in Belgium and Luxembourg since…
IMI forecasts ‘dangerous skills shortfall” in EV qualified technicians
The number of technicians bring trained to work on electric vehicles is not rising fast enough to keep up with the growing used EV parc. Figures released by the IMI show that 2,792 technicians gained an EV qualification in Q4…
NextGear Capital becomes first stock funder in UK to support imports from Japan
NextGear Capital has partnered with Nichibo, one of Japan’s largest used vehicle suppliers, to enable dealers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to fund vehicles imported with Nichibo through their Stocking Plan. This partnership makes NextGear Capital the…
Budgen Motor Group trials ADS solution to boost completed bookings
Budgen Motor Group recently deployed Auto Data Solution’s SMR iQ across its network, to boost customer confidence and increase completed bookings, during a pre-launch trial. The dealer Group saw service booking conversion rates of 45% and overall bookings increase by…
Sandown takes on Chery in Newbury alongside Benz aftersales business
Sandown Group is to represent Chery in Newbury joining an existing Mercedes-Benz aftersales operation. It said the Mercedes-Benz aftersales business would remain pivotal for the business an the Cherry addition gave it scope to grow the business further. Posting on…
Most buyers want to view, test drive and purchase next car on site
Nearly three-quarters (72%) want to see, test drive and buy at a dealership, according to Cazoo’s Consumer Insight Panel which polled the views of 2,008 car buying decision makers. This percentage has remained consistent over the last three surveys. Buyers…