Car Dealer Magazine: Issue 215

You didn’t start a business to deal with warranty repairs... ...but we did.

You sell it. We’ll handle everything else.

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FOUNDER

James Baggott

james@thebaize.com

Twitter: @CarDealerEd

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Jon Reay

jon@blackballmedia.co.uk

Twitter: @JonReay

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

James Batchelor

james.batchelor@blackballmedia.co.uk

Twitter: @JRRBatchelor

STAFF WRITER

Jack Williams

jack.williams@blackballmedia.co.uk

Twitter: @JournoJack25

CONTRIBUTORS

Becca

HEAD

Graeme Windell graeme@blackballmedia.co.uk

Twitter: @graemewindell

SALES MANAGER

Kevin Day kev@blackballmedia.co.uk

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Michelle Searle michelle@blackballmedia.co.uk

Twitter: @cardealermich

DEALERSHIPS

Thurlow Nunn buys Spirit sites

FAMILY-RUN car dealer

Thurlow Nunn bought all sites belonging to rival firm Spirit Motor Group.

The acquisition will see the Cambridgeshire-based outfit take over a pair of Hyundai and MG dealerships in Corby, as well as a further Hyundai site in nearby Northampton. No job losses are expected. Confirming the news, Will Tew, managing director at Thurlow Nunn, said: ‘We are proud to welcome Spirit customers and colleagues into the Thurlow Nunn family.’

FINANCE

Wessex Garages confirms losses

CAR dealer Wessex Garages has reported another year of losses for 2024/25 as the industry continues to battle difficult trading conditions.

Accounts recently filed via Companies House show that Wessex Garages Holdings Limited made a pre-tax loss of £1.46m in the 12 months ending March 31, 2025.

The figure is consistent with the previous year’s trading result, when the Bristol-based retailer returned a loss-beforetax of £1.47m.

NEWS DIGEST

Luxury car dealer jailed after scamming customers in £1.5m

‘campaign of dishonesty’

Aluxury car dealer has been jailed for conning customers out of a staggering £1.5m in a ‘sustained and calculated’ campaign of fraud.

John Hawkins spent more than two decades selling high-end motors via his business, Specialist Cars of Malton, with the firm building up a strong reputation for its expertise in Porsche vehicles in particular.

However, when business began to slow back in 2018, the 66-year-old owner undertook a lengthy ‘campaign of dishonesty’ which saw him run elaborate scams in order to boost his own funds.

The firm eventually collapsed into administration and then liquidation in 2020 with a subsequent police investigation uncovering the full extent of Hawkins’ deception. He has now appeared at Bradford Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to multiple fraud charges.

The court heard that the retailer often sold cars on a ‘sale or return’ basis, but Hawkins would regularly fail to give clients their money and instead pocketed the cash himself. He also sold other vehicles without the knowledge or agreement of their owners.

On other occasions, he obtained large sums of money advanced to him under finance agreements he was not entitled to enter into, and when confronted by customers wanting their money, he gave personal guarantees and assigned ownership of other vehicles he did not own as security. He also made money by setting up bogus investment schemes, which offered more than 100 people the chance to buy shares in Porsche vehicles, which he not even own.

The campaign had a major impact on Hawkins’ victims – many of whom were his close friends who would meet him for dinner and stay at his house.

One man, described by the defendant as one of his closest friends, was forced to sell his belongings to avoid losing his home, having been persuaded to invest a substantial sum of money he never saw again.

During the hearing, Hawkins accepted that his various scams had cost victims a total of £1.5m, dating from late 2018. After hearing all the evidence, Judge Ahmed Nadim sentenced Hawkins to five years and three months in prison.

Marshall Motor Group parent company books £23.7m loss for 2025

CONSTELLATION Retail Group – the parent company behind Marshall Motor Group and used car dealer Cinch – clocked up a loss of £23.7m last year.

In freshly released accounts for the holding company, ending March 2025, the firm said revenues stood at £3.74bn, up nearly 2% on the year before.

However, the firm swung to an operating loss of £23.7m from a profit of £75.7m the year before. On an adjusted EBITDA level, the group said it made a profit of

£43.5m, but even this was nearly half the £81.6m it made the year before.

Marshall Motor Group makes up the bulk of the group’s trading activity, although the accounts do not break out a standalone revenue figure, with Cinch numbers only included in the holding company’s accounts from November 2024 onwards.

Profit for Marshall Motor Holdings Ltd halved, down from £22.2m in 2024 to £11.2m in 2025.

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Motors and Cazoo COO to leave firm

MOTORS and Cazoo chief operating officer, Phill Jones, is to depart the firm later in the year after accepting a CEO role elsewhere.

Jones will depart the firm after 15 years, although he is not expected to officially leave until the end of March. Although his new position has not been announced, Jones has confirmed that it will be within the automotive industry.

Jones said: ‘After an incredible 15 years with Motors, I will be leaving for an exciting new opportunity.’

FINANCE

Mon Motors posts significant loss

CAR dealer Mon Motors has announced a hefty pre-tax loss with bosses pointing to ‘challenging market conditions’ and a ‘significant mid-year acquisition’.

Accounts recently filed via Companies House show that MC 478 Limited – the ultimate holding company – made a lossbefore-tax of £3.96m in the 12 months to the end of 2024.

The figure represents a complete collapse on the previous year’s result, which saw a pre-tax profit of £3.9m.

Peter Vardy sets up major new leadership conference to ‘inspire’

and ‘equip’ leaders

PETER Vardy is aiming to bring business and community leaders together in Glasgow next year for a new leadership conference designed to ‘inspire’ and ‘equip’ adults across Scotland.

Speaking on the Car Dealer Podcast, the motor industry veteran said the event, names The Calling, will take place at Glasgow’s Armadillo on October 2, 2026.

JLR

Cyberattack may have cost £3bn in sales

NEWLY released sales figures from Jaguar Land Rover suggest the cyberattack could have cost the business more than £3bn in sales.

In a statement published ahead of its full financial results in February, JLR revealed that wholesale sales had fallen by 43.3% in the last three months of 2026 year-on-year.

The cyberattack began in September and it took weeks to get up and running again, causing a major hit to production. In Q3 2025, it made 59,200 wholesale sales, excluding its Chery joint venture in China, compared to 104,000 vehicles for the same period in 2024.

Tickets will be available to pre-order from January and go on general sale in February. Vardy said the idea grew out of his family foundation’s work, which commits 10% of its profits each year to long-term projects.

Speaking to podcast hosts James Baggott and Jon Reay, Vardy said: ‘We were trying to work out how to give money to going forward that has a lasting impact.’

Ribeiro appointed as new UK boss

DACIA UK has appointed a new brand director as its outgoing chief heads to Renault Retail Group UK.

Lina Ribeiro takes up the role of leading Dacia in the UK replacing Luke Broad, who has been promoted to managing director of Renault Group’s own dealer group.

Ribeiro, who was previously Renault Group UK head of sales operations, has more than 20 years’ experience in the car industry.

An official statement said she has ‘led teams through strong periods of growth thanks to her straightforward, consistent and quietly inventive leadership style’.

COURTS

Salesman charged with fraud and theft

A CAR salesman has appeared in court after being accused of scamming customers out of hundreds of thousands of pounds. Benjamin Ambrose, 44, is said to have defrauded car buyers in Swindon out of more than £300,000 in a long-running campaign of fraud and theft. Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard that Ambrose has been charged with four counts of fraud by false representation, totalling £151,443.30 as well as three of theft and another of dishonestly failing to disclose information to make a gain for himself.

Car Care Plan Protex launches digital claims tools to transform insurance and accident aftercare experience

Car Care Plan Protex has launched new digital claims tools for branded motor insurance and accident aftercare products, designed to enhance the experience for customers and policyholders across it’s vehicle manufacturer partnerships. The branded motor insurance solutions arm of the award-winning Car Care Plan Group has begun rolling out a smartphone app and online portal that gives drivers a simple, quick, and efficient route for making a claim on their motor insurance and accident aftercare products.

The digital claims tools have been developed in partnership with Agile Developments, which creates integrated claims management solutions, giving customers easy-to-use and efficient additional options for registering claims – supplementing the 24/7/365 telephone claims registration option already available.

Cutting claims application and assessment times

For the end customer, this means making a claim is easier and quicker than ever. Now, if they need to claim on their branded motor insurance or accident aftercare products, they can do so directly through a smartphone app or online via their computer. The entire claims notification process can be completed in under three minutes:

1. First, customers select the type of claim they wish to make and confirm the location where the incident occurred.

2. Then they select the damaged area of their vehicle via a simple interactive diagram, upload images of their damaged vehicle, and repeat this process for the third-party vehicle, if applicable.

3. Finally, the customer can write or voice record the incident circumstances and submit the claim.

For Car Care Plan Protex manufacturer and retailer partners, the new tools enhance their customer experience, ultimately improving satisfaction and retention rates. The web application can be integrated into their current processes, or an SMS/email link can be sent out to the customer upon purchase of their insurance and/or accident aftercare product(s).

Step-by-step guidance will lead customers through the claims process and a full claims report with images will be collated within seconds of the application being submitted. This enhanced process speeds up the claims process while improving customer accessibility and experience.

Simon Cook, Sales Director at Car Care Plan, said: ‘The launch of our Car Care Plan Protex smartphone app and online claims portal is part of our roadmap to offer more customer choice, flexibility, accessibility, and a continually improving experience. We have launched this service with several of our partners already, with plans to roll it out wider in due course – all branded for a seamless customer experience.’

Car Care Plan works with a wide range of vehicle manufacturers and retailers through its Protex division to offer branded insurance and accident aftercare programmes, including driveaway insurance, accident assistance and excess return vouchers. More widely, Car Care Plan offers GAP insurance and other add-on protection products for cosmetic, tyre and alloy repairs. Several of these manufacturer and retailer programmes won the Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award 2025, reflecting the consistent delivery of exceptional customer service. The award requires a rating of at least 4.5 out of 5 stars from a minimum 50 customer reviews over the preceding 12 months.

Ronnie Simmons, Director of CCP Protex, added: ‘The Feefo award recognises our commitment to delivering outstanding customer service and reflects the hard work of our claims and customer service teams. This comes from listening to our customers and continually striving for excellence in our products and services. The launch of our digital claims tools in partnership with Agile Developments is the latest innovation in this journey and we look forward to bringing them to more of our branded motor insurance and accident aftercare service customers in 2026.’

The car manufacturer winners and losers of 2025

• Chinese car brands were the biggest car sales winners in 2025

• Ford managed to muscle itself back into the top three best sellers

• Abarth and Fiat were the biggest casualties as they saw sales plummet

by James Baggott @CarDealerEd

Chinese car manufacturers were the fastest growing car brands last year as buyers switched their allegiances and dumped legacy firms.

BYD and Omoda were by far and away the fastest growing manufacturers of 2025, clocking up rises of 485% and 447% respectively on the year before.

BYD – the world’s largest seller of electric cars last year – found homes for 51,422 cars in the UK, up for just under 9,000 in 2024.

Omoda registered 19,855 cars in 2025 up from under 4,000 in 2024 when it arrived late in the year.

Polestar was the third largest growing brand, increasing its sales by 95% to 16,959 registrations up from just under 9,000 the year before.

Jaecoo – the brand which produces a Chinese version of the Range Rover Evoque – rose a staggering 13,408% in the year but only launched in January 2025. It still managed to sell an incredible 28,232 units.

The growth of the Chinese car brands last year came at the expense of a number of traditional manufacturers which saw sales fall drastically in 2025.

Excluding Jaguar, which saw sales drop nearly 90% after a strategic decision to stop selling cars ahead of its relaunch, Abarth and Fiat saw the biggest impact to their numbers. Abarth sales fell a whopping 71.7% during the year with just 291 cars finding homes. In 2024 the brand only managed 1,027 sales.

Fiat saw sales drop 38.5% shifting under 9,000 cars, while Seat, the now poorer cousin of Cupra, saw sales drop almost as much at 37.4% with 23,015 cars sold in 2025.

There was also change at the top of the charts with Ford managing to muscle itself back into the top three best selling car brands.

The revival for the Blue Oval came at the expense of Audi which saw registrations fall 9.2% and a relegation to fifth in the sales chart.

Ford clocked up nearly 119,000 registrations with sales up 8.2% during the year.

Volkswagen regained their title as the best selling car brand in the UK with nearly 179,000 car sales during the year. Sales for the firm were up 7.4%.

Whilst still in the top 10 best sellers list, BMW, Audi, Toyota, Nissan and Mercedes Benz all saw sales fall in 2025.

Top 10 biggest-selling car brands

How did Chinese car brands fare in the UK in 2025?

CHINESE car brands really made their mark on the UK automotive scene in 2025, securing nearly a tenth of the market.

Latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows that 9.7% of new cars last year were from Chinese carmakers, almost 200,000 cars, while Chinese brands took 12.7% of all UK electric vehicle sales.

When looking at the largest increases in year-to-date registrations, BYD

by James Batchelor @JRRBatchelor

BYD emerged as the strongest Chinese performer by volume. The brand recorded an increase of 42,634 registrations year-on-year, making it the largest overall gainer in purenumber terms among Chinese manufacturers, and it was one of the fastest-growing brands overall. On a percentage year-on-year basis, BYD jumped by 485%.

The most dramatic expansion, however, came from newer arrivals. Jaecoo delivered one of the largest percentage increases in the market, adding 28,023 registrations year-on-year, representing a 13,408% increase on 2024’s sales figures. Sister brand Omoda was close behind, growing volumes by 16,226 units, up 447%. Both brands expanded their dealer networks in 2025, and expect more partners to join them over the next 12 months.

Parent company Chery also arrived in the UK in 2025, a few months after its Omoda and Jaecoo brands. While Chery’s own volumes remain comparatively small to Omoda’s and Jaecoo’s, it still managed to shift over 5,500 cars during the

came out on top by registering 42,634 more cars than it managed in 2024. It was followed by Omoda and Jaecoo.

Despite the impressive gains, the old order of Volkswagen, BMW and Ford dominated market share, with only Chinese-owned MG breaking into the top 10 best-selling brands.

Here, using SMMT data, we look at each Chinese car brand and how it performed in 2025.

year – more than Alfa Romeo (3,000), Subaru (2,144), Genesis (1,225), and DS Automobiles (1,015).

Other Chinese brands delivered mixed results.

GWM recorded a year-on-year decline; it was down by over 53% and was only beaten by Fiat (-38.5%) and Seat (-37.4%). Despite launching the hybrid Haval Jolion Pro SUV and Poer 300 pick-up during the year, GWM has so far failed to expand its Ora EV brand beyond the 03 hatchback.

While on paper Skywell had an impressive year in recording a 417% year-to-date increase, total sales of 31 cars during the year makes it one of the lowest performing brands in UK. It’s a similar story with SAIC-owned Maxus – it recorded a 51.6% increase in sales, but in total it shifted just 47 vehicles in 2025.

Last year also saw the arrival of new Stellantisbacked Leapmotor, Geely, Xpeng and Changhan Leapmotor, aided by its sharing of dealership space with other Stellantis brands such as Vauxhall, sold 4,273 cars during the year. A strong figure as it fought for most of the year with just two models, the T03 and C10. But, with it enjoying around a six-month advantage on Chery and still registering fewer cars, expectations will be high for improvement in 2026.

Volvo-owner Geely arrived in the UK at the

back-end of 2025 and registered an impressive 478 cars, while Changhan seemingly appeared out of the blue in late summer and secured 357 registrations.

IM Group, which also handles GWM in the UK, will likely be pleased with XPeng as it finished the year with 900 registrations.

And then there’s MG. The Chinese-owned British brand continued to strengthen its position in the UK market, with a string of new model launches.

Registrations rose by 3,619 units, up 4.4%. This performance allowed it to break into the tenth place in the top 10 brands year-on-year; its pluspercentage was in sharp contrast to most other European brands placed higher in the table, who mostly recorded percentage decreases.

Overall, it’s clear that some of the Chinese car brands are moving from novel status to potentially becoming notable players. All eyes will be on 2026’s figures released in 12 months’ time.

FERRARI AMALFI

Ferrari has sharpened its Roma coupe and transformed it into the Amalfi – but is it any good? Jack Evans finds out.

WHAT IS IT?

First revealed back in 2019, the Ferrari Roma arrived as a new gateway to the Italian brand’s range of cars. Indeed, Ferrari made no bones about the car’s positioning as a car for those new to the brand and those who had never driven one of its vehicles before.

But never one to sit back and remain complacent, Ferrari has seen fit to update its Roma and, in transforming a number of areas of this stylish coupe, has changed its name, too. Enter the Amalfi – Ferrari’s new entry point to its line-up. We’ve been driving it in Portugal to see what has changed.

WHAT’S NEW?

Far from a complete overhaul, the Roma’s change into Amalfi comes through evolution. It’s why the engine has been tweaked to make it more responsive, while a brake-by-wire system aims to make the car easier and more predictable to drive – something much-needed by those who might be driving a Ferrari for the first time.

In many ways, user-friendliness has been thought about in the Amalfi, too. Gone are the haptic-style buttons on the steering wheel, replaced by much simpler physical controls. The glowing and touch-sensitive starter switch of the Roma has been ditched, with the fully physical red starter button of the Amalfi harking back to a feature fitted to leagues of iconic Ferrari models, dating back to the original 360 of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET?

You’ll find no radical changes underneath the long, sweeping bonnet of the Amalfi, either. As before, you’ve got a 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine though, with 631bhp, it has been graced with an additional 19bhp over the Roma. However, the throttle response has been sharpened thanks to a new crankshaft and redesigned turbochargers, making the Amalfi more urgent to drive. It’s linked to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, too.

A new brake-by-wire system helps to bring improved stopping power and a more natural pedal feel, no matter the conditions outside. Called ABS Evo, it’s a system that we’ve already seen put to good use on the brand’s 296 GTS hybrid supercar and in the Amalfi, it aims to provide a more efficient and predictable braking experience.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

Look at the Amalfi’s elongated bonnet and huge alloy wheels and you’d think that this would be an intimidating car to drive. But once that red starter button is pressed and you’re on the move, the reality is quite the opposite. In fully automatic mode, the gearbox

Power

The Amalfi’s 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 pumps out 631bhp and 760Nm of torque.

THE KNOWLEDGE

Ferrari Amalfi

Price: £202,459

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8

Power: 631bhp

Torque: 760Nm

O-60mph: 3.0 seconds

Max speed: 199mph

MPG (combined): NA

Emissions: NA

Cabin

The fit-and-finish is good, too, with the front seats providing good support.

shifts smoothly and the ride does a great job of taking out the harshness from the road. In Comfort drive mode, the Amalfi has the hallmarks of a tremendous GT car, with good levels of refinement overall.

But that’s not to say that this can’t still act like a ‘true’ Ferrari. Switch into a sportier driver setting and the whole car sharpens and tightens, with that V8 engine feeling stronger than ever. In fact, for what is effectively the ‘entry-level’ Ferrari, the Amalfi delivers nearabsurd levels of performance and far more than what anyone would realistically need on a daily basis.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

It’s fair to say that the Roma was hardly an ugly duckling, so Ferrari didn’t need to do an awful lot in the styling department. However, there have been some noticeable tweaks and changes introduced to help spruce things up. The front end is smoother and more aerodynamic than before, with the grille-like design of the Roma removed entirely.

There’s quite a big difference at the rear, however, as the Amalfi now gets an electronically adjustable wing. Fully automatic, it switches between low, medium and high downforce levels depending on the car’s speed or acceleration. Ferrari says it can generate up to 110kg of downforce at 155mph, in fact.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

There’s been a great increase in overall usability inside the Amalfi. The new physical steering wheel controls are a big improvement over the Roma’s haptic ones and make changing key features much easier. The Roma’s rather compact portrait-oriented screen has now been switched out for a landscape one which is larger, more feature-packed and much easier to use. Android Auto users now get full functionality, too, while Apple CarPlay remains as before.

The general fit-and-finish is good, too, with the front seats providing good support. It’s best to see the rear seats of the Amalfi as ‘occasional’ and only for children at that – a full-sized adult isn’t going to be able to sit there. A 273-litre boot provides enough space for some soft weekend bags or a decent amount of shopping, too.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

Prices for the Amalfi start at £202,459, though, as with any Ferrari, you’ll be able to quickly ramp that price up with an extensive options list. All cars get that redesigned infotainment setup, as well as a new 16.25-inch digital instrument display, which can be customised to show a variety of readouts. The Amalfi will also be available with an optional 8.8-inch passenger display, while wireless smartphone charging is provided in a tray underneath the primary infotainment screen.

The Amalfi comes with a range of assistance systems as standard, too, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and blind spot detection. However, the good news is that all of these systems – which can be a little distracting at times – can be easily switched off via three presses of a dedicated button on the steering wheel.

VERDICT

It’s a case of refinement with the Ferrari Amalfi. Both inside and out, this car feels more intuitive and easier to understand than its predecessor, which, as a gateway for the Ferrari brand, it should be. However, it hasn’t lost any Ferrari sparkle in the process and still feels special both inside and out.

Both inside and out, this car feels more intuitive and easier to understand than its predecessor.

TARGET BUYERS: Drivers who want an exciting Ferrari experience in a car which looks and feels special.

Style

The Amalfi gets an electronically adjustable wing that can generate up to 110kg of downforce at 155mph.

SELLING POINTS:

Eye-catching looks

More intuitive interior than before

DEAL CLINCHER:

The Roma has been sharpened up in its evolution to Amalfi and now, it’s one of the best cars Ferrari makes.

British

MARCH

AGENDA IN FULL

BACK AND BIGGER THAN EVER IN 2026

Car Dealer Live 2026, sponsored by Auto Trader, is back and bigger than ever: focussing on a broad range of motor industry topics.

We’ll be interviewing some of the biggest names in the car dealer business from franchised dealers, to leading independents, to car manufacturer executives.

Listen, learn and connect during a packed day of inspiring sessions with other motor trade professionals at this dedicated conference for the automotive industry.

HEADLINE INTERVIEWS

Our

Richard Ennis

CEO, Hedin UK

FRANCHISED DEALERS

Sam Luscombe MD, Luscombe Motors

FULL LINE-UP TO BE ANNOUNCED

Alex Domone COO, Snows Group

Franchised dealers regularly find themselves at the bleeding edge of new manufacturer initiatives, and that’s not likely to change in 2026. Our experienced panel will share their insights on the technological and regulatory changes coming our way in the years ahead.

INDEPENDENT

DEALERS

Umeshi Samani Chairman, IMDA

Steven Douglas Founder, Really Easy Car Credit

George Manning Director, Hilton Garage

FULL LINE-UP TO BE ANNOUNCED

Independent dealers don’t often have an easy life. With recent challenges like vehicle electrification, volatile prices and a shortage of stock, our panel will discuss how to remain profitable and relevant in an everchanging automotive landscape.

CHALLENGER

BRANDS

Adam Harkin

Dealer development director, Geely UK

Victor Zhang

UK country manager, Omoda & Jaecoo

Steve Beattie

Deputy country manager, BYD

Farrell Hsu

UK country manager, Chery

Could 2026 be the year Chinese car manufacturers conquer the UK market? This year, we’ve assembled a panel of their brightest and best representatives, to help you get a feel for what sort of products are coming down the pipeline.

SOCIAL MEDIA MASTERCLASS

James McConville Director, Solo Cars

Danny Bond Director, DB Automotive

FULL LINE-UP TO BE ANNOUNCED

We’ll be chatting to dealers who have harnessed the power of social media to sell cars. We’ll be joined by James McConville, director of Solo Car Sales, about how he has mastered social car sales as well as other car dealers about how they do it too. Meanwhile, Danny Bond from DB Automotive will be explaining how his dealership previously sold cars exclusively through social media, with over 3000 vehicles transacted on solely through Meta’s various platforms.

MANUFACTURERS SESSION

FULL LINE-UP TO BE ANNOUNCED

Manufacturers have plenty of challenges of their own in 2026 – the ZEV mandate being just one of them. But what words of wisdom can they offer to their dealer partners, and are things going to get easier or more difficult in the next 18 months?

Headline partner Auto Trader will once again take to the stage at Car Dealer Live, offering the kind of insights that only the UK’s number one automotive classified platform can.

Further details about this session will be revealed in due course.

Tom Leathes Co-founder & CEO, motorway

Leathes from Motorway was one of the co-founders of the groundbreaking online used car marketplace which has shaken up the way car dealers buy cars. In this interview he’ll answer our questions –and yours – as he opens up about the future for the radical platform.

‘The Challenger Effect’. This Cox Automotive session explores how consumer interest in new market entrants has evolved over the past six months. Backed by fresh consumer data, we’ll analyse where these brands are gaining traction, where the market has been eroded, and what this shift signals for the retail landscape in the year ahead.

Automotive powerhouse Keyloop is responsible for the back-end operations of countless dealer group and OEM functions.

The Keyloop team will be bringing their latest insights to the Car Dealer Live stage, with further details to be announced.

If there’s one thing the world can’t stop talking about right now, it’s AI – and who better to discuss this vast topic than artificial intelligence experts from Impel.

Executives from the Impel team will be explaining how dealers can get the best out of AI, along with where to deploy it in their businesses, and what’s next for the technology.

How are consumers using AI to search for their next car? Search giant Google will reveal their latest insights into this key change in the world of car shopping at Car Dealer Live, as well as research into how dealers are leveraging AI, and the opportunity for the motor trade to connect with consumers on YouTube.

What’s happening?

JAMES’S VIEWS ON THE NEWS

From afar, the Constellation Automotive business looks like the perfect solution to make big money in the motor trade. It has the stock supply issue swept up with one of the most successful car buying platforms out there – We Buy Any Car. It funnels the cars that are good enough to its dealer network to sell retail, generating a steady stream of stock for its used car platform Cinch to sell used or, if they’re good enough, for its franchised dealers to sell on its Marshall forecourts.

What’s more, cars it doesn’t want feeds its money-making car auction business, BCA. Not only do they buy the car at WBAC for under trade (if they can) they then sell it in the auction for a profit, also making cash out of the dealers with the fees they charge for the privilege.

In theory it’s the perfect motor trade circle – it’s got acquisition, trade disposal and retail for new and used cars all sewn up – and, if done right, they should all be feeding each other.

So why on earth did this business lose nearly £113m last year?

Accounts for Constellation Automotive Holdings and its subsidiaries all came out over the Christmas period. While most people were nursing a Turkey curry, the annual reports quietly arrived on Companies House.

But I was bored and couldn’t help reading them all – and they made for fascinating reading. Constellation is backed by the private equity firm TDR Capital – it also owns supermarket Asda and the gym group David Lloyd – but over the

years it has plugged together some of the largest parts of the UK car market.

Accounts to the end of March 2025 show it raked in £9.5bn, but loss before tax rose 51% to £112.9m.

While some parts of the business are flying, it appears Constellation is being held back by Cinch, its online-only used car dealer turned traditional car supermarket.

Separate accounts for Cinch Cars Ltd show it clocked up its own losses for the same period of £100.3m on revenues of £1bn. A complicated group restructuring process also took place which saw £116m of internal debt written off during the year.

This is a business that was designed to sell cars online and deliver them to people’s homes. Now it runs traditional showrooms and has started charging to deliver cars to customers to bolster its finances.

Cinch has been wrapped up in the new Constellation Retail Group alongside the previously listed, and previously very successful, Marshall Motor Group. The latter saw profits reverse – halving in 2025 to £11.2m. Overall the parent retail group chalked up a £23.7m operating loss. Only a fraction of Cinch’s painful year was included in the numbers, though.

But it’s not just Cinch and, in some cases, Marshall that is weighing the Constellation group

down. Its biggest problem is its debt pile.

On paper, Constellation reported EBITDA profit of £360.5m for 2025, but remember this is before finance costs are included.

The accounts show £210.4m in financing fees with an additional ‘one-off’ finance cost of £23.6m.

Those fees and the losses from its car retailing arm meant the car buying and trade arm needed to do some heavy lifting.

And that they did. BCA and WBAC had stellar years, both making healthy profits that contributed healthy sums to the group coffers. BCA sent up £152m of EBITDA profit, a rise of 33% on the year before.

We Buy Any Car added a further £61.5m – also up a third – and bought more than half a million cars from the general public in the process.

There’s no doubt the group’s private equity owners will want out at some stage. It bought BCA and WBAC back in 2019, Cinch was launched not long after and Marshall was added in 2023 – but the clock is ticking on getting a return on that investment.

How it does that, though, remains unclear. Could it be a float? It would be the logical solution but that would mean convincing investors that what TDR has built is the Holy Grail of the motor trade, not something that can only survive with the help of huge financing costs.

Subscribe to James’s weekly newsletter at cardealer.substack.com – out every Friday and directly emailed to your inbox

The Need to Knows

Dealers facing ‘ambulance chasing’ claims from consumers impacted by Stellantis stop-drive

CAR dealers are being warned to remain vigilant against what automotive law firm Lawgistics describes as speculative legal claims from consumers following Stellantis’s stop-drive airbag recall, despite many vehicles having no reported faults. The firm says dealers are receiving template-style demands, sometimes relating to cars bought years ago, and advises retailers not to ignore legal letters but to seek advice, pointing to DVSA guidance that affected vehicles can still pass an MOT with a manual advisory.

Motorway launches paid listings for consumers to ‘signal intent’ to sell to dealers

MOTORWAY has introduced a £29.99 paid listing option for some sellers in a small-scale test aimed at improving dealer confidence in consumer commitment. The new listings are badged in daily auctions but are otherwise identical in visibility. The firm says the upfront fee signals stronger intent to sell and may lead to smoother transactions. The option is currently available to a limited number of users, with results determining wider rollout. Motorway, which made a £37.3m loss in 2024, expects to reduce losses in 2025 and reach profitability by mid-2026 as revenues improve.

Pic of the month

Volvo has warned owners of certain EX30 models built between 2024 and 2026 about a rare risk of battery overheating that could lead to a fire, linked to high-voltage cells from a specific supplier. The issue affects some Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance cars, representing around 0.02% of vehicles identified, with no injuries reported, and owners are being advised not to charge beyond 70% until a recall is issued.

What I’ve heard

THE annual car sales figures always make for interesting browsing – and 2025’s number show it was clearly the year the Chinese got a proper foothold in the UK.

BYD saw sales rise a whopping 485% to become the fastest growing brand. It shifted some 51,422 cars as its network of dealers grew exponentially.

Peter Vardy Group returns to profit as decision to ditch car

dealerships starts to pay off

PETER Vardy Group has returned to profitability, posting a pre-tax profit of £18,000 for the 15 months to March 31, 2025, following a strategic shift away from most car dealerships. The result marks a turnaround from a £10.9m loss a year earlier, with the group now focused on its remaining Porsche operations, automotive finance arm CarMoney, property investments and venture capital activity, despite sharply lower turnover after divesting much of its retail network.

Quote

‘We are proud

to welcome Spirit customers and colleagues into the Thurlow Nunn family. Spirit’s values align perfectly with our own, and we look forward to building on the Derbyshire family’s legacy.’

Thurlow Nunn MD Will Tew on news the family-run dealer group has bought all sites belonging to Spirit Motor Group, including Hyundai and MG in Corby and another Hyundai site in Northampton.

Omoda, and its sister brand Jaecoo, were not far behind. The former launched at the back end of 2024 and as such saw registrations rise 447% in the year. Jaecoo launched in January last year so yearon-year comparisons are not possible but, combined, the duo shifted 48,087 cars – not far behind BYD.

Those near 100,000 cars had to come at the expense of someone and any of the brands on the biggest fallers list could easily be classed as a casualty. Abarth (-71.7%), Fiat (-38.5%) and Seat (-37.4%) were the worst hit during the year.

I wouldn’t say those brands were directly hit by Chinese cannibalisation, but Audi down 9.2%, Nissan down 10.3% and Mercedes (-13.1%) I suspect were. They all have models that the Chinese have cheaper alternatives for and I suspect are feeling the heat.

My other highlight in the numbers was Ford edging itself back into the top three. The Blue Oval sold just shy of 119,000 cars, narrowly behind BMW (122k) in second, and the market leader VW in first place with 178,067 sales.

Ford has had it tough over the last few years, but maybe it has found its mojo once again…

However, if you thought 2025 was China’s year, wait until you see what 2026 has in store. Not only have those brands mentioned above got their ducks in a row ready to grow, there’ll be even more brands to worry about with Chery, Geely, Changan and others queuing up to take a bite of the establishment’s lunch.

CAR NEWS ROUND-UP

Manufacturers have been refining their models and producing new ones. We look at some of the results...

CUPRA

New ‘Tribe Editions’ add to Formentor and Terramar appeal

ALFA ROMEO

Giulia Quadrifoglio ‘Luna Rossa’ revealed

ALL 10 examples of the special Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio ‘Luna Rossa’ edition have sold out.

The car has been built to celebrate and represent the sponsorship by Alfa Romeo of the Luna Rossa sailing team.

The car features lots of exterior styling tweaks including two central pylons, which the firm claims has been inspired by the wings of Luna Rossa’s AC75 boat.

CUPRA has strengthened its Formentor and Terramar offerings with new ‘Tribe Editions’.

First revealed at the IAA Munich Motor Show last year, the Tribe Editions introduce a range of exterior and interior modifications to further distinguish both models.

Priced from £39,240 for the Formentor and £43,255 for the Terramar, both cars get a new exterior colour

Performance Line variants go on sale

Performance Line versions of the DS3 and No4 DS are now on sale.

The DS Performance Line cars reference DS’s Formula E E-Tense FE25 electric racer, with the DS3 getting black alloys with gold centre caps, and fabric and Alcantara seats.

The No.4 gets similar treatment.

The DS3 is priced from £33,410 to £37,495, while the No4 range comes in at £33,400 and rises to £40,360.

– Manganese Matt – as well as bucket seats with 3D knitted materials and bio-based paint for interior elements such as air vents and the dashboard. The alloy wheels get an eco-friendly design, too, incorporating 20% recycled materials.

Both the Formentor and Terramar Tribe Editions will be available with a range of engines.

Torres and Actyon hybrid versions

KGM has launched hybrid versions of the Torres and Actyon SUVs.

The Korean firm has teamed up with Chinese car giant BYD to develop its new ‘Dual Tech’ hybrid powertrain, combining a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor.

The Torres Hybrid can achieve 46.1mpg, while the larger Actyon Hybrid can manage a claimed 46.4mpg on the combined cycle.

New EX60 will have 503-mile range

VOLVO has revealed the EX60 electric SUV will provide a class-leading claimed range of 503 miles on a single charge.

The EX60 is competing in the premium electric SUV market, rivalling the likes of the Tesla Model Y and Audi Q6 e-tron, which have claimed electric ranges of up to 387 and 398 miles, respectively.

The Volvo’s range is achieved thanks to a new 800volt electrical architecture.

Clio range benefits from revised trim levels and £1,000 price cut

THE current Renault Clio range has received some specification updates and a £1,000 price cut for 2026.

This year will mark the last year of production of the fifth-generation car, before the sixth iteration arrives in the UK at the beginning of 2027.

The range now starts at £17,995, which is £1,000 less than before, consisting of four trim levels.

The entry-level Generation comes as standard with automatic climate control, front and rear parking sensors and a seven-inch infotainment

KIA

Europe-built EV2 electric SUV launched

KIA has revealed its entry into the B-segment electric SUV market with the EV2.

The EV2 is the firm’s smallest electric model, which will rival the Ford Puma Gen-E, and will be Kia’s second EV to be built in Europe.

The car’s exterior has vertical LED daytime running lights, Kia’s ‘Star Map’ lighting signature, flush door handles, bold wheel arch extensions, roof bars and kick-up rear window.

Volkswagen T-Roc to be priced from £31,620

VOLKSWAGEN has announced that the second-generation T-Roc SUV will cost £31,620.

The T-Roc is one of Volkswagen’s best-selling SUVs, having sold more than two million units globally.

The new model retains the same coupe-like exterior design with ‘hockey stick’ C pillars, redesigned front LED headlights, an LED rear lightbar, as well as a red illuminated Volkswagen logo.

NEWS AND THOUGHTS FROM THE CAR DEALER PODCASTS

Sponsored

by

If you’ve got a Chinese franchise, next year is going to be fantastic.

Peter Vardy

‘You’re on your own with the Chinese brands’ – Peter Vardy on rise of the Chinese

Motor industry veteran Peter Vardy believes dealers with a Chinese carmaker franchise have a ‘fantastic couple of years’ ahead of them, but warned they need to be careful working with these brands as the nature of business is ‘fundamentally different’.

Speaking on the latest Car Dealer Podcast, Vardy opened up about how he has diversified his business from motor retail, and gave his thoughts on the rise of the Chinese challenger brands.

‘The Chinese products are very good and very cheap – for the man on the street who wants a cheap car, they are the ones to buy at the moment,’ he said.

‘So, if you’ve got a Chinese franchise, next year is going to be fantastic. It’ll be two or three years of real growth I imagine, and then I think the margins might then be pulled as they can’t go on forever.’

Drawing on time spent living in China, Vardy said retailers must understand that ‘this is a different culture… it’s a different way of doing business.’

He said: ‘When I went to live in China, somebody said, “You got to take your goggles off because you’re looking at this as a Westerner, and it’s not your world, Peter. This

is a different culture”.’

Vardy explained that the Chinese franchise dealer contracts he saw were very different from European ones.

‘I was fortunate enough to have a commitment with BMW for a long time, and if you had a bad year quite often BMW would step in and do something about that. I think that’s a completely different culture for the Chinese brands. You’re on your own.’

He added: ‘The dealer contracts I saw [with Chinese carmakers] were a lot weaker than we would have with a European manufacturer. The Chinese have a lot more control.

‘We [the industry] always wanted to be like the American dealers, didn’t we? Having a lot more strength than the manufacturers, but we never quite got there. I think we’re even weaker with the Chinese brands, and I think that’s something to be very careful about.’

Four Chinese challenger brands will be appearing at Car Dealer Live on March 19. BYD, Geely, Omoda & Jaecoo, and Chery will all be represented on a special panel at our event. Tickets are selling out fast – visit cardealerlive.co.uk for more information.

New car discounts pushed used EV prices down in December as values fall 2%

December had one last sting in the tail for used car retail values as prices of secondhand EVs slumped by 2%.

Latest data from Percayso Vehicle Intelligence shows that December followed November’s lead and witnessed a slight fall in overall used car trade prices.

Average retail values at the three-year age mark fell by just over 1%, or around £200, and followed a ‘typical season transition’, said the company.

All fuel types saw a drop, with petrols holding

and diesels ‘remarkably firm’ slipping by 0.75% and 0.5% respectively. But electric vehicles fell the most with December seeing an average drop of 2% – double that of hybrids.

Analysing the data with Car Dealer, automotive consultant Derren Martin said the fall was not dramatic in isolation, but more notable in the context of recent trends.

‘It’s not a massive drop, but EVs did have strength over the summer and since then they have kind of drifted away,’ he said.

Martin explained that the drop was influenced

by seasonal trends, but also by what has been occurring in the new EV market.

‘What’s happened at the end of the year is some pushing by the OEMs on getting some new car registrations,’ Martin explained. ‘You see some very keen new car deals monthly payment wise, and I hear a lot from dealers that people go in for a used car and come out with a new one at the moment because the monthly payments are so good.’

This has added pressure to used EVs just as seasonal demand weakens.

Quick decisions Faster deals

FINANCE NEWS

FCA investigates claims management firm over motor finance sales tactics

by James Batchelor @JRRBatchelor

Aclaims management firm which once said it was ‘fighting for the people’ is being investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over concerns about its sales practices in relation to the £11bn motor finance scandal.

The watchdog has opened an enforcement investigation into Manchester-based The Claims Protection Agency (TCPA), which is behind the brand My Claim Group, along with Express PCP, The PCP Guys, Martin’s Tips, and Karen’s Claims.

The FCA said it was investigating what customers were told about the amount of compensation they might receive, whether they were told they could make a claim for free and if they were pressured to sign up.

Concerns centre around TCPA’s sales and advertising tactics to appeal to people who believe they might be entitled to compensation for being mis-sold a car loan. The saga escalated during 2025 when the FCA announced plans to launch an industry-wide compensation scheme for an estimated 14 million car finance agreements.

The FCA has repeatedly said consumers do not need to use a claims management company (CMC) or a law firm to access its scheme, and warned that people risk losing more than 30% of their compensation as a result of unnecessary fees.

But a report backed by MPs and peers in November found that potential victims could get more redress by going through the UK courts than under the FCA’s scheme. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on fair banking said the redress scheme could short-change customers.

TCPA is required to stop onboarding new customers, stop publicising new financial promotions and withdraw all existing ones after making an application to the FCA in August. A message on the homepage of the My Claim Group website says it has ‘temporarily paused new customer sign-ups’.

The FCA has not yet reached any conclusions on whether TCPA breached any regulatory requirements. A spokesman for TCPA said it had ‘fully co-operated with the FCA in relation to its investigation, which we believe will exonerate our position’.

FCA may adjust scheme after hearing feedback CONSULTATION

THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is open to the idea of adjusting its proposed motor finance compensation scheme after hearing from more than 1,000 businesses and consumers, its boss told MPs.

The watchdog’s chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, said some lenders have so far been ‘very focused on things they don’t like’ about its proposals.

The FCA’s consultation closed on December 12. The regulator is hoping to compensate motorists who were unfairly sold a car loan.

Appearing before the Treasury Committee, Rathi said: ‘We have had a very wide range of responses – over 1,000 – to our consultation which closed last week, including over 800 individual consumers responding with their views.

‘We see a range of views and where there is good strong evidence that might persuade us to adjust what we have proposed so that we get to a fair, proportionate scheme, we will consider that evidence.’

The proposals have been met with significant pushback from lenders including Santander and Lloyds.

TIME IS MONEY

RICHARD PYGOTT

A MONTHLY LOOK AT THE WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE FINANCE AND MARKETING

Support that makes a difference

January can feel long in the motor trade. The festive cheer has faded, the forecourts are quieter than usual, and suddenly every deal, every approval, and every part exchange feels heavier. I hear dealers say, ‘business is slow’, but I’ve learned over the last 16 years that it’s not just because of the January blues. It’s often because the right support isn’t there when it matters most.

At First Response Finance, I see every day how much of a difference the right support can make to our dealer partners. There’s no doubt about it, selling used cars is hard and comes with real-world challenges. Customers don’t always fit mainstream lending criteria. They may have limited or thin credit files, are self-employed, or have previous credit issues. And all too often, that’s where deals get held up or fall through. I know from talking to our dealer partners that these moments frustrate them the most. That’s why I’m proud of the way we work, giving dealers the flexibility, speed, and guidance they need to turn more applications into completed sales.

Our systems are simple and fast, giving decisions at the point of sale and payouts as soon as documents are approved. I genuinely believe that this makes a difference not just for the business, but for the dealers themselves, taking away unnecessary stress and letting them focus on what they do best: selling cars.

I’ve seen first-hand how this approach works in practice. When a customer is almost ready to buy but a small hiccup in finance could put the deal at risk, our team takes the time to assess the situation properly.

For me, it’s about seeing the whole picture, not just ticking boxes, that’s what lets us help more dealers get their deals over the line. I know how frustrating it is for dealers to lose sales over something that could be solved with a little flexibility, and I feel proud that we can help bridge that gap.

Richard Pygott is digital marketer for First Response. Call him on 0115 946 6365 or email richard. pygott@frfl.co.uk

We can approve more customers, help them sell more cars, and keep their cash flow predictable. That’s why I say with confidence that First Response Finance isn’t just a lender. We’re a partner that works alongside dealers, helps them navigate the tricky parts of motor finance, and supports them when it matters most. And in my experience, having that support changes everything, for the dealership, their customers, and ultimately, their business.

Don’t work with us? Check out our dealersite to see how we can support your finance needs at dealer.firstresponsefinance.co.uk

There’s no doubt about it, selling used cars is hard and comes with real-world challenges.

SUPPLIERS GUIDE

LOOKING FOR A MOTOR TRADE SUPPLIER? YOU CAN FIND THE DETAILS OF SELECTED COMPANIES HERE

Auctions

Auction4Cars.com

W: auction4cars.com

T: 03003 730 866

E: customerservice@auction4cars.com

Info: The UK’s leading independent trade car auction site. Completely online, it boasts some of the lowest auction fees on the market.

Auctions & Trade-To-Trade Sales

BCA

W: bca.co.uk

T: 0344 875 3480

Finance

Close Brothers Motor Finance

W: closemotorfinance.co.uk/

Info: Close Brothers Motor Finance are a specialist finance provider, working with over 8,000 dealer partners to offer flexible finance solutions for car, motorcycle and LCV customers.

Finance

E: customerservices@bca.com

Info: BCA’s remarketing programmes deliver volume, choice and availability for buyers, and speed, efficiency and market-leading returns for sellers.

Automotive E-Commerce

ATG

W: atg.auto

T: 0844 264 3519

Info: Leading provider of retailing solutions, Automotive Transformation Group maximises sales for retailers, OEMs, financiers and fleet suppliers by making car buying easier for their consumers.

Data

Real World Analytics

W: realworldanalytics.com

T: 0808 1890 617

E: auto@realworldanalytics.com

Info: We are a SaaS-based data analytics solution provider for multisite dealers. Our business intelligence tools help customers make faster and better decisions.

DMS

MotorDesk

W: dealerdesk.co.uk

E: contact@dealerdesk.co.uk

Info: Modernise your stock management, advertising, communication, sales and website. DealerDesk provides you with easyto-use tools designed to simplify your dealership management.

Finance

Blue Motor Finance

W: blue.co.uk

T: 020 3005 9331

E: dealersupport@blue.co.uk

Info: Blue is transforming the car finance market, making car ownership simple and flexible and providing motor traders with access to essential finance.

First Response

W: dealer.firstresponsefinance.co.uk

T: 0115 671 1755

E: marketing@frfl.co.uk

Info: First Response is an awardwinning UK finance company providing simple financial solutions. Get in touch and let us help increase your profits.

Finance

Forza Finance

W: forzafinance.co.uk

T: 01245 245678

Info: Benefit from Forza Finance’s expertise, choice of products and lenders. Their personal approach will help you achieve higher levels of finance penetration and, ultimately, sell more cars.

HR & People Management

HR Manager

W: hrmanager.co.uk

T: 01480 455500

E: info@hrmanager.co.uk

Info: HR Manager is Lawgistics’ new digital compliance portal designed to assist employers in managing their legal obligations, responsibilities and duties.

Insurance

Tradesure

W: tradesureinsurance.co.uk

T: 0121 248 9313

Info: Providing motor trade insurance to full- and part-time motor traders in the UK, the Tradesure team are reliable professionals who know how to help you.

Key Control

Traka

W: traka-automotive.com

T: 0333 355 3726

E: automotive@traka.com

Info: Bespoke software and electronic key management cabinets to deliver the most effective solution to dealerships to manage their keys and vehicles.

Lead Management

GardX AD-Vantage

W: gardx.co.uk/gardx-ad-vantage

T: 01243 376426

E: goforaspin@gardx.co.uk

Info: The award-winning 360 service offers an engaging display of the vehicle while additionally presenting profitable F&I products to a consumer.

Lead Management

iVendi

W: ivendi.com

T: 0330 229 0028

E: tellmemore@ivendi.com

Info: iVendi delivers a fully connected platform that engages consumers, converts buyers and manages transactions of vehicles online and in the showroom.

Legal & Compliance

Lawgistics

W: lawgistics.co.uk

T: 01480 455500

E: sales@lawgistics.co.uk

Info: The legal experts for the motor trade, giving advice and support to our industry for over 15 years. Not anti-consumer, just pro-trader.

Marketing, PR & Video

OnCue Communications

W: oncuecomms.com

T: 020 8125 3880

Info: We are a leading provider of PR, video and events services to the automotive industry. The PR team has a proven track record of securing high-value, big-impact media coverage.

Marketing, PR & Video

Marketing Delivery

W: marketingdelivery.co.uk/

T: 01892 599911

E: get.in.touch@marketingdelivery.co.uk

Info: Our SocialStock helps target prospects with tailored stock remarketing and social media advertising tools, and automated lead capture for Facebook.

Oil & Lubricants

Mobil™

W: mobil.co.uk

T: 0800 0857 420

Recruitment

WeRecruit Auto

W: werecruitauto.co.uk

T: 01603 550041

Info: Permanent recruitment – here to assist businesses within the automotive sector find the best fit for their company in terms of skillset, experience and culture.

Trade Bodies

Ben

W: ben.org.uk

T: 0808 131 1333

Info: Ben is a not-for-profit organisation that partners with the automotive industry to provide support for life to its people and their families.

Vehicle Photography

Dealer 360

W: dealer360.co.uk

T: 01270 780855

E: nicky.spratt@ukturntables.com

Info: UK makers of photo booths incorporating our turntables for car, van and motorcycle dealers. Our software controls turntable and cameras – a onestop solution.

Vehicle Tracking

Meta Trak

W: metatrak.co.uk

T: 020 8867 2340

E: enquiries@metatrak.co.uk

Info: Total vehicle security. Clever tracking technology, advanced immobilisation, 24/7 monitoring and an easy-to-use app. Security. Connectivity. Peace of mind.

Warranty Providers

AutoProtect

W: autoprotect.co.uk

T: 01279 406888

E: sales@autoprotect.net

Info: AutoProtect offers a full portfolio of award-winning protection products, including GAP. We lead the market with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot.

Warranty Providers

Car Care Plan

W: carcareplan.com

T: 0344 573 8000

Info: Whether using Mobil 1™ or Mobil Super™, Mobil™ engine oils meet or exceed the latest standards of the oil industry and vehicle manufacturers.

Info: Car Care Plan is a leading provider of motor protection products, trusted around the world to deliver quality protection with integrity and a customer-oriented outlook.

Warranty Providers

Centurion Warranties

W: centurionwarranties.co.uk

T: 0800 368 7420

E: support@cwuk.net

Info: Centurion offers comprehensive aftermarket warranty solutions to motor dealers across the UK who sell first-owned vehicles through to high-end, prestige and sports cars.

Warranty Providers

Händler Protect

W: handlerprotect.com

T: 0800 088 7889

E: sales@handlerprotect.com

Info: Händler Protect is an exclusive dealer warranty provider. Proud to partner and represent more than 1,000-plus ‘active’ independent motor dealers across the UK each month.

These Listings Work!

More Sales For You

W: Your website address

T: 020 8125 3880 (that’s us!)

E: sales@blackballmedia.co.uk

Info: The Suppliers Guide lets dealers find the companies they need to help them with their business. Make sure you’re here. Contact us via the above number or email address.

Website Design & Digital Marketing

Bluesky Interactive

W: blueskyinteractive.co.uk

T: 01926 651000

Info: Bluesky Interactive drive dealer websites and digital marketing forward thanks to game-changing innovation, the latest technology and our exceptional relationships with our clients.

Website Design & Digital Marketing

Haswent

W: haswent.com

T: 020 3920 6164

E: hello@haswent.com

Info: Composer is a next-gen automotive platform. You have extensive stock management options, and you’ll gain a brilliantly responsive new website.

Website Design & Digital Marketing

Spidersnet

W: spidersnet.co.uk

T: 01273 837749

E: hello@spidersnet.co.uk

Info: Websites that are designed to increase the number of customers for dealers. We have solutions for all budgets and needs. All solutions include our DMS Autopromotor.

MAZDA MX-5

Our time with a proper sports car comes to an end, but we’ve taken the keys to a CX-80 to see if Mazda can be considered a premium brand. James Batchelor reports.

It’s out with the classic and in with the contemporary, as my MX-5 RF has gone back to Mazda and been replaced with something rather different. Before I explain more about the new car that I’m itching to spend time with, it’s worth summing up my time with the MX-5. In all honesty, I’ve never found it so hard to hand the keys back to a car manufacturer after a long-term loan as I have with BU24 CCO.

Last year I asked Mazda if I could live with an MX-5. I chose the RF version as the car’s folding hardtop would come in handy when the weather turned cold – and boy did it turn cold. The RF, Mazda-speak for Retractable Fastback, has a proper metal folding roof that, thanks to some very clever acrobatics by the electric motors, can fold away into the gap between the rear seats and the boot in around 12 seconds.

I dropped the top as often as I could, even when the mercury dropped. Heated seats and a hat is all you need, but, when the temperatures earlier this year were around zero degrees most mornings, the roof firmly stayed up. I didn’t mind this as the sound insulation with it up was excellent, and it made for a comfortable cruiser. Plus, I think a roof-up RF looks utterly fantastic – like a proper coupe.

I guess most owners will drive their RFs with the top up and I can see why. Unlike the previous MX-5, only the top and rear-most part of the roof folds, not the whole thing. It’s a targa roof, effectively, and while it’s a good half-way house between a proper convertible and a coupe, I did find it gave pretty bad buffeting, both on the motorway with the windows up and on a country road with the windows down. I discovered a neat hack, though – if I dropped the windows by half an inch it pretty much cured the buffeting on the motorway. Bizarre, but aerodynamics is a fine science after all.

I’ve written long paragraphs in the past about how utterly perfect the MX-5 is to drive, so I won’t repeat them now. What I will say, though, is the RF feels noticeably heavier and ‘floppier’ than the conventional roadster version, more so than the actual 45kg difference suggests. But it’s not enough to cancel out the benefits of a more comfortable driving experience in winter.

Ultimately, though, I think I would put up with slightly less comfort and go for the roadster if it were my money. It’s just that little bit nicer to drive, and, while the roof is hugely clever, it’s slightly too look-at-me – it jars with the MX-5’s honest and wholesome character.

I didn’t have long to ponder which MX-5 I would have for very long because the MX-5 was recently whisked away and its replacement arrived. The new arrival gives me the opportunity to move from what Mazda is known for – sports cars – to something it isn’t – upmarket SUVs, and seven-seaters for that matter. The new CX-80.

BW74 FOVisn’t a seven-seater, though. I’ve opted for the rather more upmarket six-seater version that has a pair of, what the Americans like to call, ‘Captain’s Chairs’ in the middle. And because this is a top-spec Takumi Plus model, there’s a very Range Rover-like centre console between them. I chose this as I want to see if Mazda’s vision to be considered as a premium brand is justified or just a pipe dream. The next few months couldn’t be more different from MX-5 ownership.

This month’s highlight:

The low point was saying goodbye to the MX-5, but the high point was welcoming its much bigger brother, the CX-80.

OTHER CARS WE’RE DRIVING

Mileage: 10,134

We wave goodbye to his Audi SUV after a year on the road.