Dealers bosses have been urged to watch out for “digital burnout” among staff using remote devices to stay in touch with work outside of working hours. Derek Webb, sales director of Job co-op Automotive, the specialist online recruitment business, says the issue can be a particular problem for sales staff, who use remote working to follow up leads even on their days off and is advising dealers to discourage excessive usage. “Modern technology means sales staff can do almost everything that they could do in the dealership by accessing their DMS or sales system remotely from a laptop, tablet or smartphone,” he said. “This means that some of them effectively use this capability to work seven days a week. They continue to monitor and progress all on going sales activity even when they are on holiday. “In some respects, this is good for the…

WMS Group has launched a range of service plans for used car dealers with no mileage or age restrictions which for used car customers allows security and peace of mind. The company collects service plan premiums direct from the consumer and holds them in a secure ring-fenced account, so dealerships do not need to handle any funds. Each service plan can be renewed on expiry and can also be transferred to the customer’s new vehicle. Items not covered such as MOTs, brake fluid changes and air conditioning refills can be covered at extra cost. The dealership can access detailed reports to help them manage their workshop business. WMS Group’s business development director Eric Stone said selling the plans would generate guaranteed service work for dealerships Original Story Taken from Motor Trader – http://www.motortrader.com/latest-news/wms-group-launches-service-plan-range/

The UK new car market clocked up 24 consecutive months of growth in February with year-on-year sales up 3% to 68,736 units, according to the SMMT. “The rise in February new car registrations marks two full years of continuous month-on-month growth; a real endorsement of consumer confidence and the attractiveness of the new car market,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive. “While February is typically a quieter month ahead of the March registration plate-change, we expect the arrival of the new 14-plate and increasing economic confidence to maintain a steady rate of growth.” Ford’s Fiesta continued to dominate new car sales with 4,415 registrations, followed by Vsauxhall’s Corsa and Astra. Premium brands also featured in the top 10 with the Mercedes C-Class the seventh biggest seller (1,231), followed by the Audi A3  in ninth (1,148) and BMW 3 Series in tenth (1,085). Brands getting…

Lookers turned in a strong performance in 2013 with pre tax profits up 27.9% to £43.9m on turnover up 19.4% to £2.46bn. Retail new car sales rose 19%, outperforming the overall UK retail market, which rose 15.6%. In the fleet sector, Lookers’ volumes fell by 3% as the company pulled away from low margin business. Whilst volumes were lower, overall gross profit from fleet business increased in the year. The overall UK fleet sector rose 6.7% Gross profit per unit on new retail cars rose 6.5% compared to the prior year, whilst gross profit per unit on fleet business increased by 10%. Whilst used car transactions in the UK were static Lookers sales rose 20% and gross profit per unit increased by 3.6%. Lookers said its website was helping to drive used sales and generating 20% more leads than a year ago. The group…

Used car valuation guides Glass’s and CAP are forecasting a stable market for used car prices in coming months Derren Martin, senior editor, Black Book said volumes were not likely to increase sufficiently to make a dent on values. “Historically, the second quarter of the year is when values across most sectors begin to fall and this year is unlikely to break that pattern. “However, we don’t expect to see used car volumes increase significantly enough to have any major impact on values. “Our view is that the second quarter of 2014 will almost mirror that of 2013 and we would expect to see April remaining fairly flat on the back of momentum gathered through March followed by bigger market movements of around -1.5% to -2% per month for May and June.” Rupert Pontin, chief car editor, Glass’s, said: “I expect second quarter values to…

 Marshall Motor Group is poised to join the £1bn turnover club as it confirms a new five year plan and announces it will now only grow its representation with existing partners. The Cambridge-based group’s provisional figures for the year-ended December 2013 will show a record turnover of £965m, up 18% year-on-year, and a forecasted operating profit of £11.8m. However, with the group achieving strong sales since Boxing Day, CEO Daksh Gupta confirmed that turnover in the rolling year to the end of February will exceed £1bn. “Like for like sales are up 18%, while overall sales are up 33% year-on-year. The job’s on fire. We will tip over a £1bn turnover at the end of February,” he said. Gupta also revealed the group, rated 11 in the Motor Trader Top 200, has launched its second five year plan aimed at achieving organic growth, although…

 Suzuki GB has opened two eBay stores to sell Suzuki parts, accessories and merchandise. Stores have been set up for cars and motorcycles, selling a range of a range of products, including brake parts, spark plugs, alloy wheels, body styling elements and Suzuki-branded clothing. The transactions are backed by Suzuki GB technical support and are offered with free post and packing with a 14-day return policy. The stores are being officially launched following the success of a pilot programme last November. Emma Gibbon, head of E-commerce at Suzuki said: “The new eBay stores are an excellent way for us to reach even more customers without compromising the parts and accessories business of our dealer network. “All purchases from the online stores will be fulfilled by our franchised dealers, a system that is a notable first for both Suzuki and for eBay.” Original Story taken…

Tim Tozer has been appointed to the position of chairman and managing director of Vauxhall Motors and CEO Opel Ireland. Tozer formerly led Mazda in the UK and Mitsubishi in Europe. He joins from Autobinck, the Dutch based importer and retailer which operates in central Europe and the emergent East European markets. He takes up the position at the end of February replacing Duncan Aldred who was last week appointed to the position of US vice president of Buick-GMC sales, service and marketing in Detroit. “Tim brings a wealth of motor industry experience to the Opel/Vauxhall organisation, a strong understanding of the sales and marketing functions and a wide knowledge of both operational and strategic aspects of the business,” said Karl-Thomas Neumann, to executive vice president of Opel/Vauxhall and president of GM Europe. Tozer will also represent Vauxhall on the Opel/Vauxhall Leadership Board in…