Author: Aimee Turner
Aimée Turner is deputy editor at Automotive Management, where she helps steer the each day and long-range editorial agenda for one in all the UK’s most-read B2B titles serving automotive retail. Award-winning and deadline-hardened, she specialises within the parts of the industry where the stakes are highest and the jargon is thickest: technology, market development and the business model shifts that determine who thrives and who simply survives. With 20+ years in journalism across automotive and aviation, Aimée has built a repute for turning complex industry change into clear, usable insight. At Automotive Management she focuses on the EV transition,…
The used automobile market has entered 2026 on a positive footing after an estimated 7.8 million transactions in 2025, with retail sales on Autotrader ending the yr 2% ahead of 2024. Autotrader said December capped the yr with a 4% year-on-year uplift in sales volumes, supported by robust consumer demand and stabilised pricing. Nonetheless, it warned the market remained constrained by supply, citing a shortfall of around 1.8 million 3 to 5-year-old cars in comparison with 2019, which continued to accentuate competition for stock. The platform’s data also points to a shift within the balance between franchised and independent retailers within…
Evans Halshaw has opened its eighth BYD franchise point, expanding its footprint with the fast-growing electric vehicle brand while retaining Ford aftersales support on the identical site. Evans Halshaw was the primary retailer to open BYD dealerships within the UK, launching BYD Birmingham and BYD Milton Keynes in March 2023, followed by locations in Chesterfield, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton and Mansfield. The retailer said the move reflects rising consumer demand for electric mobility and forms a part of its wider technique to grow with BYD across key regions. The Bury site will sell BYD’s electric and plug-in hybrid range,…
iRG Repair Group has been appointed an Approved Repairer for Stellantis, securing authorisation to repair vehicles from the manufacturer’s 10 UK brands at its Cardiff site. The agreement marks a big development for Wales’ largest repairer and represents iRG’s first Stellantis approval within the country, although the business said further manufacturer approvals are expected to follow. iRG already holds Ford approval at its Hereford operation and said the addition of Stellantis strengthens its proposition to insurers and other work providers by widening the range of approved repairs it could perform. “With the variety of brands inside Stellantis, this approval allows…
In our final ‘5 Minutes With’ of 2025, Daniel Cook, head of automotive at property consultancy Rapleys, discussed where he thinks the following wave of retail formats will come from, and why. What off-pitch formats are you seeing gain traction? Two clear trends. First, we’re seeing smaller, leaner dealership footprints due to increasing presence of electrical vehicles (EV) and a smaller product range. The aftersales requirement is predicted to say no over time resulting from fewer moving parts, less frequent servicing for EVs – so the times of the usual 8-10 bay workshop because the default are beginning to be…
For those who’re on the lookout for a simple electric family SUV to place in front of shoppers and not using a complicated chat over options, the Leapmotor B10 lands with a transparent proposition. For the UK promote it’s being positioned as a rival to the BYD ATTO 2 and Kia EV3, and it arrives offering a minimalist cabin, a big-spec standard equipment story, and all of the reassuring firepower that Stellantis, as a heavyweight European manufacturing partner, can offer. Price point, in-house tech story At its UK launch, Tianyue Zhong, Leapmotor’s global head of product, framed how the C-segment…
Autotrader chief executive Nathan Coe has issued a fresh video update to retailers following weeks of criticism over the web platform’s Deal Builder tool, insisting the prevailing “reserve now” option still produces the platform’s “best lead”.Within the message, Coe said Autotrader has spent the last couple of weeks “listening to customers” and acting on several areas of feedback: launching customer advisory groups, rolling out a brand new product page designed to offer more parity across contact options and increasing retailer support for Deal Builder users. Watch The Video. Autotrader chief executive Nathan Coe has issued a fresh video update to…
– Reservation Request launches early 2026- Dealers can select £99 reserve or request- CEO to front recent advisory groups Online marketplace Autotrader is to introduce a brand new ‘Reservation Request’ option for Deal Builder early next 12 months because it looks to deal with dealers’ concerns over how full online reservations fit with existing sales processes. The move is the newest adjustment to the marketplace’s controversial end-to-end transaction tool, which got here under sustained criticism from a vocal group of dealers who argued the product reduced retailer control and added operational burden. The brand new route offers a substitute for the…
Santa’s sleigh is celebrating 10 years of partnership with TC Harrison Ford and the Burton upon Trent Duke of Edinburgh Award Association, helping to maintain a well-loved festive tradition on the road while raising vital funds for young people. The annual tour has turn out to be a well-recognized sight across Burton upon Trent and South Derbyshire, with Santa and his helpers visiting pre-arranged routes over 15 nights for 3 to 4 hours each evening. The event itself began around 15 years ago after the association was gifted a sleigh, growing into a serious community draw. Organisers say even the…
Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, has been appointed the 84th president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Set to assume the role from 1 January 2026, Philpott succeeds Mick Flanagan, vice chairman for Adient, who steps down after completing his two-year tenure. Philpott brings nearly 4 many years of automotive experience to the presidency. After graduating from Loughborough University with a level in banking and finance, he joined Ford of Britain, progressing through a series of roles before moving to Toyota GB, where he became a director on the age of 34. In 2007,…