Author: Tim Rose
The Fiat Grande Panda is entering the growing small EV segment with a daring design, practical features, and competitive pricing. Aimed toward rivals just like the Renault 5 E-Tech and Hyundai Inster, the Grande Panda marks the start of a brand new era for Fiat’s Panda lineup, built on Stellantis’ Smart Automotive platform. It’s about time too, because the Fiat brand has suffered within the UK and now the pressure is on to extend its relevance to city automobile and supermini buyers who’ve previously loved Fiat a lot. The Grande Panda Electric is accessible in (RED) and La Prima trims, with starting…
Dealer tech firm Pinewood Technologies Group is making a £33 million acquisition of Dubai-based artificial intelligence and machine learning company Seez, with an aim to boost its offerings to motor retailers. The takeover follows an initial strategic investment in Seez that Pinewood announced last September. Seez is an AI and ML-powered automotive omnichannel software as a service platform, and it already offers a broad product portfolio which incorporates its AI Chatbot, SaaS modules and a set of e-commerce and omnichannel products to automotive dealer groups across the globe. Pinewood said the acquisition enhances its in-house capabilities, particularly in the event and…
The KGM Motors UK dealer network is getting the brand’s first latest automotive that has been developed for the reason that South Korean industrial conglomerate KG Group acquired SsangYong in 2022, and the early signs are positive.The Actyon SUV has been “completely crashed into the choices list and loaded” to supply immense value to UK consumers for its £36,995 price, in keeping with KGM UK sales director Clive Messenger, and it’s an ideal sign of a exciting future for the vehicle manufacturer.”We have got a automotive that is the same as the most effective selling SUV within the UK (the…
Were it not for the pressures placed on automobile brands by the ZEV Mandate targets the UK’s recent automobile market in 2024 could be seen as quite a hit story. That is what Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, told Automotive Management in a briefing on Friday, ahead of the official publication of 2024’s results on Monday. Preliminary data for the 2024 year-end shows the brand new automobile market ended at 1.953 million units, up 2.6% year-on-year, of which 382,000 were zero emission battery electric vehicles. That result gave BEV a record market share of 19.6%.…
An award-winning journalist and editor, with 20 years of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ) As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is chargeable for its media content, planning and production across AM’s multiple channels, including the web site, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM’s events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales corporations to look at latest developments in UK motor retail. This…
An award-winning journalist and editor, with 20 years of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ) As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is chargeable for its media content, planning and production across AM’s multiple channels, including the web site, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM’s events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales firms to look at latest developments in UK motor retail. This…
An award-winning journalist and editor, with 20 years of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ) As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is chargeable for its media content, planning and production across AM’s multiple channels, including the web site, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM’s events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales corporations to look at latest developments in UK motor retail. This…
A Driving Automotive event is being held in London by the National Franchised Dealers Association on December 11 just hours before the industry’s best annual Christmas party, the Ben Ball. Presenters and speakers on the event include Yin Noe of the China Automotive Alliance; Bo Yu, country general manager, China, at JATO Dynamics; Ian Plummer of Auto Trader, Steve Young of ICDP; Simon Bisp, head of sales at BYD; Marc Palmer of Auto Trader; Zoey Lin of the China Automotive Alliance; and legal expert Miles Trower of TLT LLC. Attendance to Driving Automotive is freed from charge for NFDA franchised dealer members. Non-members must pay £250. Event highlights include discovering how fresh automotive players and electric…
Lotus dealerships will begin selling ‘hyper hybrid’ versions of its luxury cars because the carmaker shifts from its exclusively electric vehicle strategy on account of consumer reticence.It’s the most recent in quite a few brands which had got down to be on the forefront of the zero emissions vehicle market, in step with governmental policies, but which has now reacted to the slower than expected adoption of EVs globally.Well into its Vision80 strategy for where Lotus ought to be by 2027, Lotus now believes its strength in EV technology gives it a bonus with plug-in hybrid technology, and its hybrids…
Just a number of hours after Automotive Management Live 2024 closed the doors almost three dozen senior leaders of dealer groups joined Automotive Management and this 12 months’s AM100 sponsors at an invitation-only dinner. It was an outstanding opportunity to network, share thoughts about industry opportunities and listen to insights from this 12 months’s AM100 research. 22 Our thanks go to the sponsors of the evening: Assurant, Direct Affinity CX, GardX, MFL Direct and RWA Automotive. And special due to BDO’s motor retail team for his or her collaboration with the research. “What an exciting period that is for motor retailers,” Automotive Management’s editor Tim Rose told the…
