Car Dealer Podcast

Ian Plummer, Chief Customer Officer at Autotrader joins Jon and James this week to share his insight on what's going on in the new and used car markets. Plummer reckons we're now 100% back in a 'push' market, largely thanks to the emergence of so many Chinese brands all at once. It's not bad news for all traditional manufacturers, but many are losing volume, and almost all are losing market share. In the used market, Plummer says is making a material difference to those with 0-3 year old stock, with buyers instead weighing up the tempting finance offers available on new Chinese models. Stories covered: Weekly Briefing: My car dealership has been targeted by scammers Fuel duty freeze extended but car dealers face higher wage bills – Autumn Budget Motor trade slams Budget for failing to support businesses as EV uncertainty threatens car sales Half of car buyers say dealership visits give them confidence to purchase Volkswagen Group profits plunge 99% amid Porsche writedown and China woes Group 1 U-turns on JLR dealership closures as it agrees to retain five sites

Tony Lewis, global head of fleet at Ineos joined Jon and Batch this week, giving us some insights about what life at one of the world's newest car companies is like. Lewis has had a glittering automotive career, holding director positions at Nissan GB, Stellantis, Infiniti, and more. He's also done more than his fair share on the other side of the table: as managing director of the West Way dealer group, and before that a brand director at Jardine. Having gone straight into the military after university, Lewis's latest role even brings him back to some familiar ground: expanding Ineos's footprint in the defence industry. We chat about what makes the Grenadier an 'AI apocalypse'-proof vehicle, and why he reckons it's the best tool for militaries around the world. Stories discussed include Sytner's results, MOT disruption during the PHP cybersecurity scramble, and AI phone enquiries to dealers. Stories covered: Sytner turnover falls by almost £1bn as plunging used car sales drag profits down in 2025 AI agents are calling dealerships now – and experts warn the motor trade must get ready Vertu boss Robert Forrester accuses politicians of waging ‘stealth war on the motorist’ Duncan McPhee confirmed as new Athenea CEO after quitting loss-making Hendy Group

Jon and James are joined by Faheem Miah, one of Car Planet's three co-founders. Faheem, along with his brothers Taslim and Tamim, set up Car Planet in 2022, and the trio have since scaled the business from 30 cars to over 2,000 across several sites. Faheem also touched on the difficulties of keeping customers happy, particularly in a business with such a large volume of sales. Stories discussed include the reveals of the Paris Motor Show, Tesla's 'flying' car, and the latest results from dealer groups including Chorley, Lithia and Eden. Links to stories: Weekly Briefing: How the Chinese car invasion will hit the used car market hard Tesla launches a ‘flying’ car as it unveils Roadster 2 with SpaceX thrusters Paris Motor Show 2026: All the biggest new cars and concepts revealed Chery to launch another UK car brand as iCAUR confirms 2027 arrival Lithia UK profits almost treble to £60m as dealer group hails turnaround in performance Chorley Group shuts dealerships and focuses on core brands after posting another loss Painful restructuring leads to profits surge at Eden Automotive Group Renault’s UK finance arm plunges to £110m loss as car finance scandal bill hits £219m £9.1bn car finance compensation scheme court battle pushed back to February

Graeme Potts, founder and CEO of Eden Motor Group joined James and Jon on the podcast this week, along with Autotrader's head of strategy and insights, Marc Palmer. Potts chatted to us about the trends he's seeing in both new and used sales, across the group's plethora of brands, including MG and Leapmotor. Naturally, we also couldn't help but ask a few questions about his illustrious career too – and his plans for the future. Palmer meanwhile was on hand to give a peek behind the curtain at Autotrader's latest data, including how consumer confidence may be stronger than we might have predicted. Stories discussed include the new Jaguar Type 01, impending tariffs on Chinese cars in the UK, and what James picked up from a recent motor finance conference (aside from just some free pens). Links to stories: Weekly Briefing: Are diesels dead? And an economist on what’s next for car sales UK government preparing tariffs on Chinese electric cars amid pressure from EU Used car prices fall for first time this year – but EV values keep climbing Oct 7: Asos hacked; Badenoch to give ‘tax-cutting’ speech; Renault revives MPV with E-Space Freelander returning to Britain as new car brand with JLR and Chery backing This is the Jaguar Type 01 – the 1,016bhp EV tasked with reinventing the British brand

Cazoo's Lucy Tugby joined Jon and Batch for this week's podcast, discussing the marketplace's recent consumer trust survey – which revealed some rather painful truths about the relationship between buyers and dealers. Tugby, who serves as Cazoo's Chief Marketing Officer, also chatted to us about the platform's (relatively) recent brand name switch from Motors, and what effect it's had on the business and its customers. Read the full results of Cazoo and Car Dealer Magazine's joint survey below: Cazoo speaks out after two trust surveys show deep cracks in car buying process Other news covered this week includes SMMT stats for September, why dealers don't want diesel part exchanges, and why Dodge is making a return to the UK. Stories covered: New car market surges 12% in September as private buyers return to showrooms Soaring fuel prices spark rush for used EVs – but dealers don’t want diesel part-exchanges Unity Automotive appointed primary UK dealer for new Dodge Charger

Nominate yourself for a Used Car Award (Nominations close Monday 28th September) Weekly Briefing: I’ve driven 10 different Chinese cars this week – and learned a lot Mercedes owner hit with £43,700 engine quote after catastrophic failure at 48,000 miles Volkswagen slashes 2026 profit forecast after €10bn hit as China struggles deepen Bentley unveils its first electric car as £170,000 Torcal takes aim at luxury SUV rivals

Unreasonable car buyer customer behaviour ‘has got worse’, reveals Car Dealer Trust Survey ‘Survival of the fittest’: Aion UK boss predicts brutal shake-up for car industry Weekly Briefing: Why we’re all seeing more angry used car buyers

With used car margins under pressure, finding extra profit is becoming harder — but that doesn't mean the opportunities have disappeared. In this special Car Dealer Podcast for Profit Clinic Week, James Batchelor speaks to Dealer Auction, Autoglym, Warranty Solutions Group and TekCor4 about where dealers can make more from the business they are already doing. From buying the right stock and knowing when to move it on, to making more from added-value products, protecting margin after the sale and converting customers who slipped through the net, this episode looks at the practical ways dealers can squeeze more profit from every stage of the used car journey.

UPDATED: JLR confirms 4,000 jobs to be axed as part of £1.7bn cost-saving drive Car dealer Lookers opens flagship Omoda and Jaecoo dealership in Battersea Weekly Briefing: Why going behind the scenes of a Chinese car dealership worried me

‘The shape of the day has changed’: Why new plate day still matters Car dealers among 660 firms named and shamed for failing to pay National Minimum Wage Garage hits back at HMRC after being named and shamed over minimum wage breach DVLA bans more than 500 ‘76’ number plates for being too rude or offensive for the road Volkswagen Group set to axe Seat brand to focus on Cupra by 2029 – reports Volkswagen Group announces plans to axe 50,000 jobs as it slashes model range Subaru dealers to offer free prostate cancer PSA tests to men aged over 50 From Aldi supermarket to used car supermarket: Hilton Garage unveils used car collection centre

‘I’d seriously consider packing in MOTs’: Garage owners demand test fee increase Interest in Chinese cars reaches record level as half of buyers say they are ‘open’ to switch ‘Pay us and we’ll remove them’: Car dealers targeted by fake review blackmail scam BMW insists German agency delay will not derail wider rollout as UK switch remains on track Agency sales three years on: What car dealer accounts really tell us about the model

Weekly Briefing: Car dealers reveal what business is REALLY like this summer Mergers and acquisitions market ‘as difficult as it has been in 10 years’ for UK car dealers Omoda and Jaecoo strengthen warranties after experts criticise level of cover Chinese carmaker Chery opens new UK R&D centre as part of ‘long-term’ growth plan Government launches review of ZEV mandate as car dealers call for lighter targets Listers Group profits fall 15% as agency switch hits £1.3bn turnover

Used car dealer left playing ‘detective’ after being wrongly named in customer complaint Car dealers have their say: We want a US-style ‘lemon law’ to replace Consumer Rights Act Meet the dealer boss who failed exams but went on to build used car giant Car dealers could be BANNED from cleaning vehicles as water board applies for drought order Motor trade manager makes incredible 411-yard hole-in-one that could be English record

Weekly Briefing: Now the Temu Range Rover has overtaken the real thing JLR put aside £50m to fight bad publicity after fake report electric Jaguar was faulty A welcome to AI Week from Car Dealer editor in chief James Baggott Are all used car dealers quiet – or is it just you? We ask the experts what’s really happening out there

How are car dealers actually using AI in their businesses right now – and is it really saving them time and money? In part two of our special AI Week podcast – The AI Revolution: Will it change the motor trade forever – James Baggott speaks to dealers who are already using artificial intelligence to buy cars, improve vehicle adverts, handle customer complaints and communicate with leads 24 hours a day. Steven Douglas, owner of Really Easy Car Credit and co-founder of Dealerway, explains how he used Claude to build a tool that analyses auction catalogues, identifies the cars he is likely to buy, values them and recommends how much he should bid. George Manning, director of Hilton Garage, reveals how AI is being used across its 1,000-car operation – from stock sourcing and advertising to checking vehicle adverts against Auto Trader best-practice guidance. Michael Bell, chief executive of Available Car, discusses how the business uses Impel to communicate with customers around the clock and support its contact centre team. Car Dealer editor-in-chief and @CleverCarCollection founder James Baggott also explains how he has used AI to help build and run his own used car dealership – and where the technology has caused problems as well as solving them. This is part two of The AI Revolution: Will it change the motor trade forever?, our special podcast mini-series produced for Car Dealer AI Week.

Artificial intelligence is changing the motor trade faster than any technology we’ve seen before. But is AI really going to transform the way car dealers sell cars... or is the hype getting ahead of reality? In this special Car Dealer Podcast for AI Week – which takes place from August 3-7 – James Baggott speaks to some of the biggest names in automotive technology to find out where AI is already making a real difference, where it’s falling short, and what the future of the motor trade could look like. From AI-powered customer conversations and lead handling to smarter vehicle buying, admin automation and the changing way consumers search for their next car, this podcast explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping every part of the dealership. On Wednesday, we’ll be publishing Part 2 of The AI Revolution: Will it change the motor trade forever? where the dealers tell us what they’re doing with AI in their showrooms.

Weekly Briefing: Is the Stock Market really the right place for car dealers? Ford and Geely to create new cars at Valencia factory through new joint venture Former Stellantis UK boss Maria Grazia Davino joins Ford to lead European sales Autotrader ‘paused’ Deal Builder roll-out and is tweaking price flags following dealer feedback Blue Motor Finance collapses into administration but immediately sold in pre-pack deal Funder behind car finance legal claims collapses following FCA redress scheme delays Family car dealership shares £170,000 bonus pot with every employee

Dealers perplexed as Carwow radically shakes up its daily auctions removing reserve prices Government confirms pay-per-mile charges on EVs as plans get mixed response Arnold Clark profit hits £112.5m as Chinese brands help drive new car growth Car Dealer Power Cars of the Year – dealers pick their winners of 2026 Car Dealer Power 2026: Who won what at this year’s awards? Ford criticises ZEV mandate as boss calls for ‘urgent review’ of eco targets

Volkswagen to cut models by up to 50% and reduce ‘complexity’ Denza electric supercar set to become UK’s most expensive Chinese car Skywell dealers left in limbo as UK importer collapses with immediate effect Weekly Briefing: What is Carwow planning for its used car advertising site?

GVE London accountant denies defrauding supercar dealer but faces FOUR YEAR wait for trial Failed used car dealer Cazoo hit by fresh legal battle as creditor payouts put on hold Reform ZEV Mandate NOW or risk jobs, investment and UK car production – SMMT Independent Garage Association calls for MOT price rises ‘as a matter of urgency’ Is the Consumer Rights Act keeping pace with today’s more advanced vehicles?