Lowdown on January’s new car and van regs. MOTORS’ analysis of January’s used car market trends. Eddie Hawthorne to step down at Arnold Clark and MORE
Motor Trade Radio Podcast
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The full lowdown on January’s SMMT new car and van registrations. MOTORS’ analysis of January’s used car market trends. Eddie Hawthorne to step down at Arnold Clark and MORE!
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?Motor Trade Radio: 8 January 2025, E08, S11
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If you enjoyed this week’s Motor Trade Radio podcast, powered by MOTORS, and want to dig deeper into our featured headlines, then here are the links to all the stories.
HEADLINES
MOTOR TRADER
SMMT urges luxury EV tax scrap after continued new car market decline
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is calling for the Expensive Car Supplement to be scrapped for pricier battery electric vehicles (BEVs) following a fourth month of decline in the new car market.
MOTOR TRADER
Weakened business confidence sees van sales fall 20% in January
Light commercial vehicle (LCV) sales fell by -20.5% in January with 19,050 vans, pick-ups and 4x4s registered. The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), which released the figures, said it was the second consecutive monthly decline following strong growth in 2024.
CAR DEALER
Used car sales off to slow start in 2025 due to bad weather – but footfall is expected to rise
The year got off to a slower start for car supermarkets and franchised dealers compared with January 2024 with stock sitting longer on forecourts, new data shows. Motors’ latest Market View shows that for these dealers the sold conversion rate in January 2025 was down 11% and 13% respectively, while independents increased their sales by 1%.
CAR DEALER
Arnold Clark boss Eddie Hawthorne to step down after 27 years at helm
领英推荐
Arnold Clark boss Eddie Hawthorne is to step down from the dealer group after 27 years at the helm. Hawthorne will be replaced by current chief operating officer Russell Borrie, effective March 28, the Scottish business said. He will remain on the board, but his role will change ‘from managing to mentoring and overseeing the business’, a statement said.
AM ONLINE
Eurig Druce appointed interim Vauxhall UK boss after James Taylor exit
Stellantis UK group managing director Eurig Druce is assuming responsibility for Vauxhall in the interim following the departure of James Taylor. Taylor is expected to be joining another car brand, while his successor at Vauxhall UK will be announced “in due course”.
AM ONLINE
IMDA welcomes two familiar faces onto its committee
The Independent Motor Dealers Association (IMDA) has welcomed two new but familiar faces onto its committee. The joiners are Sandy Burgess, former chief executive of the Scottish Motor Traders Association, and Allan Thompson of County Garage Ford, who is chairman of the National Ford Retail Dealers Association (NFRDA), which has represented many of the dozens of small to medium?Ford retail dealerships that have been terminated by the car brand recently as it shrinks its franchised network to a more sustainable level after its share of the new car market reduced.
FINANCIAL TIMES
Global car industry faces anxious wait on US tariffs
Car companies are bracing for what could be an even bigger shock to the global automotive supply chain than the Covid pandemic amid uncertainty over the duration and extent of Donald Trump’s global tariff war.?
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MOTOR TRADE RADIO -- SUPPLIER SPECIALS
This week, Mark Rose, Managing Director of Tracker, the UK’s leading stolen vehicle recovery specialist, joins us. Mark explains how the business is working closely with dealers to provide additional revenue streams and value-added products for their customers.
Listen to the full show here: https://motortraderadiocom.libsyn.com/our-latest-supplier-special-showcases-the-work-tracker-does-with-dealers-e07-s11-1
Don’t miss any of our recent Supplier Specials showcasing the latest products and services for car retailers!
We hope you enjoyed this week’s big car retailing stories roundup. Catch #AllTheChatterThatMatters?on Saturday mornings on the Motor Trade Radio podcast, powered by MOTORS.
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