Motor Dealers urged to extend opening hours

Over half of the visits to Car Dealer websites occur outside of the traditional 9-5 office hours. Online enquiries tend to peak, between 7-10pm - but a response is usually not processed until the following day. The automotive director of Google UK stated that the average time for a UK dealer to respond to an online enquiry is 72 hours (compared to just 4 hours in the US).

Motor Traders can use a variety of services to deal with enquiries out of hours, including call centres or 'live chat' applications to respond to site visitors. In the current trading climate, effectively processing these out-of-hours enquiries can make the difference between profit and loss. For car dealers who are currently processing their out-of-hours enquiries in under 15 minutes, they report a higher conversion rate and quality of enquiry outside of the standard working day.

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Motor Trade reports 4x4 values rising fast

Car Dealers are currently trying to satisfy demand within the used car sector for 4x4's. This is largely due to the poor weather conditions and potential for further extreme weather. The increase in demand and prices for SUV's continues unabated despite the increase in fuel prices to record levels.

At the beginning of 2011, 4x4 prices were increasingly faster than other sector of the used vehicle market. The fuel prices are having a limited impact in this area, because Diesel vehicles are outperforming their Petrol counterparts with the highest prices.

Should there be a further spell of bad weather the demand is expected to peak even further than current levels. Therefore dealers are finding it increasingly hard to satisfy customer demand for 4x4's despite increased fuel costs.

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Car Dealers should focus on customer relationships

Freely available pricing information available to consumers online for car prices and servicing costs is driving down Motor Trade profits. To maintain profitable businesses many dealers are investing in improving relationships with their customers.

Typically the increasing reliability reduced frequency of servicing on newer cars, effects the number of opportunities Motor Traders have to interact with their customers and the income streams for Motor Trade businesses.

To keep regular customer contact, many car dealers are increasing spend on IT systems, marketing and staff training. The increased spend is focussed on keeping a business relationship with the customer after the initial vehicle purchase.

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Car Dealers launch VAT saving offers

To help encourage demand within the Motor Trade during the traditionally quiet first quarter, some manufacturers and car dealers are offering to absorb the VAT rise. When dealers opened for business they and their customers faced an increase in VAT to 20%, the highest rate since the introduction of VAT within the UK.

Already in 2011 Seat and Subaru have announced deals to absorb the cost of the VAT rise, when purchasing new vehicles. Many car dealers will be watching to see if this provides a significant boost to sales and may well follow suit.

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Information for Car Dealers: UK vehicles with the lowest depreciation

A survey by Glass's conducted on vehicles registered three years ago, has produced a list of the top ten cars for maintaing residual values. If you work in the Motor Trade and buy and sell vehicles, this is essential information for your business.

The vehicle values below are calculated on three year old vehicles with recorded mileage of 37,000. The vehicles each show a percentage figure, which is the amount of the original list price retained after the first three years.
 

1. Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4Motion 5d (68%)
2. MINI 1.6 Cooper 3d (65.9%)
3. Honda CR-V 2.2 CTDi SE 5d (64.3%)
4. Land Rover Freelander 2 GS Td4 Auto (63.8%)
5. Audi Q7 3.0TDI Quattro S Line Tip (63.8%)
6. Land Rover Discovery 3 2.7TD (63.7%)
7. Audi TT Coupe 2.0T FSI (63.6%)
8. Nissan Qashqai 1.6 2WD Visia (63.3%)
9. Land Rover Range Rover 2.7TD Sport (62.5%)
10. Audi A5 2.7TDI Sport Coupe Multitronic (62.2%)

The VW Tiguan tops the charts for residual values, this is partially due to limited numbers available as this has never been strongly marketed to UK customers. This limits the number of cars available, but there is also the brand value of the VW badge, which is synonymous with quality.

Another detail to note for Car Dealers looking to make astute purchasing decisions is that despite cost and environmental factors, 7 of the top 10 vehicles are SUV's. Many industry watchers expected values of these larger thirstier vehicles to fall, but the smart money is sticking with 4x4's.

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Top tips for Traders with iQuote Insurance

When you purchase a Traders Insurance policy, we are committed to providing you with the most competitive deal on your Traders policy. Because you are covering your livelihood and vehicle stock, you shouldn't purchase insurance cover purely on price. You should also consider the level of cover required and whether you require additional benefits such as premises or indemnity cover.

We have listed some handy tips designed to save you money on Motor Trade insurance:

• Make sure that any additional drivers you add to your Traders policy are over 25 years of age. Any drivers younger on the policy will result in a significant increase of your insurance premium.
• If you haven't got any No Claims Bonus in the Motor Trade, ask your insurance broker if you can 'mirror' your No Claims from a private car policy. This means you could still get generous discounts even though your No Claims has not been earned in the Trade.
• If you have the available funds, pay for your insurance in one payment at the inception of the policy. Although most brokers can finance your policy, you will pay more for your insurance in interest charges.
• Many policies will not cover high performance vehicles, within your Motor Trader insurance. If you need cover for a Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi EVO or other high performance vehicles, you must notify your insurance broker or insurer. Otherwise you may unwittingly end up without cover in the event of a claim.
• Consider the amount of additional cover you require, by limiting the amount of premises cover or increasing the voluntary excess you are willing to pay, you can make large savings on the cost of your Motor Trade policy.

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Traders Insurance in times of austerity

In the past week the coalition government has announced a wide range of spending cuts, that will impact across all areas of society. Whether or not the spending cuts directly effect you and your Motor Trade business, there is likely to be a knock on effect to consumer confidence. With potentially hundreds of thousands less in work and with less disposable income to purchase used or new cars. This doesn't just effect vehicle sales, but also car valeters, mechanics and has wide ranging implications for all traders.

Therefore it has become even more important to purchase Motor Traders Insurance keenly. There are a number of factors to consider when purchasing a Motor Trade Policy, price is obviously a key consideration. However price should not be the only factor, you should consider if you do have to make a claim - will your policy provide adequate cover to fully cover the cost of your claim.

When purchasing your Traders Policy, you should review whether you will require Demo Cover, Indemnity and Premises cover on your policy and the level of cover required for each item. When you get a Motor Trade Insurance Quote with iQuote Insurance, you will speak to an expert advisor who will get you the best possible quotation for Traders Insurance - that cuts your costs, but not your cover!

To find out more about a Motor Trade Policy with iQuote Insurance call today: 0845 434 7819

IMI will introduce Electric Vehicle qualification and training for the Motor Trade

Electric Vehicle (EV) and hybrid vehicles are still far from ubiquitous, however they are becoming increasingly popular within the UK. This means that as cars of this type begin to enter the used car market, it is important for consumers to be able to have these vehicles serviced by a local garage or even mobile mechanics.

Earlier this year the IMI (Institute of the Motor Industry) announced an industry wide training, accreditation and qualification scheme to cover EV's. This scheme is now ready for introduction in January 2011, it is hoped this scheme will provide a much higher level of competency across the Motor Trade when dealing with this exciting technology.

There will also be increased choice for the consumer and by not being tied to a specific manufacturers dealer network for servicing and repairs, there is likely to be a benefit in terms of both convenience and cost.

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Warnings for Car Dealers on HMRC tax bills

Motor Dealers have been claiming overpayment of VAT on sales of demonstrator vehicles. The resulting claims have been paid with minimal queries by HMRC to dealers who submitted claims.

However HMRC has begun reviewing this process and believes they may have made overpayments to Car Dealers, in some cases with substantial amounts. This is related to a partial exemption status for VAT for the claims submitted. Within this retrospective review, which dates back two years many of those who have already received refund payments from HMRC have utilised the funds within their business - and will now be asked for repayment.

Many of those effected by the current process will be larger Motor Dealers with substantial claims. Understandably many of those effected are unhappy with the retrospective nature of the current review.

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Car Dealers need to embrace electric cars

According to a recent industry survey many motor traders and car dealers have been hesitant to become involved in the electric car revolution. Whether electric cars really are the answer to 'green' car use, is still a subject of debate. However there is an increasing popularity with consumers, for both environmental and economic reasons.

Also the Motor Trade should keep site of the fact that electric cars will need much less dealer servicing than current vehicles with combustion engines. This will have a direct result on Motor Dealer revenues from servicing. The onus will move to the dealer to ensure that they provide a service that is compelling for drivers to require the dealer. This may involve maintenance for wear and tear on parts and safety checks on vehicles. It may transpire that to try and retain servicing incomes the car dealers may end up visiting the customer and providing a more 'bespoke' service.

At iQuote Insurance we provide a bespoke service to customers who require Motor Trade Insurance. In a challenging market for Motor Traders, we go the extra mile to save you money. So if you need Traders Insurance we will arrange a policy that cuts costs, but not cover.

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Motor Traders need to prepare for the end of scrappage scheme

The governments scrappage scheme has been a victim of it’s own success and is expected to finish before the end of 2009, possibly as early as October. Although the scheme has seen vehicles sales increase and generated 150,000 new registrations; car dealers need to consider the strategy for new car sales within their business.

Car dealers who are pro-actively looking at ways to increase sales, should consider marketing to customers who recently purchased vehicles for after-sales servicing and marketing of customers in their existing database who purchased a vehicle over 2 years ago, for new vehicle sales. There will still be opportunities for strong income to dealers after the scrappage scheme is finished, but the motor trade industry as a whole will need to work harder to secure their share of the revenue.

iQuote Motor Trade would like to assist car dealers in the current climate. We guarantee to save you money on Motor Trade Insurance, if you have received a Motor Trade Quote from one of our competitors, we will beat your quote and deliver you a cheaper traders policy.

Motor Traders asked if scrappage should continue

The vehicle scrappage scheme has had a positive impact on new vehicle sales in the UK. Although due to the investment required to fund the scheme in discounts there have been mixed reactions from manufacturers and car dealers. The Retail Motor Industry Federation is currently discussing with it’s members if they should lobby government to extend the scheme.

Currently the vehicle scrappage scheme is over half way through the allocated Government funding (£300m) and is expected to end before the allocated time of February 2010. There have already been over 150,000 orders for new vehicles under the UK scheme. There has been a significant footfall reported by car dealers in showrooms up and down the country, which more importantly has translated into increased vehicle sales. This has helped the Motor Trade during particularly difficult trading conditions.

The scrappage scheme has helped car dealers, iQuote Insurance are also able to assist dealers with cheaper Car Dealer Insurance. Get an online quote for your Motor Trader Insurance and you could save up to 40 percent off your traders policy.

Motor Traders switch to online marketing

In a recent survey of two hundred car dealers in the UK, the top 3 marketing methods are all internet generated (Promotion of vehicles on their own websites, being coming out top). There has been a pronounced shift away from traditional media to get customers buying cars.

Car dealers have also confirmed the success of the vehicle scrappage scheme. With 53% of dealers experiencing improved sales compared to the first half of 2008. The improvement of car sales is even more pronounced for used vehicles, with 75% of dealers seeing improvements in this sector.

This improvement is all the more remarkable, with the reduction in marketing spend; 77% of dealers have reduced their marketing budgets. The Traders that are doing well in the current market, are those who have switched their focus to small hatchbacks, superminis and family cars. Those who are struggling have a business model based on 4x4’s or luxury cars as many buyers are carefully considering their choice of vehicle.

In addition to marketing online, their are further savings by shopping around for Car Dealer insurance online. iQuote insurance can provide cheap motor trade insurance and expert advice on your traders policy. To find out more call iQuote on: 0845 434 7819