Car Dealer Podcast

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?

Car dealer Steven Eagell delivers ‘strong and resilient performance’ despite dip in profits Used electric cars sell fastest in June while prices continue to hold firm Weekly Briefing: Is the Consumer Rights Act too harsh on car dealers? What can car dealers expect from changes to Autotrader’s Buying Signals?

‘Dramatic cut coming to ZEV Mandate targets’ after PM’s intervention Weekly Briefing: Why is the government meddling in electric car targets again? Car buyers still prefer dealerships as online-only purchases decline Car dealer Caffyns slumps to significant pre-tax loss amid fall in new vehicle sales Yeomans revenue hits record £609m after Mazda and Omoda & Jaecoo expansion Jaguar Land Rover targets £1.7bn cost cuts as luxury car buyers fuel growth plans

Electric cars accounted for nearly half of UK’s biggest used car value risers in May Former Peugeot boss Linda Jackson joins Hendy as non-executive director Logbook lies: DVLA insider jailed alongside dodgy car dealers over record tampering Car finance compensation payouts pushed back until at least 2027 Motorpoint announces soaring profits, sales and turnover in stellar set of final results

Vertu’s mystery investor revealed as Constellation increases holding in car dealer to nearly 20% Chinese carmaker Chery to build vehicles at Nissan Sunderland plant in major UK deal Drivers are falling in love with Chinese cars – and it’s not just because they’re cheaper

Ferrari unveils Luce grand tourer as Prancing Horse goes electric for the first time Used coupe prices increase more than other body styles as number of new models fall Citroen brings back 2CV as Stellantis targets affordable EV market Arnold Clark to sell car for just £1 as dealer group celebrates the opening of first Welsh dealership Weekly Briefing: Why legacy car makers are jumping into bed with the Chinese

Autotrader profits near £393m but admits Deal Builder roll-out hurt numbers Ford outlines product offensive with five new vehicles including potential Fiesta return Consumers can now search for their next car on Autotrader using ChatGPT Car dealer Brindley agrees franchise deal to open its first Lepas showroom

Peter Vardy sells last remaining dealerships to Dutch dealer group Van Mossel Peter Vardy’s CarMoney eyes expansion after sale to Japanese trading group ITOCHU Vertu profits drop despite strong used car and aftersales performance EV consideration hits record high as nearly one in four expect to make switch Video: Used EV market rose in April as high petrol prices pushed buyers to electric Lotus scales back pure-electric future – and announces new hybrid V8 supercar