Car Dealer Podcast

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...

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. <...

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 da...

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...

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 lotMercedes owner hit with £43,700 engine quote after catastrophic failure at 48,000 milesVolkswagen slashes 2026 profit forecast after €10bn hit as China struggles deepenBentley 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 industryWeekly 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 pr...

UPDATED: JLR confirms 4,000 jobs to be axed as part of £1.7bn cost-saving driveCar dealer Lookers opens flagship Omoda and Jaecoo dealership in BatterseaWeekly 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 mattersCar dealers among 660 firms named and shamed for failing to pay National Minimum WageGarage hits back at HMRC after being named and shamed over minimum wage breachDVLA bans more than 500 ‘76’ number plates for being too rude or offensive for the roadVolkswagen Group set to axe Seat brand to focus on Cupra by 2029 – reportsVolkswagen Group announces plans to axe 50,000 jobs as it slashes model rangeSubaru dealers to offer free prostate cancer PSA...

‘I’d seriously consider packing in MOTs’: Garage owners demand test fee increaseInterest 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 scamBMW insists German agency delay will not derail wider rollout as UK switch remains on trackAgency 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 summerMergers and acquisitions market ‘as difficult as it has been in 10 years’ for UK car dealersOmoda and Jaecoo strengthen warranties after experts criticise level of coverChinese carmaker Chery opens new UK R&D centre as part of ‘long-term’ growth planGovernment launches review of ZEV mandate as car dealers call for lighter targetsListers Group profits fall 15% as agency switch hits £1.3bn turnover

Used car dealer left playing ‘detective’ after being wrongly named in customer complaintCar dealers have their say: We want a US-style ‘lemon law’ to replace Consumer Rights ActMeet the dealer boss who failed exams but went on to build used car giantCar dealers could be BANNED from cleaning vehicles as water board applies for drought orderMotor 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 thingJLR put aside £50m to fight bad publicity after fake report electric Jaguar was faultyA welcome to AI Week from Car Dealer editor in chief James BaggottAre 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...

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 smart...

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 ventureFormer Stellantis UK boss Maria Grazia Davino joins Ford to lead European salesAutotrader ‘paused’ Deal Builder roll-out and is tweaking price flags following dealer feedbackBlue Motor Finance collapses into administration but immediately sold in pre-pack dealFunder behind car finance legal claims collapses following FCA redress scheme delaysFamily car dealership shares £170,000 bonus pot with every employee

Dealers perplexed as Carwow radically shakes up its daily auctions removing reserve pricesGovernment confirms pay-per-mile charges on EVs as plans get mixed responseArnold Clark profit hits £112.5m as Chinese brands help drive new car growthCar Dealer Power Cars of the Year – dealers pick their winners of 2026Car 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 carSkywell dealers left in limbo as UK importer collapses with immediate effectWeekly Briefing: What is Carwow planning for its used car advertising site?

GVE London accountant denies defrauding supercar dealer but faces FOUR YEAR wait for trialFailed used car dealer Cazoo hit by fresh legal battle as creditor payouts put on holdReform ZEV Mandate NOW or risk jobs, investment and UK car production – SMMTIndependent 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 profitsUsed electric cars sell fastest in June while prices continue to hold firmWeekly Briefing: Is the Consumer Rights Act too harsh on car dealers?What can car dealers expect from changes to Autotrader’s Buying Signals?