ICDP's blog

Having previously suggested that distribution models sit on a spectrum from the traditional franchise through to the direct sales model, I am concluding that this is not actually the right representation of the different models that we will see in 3-5 years time. 

As I head to the US for the annual NADA Show, the headlines are full of President Trump’s ‘shock and awe’ first 24 hours in office.  I’m certain that I will meet many card-carrying Republican US dealers over the next few days who are highly supportive of what is unfolding in Washington, and I’m not going to comment here on my own thoughts about Trump 2. 

As we all return to work (what happened to the holidays?) the news is full of stories related to potential mergers amongst the established car manufacturers – and possibly some newcomers.

Firstly, happy New Year to all that follow this blog!  I hope that the break has allowed you to recharge your batteries, ready to re-engage in your business for the next, doubtless eventful, twelve months. 

Before anyone thinks that I’m going to start offering tips on how to make a fortune in their local casino, I will immediately declare that my card skills are limited to simple childhood games like snap and whist.  When I visit Las Vegas for the NADA Show every other year, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on at the gaming tables other than a certainty that the house is winning. 

There is an expression in English to get your hands dirty – which means to get engaged in something personally rather than just to watch others from the sidelines.  When you’re in advisory roles, there is always some degree of frustration that you’re not hands on, able to execute rather than advise. 

The news yesterday that Stellantis and Carlos Tavares were parting company came as a surprise – at least to me – given that it was already planned that he would retire at the start of 2026.  The recent problems at Stellantis with high inventories in North America and low sales in some European markets have been well-publicised, so it was clear that the pressure was on, but losing your CEO so that there is then a vacuum at a time when you need clear direction is high risk.

The Jaguar rebranding events last week have certainly succeeded in getting the Jaguar name into many headlines even as they stop production of all models so you can no longer buy a new Jaguar.  There's been a huge amount of comment, mainly negative, on social media and the general press.

The core of ICDP’s activities is our collaborative research programme which has been running for over thirty years at a European level.

Following my post at the end of last week, it was good to see a number of readers of this blog joining our webinar on Tuesday alongside ICDP members and some representatives from the press.  The webinar was for the formal publication of our Top 50 European dealer group ranking that we produce annually, and the presentation slides are available to download from the ICDP website here.

I feel fortunate to have spent most of my working career in a period when the automotive industry and the world at large have been pursuing a path of globalisation.

I attended a podcast recording last night for Autocar, where the two regular co-presenters, Steve Cropley and Matt Prior were joined by a special guest, Jonathan Palmer. 

We had our Autumn ICDP Members’ Meeting in Paris this week which gave me an opportunity to visit the Paris Motor Show as well (a ‘proper’, albeit slightly smaller, motor show, with a very impressive showing by a number of serious Chinese brands), but also required me to prepare a couple of the presentations. 

Last night Elon Musk revealed the much-anticipated CyberCab at an event at the Warner Brothers film studio in Hollywood – a location that has produced both massive blockbusters and monumental flops.  The key question for investors and anyone with an involvement or interest in the automotive industry was which category will the CyberCab fall into?

Long-time followers of ICDP will recognise the image on this blog as one we have used in the past to represent the challenges of implementing change at the same time as having to run the business. 

We’ve been looking over recent months at people issues, particularly in the context of the challenges faced by dealer groups, and the role of the HR department.  People are always at the heart of an organisation but there are three particular areas where dealer groups face specific challenges today. 

I talked in my blog last week about aftersales and that despite it being a significant profit contributor for both manufacturers and repairers, it possibly does not get the attention that it deserves with new car sales taking the limelight, at least within the franchised sector.

Even though aftersales can represent half the profits for an established car manufacturer or a franchised dealer, it often remains the ‘poor relation’ in terms of the attention that it gets by comparison with the more glamorous world of new car sales.

As we come into September it marks the end of the holiday season and the return to work.  I hope that everyone reading this blog has found time to get some rest and relaxation and to recharge your batteries.

Despite the absence of any blogs for the last three weeks, I’ve not actually been away.  The days have shoby getting the ICDP Omni-Channel Cookbook finally completed after some months on the ‘to do’ list (more details here), some interesting client meetings, a classic car rally with my son and several days of hard labour under a baking sun (yes – in the UK!) getting some more jobs done round our house