Retailers ‘remain a cornerstone’

With increasingly complex functions in customer interaction, aftersales, used car management as well as constant developments in the advancement of vehicles, “retailers remain a cornerstone,” reports the latest Cox Automotive Insight Quarterly.

“The question is not whether dealers are necessary, but how they can adapt to the ongoing agency model debate and continually prove their value to manufacturers,” said Philip Nothard, IQ director .

“The physical and interactive aspects of dealerships persist as indefensible, a testament to their enduring relevance despite the industry’s twists and turns.”

Nothard said that retailers must continue to show OEMs they are “worth their salt and here to stay. That physical interactive element will always be with us – and will no doubt serve as proof of their importance, no matter the industry developments we are likely to see”.