- BYD RECRUITING RETAILERS FOR UK LCV LAUNCH
- ‘WOEFUL’ EV CHARGER ROLLOUT HOLDING BACK AUTO INDUSTRY
- GROUP 1 OPENS NEW HQ IN MILTON KEYNES
- MEET THE ‘FRACTIONAL WORKERS’
- TAKE A SURVEY INTO TRUST IN THE WORKPLACE
- WEEK AHEAD: GFK consumer confidence
- £2m INHERITANCE TAX TRAP WARNING
- PAYROLLED STAFF FALLS FOLLOWING NIC ‘TAX RAID’
- CHINESE AUTHORITIES CLAMP DOWN ON ‘ZERO MILEAGE CARS’
- CARGURUS LAUNCHES AI-POWERED SEARCH
- OPINION: Premium, the most overused word in automotive marketing?
BYD recruiting retailers for UK LCV launch
BYD is recruiting retailers for the launch of its range of LCVs later this year.
Auto Sunday understands BYD will operate its commercial vehicle retail network as a separate franchise to the car operations. Existing BYD retail partners are being offered the opportunity to sign up to LCVs, but will be asked to operate from separate sites to car sales.
Several BYD retailers have told Auto Sunday they were keen to add the franchise. BYD is also advertising several head office roles on its website linked to commercial vehicles. It is unclear how many of BYD’s current 32 network partners will add the franchise or how many franchise points there will be for LCVs. BYD currently has 74 car sites and is aiming to have 120 by the end of 2025.
BYD showed a range of commercial vehicles at Hannover’s IAA show late last year including the all-electric E-vali van set to rival Ford’s E-Transit.
BYD could also introduce its Shark electric pick-up, which is currently on sale in other markets outside China, and featured heavily in the promotional video at the launch of the new BYD Dolphin Surf supermini.
* Sister publication Auto Market Insight recently spoke to BYD UK sales and marketing director Steve Beattie. The full interview will be published in the July issue.
‘Woeful’ EV charger rollout holding back auto industry
The pace at which public EV chargepoints are being installed is slowing, latest figures show – despite this being the second-biggest barrier (behind price) to purchasing an electric car.
The compound growth rate between 2021-2024 was 37.5%, reports The Sunday Times. However, in the first five months of 2025, the number has increased by just 10%.
This week, the slowdown counted its first casualty. Pod Point, which listed on the LSE in 2021 valued at £350m, was rescued by French energy firm EDF in a deal worth £10m.
The chancellor also this week set aside £400m in the Comprehensive Spending Review for charging – but money alone is not the answer.
Those in the EV charging industry say they “don’t want grants – we want certainty”. One senior executive said they looked at a potential charging site near Gatwick airport; officials told them it would not be hooked up to the grid until 2037.
There are now growing calls to focus on charging in order to help drive the car industry out of its current malaise. “Otherwise, the danger is that drivers will be running out of power left, right and centre.”
Group 1 opens new HQ in Milton Keynes
Group 1 Automotive has officially opened its new UK central office in Milton Keynes. It is described as a “major milestone” for the business, reflecting its continued growth and “ambition to create a truly best-in-class working environment for our colleagues.
“We’re incredibly proud of it, and even more excited about what it will help us achieve next.”
Late last month, Lookers closed its head office in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. Staff there have been moved to another office in Stoke-on-Trent.
Meet the ‘fractional workers’
So-called ‘fractional workers’ are an emerging trend in the UK job market. These professionals work for multiple businesses simultaneously in a part-time capacity, reports The Sunday Times.
Recruiters describe them as one of the biggest growth areas in the UK job market. “The portfolio career – once the preserve of retirees moving into non-executive roles, and Gen Z workers with side projects – has reached the senior executive ‘C-suite’.”
Take a survey into trust in the workplace
Retailers are being encouraged to take part in an industry survey by Jordan Workman, the winner of Ennis & Co’s Bunny Ennis Fund. The doctoral research study explores how trust between managers and employees impacts performance, decision-making and workplace culture in the automotive industry. Themes covered include trust, self-rated performance, gender bias, subjective age and inclusive workplace culture. It’s anonymous and takes just 15 minutes.
Click here to complete the survey, which closes on 31 August.
WEEK AHEAD
Wednesday, UK CPI
Thursday, GFK consumer confidence
DATA INSIGHT
£2m inheritance tax trap warning
2029: Date at which almost half of all taxable estates are expected to lose some or all of their inheritance tax allowance as they pass the important £2m threshold. IHT thresholds have been frozen since 2009 and will remain so until at least 2030.
Payrolled staff falls following NIC ‘tax raid’
109k: Fall in payrolled staff in May, reported by HMRC. It was the largest monthly decline since HMRC started collecting the data a decade ago, reports The Sunday Times. Since Reeves’ “£25bn tax raid on employers” in October, the number of people on official payrolls has fallen by 276k.
GLOBAL AUTO
Chinese authorities clamp down on ‘zero mileage cars’
The People’s Daily, a Chinese newspaper often said to signal the positions of the governing Communist Party, has called for a crackdown on so-called ‘zero-mileage used cars’ – brand new cars sold as heavily discounted secondhand vehicles. The paper indicated the practice was a race to the bottom and urged “tough regulatory action” to restore market order.
CarGurus launches AI-powered search
CarGurus in North America now allows shoppers to personalise their new car search through an AI-powered search engine. It allows users to narrow down choices by using conversational search.
“Early pilot users have shown strong engagement, with AI search users spending more time on site compared to typical site traffic,” said VP of product Ben Kasdon.
OPINION
Premium, the most overused word in automotive marketing?
With so many new entrants in the UK automotive landscape, every brand is finding it increasingly difficult to offer a USP or a market position that’s both different from its rivals and attractive to consumers.
But right now, every brand – new entrants and established names – seems to be homing in on the word ‘premium’, often in conjunction with one extra descriptor such as ‘sporty’, ‘affordable’, ‘performance’ or even ‘volume’.
A quick search reveals at least 20 brands use the word in their marketing to describe what they offer.
Even before we get to the fact that just saying something is premium, doesn’t make it so, you have to wonder, what does ‘premium’ mean to the car buyer, especially when it’s so over-used?
Here’s the uncomfortable truth; ask 10 buyers what ‘premium’ means and you’ll likely get 10 different answers.
With every manufacturer from budget to luxury now claiming the “premium” mantle, I’d argue the word has become almost meaningless.
In today’s crowded marketplace, calling your brand or product ‘premium’ isn’t a differentiator, it’s background noise.
A new model with large infotainment screen, vegan leather seats and a host of safety kit no longer earns you the right to claim superiority. Consumers are savvier. They notice the disconnect between the promise of premium and the reality.
With almost all product heading toward ‘premium’, I think the one area that can make a difference to brand perception is at the retailer.
And the only way that’s going to happen is if retailers are being given the opportunity to be profitable so they can afford to offer the best service.
So, what is really ‘premium’ in today’s automotive world? It’s not the badge. It’s not the brochure. It’s not the stitched dashboard or screen size. It’s the customer’s experience, from their first online search to the moment they take delivery, and crucially, every interaction after that.
If every brand is shouting ‘premium’, the only way to make it mean something again is to show it. That puts retailers back in the spotlight.
The brands that succeed in the next decade won’t be the ones shouting ‘premium’ the loudest. They’ll be the ones who never need to say it at all.
Tristan Young
Editorial Director
Get in touch: tristan@autosunday.co.uk
ISSN 2977-6597