6:31 am, March 10, 2025
Car Dealer Live is just days away with attendees set to be inspired by a series of thought-provoking sessions.
Taking place on Thursday (March 13) at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, attendees will enjoy a day full of exclusive research and fascinating interviews.
Tickets to Car Dealer – sponsored by Auto Trader – are available for car dealers and suppliers on the event website.
If you can’t make the event a streaming ticket will allow you access to the whole day’s sessions via video and you’ll also be able to watch any of them back at any time after the event. Streaming tickets are also available on the event website.
Hotel accommodation the night before the event has sold out.
James Baggott, editor in chief of Car Dealer, said: ‘I am very excited about Car Dealer Live – we’ve got an amazing line-up with some stellar guests.
‘I’m looking forward to the day as it’s a great opportunity to catch up with people from across the industry. We’ve made sure there is plenty of opportunity for networking too.
‘The research our partners are delivering is fascinating and the topics are incredibly relevant for dealers in 2025 – it’s set to be an inspiring day.’
Headline interviews
(Time of sessions in brackets)
Dr Andy Palmer (0935)
Up first will be the former Nissan COO and Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer. He was the man who launched the Nissan Leaf, the first mainstream electric car, and will be giving an insight into his amazing career and what he thinks needs to be done to push EV sales.
Nicole Melillo Shaw, Volvo Car UK MD (1200)
Shaw has been leading Volvo since 2023 and had worked for the brand for five years prior to that. She will be giving her take on the brand’s strategy, what she thinks of the current market conditions and how agency sales have panned out for the car manufacturer.
John O’Hanlon, Waylands Automotive CEO (1345)
The experienced car dealer leader runs Waylands Automotive. He turned a single Volvo site into a multi franchise business that now represents Kia, Polestar and MG and last year it turned over more than £200m. He’ll give his frank opinions on the very latest automotive trends.
Franchised car dealers (1000)
Three franchised car dealer bosses will take to the stage for a panel session. Taking questions on a variety of topics will be Peter Smyth, director of Swansway Group, Danny Minshall, Greenhous Group director and Jason Cranswick, chief operating officer of Marubeni Auto Investments. We’ll be talking agency sales, ZEV Mandate and just what’s really happening out there in showrooms so far in 2025.
Car manufacturer panel (1445)
Stellantis UK managing director Eurig Druce – the man leading Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Abarth, and DS in the UK – will give his opinions on the current state of the market. He will be joined by Renault UK boss Adam Wood, who will be sat alongside the new Renault 5 which will be on display in the conference room. Both will have a fascinating insight into what’s happening on the car maker side of the industry.
Independent car dealers (1630)
Three used car specialists will take to the stage in the afternoon to give their opinions on the used car market. Farhad Tailor, founder of the used car supermarket business V12 Sports & Classics, Malcolm Beattie, founder of MB Motors Ballymena, and Tessa Edwards, co-founder of independent car dealership Prime Vehicle Sales, will take our questions.
Daksh Gupta & Rachel Clift (1530)
Car retailing legend Daksh Gupta and automotive industry charity Ben leader Rachel Clift are set to share the stage for a special talk. The experienced pair will discuss ways of coping with stress in the motor trade as well as their incredible careers.
The Research
All of the Car Dealer Live 2025 partners will be delivering exclusive research on the day. They will be joined on stage by a car dealer or manufacturer partner who will give their take on the topic and the research.
Guests will be able to submit questions to the speakers and all the sessions are designed to give dealers key ideas to take away to their dealership to implement.
What does 2025 have in store for car dealers (1030)? Auto Trader’s COO Catherine Faiers will be discussing how the year has kicked off for retailers and what they can expect next. She will be joined by used car dealer Jacob Freshwater.
Is there really an opportunity for used EV sales for all dealers (1130)? That’s what Phil Nothard and the team at Cox Automotive will answer, giving you tips on how to make the most of the opportunity electric cars present. He will be joined by Lookers chief James Brearley.
Just how useful is AI to car dealers – and how can you use it (1230)? Motorway has been talking to hundreds of car dealers about how they use AI and they’ll reveal what works and what doesn’t in this session with COO James Wilson. He will be joined by Michael Bell, CEO of Available Car.
Which Chinese car manufacturers are the ones to watch – and who should you invest in (1415)? Jato’s China country manager Bo Yu will talk about the Chinese car brands she thinks dealers should be courting and why. She will be joined by Jato’s Paul Hilton and Aaron Carter, brand director for DM Keith.
What data is critical to a car dealer in making business a success (1600)? Experian’s David Kerry will chat about how powerful data can be when buying, selling and dealing with customers. He’ll be joined by Jonathan Seamen of used car business AnyColourCar.com.
What is Google seeing in the used car market – and how can the search engine help dealers (1700)? Google’s Mohammad Lone will once again share his unique insight into the car market and consumers, giving you tips on how to use Google’s tools to improve your dealership.
Tickets
Trading car dealers can book tickets for the event for £160, supplier tickets are £320. Some 10% of ticket sales will be donated to industry charity Ben.
Hotel packages have sold out.
It is essential you book the correct tickets. Non trading car dealers who book car dealer tickets will have their tickets cancelled.
For more information and a full programme of the day visit CarDealerLive.co.uk.
