9:02 am, April 24, 2015
YOU’VE made your choices, voting for the manufacturers and suppliers that do the best for you in our Car Dealer Power Survey 2015, and we’ve now passed on the good news to the winners.
Last night at the top of the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, the triumphant few, voted for by car dealers as the companies who support them the most, came together for the Car Dealer Power Awards. Read below to see who ended up triumphant in our 23 categories.
Managing director of Blackball Media, publishers of Car Dealer magazine, James Baggott, said of the awards: ‘The Car Dealer Power Awards are unique as they’re the only ones voted for by those that matter the most: your customers, the dealers.’
The prestigious award for Car Dealer Power Manufacturer of the Year went to Audi. Editor of Car Dealer Colin Channon handed over the award to the car maker.
He said: ‘They’re a manufacturer that has done incredibly well over the past few years and is currently sitting pretty in the UK with a market share of a fraction under six per cent.
Car Dealer editor Colin Channon presents the award to Scott Staines
‘The company is certainly living up to its slogan of ‘advancement through technology’ at the moment, with the introduction of a clever new virtual cockpit which will be rolled out to all cars in its range over the next few years.’
Audi were delighted to pick up the award. Scott Staines, the regional network development manager for Audi UK, said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted – it’s an award that is voted for by our dealers, and it means a lot to us. We know our dealers are the lynchpin of our business – they deal with our customers and our products every day – so to get support from them, and our products recognised, is absolutely delightful.
‘We are really focusing on working in partnership with our dealers, understanding their business and ensuring they understand our business and our needs, and viewing everything as a joint partnership. We want to sell more cars and look after our customers, and they want the same, so we’re all working to the same goal.’
The car which took the accolade for the Car Dealer Power Car of the Year was the Mazda2. Car Dealer Magazine’s own impartial reviewer described this model as ‘a wise supermini buy’ and said that ‘the car looks sharp inside and out’.
Advertising manager Duncan Chappell, who handed over the award to Mazda, said: ‘Sales for the manufacturer of our winning car are running a healthy 17 per cent up year on year. But what about the car itself? Well, we’ve had dozens of dealers telling us what a star it is. A rival to the Vauxhall Corsa and Ford Fiesta, it provides lots of standard kit, a spacious interior and strong performance.’
Mazda’s UK managing director Jeremy Thomson was clearly delighted with the accolade. He said after the ceremony: ‘Are we pleased? We are absolutely made up because this is the beginning of a very busy time for our company.
‘To be recognised by the readers of Car Dealer magazine, our own dealers – and somewhat unexpectedly – with the Car of the Year award leaves us feeling really flattered.
Duncan Chappell presents the award to Mazda MD Jeremy Thomson
‘It sets the scene for what is going to be a very exciting year for us. The Mazda 2 has finally come of age and gives us a stepping stone into the volume market. It’s everything that we have been promising people and now we are in a position to grow our business substantially. We’re delighted by our success tonight.’
Car Dealer Power Winners 2015
| Award | Winner | Highly commended |
| Warranty Provider of the Year | WMS Group | Car Care Plan and Lawgistics |
| GAP Supplier of the Year | Car Care Plan | Auto Protect and GMAC |
| Web Design for Franchised Dealers | Spidersnet | Bluesky Interactive and GForces |
| Web Design for Independent Dealers | Spidersnet | Bluesky Interactive and Gforces |
| Dealer Marketing Agency of the Year | MB Advertising | Brand Plan Media and Spidersnet |
| Finance Provider of the Year | MotoNovo | Black Horse and GMAC |
| Trade Insurance Provider of the Year | Aviva | Allianz and NIG |
| Motor Factor of the Year | Euro Car Parts | All Parts and Dingbro |
| Online Advertising of New Cars | Auto Trader | Motors.co.uk and RAC Cars |
| Online Advertising of Used Cars | Auto Trader | Sun Motors and Motors.co.uk |
| Used Car Valuation Provider of the Year | CAP | Glass’s and HPI |
| Provenance Check Provider of the Year | HPI | Auto Trader and Experian |
| Recruitment Agency of the Year | Perfect Placement | CARS and John Gibson Associates |
| Lubricant Supplier of the Year | Total | Castrol and Shell |
| Paint Protection Provider of the Year | GardX | Auto Protect and Supagard |
| Auction House of the Year | BCA | Manheim and SMA |
| Trade to Trade Remarketer of the Year | Dealer Auction | Sytner Web and Autotrade Mail |
| Dealer Management System of the Year | Dragon 2000 | ADP and Kerridge |
| Consumer Lead Generation Website of the Year | Carwow | Auto Trader and Bluesky |
| Product Innovation of the Year | Cosmetic Accident Repair Solutions by GardX | |
| Extra Mile Award | Lawgistics | |
| Car Dealer Power Car of the Year | Mazda2 | |
| Car Dealer Power Manufacturer of the Year 2015 | Audi |
