2:37 pm, November 22, 2012
ATTRACTING more dealers to its network is the way MG Motor UK will sell more cars to customers, Car Dealer has learnt.
Speaking exclusively to us, Andrew Lowerson MG Motor UK product manager said the key to selling more cars with the famous Octagon is getting more dealers into its network.
Currently standing at 40 outlets across the United Kingdom, MG has plans of attracting the biggest and the best dealers in the country.
‘We’re in serious discussions with the top dealers in the UK,’ Lowerson explained. ‘We’re not targeting the top 100 but the top 50.’ Lowerson said that four top 50 dealers are slated to join the network in 2013 if everything goes to plan.
‘Up until now we have not be able to speak to these dealers as they have not taken us seriously. But now with a stronger product range in the shape of MG6 diesel and the forthcoming MG3, conversations are taking place.’
Lowerson said he’d ‘love’ Harratts and the UK’s number one group, Pendragon, to join the portfolio but would not be drawn as to whether these dealer groups had shown an interest.
Lowerson revealed to us that the network has stuck at 40 with some dealers leaving and other joining. ‘We’ve been a bit disillusioned with our network; we had to terminate one franchise in Northern Ireland.’
Currently the network is made up of ex-independent dealers with MG being their first franchise, dealer groups and former Saab dealers. But dealerships are provincial, solus and generally small scale.
Lowerson told us MG has big ideas to get the Octagon into cities and into multi-franchise sites. ‘Dealers who had a portfolio of JLR, Saab, Alfa Romeo and Hyundai are really appealing to us; especially with Saab now gone and Alfa Romeo only having a range of two cars and no saloon model.’
But he admitted the firm will have to be careful how this is enacted. ‘At many of our current dealers they are souls so they’re fully focused on MG. At multi-franchise sites, there would be no specific MG sales person – and we don’t want sales people to lead MG customers into other brands the dealership stocks.’
The news that order books for the much awaited diesel version of the MG6 will open in December and an expected launch date of MG’s new supermini, the MG3, being September 2013, is hoped to entice more dealers to the resurgent brand.
