Intelligence the way forward
Glass’s head of valuations, Rupert Pontin believes ‘highly accredited repairers who understand technology’ will be the first choice for vehicle owners of the future.
The suggestion came during Rupert’s ‘The changing mobility landscape’ seminar session at the bodyshop Event 2015 (BE2015) during which he discussed the current car market, today’s buyers, future transport and how people will travel, and the impact all of this will have on the repair industry.
Rupert highlighted how since 2004 there has been a vast change in UK new car market fuel type registrations, which in 2015 is represented by an almost equal split between petrol and diesel, with two per cent being made up of alternative fuel vehicles. ‘The propulsion of vehicles is changing for the first time in hundreds of years,’ explained Rupert who also pointed to a continued increase in new car sales over the coming years. ‘What is significant is the way in which people buy their vehicles with showroom visits now standing at 1.2 visits per purchase,’ said Rupert.
Rupert highlighted how vehicle ownership is also likely to change with a number of funding methods available, personal contract purchase (PCP) making up 80% of private buyer purchases in 2014. ‘The impact on the used market, with such good deals around at the moment, is who wants to own a vehicle?’ said Rupert. With the continued development of autonomous vehicles and advancements in alternative fuels ie electric power trains, Rupert suggested Apple, Google and Tesla are now all major influencers on the future of mobility. He questioned, ‘Will vehicle manufacturers always own the car in the future? Or will there be community plans, city transport policies and/or national transport strategies?’
Despite all the changes taking place, Rupert said, ‘There will always be accident damage to repair and the only way to stay ahead is embrace market intelligence and technology to ensure you stay on the field. Whoever owns the vehicle will look for a solution from a highly accredited repairer who understands technology.’
