Dealers ‘fairly satisfied’ with crisis support

The latest survey from the National Franchised Dealers Association found that the relationships between dealers and manufacturers have come through the pandemic largely unscathed.

The survey was carried out in July and attracted 2,590 responses from 31 franchised equating to a record 60.1% response rate.

The survey asked dealers how they would rate their manufacturer overall, and received an average score of 6.0 points, which was 0.1 points higher than six months ago and 0.4 points up from last year.

Dealers were also questioned about their satisfaction levels with the support received by their respective manufacturers throughout the Covid-19 crisis. Dealers returned an average score of 6.4 points out of 10.

Sue Robinson, NFDA director, said: “It is encouraging that most dealers were fairly satisfied with the support received during the pandemic from their manufacturers. Overall, current profit return and return on capital remain key concerns for many retailers.

“Looking at the future of the market, it is encouraging to see that most dealers are satisfied with their alternative fuel vehicle offering and that average satisfaction levels in this area continue to rise. As our industry’s stability is threatened by a number of external challenges, it is vital that manufacturers and dealers continue to closely work together for the benefit of the whole automotive sector.”