NFDA survey shows positive trends

Half of dealers reported an increase in used car sales in the second week of September.

According to the post-lockdown automotive retail survey published by the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), 50% of dealers saw an increase in online used car sales, while 30% had more online sales for new cars. Meanwhile, 44% of franchised dealers have seen an increase in online new car sales enquiries in the last month, whilst 70% had more enquiries for used cars.

The report also found that 72% of franchised dealers have seen an increase in online and phone bookings for service departments.

Meanwhile, 53% of franchised dealers have brought back 75% of staff, whilst 35% of dealerships are now fully staffed, with 39% seeing an increase of footfall up to 25% from this time last year.

Sue Robinson, NFDA director, said: “Dealers report high levels of online enquiries and customer footfall for used cars. Following August’s marginal decline in private demand for new cars, it is encouraging to see that interest in used cars remains strong.

“Aftersales departments have been busy over the past weeks as roads get busier and motorists visit franchised dealers more regularly for a number of repairs including basic maintenance checks that might have been overlooked during the lockdown. Dealers are bringing more staff back to dealerships and are working hard to improve the efficiency of their workshops.

“We will continue to monitor the health of the sector over the coming weeks and tailor our surveys to obtain accurate dealers’ insights in line with the current state of the market.”