This is really interesting and follows on from Mercedes UK doing the same. I don’t like it as it means they are going to try and reduce discounts and take money out of the supply chain by squeezing retailers and reducing the size of the dealer network which won’t help access to servicing etc.
I get why the brands want to do it as it gives them more control of margins and more ability to vary terms but I guess with the move to more and more PCP finance it was inevitable. I always liked to think that those of us interested in cars took the time to shop around and got better deals than on average but going forward everyone pays the same price. At least JLR can’t hide behind the retailers with warranty issues so there is some upside.
I get why the brands want to do it as it gives them more control of margins and more ability to vary terms but I guess with the move to more and more PCP finance it was inevitable. I always liked to think that those of us interested in cars took the time to shop around and got better deals than on average but going forward everyone pays the same price. At least JLR can’t hide behind the retailers with warranty issues so there is some upside.