New technology and the future for franchised retailers
From the 1998 Detroit Auto Show, I reported: “The next big thing is crossovers between MPVs and 4X4s”. In Europe, the Renault Scenic seemed to herald a new shape for the ordinary family car but within a few years the MPV fad was over and the SUV style replaced it.
The Nissan Qashqai started that trend in 2007 and in September this year reached the top of the UK sales chart for the first time.
In 1993, diesels accounted for 18% of the market but with official encouragement (and tax benefits) designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions would reach a peak share of 56% in 2011. Four years later, there was ‘dieselgate’ and the sins of Volkswagen, one of diesel’s main proponents, decimated its future prospects – but the UK diesel share remains at 42%.
All of this tells us that although the motor business is continually evolving, trends and new ideas take a surprisingly long time to become established. The new wave of electric vehicles was predicted in 2008 and started to become available in 2011. The first hybrids (Toyota Prius and Honda Insight) arrived in 2000 and yet EVs and hybrids together still account for only 5% of the UK market.
