Car Dealer Podcast

Tony Lewis, global head of fleet at Ineos joined Jon and Batch this week, giving us some insights about what life at one of the world's newest car companies is like.

Lewis has had a glittering automotive career, holding director positions at Nissan GB, Stellantis, Infiniti, and more. He's also done more than his fair share on the other side of the table: as managing director of the West Way dealer group, and before that a brand director at Jardine.

Having gone straight into the military after university, Lewis's latest role even brings him back to some familiar ground: expanding Ineos's footprint in the defence industry. We chat about what makes the Grenadier an 'AI apocalypse'-proof vehicle, and why he reckons it's the best tool for militaries around the world.

Stories discussed include Sytner's results, MOT disruption during the PHP cybersecurity scramble, and AI phone enquiries to dealers.

Stories covered:
Sytner turnover falls by almost £1bn as plunging used car sales drag profits down in 2025
AI agents are calling dealerships now – and experts warn the motor trade must get ready
Vertu boss Robert Forrester accuses politicians of waging ‘stealth war on the motorist’
Duncan McPhee confirmed as new Athenea CEO after quitting loss-making Hendy Group

Jon and James are joined by Faheem Miah, one of Car Planet's three co-founders. Faheem, along with his brothers Taslim and Tamim, set up Car Planet in 2022, and the trio have since scaled the business from 30 cars to over 2,000 across several sites.

Faheem also touched on the difficulties of keeping customers happy, particularly in a business with such a large volume of sales.

Stories discussed include the reveals of the Paris Motor Show, Tesla's 'flying' car, and the latest results from dealer groups including Chorley, Lithia and Eden.

Links to stories:
Weekly Briefing: How the Chinese car invasion will hit the used car market hard
Tesla launches a ‘flying’ car as it unveils Roadster 2 with SpaceX thrusters 
Paris Motor Show 2026: All the biggest new cars and concepts revealed
Chery to launch another UK car brand as iCAUR confirms 2027 arrival
Lithia UK profits almost treble to £60m as dealer group hails turnaround in performance
Chorley Group shuts dealerships and focuses on core brands after posting another loss
Painful restructuring leads to profits surge at Eden Automotive Group
Renault’s UK finance arm plunges to £110m loss as car finance scandal bill hits £219m
£9.1bn car finance compensation scheme court battle pushed back to February

Graeme Potts, founder and CEO of Eden Motor Group joined James and Jon on the podcast this week, along with Autotrader's head of strategy and insights, Marc Palmer.

Potts chatted to us about the trends he's seeing in both new and used sales, across the group's plethora of brands, including MG and Leapmotor. Naturally, we also couldn't help but ask a few questions about his illustrious career too – and his plans for the future.

Palmer meanwhile was on hand to give a peek behind the curtain at Autotrader's latest data, including how consumer confidence may be stronger than we might have predicted.

Stories discussed include the new Jaguar Type 01, impending tariffs on Chinese cars in the UK, and what James picked up from a recent motor finance conference (aside from just some free pens).

Links to stories:
Weekly Briefing: Are diesels dead? And an economist on what’s next for car sales
UK government preparing tariffs on Chinese electric cars amid pressure from EU
Used car prices fall for first time this year – but EV values keep climbing
Oct 7: Asos hacked; Badenoch to give ‘tax-cutting’ speech; Renault revives MPV with E-Space
Freelander returning to Britain as new car brand with JLR and Chery backing
This is the Jaguar Type 01 – the 1,016bhp EV tasked with reinventing the British brand

Cazoo's Lucy Tugby joined Jon and Batch for this week's podcast, discussing the marketplace's recent consumer trust survey – which revealed some rather painful truths about the relationship between buyers and dealers.

Tugby, who serves as Cazoo's Chief Marketing Officer, also chatted to us about the platform's (relatively) recent brand name switch from Motors, and what effect it's had on the business and its customers.

Read the full results of Cazoo and Car Dealer Magazine's joint survey below:
Cazoo speaks out after two trust surveys show deep cracks in car buying process

Other news covered this week includes SMMT stats for September, why dealers don't want diesel part exchanges, and why Dodge is making a return to the UK.

Stories covered:
New car market surges 12% in September as private buyers return to showrooms
Soaring fuel prices spark rush for used EVs – but dealers don’t want diesel part-exchanges
Unity Automotive appointed primary UK dealer for new Dodge Charger

Nominate yourself for a Used Car Award (Nominations close Monday 28th September)
Weekly Briefing: I’ve driven 10 different Chinese cars this week – and learned a lot
Mercedes owner hit with £43,700 engine quote after catastrophic failure at 48,000 miles
Volkswagen slashes 2026 profit forecast after €10bn hit as China struggles deepen
Bentley unveils its first electric car as £170,000 Torcal takes aim at luxury SUV rivals