When will car dealerships reopen in the UK?
NEW car sales in the UK have come to a screeching halt as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.
After the Government’s order for all non-essential businesses to close, the purchase of new cars has tumbled by a massive 97 per cent, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
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When will car dealerships open?
It is currently unclear when car dealerships can reopen.
The Government is expected to review its lockdown measures on May 7, with an announcement due days after.
Car dealerships being able to reopen will depend on what the government decides after the review.
The Government has however, confirmed that car dealers can continue to sell cars remotely and deliver them while following social distancing guidelines.
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) told Car Dealer Magazine: “We have asked non-essential shops like car dealerships and showrooms in England to close, unless they provide urgent car repairs and other necessary services.
“They are all able to continue to sell cars remotely and deliver cars, as long as they follow our clear guidance from Public Health England to protect both employees who cannot work from home and their customers.”
From the statement, buyers are able to purchase cars from home but cannot go to dealerships as they are closed to the public.
The mag adds that a meeting between stakeholders of the industry and the government was “centered around” dealers being open as early as May 11.
This, however, depends on the action the government takes regarding easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions after the review.
How will social distancing work?
It has been suggested that the car dealerships will have to adopt social distancing measures similar to the ones in use in supermarkets in order to open again.
Customer appointments could be a requirement to limit the number of people at dealerships.
Under supermarket rules on social distancing, a space of two metres must be kept between costumers at all times with floor markings enforcing the one way rule system.
Car dealerships may not only have to employ these measures but might also have to set up screens between customers and desk workers.
Currently test drives are unavailable and it is unknown how these will work under distancing rules.
Are factories open?
Several production plants have closed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
BMW, Honda, Ford, and Toyota are among the top manufacturers who suspended production as a result of the pandemic.
BMW boss Oliver Zipse has cautioned that demand for new cars in the worst hit countries will remain low for the rest of the year.
He said: “It is clear that automative demand in countries that have been hard hit by the pandemic, like Spain, Italy and the UK, will probably remain relatively low for the rest of the year.”
Nissan and Vauxhall also shut their factories as a result of a lack of parts and low sales.
More on news
In its lowest figures since 1946, just 4,321 new cars were sold in April 2020, according to the SMMT.
It is now predicted that new car registrations will fall to 1.68 million for 2020 compared to 2.3 million in 2019.
The drop in sales is expected to severely cost the car manufacturing industry.