UK ‘car supermarket’ group Motorpoint has stressed that cars it imports from Europe and sells through its UK outlets do not subsequently fetch lower prices on the second-hand market, despite having different specifications from cars imported directly into this country by the ‘official’ factory-authorised UK importer.
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Motorpoint managing director David Shelton said: “Nearly every customer who has bought a car from us returns to buy their next new car and we happily take their car in part exchange. Often these customer cars are over two years old and not appropriate for us to retail and so we send them to auctions. Importantly these cars fetch the same price at auction as UK-supplied cars.”
Motorpoint said that the new cars it sells are identical in every respect to models supplied by franchised dealers in the UK and have the balance of the manufacturers warranty in place, less a couple of weeks covering the transport time from Europe.
The retailer was keen to diffuse what it calls a “myth” – that because its cars are imported from Europe, they are worth less on the second hand car market.
SMMT spokesperson John Procter told just-auto: “We are not aware of this ‘myth’ and have no evidence to support or challenge accordingly.
“Car supermarkets clearly suit some consumers, but The Trading Standards Institute has recently highlighted that some independent car supermarket outlets, appear to be exploiting the eagerness of young motorists to get behind the wheel of their first car.
“Whilst we are sure that Motorpoint is a reputable organisation, similar outlets may not offer good service or customer support.”
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By GlobalDataJoe Ayling
